(A/N:) Sorry this took so long! But if it any consolation, this is one of the longest chapters I've ever written. I don't have much time cause I have to leave, like, 5 minutes ago. Enjoy this fun, happy chapter! First section is a MEMORY, fyi!
"Marco!"
"Polo!"
"Marco!"
"Polo!"
Riku hated this game, but enjoyed watching his friends try to play it. Akeno was it, while everyone else was scattered around him, yelling Polo. Riku looked at the other end of the pool, where Kyoko and Muki were playing, but was surprised to see that Muki wasn't there anymore. Instead, it was just Kyoko, swimming by herself. Riku swam over to the other end of the pool. Kyoko popped her head out of the water, taking in a breath and wiping the water from her eyes. When she opened them, she smiled.
"Hi Riku!" she beamed. Riku smirked to himself. She was always so excited. No matter who she was with.
"Hey... where did Muki go?"
"Oh. His parents came and he had to go home," she answered, a smile still on her face. He didn't know how she smiled so much.
"What have you been doing since he left?"
"Just swimming, I guess," she replied.
"That sounds kind of boring," Riku replied, without thinking about it. Her smile faltered for a moment and Riku watched as her cheeks went pink. But then she smiled again.
"Well, I don't think so... I think it's relaxing. It feels like flying!" she exclaimed, diving underwater again and swimming to the other side with her arms stretched out in front of her. Riku watched her carefully. She made it look so simple, as if she wasn't even trying to swim. Like she was just gliding along the bottom of the pool. She resurfaced on the other side.
"Why didn't you come get one of us? You know... after Muki left?" Riku asked. He didn't like that she had been all alone.
"Oh... I'm sorry. It just looked like you all were having so much fun and I didn't want to interrupt. But it's okay, I don't mind swimming by myself," she said, smiling. There she went again, giving him one of the kindest smiles he'd ever seen. One to reassure him. But he wasn't.
"It's because Akira's over there... isn't it?" he asked. Kyoko's smile slowly disappeared as she looked down at her feet.
"I wish we were friends..." Kyoko said, catching Riku off guard.
"Why?" he asked. He was almost jealous of Kyoko's relationship with Akira. She hardly gave him a moment's peace when they were together. He wished that she hated him, the way she hated Kyoko.
"Akira's not a bad person... I just wish that she treated everybody the same," Kyoko said, looking at the others, who were still playing Marco Polo on the other end of the pool. Riku dived down and swam to the side of the pool that Kyoko was on. He resurfaced next to her, wiping the water from his eyes.
"I guess you're right... it does kinda feel like flying," he said. Kyoko beamed.
"Isn't it the greatest?"
"I wouldn't go that far," Riku said, smiling at her.
"Hey Riku!" Riku turned around and saw Akira swimming in his direction. His smile disappeared and her reverted back to his distant self. "What are you doing over here?" she asked, approaching Riku and hugging his arm.
"Swimming with Kyoko," he answered.
"Hi Akira. Wanna join us?" Kyoko asked, giving Akira a friendlier smile than she deserved.
"Why would I wanna do that? Sounds stupid. Why don't you come to the cool side? We're about to see who can hold their breath the longest," Akira said.
"Why would I wanna do that? Sounds stupid," Riku retorted.
"I think it sounds like fun," said Kyoko.
"You should listen to her, Riku. We could all have a lot of fun," Akira said in Riku's ear.
"Is that what you want to do, Kyoko?" Riku asked.
"Huh?"
"Is that what you really want to do? Do you wanna go play with them?" he asked again.
"Of course she does!" Akira said, shooting Kyoko a death glare.
"Um..."
"Kyoko! It's time to go, sweetie!" Tohru called.
"Coming mom!" Kyoko called back. "I have to go. I'll see you," Kyoko said to Riku.
"Yeah," was all he said as Kyoko began climbing out of the pool.
"Don't count on it," Akira mumbled.
Everything went by pretty quickly. My parents had already known about Riku's plan and my mom had already started packing for me once I got home from the festival. Though, my dad didn't seem too excited about it, for obvious reasons. But I ignored him. He knew me better than that and it wasn't like I was going alone with Riku. Haku and Akeno came too. And even to my displeasure, Muki came. He brought Mimi with him. We all were driven over early Saturday morning, and that's where I found myself now. Sitting in the beach house, surrounded by my friends. I listened to them as I looked out the window and down to the beach.
