Hello! ^^ I'm here again. My exam is finished...yay! I passed...double yay! xD Thank you for your reviews. And also thank you for everyone who supported this fic. I won't leave this fic I promise! I did promise a 2-part shinji chap, and here is the first one. Forgive me if it's not good enough...*bows* I'll try harder next time. Also, I'm sorry too if I never get the chance to re-write all the errors from the previous chapters. I said earlier that I'm lazy...xD But I will someday. Now on with the story.
Up until now, I still don't own them.
MORNING
"Irasshaimase!"
An auburn-haired girl gave a cheery greeting before bowing her head slightly at the new customer.
"Hamu-tan!"
Drawing her gaze up to his face, the usual well-known cocky grin of the goateed man met eyes. Immediately she smiled at the accustomed face and greeted with much enthusiasm. "Iori-san!"
The young man lost his grin at the honorific. "Iori-san? What the hell was that? That's what they call my old man!" Scratching his head, an idea caught up to him and nonchalantly placed his hands on his waist. "Just call me Junpei the Great!" The effect of the summer sunlight flashing behind him from outside the door was enough to boost his morale.
"How about Junpei the Idiot…? Idiot." The deep baritone voice from the male wearing an apron behind the counter caused Junpei to slouch back down, frowning at the given title.
With a last chance to redeem his so-called greatness, he involuntarily stated. "I-I'm not an idiot…you are-"
"I am what?"
The death glare coming his way made him gulp at the last word he could ever utter. "…g-great. I'm saying you are far greater than me Shinjiro-senpai. Hehehe…" Seeing as though the glare isn't receding from his teasing, he silently hid behind the highschool girl who was now laughing at his antics.
Annoyed, Shinjiro sighed and went back to cooking, letting the other conveniently sit by the counter. He should have to ignore him for now. He's not in the mood to associate with idiots in the morning.
"I'll have the usual!" Junpei called.
He's been coming to the shop a lot more recently ever since the reunion night. Annoyed at his frequent visit, Shinjiro could do nothing as long as Junpei's paying whatever he eats. So much for a quiet, peaceful morning.
Upon reaching the cheerful young man, he heard a small "pst!" followed by a whisper. "Senpai…"
Shinjiro sighed one more time. "What?"
"Do you have a gift yet?"
Raising one eyebrow, Shinjiro looked at him and asked again. "What gift?"
Blinking, Junpei leaned in closer and whispered. "Don't you know? It's Hamu-tan's birthday tomorrow." He said while shifting their eyes towards the busy waitress who was attending to another customer. "If I were you, I'll buy her a sexy waitress costume…"
"Like hell I'd do that…" The older man scowled. The thought of her with that outfit would not be all that bad for him if not for the fact that customers, men in particular, would have to see it too. It would cause too much trouble for her and for him as well.
Their conversation was cut short when her voice popped from behind. "Do what?"
Junpei had the opportunity to speak first. "Uhh…to do…do some stunts while cooking…" Holding the chopsticks, he tried to juggle it but failed at the attempt. "…tada! See?"
Looking back and forth at the two men, she gave a small "Oh…" before chuckling at the thought of her boss doing it.
"Idiot." Shinjiro sighed again and went back to his original post in the kitchen. Stirring the broth, his mind wandered off but still managed to hear a portion of their conversation.
"I envy you Hamu-tan. Students get to have summer vacations. I miss the beach! I miss the babes! I miss…I miss Yakushima!"
"Yaku…shima?"
"Yeah! The white sandy beach…Ai-chan's watergun…Mitsuru-senpai's house…Akihiko-senpai's bet…" Laughing, he turned to her and continued. "Don't you rem…" Junpei suddenly fell silent, seeing her look down to the ground and remembering her unfortunate memory loss. "Uhh…don't worry about that. I-I got to go…see ya!"
Taking the bowl of ramen with him, he called out to Shinjiro. "Put it on my tab, senpai!" Hurriedly, he went out, ignoring the "Come back here!" shout from behind.
The girl, deep in thought, stared at the guy with the apron. Yakushima. She had heard that word before. That frustrating feeling of something forgotten, she's starting to hate it more and more. How she could have wished for the memories to flood her and let her drown. She doesn't care if it may be painful, sorrowful, or happy…she wants to remember all.
