Kokoro no Kagami
Rana- Um...I'm still sorry about how long it took to update the last one but with school and all...you know...I'M SORRY! On that note I don't own Pot and still don't own the Beatles. I also had to fire Sandy because she tried to kill me several times on the last chapter.
Alex- But who'll do my disclaimers from now on?
Rana- Dunno. I'll think of something. I'll just do it now until I can think of something...
9/29/10- I started updating this faster and writing it because I just got inspiration. My aunt's dog, Russel Ezechial Garza, died a few hours ago. It's 9:32. My families current song would probably be (Help!) at the moment. We'll miss the chihuahua greatly. We had him for a few years.
Chapter 11- Live and let die
Of mice and men, she was probably a mouse. She most certainly was not a man, however, being a she.
If Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, teasing and all, and had a great fall, would she be a king or a queen? A knight in a stall? A tiny little child who was bouncing a ball?
"Ugh, I'm so bored," groaned Alex McCarthy, aka Tatsuya Arisa in English over her forest green cell phone.
"If your so bored, why'd you call me then?" asked a seemingly annoyed Jordan Locke over the phone.
"Dunno...I'm just really bored. It's all rainy outside and there's no school!"
"You know it's like 2 am over here, right?"
"Sorry..." Alex had forgotten about the time difference but she really didn't care. He was up and there, which meant that he could talk and she was incredibly bored. There was a sudden knock on her door. "I'll have to call you back."
Smiling, Alex hung up the phone. And, outside of her door she heard a lot of laughing. It was very loud. Someone must've made a joke, she thought, smiling. After opening the door she found Kenji holding his sobbing child's hand. It wasn't until a meaningful look that she found Kenji's real expression. He looked blank, not stoic but shocked. Something bad had happened.
Alex then realized something important. The thought that everyone downstairs laughing seemed suddenly far from the truth. The real truth hit Alex in the face like a brick when Kenji told her the reason in a grave, surprised voice. He didn't seem to believe it himself. And Alex couldn't find the words to say either. She wanted to pat Kenji on the shoulder or give his son a hug, though...neither seemed quite right for the news. There was only one thing that she could think to say. Her voice came out deeper and closer to the hollow tone that Kenji held than she expected.
"I-I'm sorry for your loss."
~Mira-Haru~
Walking with a grave Kikumaru family seemed impossible some weeks before but there they were, sadly marching about a grassy hill while looking for the final resting place of Kenji's girlfriend and the mother of his son, Masato. Alex didn't know a whole lot about the woman, she realized while walking next to a sad but handsome looking Masato in his little black suit. She knew that she had Kenji's son, was in a relationship of some sort with him and...that was about it.
Her name was a sort of mystery on it's own that dug into Alex's racing mind. But other thoughts were also protruding the depths of her mind. Why had Natsuki-the very same girl that would very soon be her tennis captain-been there too? She knew that she enjoyed teasing Eiji-kun, but perhaps there was something more to their relationship. Though it practically burned not too ask, Alex knew her limits very well at the moment. With the sadness (not to mention the graves around) and silence, she could not have asked. Perhaps later, though.
After some time, they reached a large tent with many white fold up chairs beneath it. Now that she noticed it, it looked like perfect funeral weather; rainy, gray skies and a chilly wind. The Kikumaru family, for the first time since getting dressed some hours before, split apart among the thirty chairs and met once again at the back rows, sitting next to who they were comfortable. Mrs. Karo, Alex noticed with pity, was crying her eyes out on Mr. Kite, who was embracing her with one arms and stroking her short black hair with the other. It was both sweet and sad. Yuki and Pikamu were doing the same. Tsubaki held herself and was crying silently.
Strangely, the only thing Alex knew that she would remember forever was how strange Tsubaki looked in black instead of her usual pink and/or light colored schemes. After some time, Alex finally noticed her seating neighbors. One was Eiji-kun and the other was some girl that she didn't know. She was crying harder than anyone else, though she appeared to have come by herself since no one else was there with her. But still, where had she come from? Wait, when had she come?
The girl looked up, her long black hair moving away from her shocking violet eyes.
"What're you looking at?" the girl spat viciously. Alex felt herself shrink into her chair.
"Ah...nothing, sorry." With one last sideways glance at the girl (who was staring fiercly at a rectangular hole where Kenji's girlfriend was to be buried) Alex settled to stare at the bird that were flitting from branch to branch in a large, dead cherry blossom tree behind the grave. The cherry bossom tree seemed to add a creepy effect of its own onto the grave yard, being gnarled and twisted and gray...
Somehow, it was hard to take the eyes off of it. In its own way, it was beautiful. In a gothic way, of course. And then something black and white came into her field of vision.