"This place is amazing!" Mimi marveled.
"I know... it's so big!" Muki exclaimed.
"I'd take this over a dance any day! Thanks Akeno," Haku said.
"Don't thank me... it was your brother's idea," said Akeno.
"Really, Riku? You're the mastermind?" Haku asked. Riku didn't say anything.
"Yep. He must have something special planned for someone... I think it's you, Muki," Akeno said.
"Hey!" Muki retorted. I smirked.
"What, Muki? I thought we had something special," Riku said, egging him on.
"You two... cut it out!" Muki replied. Mimi laughed.
"Relax Muki, and have some fun! We're on vacation!" Mimi said.
"You're awfully quiet over there... Kyoko!" Akeno yelled.
"What?"
"Join in on the fun!"
"I'm here, aren't I?"
"So, what should we do?" Mimi asked.
"Whatever we want. We don't have any parents here, and it's not like we all have to do the same thing..." said Akeno.
"If I may speak..."
We all jumped at the unfamiliar voice. Peaking her head in the doorway was a very elderly lady. "Hello children. I will be your hostess while you are here."
"Oh man... it's Ritsuru's grandmother," Muki muttered.
"I thought she only stayed at the Hot Spring?" Haku whispered.
"Ritsuru's grandmother? She's not dead yet?" Akeno asked, a little too loudly.
"I'M SO SORRY! I'VE BEEN LIVING FOR FAR TOO LONG! I SHOULD BE DEAD! FOR TOO LONG I'VE TAKEN UP SPACE, BREATHED YOUR AIR! I'M SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME WORLD!" she yelled.
"Akeno!" Riku scolded.
"No, I'm sorry, okay? I wasn't talking about you!" Akeno said, trying to yell over her.
"I'VE DISGRACED THE NAME OF SOHMA FOR LONG ENOUGH! HERE! I'LL END IT NOW!" she yelled. She pulled out the belt to her robe.
"Oh no, no, no, no, no!"
"I apologize for our friend," said Riku, approaching her and taking the belt.
"We're quite thirsty. Could you make us some tea?"
"Well, I'd be delighted, young master Muki," she said, leaving. I blinked. If was as if she calmed down in seconds.
"She just tried to kill herself, and you ask for tea?" Haku asked.
"It got her to leave, didn't it? And she seemed happy to do it!" Muki said, defending himself. It was going to be a long weekend.
"You're not even gonna get in?" Riku asked. He was in the water, along with everyone else. I was sitting on a rock at the water's edge.
"Yeah, I don't really want to," I replied. It was weird... I liked beaches, and I liked swimming. But being here just didn't feel right. Being near the water made me sick to my stomach.
"Just get in!" Akeno yelled.
"Just mind your own business!"
"It's not that cold..." Mimi said.
"Come on, Kyoko... it's refreshing!" said Haku.
"I said I don't wanna get in!"
"Hey... what's that?" Riku asked.
"What?" I asked, trying to see what he meant.
"No, don't move. There's something on your hand," he said. He was kind of freaking me out.
"What? What's on my hand?" Was it a spider? It better not be! I hate those things!
"Hold on... I'll get it," he said, reaching for my hand. He grabbed it, and before I could realize what he was doing, he pulled me into the water.
"AH—!"
It was so cold. It went up my nose and a scrambled to get back to the surface. It was like I had forgotten how to swim. I felt someone's arms around me and pull me up. I finally surfaced, coughing and gagging for air.
"Hey! Hey, you're alright! I'm not gonna let you drown, okay?" Riku said, laughing. He was actually laughing.
"What in the hell was that?"
"I thought you knew how to swim! Just relax."
"Relax? You just tried to kill me!"
"I did not! I had a hold of you the whole time!"
"I said I didn't want to get in!"
"Well, you're in now, so you might as well enjoy it," said Akeno.
"How in the hell can I enjoy it?"
"I don't know. But I know that I would enjoy it if you stopped talking." I picked up a rock and launched it at him. It hit him right in the forehead. Score!
"OW! What the hell? I thought you hated Muki?"
"Yeah? Well, at least Muki knows when to keep his damn mouth shut, you dick!"
"You know, technically, he's a cock," said Haku.