Looking back at the girl, he grew uneasy of the stare she was giving him. It may have something to do with the upcoming special day or it might have just been something stuck on his face. Either way, he decided he cannot anymore ignore the incessant staring and asked. "What is it?"
Realizing that she must have been staring at him for quite some time, she diverted her eyes away. "N-nothing. Ne…Shinjiro-sama? Have you been to Yakushima before?"
Relieved that it wasn't any of the two options he was thinking about, he answered. "No…I haven't."
"I see…" Quite disappointed that she cannot ask about the place or its significance, Hamuko went back to the task at hand. She'll remember it sooner or later, she thought. Clearing one table, her mind drifts off, thinking that maybe she'll ask one of them eventually. She'll save that thought for later. Engrossed at her own thinking, she missed the worried glances being thrown off by her coworker.
Shinjiro sighed once more. A gift…for her. He took off his apron and walked to the door. Turning his head to his side, he addressed his assistant. "I'm going out for a while."
"Eh? Where?" Panicking a little, her puppy eyes sadly looked at his back. "W-when will you be back Shinjiro-sama?" With the peak hour approaching, she wasn't sure if she can take the multitude of customers, all hungry and impatient to be served first.
"I'll be back by sunset. I'm counting on you." With that, he's out of the door leaving the young waitress alone to tend to his business.
AFTERNOON
How troublesome could finding a gift be? A gift would be a simple walk in the park. A perfect gift is a different story. As he strolled past many different stores at the mall, he eyed a small wrist watch similar to what he had given her before. Wondering what ever happened to that little watch, he shrugged and thought that it may have been misplaced. Deciding it would be better not to give her the same gift again, he dragged his feet away and stopped at a fashion boutique.
Fanciful dresses of all sorts and sizes lined up from wall to wall and shoes of different colors and designs were displayed in every pedestal with an assortment of bags to go with it. At the first step inside, he immediately felt alienated at the crowd of women going about with their shopping. Making a move to retreat, he dreaded to hear a familiar voice calling out to him.
"Senpai?"
A disguised Yukari moved in closer to check. "Shinjiro-senpai, it is you! What are you doing here?" Before he could answer, she spoke again. "Oh wait let me guess. You're here to buy Hamu-chan a gift, right? That's so sweet of you…"
"…" A slight tint of red surfaced from his cheeks as he thought of any excuse. Unfortunately, nothing came into his mind.
"How about I help you? Here senpai, could you hold this for me?" She handed him the plastic and paper bags with different labels he had never known his life. She led him through the maze of women clothing and came to a single line up of clothing.
"Oooh…I must try this! Wait for me senpai!" Leaving him behind, she headed for the fitting room, eagerly holding a red dress.
Sighing heavily, he looked around only to find a group of girls staring at him. They seem to be whispering something, passing a glimpse towards his way every once in a while. He was starting to feel uncomfortable underneath their gaze and went on ahead to find a certain model.
"Hey…how long are you gonna be in there?" He boringly called through the door.
"Wait…" She went out, the dress on one hand and her wallet by the other. "I must definitely have this first."
He made another mental note never to go shopping with a girl again. He followed her again through the maze of clothing until they reach the cashier. Combing his messy hair back, he was beginning to get impatient of waiting. "Takeba, I think I'll go…"
Yukari gasped at the name and instantly shushed him. "D-don't call me that! Nobody should know I'm here."
Too late, all eyes turned to them and before long they were bombarded with a series of fans from all over the shop. It was his cue. He silently and slowly crept behind, away from the growing crowd that was surrounding the helpless young model.
He continued walking until he stopped in front of a hi-tech shop. Looking by the window, he browsed through the display of phones and laptops labeled with different models of letters and numbers. At the first step inside, he again felt alienated among the mob of techies with their own languages.
He cringed when he heard another voice. "Shinjiro-senpai!"
"Are you looking for something?" Fuuka questioned.
"Uhh…not really." He looked down to see a small box tucked away in a paper bag she was holding. From the looks of it, it must be a phone. Wondering why she needs two phones, he decided to question. "Is that…?"