Suddenly, she got thrown back into her body and watched as five strong men in black suits carried a pristine, scarlet wood casket near the rectangular hole that the mysterious girl was still staring at. Her sobs became louder quite suddenly. Out of the corner of her eye, Alex was sure that Eiji had flinched. Perhaps he wasn't used to funerals either. And suddenly she realized that the mint smell that she had gotten used to was gone. Now it was...vanilla? Banana? Something around there...but it was still sweet. It wasn't all that great though. Sweets weren't that high up in Alex's book but they were okay.
The funeral went by surprisingly fast, with teary and heartfelt speeches from both the deceased and the Kikumaru family. Kenji's son, Masato made a particularly teary one(it made Alex cry tears even though she didn't know the deceased.) At some point Eiji nudged Alex in the ribs and told Alex that he had wrote the speech for Masato. She almost couldn't believe that Eiji-childish as he was-could make something so touching. It was quite surprising.
After the funeral the two families separated and went back to their homes, or at least it was presumed. Masato went with the other family and Alex found that it was weird without her seat mate. Eiji replaced him. When they got back to their house, Shikoku and Yuki went upstairs, both claiming to be tired. Kenji stayed, as well as Tsubaki, Eiji, Mrs. Karo and Kaito. Alex wanted to go back up but felt that it would've been weird. She almost had a new respect for the twins.
They all stayed in the living room. Mrs. Karo served everyone except for Eiji, Tsubaki and Alex some strange fruity smelling drink with a dark red color. It almost looked like blood. The thought almost made Alex hurl.
"I think I need this..." said Kenji quietly before he took his first gulp out of his glass of whatever he was drinking.
"A bit of wine's good for the soul!" said Kaito, smiling after his third sip. Mrs. Karo nodded, looking a little tireder than usual. Now that she looked at her, Alex saw dark bags under her eyes and wrinkles on her forehead.
"I-I'm really gonna miss her. She was like a part of the family." Mrs. Karo let out a small dry sob. It was strange to see the usually bubbly woman sad and quiet.
"She was," Eiji corrected quietly before getting up and walking to the kitchen. Her came back with three blue plastic cups and a carton of what looked to be chocolate milk. He smiled as he offered some to Alex, who nodded. He then poured some to both Alex and Tsubaki.
It was silent for a while. When would the talking begin? The boisterous talking of a week prior to the day that the deceased had died seemed years before. Sniffing, Kenji got up and went to his room. He took his glass with him. Kaito and Mrs. Karo left as well.
All that was left in the dark, unlit room were their glasses and the three teenagers on the couch. It was still silent.
"I'm not a blond," blurted Tsubaki suddenly. She then stood and pointed her finger at Alex's nose. "I know you've been thinking that I am, Tatsuya, but I'm not. Honestly." She didn't look happy.
"I'm...sorry?" Alex glanced at Eiji who was staring at his chocolate milk and shaking the clear cup to make a miniature whirlpool in the liquid. "Um...what's it matter if you're-"
"If I'm blond?" she let out a sudden laugh that dripped with sarcasm. She somehow did it without smiling. "For your information, I'm not blond. My hair is just light brown. And I know that you don't think that I'm not a Kikumaru. I'm not. I'm an adopted child." She crossed her arms.
"Um...okay?" She continued to stare at Alex inquisitively and pointedly(it was quite scary.) "What?"
"Now you have to say something about yourself. It has to be two things and has to be really private 'cause that's fair." Alex didn't feel like arguing against her logic.
"Um...my parents are divorced. My dad's half Japanese and lives somewhere here, which is probably why Jordan-the guy who sent me here-entered me in the competition. I got here by accident." She paused to think of something to say something else. Eiji looked a bit shocked about this revelation of sorts. "My hair isn't naturally blond. I'm actually naturally brunette-like medium brown-ish."
Now it was Eiji's turn. He had also heard her story so he had to go to. Alex and Tsubaki both told him so, agreeing for once. He blushed-but knowing that he was fighting a losing battle, he resigned to say something. He took a few moments to think.
"Uh, I once stole toothpaste from a store and never told about it?" he looked to both Alex and Tsubaki, as though wondering if that would do.
"More. That doesn't count." Tsubaki crossed her arms and glared at Eiji. Alex grinned at Eiji and nudged his arm from where she was sitting next to him.
"You've gotta!"
"I got it." Tsubaki hit her fist against her palm. "Who do you like? You already said one thing so this is all that you've gotta say."
Eiji blushed harder. Something way in the back of Alex's mind both wondered and became hopeful.
"N-Natsu-Chan..." he looked down at his shoes. However, his angle betrayed him since both girls could still see his blush. "But don't tell anyone, nya."
Whoa. Natsu-Chan? As in Kago Natsuki? Alex's new tennis captain?
~Koko~Kagi~
Anyone surprised? I was! Next time on Kokoro no Kagami!
Alex is in for it in her first tennis lesson! Who knew that it would be so terrible! Get ready for Kokoro no Kagami- Run for your life! What's this tension between Alex and Natsuki?