"Whatever! I just need to get out of here!" I replied, heading for the shore.
"Oh, come on," said Riku, taking hold of me. "Just stay in for a little while."
"Riku, this water is making my skin crawl," I begged.
"You're fine. It's all in your head," he said.
"Fine... but only for a little while and you better not pull me under again!"
"Okay, you got it," Riku replied.
"Did anyone check the weather for this weekend?" Muki asked.
"No. Why?" asked Akeno.
"Because of that," Muki said, pointing behind us. We all turned around and saw a very large, very dark, very ominous storm cloud coming our way.
"Big deal! I bet we don't get a thing!"
"'Big deal! I bet we don't get a thing!' Great call Akeno!" I yelled, throwing a pillow at him. Outside it was pouring.
"Hey, I'm not a weatherman!"
"It's no big deal. It was getting dark out anyway..." Riku said.
"Yeah, because of the giant cloud..." I muttered.
"Why are you complaining anyway, Kyoko? You didn't even want to be outside," Akeno said.
"I'm not complaining. You're just stupid!" I yelled. Lightning flashed outside, followed by a loud roar of thunder.
"I don't like thunderstorms," Mimi said.
"Don't worry, Mimi. Just remember that when you see lightning, it'll thunder soon after that," said Muki.
"Come on guys! We're all looking at this the wrong way! We're at a beach house with our best friends! And Riku's gonna graduate this year, so we need to make sure that we make this upcoming year count, and that means not letting a stupid thunderstorm ruin our spring break! There's plenty to do. We could play some videogames, watch a mov—"
Another roar of thunder interrupted Akeno's inspirational "BFF" speech. And then with a short, buzzing sound, the electricity went out.
"Well, I tried," Akeno said, slumping. Haku sighed in frustration.
"I'll go find some candles," Haku said.
"I think I saw a flashlight in a cupboard," said Riku. They both got up and left the circle. They both walked slowly, trying to find their way in the dark.
"What are we gonna do now?" Muki asked.
"Relax. I've got this," said Akeno. Haku arrived shortly with a few small candles.
"These are all I could find," she said.
"Okay! I got it! Thunderstorm, candle light... let's tell ghost stories!"
"You're joking, right?" I asked.
"I don't hear you coming up with anything."
"Really Akeno? Ghost stories? What are we, five?" Mimi asked timidly.
"Sounds like you're scared," Akeno said.
"I am not!"
"Are too!"
"Now we sound like we're five," Muki said.
"Aw, come on! I know this really good story about this sweet, little girl who gets cursed to be a bitch for all eternity!"
"I'm gonna kill you, you damn—"
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
A blood curdling scream made us all freeze and stare at each other, wide eyed.
"What was that?" Mimi asked, shaking.
"Kyoko, stop hurting Akeno!" Muki scolded.
"I'm not doing anything, you stupid rat!"
"I do not scream like that! Look, it was probably nothing. I'm sure that it was just Ritsuru's grandmot—"
"That didn't sound like a woman," said Muki, cutting Akeno off. Lightning flashed and thunder crackled.
"M-maybe is w-was Riku," said Mimi.
"It wasn't me." Mimi jumped about a foot in the air. Riku had appeared out of nowhere. "Sorry... the batteries in the flashlight were dead," he said.
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"The scream!"
"Oh... that. Yeah, I heard it."
"Well, you don't sound very worried."
"What if there's a murderous, raving lunatic out there?" Mimi asked.
"Fine. I'll check."
"Don't go out there!" I interjected. Everyone looked at me, surprised. "What?"
"Nothing!" Akeno answered quickly.
"Relax. I won't go," said Riku, taking a seat on floor next to me. Suddenly, one of our cell phones went off, making most of us tense up.
"Whose phone is that?" Haku asked.
"M-mine," Muki replied.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Answer it!" Akeno said.
"No! You should never pick up the phone! Don't you watch the movies! The call could be coming from inside the house!" Mimi said, sounding absolutely paranoid.
"Like that actually happens... just answer it Muki," said Haku. Muki got up and walked over to his bag, pulling out his phone. He slowly answered.
"Heh-hello?" he asked. "Hello? Is anyone there?" he asked. But all he heard was a dial tone. "There wasn't anyone on the other line."
"Okay, this is some practical joke, right? Akeno, cut it out!" Mimi said. Akeno held up his hands.