"Hmm? Oh this? I'm planning to give it to Hamuko-chan. Which reminds me, do you already have a gift for her, Shinjiro-senpai?
"…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "No…I haven't found anything…"
Fuuka's eyes shone and sparkled. "Then you've come to the right place! Here let me help you senpai…"
She led him to one stall and began picking a random thing. "This is the Apple MacBook Pro Spring 2010."With much passion, she continued. "Their 15-inch MacBook Pro keeps the same look and feel, but offers major internal changes, including an optional Intel Core i7 CPU, making it a very serious portable powerhouse!"
"Uhh...no that's…"
"No?" She blinked and went on to the next one. "Then how about this? Apple iPad with 16gigabytes of memory. It's the first affordable tablet computer." She smiled earnestly while holding out the object for him to see.
"Umm…wait…"
Fuuka went on to another object. "Panasonic Viera TC-P50VT25! With both 2D and 3D sources, their plasma TV delivers outstanding overall picture quality!"
"O-oi…that's not…" Shinjiro took a step backwards. This was all too overwhelming for someone like him. He was never interested in such things and he doubts that Hamuko will be interested in it either. Furthermore, he doesn't even have a phone to begin with.
"Eh? What's wrong senpai?"
"I-I'm gonna check over there…" He quickly back away and walked out as fast as he can without looking back.
"Wait! Senpai!"
Ignoring Fuuka's calling, he continued on walking until he was out of sight. He tousled his hair and sighed once more. When did finding a gift become so complicated? He might as well cook for her or something, but that would be too much predictable. He did cook for her many years ago and just recently, she's been eating in his shop, a lot if he may say, for free. Cooking, for now, is not an option.
Turning around the corner and stopping in front of a jewelry shop, he scanned the many trinkets on display. They say women likes jewelries and so he thought he might have a go with it.
A necklace or a bracelet?
A ring perhaps?
There are so many to choose from. Which of these would be the perfect gift? As he looked carefully at each one of them through the window, another man came out of the shop. A flash of silver caught his eye as he turned his head to see the face of the high school boxing coach. Looking straight at each other, Shinjiro eyed the small paper bag Akihiko was holding. The logo of the jewelry shop was plastered on it.
"Tch…" Turning his back on the other and ready to leave, Shinjiro started to walk away, mentally scratching jewelries off his list. Maybe he'll just have to do with the watch.
"Shinji! Wait!"
With another sigh, he stopped, his back still facing Akihiko. He heard the silver-haired teacher speak. "We need to talk."
LATE AFTERNOON
Chaegall Café. Two men sat facing each other when waiter approached to take their order. Akihiko spoke first. "I'll have coffee…Shinji?"
After thinking, Shinji spoke. "…coffee…"
Once the waiter left, a moment of silence enveloped them again. Neither wanted to start, yet both wanted to settle it. Examining his friend's face, Akihiko gave an amused chuckle. "It's nice that we get to do this once in a while. How are you? My student is not giving you any trouble, is she?"
At the mention of his student, Shinjiro's eyes flinched for a second. Closing both eyes and his usual annoyed features showing, he voiced out. "Cut to the chase. What do you need to talk about?"
Akihiko's smile vanished, his face bearing the seriousness he wore every single battle. "I think you already know what."
Opening his eyes and fixing it on the silver-haired teacher, he matched the other's seriousness with that of his own. Another silence came forth, allowing their eyes to convey what they cannot speak. Before long, the waiter came with two cups of hot black coffees and served it in front of the two gentlemen. Reaching for his cup and bringing it to his lips, Akihiko spoke again. "I won't lose her…not even to you…"
Taking a deep breath and exhaling it heavily, Shinjiro grew tired of it and was itching to leave the place. He finally answered. "Baka! She means nothing to me…" It echoed inside his mind, making his very core shake at the sudden outburst. He hates it, the feeling of weakness. He was supposed to have no weakness, nothing of any kind.