"I don't even have my phone on me! It's not me, I swear!"
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
"Okay, what's going on?"
"It sounded closer!"
"Kyoko, are you okay?" Riku asked me.
"Huh?" I asked. I looked down and realized I had grabbed his hand. I felt my cheeks get warm as I hastily unlatched myself from him. "I'm sorry! It's nothing, I'm fine! I was just startled, that's it!"
"It's okay, you don't have to apologize. I'm sure there's a logical reason for all of this."
"Wait! Everybody be quiet!" said Muki, in a hushed whisper. We all sat in silence. Anxious silence. We could hear the rain beating down on the roof. And that's when we heard it. Footsteps. They were creeping down the hallway in front of us. With every step they made, the floorboards creaked. I stopped breathing and my heart fell into the pit of my stomach. And then it stopped. Standing in the middle of the doorway was the large, dark silhouette of a mad man, who then slowly began to make his way towards us. My eyes wandered down to his side as he slowly raised his arm, to display the large carving knife in his hand. He slashed it down—
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH I'M SOOOO SOORRRRRYYY!"
We all stopped screaming and stared at the person. They had jammed the knife into the floor. It wasn't Ritsu's mom. It wasn't Ritsu. It wasn't Ritsuru. Who in the hell is this?
"FORGIVE MEEE, YOUNG MASTERS! FOR WHEN I WAS FIXING YOUR DINNER, THE POWER WENT OUT AND I YELLED IN FRUSTRATION! NOW I'VE FRIGHTENED YOU AND YOU'RE STARVING!"
"Who are you?" Akeno asked.
"I am the cook here at the Sohma summer home," he answered, perfectly calm. That's it.
"What in the hell is wrong with you? You couldn't come in here like a normal person? Who the hell carries a knife around with them anyway?" I yelled at him, and immediately regretted it as he pulled the knife out of the floor and approached me.
"I'M SOOOO SOORRRRYYYY! I DIDNT MEAN TO FRIGHTEN YOU, MISS. KYOKO! HOW SHALL I ATONE? I KNOW! I SHALL SLASH MY WRISTS!"
"Wait a minute, I wasn't scared— hey, what do you think you're doing with that knife?"
"There's no need for that!" yelled Akeno as he held the man back, and Riku pried the knife from his hand.
"Okay. That settles it. The cook was the one screaming. You can relax, Mimi," said Haku, turning to face Mimi, but she wasn't there. "Mimi?"
"She fainted," said Muki, picking her up and laying her on the sofa.
"Thanks for telling us that dinner won't be served tonight, but it's fine. We have plenty of snacks and we'll be okay till tomorrow," said Riku, showing the cook out. Once he was gone, we all released a collective sigh.
"I'm glad that's over..." said Akeno.
"You didn't have to go off on him like that, Kyoko," said Riku.
"Whatever. He pissed me off," I replied.
"It still doesn't explain why my phone went off..." said Muki, a bit uneasy.
"Relax. It was probably just your parents, but you lost service because of the storm," said Haku.
"Yeah, you're probably right. Nothing to worry about," he replied. Suddenly, the door behind Muki flung open and the room was filled with the sounds of pouring rain and raging winds. Two people stood in the door frame.
"MMUUUUKKKKIIIIIII!"
"NNOOOO!" Muki yelled, but couldn't get away. We all immediately knew who it was. We couldn't mistake that voice anywhere. She came through the doorway and embraced her cousin.
"Oh, little Muki! I was so concerned about you! And so are your parents! But I told them not to fret, for Kiki and I would come here to verify your safety!"
"Damn it, Arime! You couldn't knock?" Akeno demanded.
"I simply did not have the time! Muki didn't answer his phone. For all I knew, he could have been dead!" she replied. Kiko walked in behind her, lowering the hood of her jacket.
"Arime, let go of him. He's turning blue. And stop being so melodramatic," Kiko said, shutting the door.
"Let me get this straight... you two drove here? In the storm? Do you have a death wish?" Muki asked, pushing Arime away from him.
"It would be a small price to pay for the assurance of your wellbeing!" Arime replied.
"Stop talking like that..." Muki muttered, massaging his temples.
"Okay. I'm done. That was way more excitement than I had bargained for. I'm gonna make like Mimi, and pass out," said Haku, walking towards the girl's bedroom.
"I'll join you," Kiko said, following her.
"Can someone help me carry Mimi to the bedroom?" Muki asked.
I couldn't sleep. I always had a hard time sleeping in unfamiliar places. So, instead of sleeping, I found myself standing, in my swim suit, in front of the indoor pool. The electricity had finally come back on about an hour ago, and a couple of lights lit up the pool. I watched the water carefully. It gave me goose bumps, and I hated that. I wasn't always like this. I used to love swimming, now I can't even stand the sight of water. But I didn't want it to be like this. I don't want to be afraid of water. It's ridiculous.
I slowly stepped up to the edge of the pool. I took the first step in. Okay. Not too bad. The second and the third weren't too bad either. The water wasn't that cold. It got harder once the water was up to my stomach.
"GET OUT OF THE WATER!" the cat screamed at me.
"No," I said back.
"GET OUT NOW!" it yelled. I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.
"You are not in control!" I yelled. I probably looked crazy, yelling at no one. Then I dived, swimming to the other end of the pool. It was hard. I had to try now. It used to be so easy before... I surfaced earlier than I wanted to, taking in large gaping breaths.
"YOU FOOL!"
"Shut up..." I muttered.
"I didn't say anything."
I twisted around and saw Riku. I imagined that my cheeks must've gotten a few shades pinker. "Mind if I join you? I couldn't sleep," he said.
"Uh... yeah, of course," I said. He took off his shirt and dived into the pool. He resurfaced next to me.
"I didn't expect for you to be here," he said.
"Yeah, well... you know me. Full of surprises," I said. He chuckled.
"It didn't really seem like you were enjoying yourself," he said.
"I think I forgot how to swim," I replied. He looked at me, confused. "It's hard for me now... it used to be like a reflex."
"I'm sure it'll come to you. It would be a shame if you couldn't fly again," he said, and then he dived under and swam to the other side. He remembered that?
"I was so naïve..."
"You were just a kid. And you weren't naïve, you're kind. That's nothing to be ashamed of," he replied.
"I'm not very kind anymore..." I muttered.
"That's not true," he said. "Try. Swim over to me." I'm not sure if I had ever wanted and not wanted to do something more in my life. But I had to. I braced myself, and then dove into the water, kicking off towards Riku. Almost immediately, there was a horrible screaming in my head that made me surface. I stood up, holding my head in my hands.
"Stop, stop," I muttered. Still, it screamed. "I'm sorry!"
"Kyoko?" His voice silenced it. I looked up and he was right next to me. I slowly brought my arms down. "Hey, it's cool. We can work on it," he said.
"Yeah... that kinda hurt," I replied, holding my head.
"Why don't we get out? Go to bed?"
"No. I should do this," I said. Riku sighed.
"You wanna know how I know that you're still kind? It's because you still try so hard to do what you think other people want you to do. You try so hard to please them. Truth be told, it's the quality about you that annoys me the most, next to when you apologize too much... You need to do what you want to do. Not what you think will make other people happy. And you shouldn't keep swimming just because you think I want you too. I don't want you to do things that hurt you."
"Riku... lots of stuff hurts me nowadays. If I gave up just because it hurt, I wouldn't accomplish anything anymore."
"Just take it easy... okay? Let's go to bed."
"You're lucky you're you," I said with a smirk.
The bright morning sun is what woke me up the next morning. It was Sunday. Our last day here. We would be leaving late tonight. I opened my eyes and saw Riku, sound asleep. It was nice seeing him like that. He looked peaceful... almost happy. I had stayed in the boy's room last night, afraid that if I went back to my room I would end up waking Haku or Kiko or worse... Arime. But the guys could sleep through anything.
"Well, look at you two..." I froze and felt my blood rush to my cheeks. Riku's eyes snapped open. "Aren't you cute together! What are you doing in the boy's room anyway, Kyoko?"
"Koki's in here?" asked a very out of it Muki. I jumped out of the bed and grabbed Akeno by his shirt.
"If you mutter one word of this to anyone, I will tell Haku about the incident!" Akeno's face looked like I had just bitch slapped him.
"You wouldn't dare! You promised!"
"Try me. Keep your mouth shut and you won't have anything to worry about," I said, walking for the door. "And the same goes for you, rat boy!" I yelled at Muki.
"What's happening?" he asked, tiredly.
"What incident?" asked Riku.
"I didn't know it was a guy!" Akeno yelled at Riku. I smirked to myself as I walked down the hallway and to the dining room, where a large breakfast had been set up.
"Good morning, Miss. Kyoko. You're up early," said Ritsuru's grandmother.
"Yeah, I had a hard time sleeping... we had an exciting night."
"I apologize for our chef. He can be quite eccentric at times."
"Yeah, you don't say?" I asked sarcastically. I know someone else who can be quite eccentric at times...
"Please dear, you and your friends help yourselves. I'll be cleaning if you all need anything," she said pleasantly, and then left. I blinked. I think that was the most normal conversation that I had ever had with her. I picked up an apple and walked into the girl's room. Haku and Kiko were awake. Mimi and Arime were still out of it.
"Where were you?" Haku asked. I held up my apple.
"Getting breakfast."
"You got up pretty early... I woke up like, twenty minutes ago and you were gone," Kiko replied.
"Yeah. I got up early. Walked around."
"You never get up early," said Haku.
"I had never been cursed either... but hey! There's a first time for everything," I replied.
"Ugh... why does my head hurt?" asked Mimi, finally coming to."Hey, how are you feeling? You fainted last night... do you remember?"
"Uh... nope. Not really."
"Yeah, it's probably better that you don't..." I muttered. "Since you missed it, Kiko and Arime were your murderous, raving lunatics."
"You're right. I don't wanna know what happened," said Mimi, sitting up and holding her head.
"So what's for breakfast?" Haku asked.
"Whatever you want. It's like a buffet out there," I replied.
"Yeah. I'm starving," said Haku, getting up. Kiko got up as well, and so did Mimi. Arime was still asleep, and we wanted to keep it that way. Went we got to the dining room, Riku was there.
"Hey bro... how'd you sleep?" Haku asked.
"Not bad," he replied, glancing at me. I smirked.
"Where are Akeno and Muki?"
"Muki's still asleep. And Akeno went to the bathroom."
"But I'm back! And holy crap! You are not gonna believe what just happened!"
"If it happened while you were in the bathroom, I don't wanna know," Kiko replied.
"No. It didn't. But after I got out of the bathroom, I ran into Mrs. Screams-A-Lot, and guess what I figured out," Akeno said. When no one bothered to guess, he continued. "That shack on the water that we saw yesterday was a boathouse!" he yelled. We all just stared. "A boathouse!" he yelled again, as if we didn't hear him the first time.
"Yeah, we heard you. A boathouse... what about it?"
"What about it? The thing about it, Kyoko, is that we now know what we're doing today!"
"You couldn't get me on a cruise ship, much less a boat that you're gonna be operating. And you don't know the first thing about boats!"
"What's there to know? It's like a car on water!"
"Sorry Akeno, you didn't sell me. You can go. I'm staying up on dry land."
"I guess we could at least check it out..." Haku said.
"I'd like to see what's down there," said Mimi.
"And you? Riku, my main man!" Akeno said. Riku sighed and nodded his head.
"I say, if you were all scheming to have a grand adventure without me, then that is just rude!" Arime burst into the dining room.
"Of course not! They would love for you to join them," I said, and then got glared at.
"I should think so! I mean, I am me."
"No doubt about it..." Akeno mumbled.
"Kiko, you'll come? Right?" Haku asked, her eyes pleading. Kiko was the only one that Arime ever listened to.
"I guess I don't have much of a choice..." Kiko said with a sigh.
"You all have fun," I said, walking off towards the bedroom.
"You're sure you don't wanna come?" Riku asked, smirking. What was he smirking about?
"Yeah... I'm sure. Have a good time," I replied, waving them out the door. Finally! Some peace and quiet! It's not that I didn't like spending time with my friends, just not extended periods like this. Especially with Akeno. I mean, I love him like a brother, and I know he means well, but we fight like a brother and sister too. I laid down on the couch. The sun that came through the window was warm and cozy. I closed my eyes. This was what I liked to do on vacation.
"Hey, where'd everybody go?"
I was immediately jerked out of my thoughts. How could I be so stupid? How could I forget... him. Now I knew why Riku had been smirking. "Kyoko? Do you know where they went?" he asked, approaching me.
"Why in the hell is it my responsibility to know where they are? Damn it! If you hadn't decided to sleep all day, maybe you'd actually have a clue!"
"I just figured you'd know... and it's only nine thirty!"
"Don't get snappy at me, you little twit!"
"I'm not getting snappy... I just don't like it when people start yelling at me this early in the morning for no reason!"
"What in the hell are you trying to say?"
"Stop trying to pick a fight! I'm not gonna fight you, so deal with it..."
"Damn it! They went down to the boat house! Which before just sounded stupid, but now it's beginning to sound more and more like paradise!" I yelled, stalking off, not casting Muki another glance. I had nearly reached the exit when I heard a thud. I spun around and saw Muki lying on the floor.
"Stupid rat, what in the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, exasperated. Being around him took a lot out of me. Like the rat enjoyed teasing me and sucking out every last bit of energy I had. Muki didn't reply. He didn't even move.
"Come on! Knock it off!" Still nothing. My stomach started to ache, something that usually happened when I became nervous. I walked over to him. His silver hair scattered across his face. I nudged him with my foot. "Wake up, Muki..."
I knew he had asthma, but it's not like he had just taken a jog. The feeling in my stomach got worse. "Damn it... Muki, if you don't get up, they're gonna think that I did this to you!" I yelled. "Oh damn. Alright, what should I— his inhaler. I need his inhaler." If you hadn't noticed, I talk to myself in high pressure situations. I ran into the bedroom and rummaged through his bags. It took me a while, but I found it. I ran back to Muki and knelt next to him. I tried my best to prop him up against the couch. Even though he was a year younger than me, he somehow managed to already surpass my height, which pissed me off. But everyone seemed tall to me nowadays. I had my mom to thank for that. As I was trying to figure out how to use the inhaler, I looked at Muki and watched as a small smile formed on his face, and the corner of his right eye twitched. Then it went away quickly.
. . . . . .
Oh, that bastard. A fury like no other bubbled up inside of me. I clenched and unclenched my right hand, trying to figure out whether I wanted to punch him, or slap him. I brought my hand back, and with as much force as I could muster, sent it flying towards Muki's face. Muki's eyes opened quickly, and he caught my wrist, stopping my hand when it was only inches away.
"I can't believe that you would slap somebody while they were unconscious," he said. I exploded.
"You asshole! What the hell? Do you think it's funny to pretend to be hurt?" I yelled, yanking my wrist out of his grasp and standing up.
"I did it to prove a point."
"What? That you're stupid? That you don't want me to trust you ever again? Pretending to pass out isn't funny! Especially for you! I mean, what if it had really been an attack?"
"I haven't had an asthma attack since I was twelve."
"So? And if you haven't had one since you were twelve, then why in the hell do you still carry this around with you?" I questioned, shoving his inhaler at him, then turned around, stomping away from him. That jerk!
"I did it to prove that despite what you say, you still care about me. You would've let me lay there if you didn't. And you wouldn't have gotten so flustered. So you can stop trying to hate me so—"
"OF COURSE I CARE ABOUT YOU, YOU IDIOT! Me wanting to beat the crap out of you and you dying are two totally different things! And it doesn't even matter that I wanna beat you up, because I can't! It is literally impossible for me to land a single punch on you! So stop whining about how much of a bitch I've been lately, because it's not my fault that your face constantly reminds me that I have no future!"
"What are you—? Are you talking about that rumor?"
"Yeah. I know about it. But by no help of my friends, I might add. I had to figure it out from an old man that I had never even met! Who turned out to be my biological grandfather, by the way! Oh, and turns out, it's not a rumor!"
"Kyoko, the odds of that happening—"
"Are pretty high if the curse doesn't just magically disappear before I graduate. So I'm sorry that I haven't been your perfect, friendly, smiley Kyoko lately, but I've had other things on my mind, Muki," I said coldly, and walked out of the room.
Muki and I kept our distance for the remainder of the morning. Part of me felt bad for snapping at him like I did. Part of me had wanted to unload on someone for a long time now. At about one o'clock, everyone who had gone down to the boathouse returned. They were all soaked and sun burnt, and the girls looked especially pissed. I couldn't help but laugh at them when I saw their faces.
"Shut up, Kyoko..." Haku mumbled.
"I don't know what you're all so pissed about. I had a good time," said Akeno, who was holding his right arm.
"What happened to you guys?" asked Muki, walking into the room.
"We went for a boat ride."
"Please! That thing was not a boat. It was a small metal deathtrap with oars!" Mimi replied.
"It's not like anyone drowned!"
"Nope. We just had to swim... probably over half a mile... against the current!" Kiko yelled.
"I'd just like to specify that all of this could've been eluded if you all had commissioned me to commander the vessel," Arime chimed in.
"Arime, not even your giant ego could've plugged the hole in that boat," Akeno replied.
"So, where's the boat?"
"Under the sea..." Akeno mumbled.
"What are you gonna do about—"
"Like they'll even miss it! It was a piece of crap! I bet that once they notice it's gone, they'll send me a thank you card for clearing up space in that pathetic excuse of a boathouse!"
"So, what are you guys doing now?"
"Shower." Nearly all of the girls answered in unison. Then they stopped, all giving each other sly looks. Haku took off and was quickly followed by the rest.
"Not if I get there first!"
"I don't think so!"
"Hey! I'm the oldest!"
"No you're not! I am!"
Akeno and Riku looked at each other. "You can go first," said Akeno, and Riku walked back towards the bedroom. "So... did you two spend some quality time together?" Akeno asked. I scoffed.
"As if..." I muttered.
"Yeah, it was pretty quiet around here," Muki said, leaning against the wall. That was the story, and we were sticking to it. Besides, it's not like Muki played the meanest practical joke ever or anything. Or like I lost my temper...
"Everyone raise their marshmallow."
"Akeno, we're not—"
"I said, raise it," Akeno snapped at me. I arched my eyebrow at him. "Please?" he asked. I sighed and lifted my marshmallow away from the fire. For our final evening at the beach house, we decided to build a campfire, and Mimi had suggested we make s'mores. Riku and Haku sat next to me. It was warm out as the sun was beginning to set. The service to take us home would arrive in about an hour.
"My friends... it has been an honor— nay! A privilege to spend my spring break with you all. We have laughed... we have cried... we've been frightened... we've been pissed... and some of us even fainted—"
"Hey!" Mimi said jokingly. We all shared a short laugh.
"But besides all that, we're all here because we share something. And it's not a curse. It's friendship. It's the memories we share—"
"Aww..." Riku cooed. We all laughed.
"Now wait a minute! I'm being serious! And I know I'm being super corny, but just hear me out! If I ever had a problem or a secret, I would feel comfortable coming to any one of you guys. Okay... well, maybe not Arime."
"I resent that!"
"My point is that we have something special. And we have a brand new year coming up! I mean... Riku, you're graduating! And Kyoko's gonna be student council president! A lot is gonna change for us this year, but not this. I don't want this to change. I want us to stick together, no matter what this life throws at us. Alright, now let's all touch marshmallows," he said, putting his marshmallow in the middle, above the fire.
"Akeno, what are you—?"
"In the middle. Come on, guys. Let's go. Kiko, Arime, you too," he said. We all stood up with Akeno and touched out marshmallows together. This was so ridiculous.
"Now what?" Muki asked.
"By bring our marshmallows together as one, we are making a pact. A pact to, much like these marshmallows, stick together," Akeno said proudly. I had to admit, it wasn't a bad metaphor. A lame one, yes. But not the worst. I wonder how long it took him to come up with it. "Now, on the count of three, we are going to say "To sticking together," and then immediately eat our marshmallow."
"Well, you better hurry up, because these things are getting pretty gooey..." Kiko commented.
"One. Two. Three!"
"To sticking together!" we all yelled, raising our marshmallows into the air and then into our mouths.
"Ah!"
"Hot!"
"Ow!"
"It burns!"
I was amazed that none of us had made the connection that if you eat a marshmallow right after roasting it over an open flame, that it might burn your mouth. Not to mention that they were all stuck together and many of us had white, sticky goo hanging out of our mouths. It was quite a sight. And once we all looked at each other, we burst out laughing.
"Young Masters and Ladies, I hate to spoil your fun, but your ride is here," said Ritsuru's grandmother, coming down to the beach where we had made our campfire. That had been one of the stupidest, corniest, most ridiculous nights of my life. And I would never trade it for the world.
(A/N:) Next chapter gets real! It's back to depressing! HaHa! If you want more chapters, be sure to review! Gotta run!
stacyTHEemo :)