"Is that why you hired her?" Akihiko countered. Receiving no response from the other man, he took it as a sign to continue. "I know she's special to you…"
Glaring, Shinjiro stood up and began walking away, not bothering to take a sip from the coffee. An unexplainable tug underneath his chest worsened, feeling like it's going to burst out of his body. "…not anymore…"
Akihiko stood up as well and called out to him. "Shinji!"
"I never did like competing with you…cause in the end..."Shinji paused and looked down. He gritted his teeth and forced the words out of his mouth. "…you always win."
Akihiko stood there watching his friend walk away. "Shinji…"
EVENING
Upon entering the empty noodle shop, he looked around to see the young waitress sleeping on the counter. Closing the door gently, he made his way to her, letting his lips curve into a smile. Only at that moment can he allow himself to be vulnerable. Lifting one hand, he hesitated before lightly tracing her cheek with his knuckles then tucking one rebellious strand of hair behind her ear. Reaching for his pocket, he brought out a small envelope and tucked it inside her pocket.
Hamuko stirred and opened one sleepy eye. "Shinjiro-sama…" She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. "How long have you been there?"
"I've just arrived. Are you alright?"
Hearing his deep gentle voice, her eyes quickly turned into teary wide puppy eyes. "Shinjiro-sama! Please don't leave me like that again!" Suddenly hugging him tightly, she hiccupped and gripped him, longing like a lost puppy waiting for her master. "It was so hard…there were so many…the customers were demanding… and…and…I don't know what to do anymore…"
Laughing softly, he raised one hand and gently ruffled her hair. "Such a kid…"
Holding his hand with both of hers, she looked up and pouted. "I'm not a kid…"
Their eyes met while her hands were still on his. Their faces flushed as he swiftly pulled his hand away. "You go on ahead and take some rest. I'll clean up." Shinjiro left her and went to the kitchen to get a piece of rag, avoiding his eyes from meeting up with hers.
"I'll help too."
"I said go home…I can handle it." He gently pushed her out of the door despite her struggle to stay in.
Once pushed outside, the door quickly closed and hearing a small click behind her. In her effort to pry open the door, the small envelop slipped from her pocket and landed unto the concrete floor. Picking it up, she slowly opened it to reveal two plane tickets. "Ya…ku…shi…ma…"
She blinked in confusion, her mind trying to register the meaning of such. Since when did she acquire these? Unless…
LATE EVENING
With a click, the door slid open and out went Aragaki Shinjiro. Looking up, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A small sound from behind caught his attention as he turned around and his gray eyes again met with those deep crimson eyes.
"So we're going to Yakushima?" She smiled at him.
Feigning ignorance, he looked away and stated. "I have no idea what you're talking about. What are you still doing here? Didn't I tell you to go home?"
"I was waiting for you." She answered in a matter-of-fact tone.
He sighed and put one hand inside his pocket. "Stupid…"
She smiled more knowing that he would never admit his own happiness. She liked his shyness just the way it is. As Shinjiro started to walk, she followed him close by. "Ne…can I ask you something?"
"What?"
She spoke in a low voice. "If I'll be gone again…would you miss me?"
Shinjiro abruptly stopped and his eyes widened. He felt his heart skip a beat and his breathing stopped. Biting his lip, he continued walking. "Don't ask stupid things…"
Stopping again to see that she's not following him anymore, he spoke once more, almost whispering his words. "As if…"
"Eh?"
"As if I'll let you leave me again…" He saw her face brighten up, knowing full well she could see the slight blush on his face. Clearing his throat to hide his embarrassment, he stated once more. "You still have to pay me for all the plates you broke the other day, so you're not going anywhere. Got it?"
She smiled sweetly, a big one at that, and cheerfully answered. "Hai!"
Contented, he started to walk again, making sure she's following closely. It was just like the old days; reminiscing the late night walks together. He doesn't need for her to remember, he just wants it to last. His one weakness may very well be his strength.
"I won't lose you either…"
Under the increasing light of the moon…the end draws near yet again.
Ok done! Many more chapters to go. Here's a sketch just like I promised. It's a preview of the next chappie. Again thank you everyone! ^^ Please do tell me if there's anything wrong with the chappie coz I feel like its just a "meh" for me. It feels like I haven't written in ages...
http:/i1176(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/x332/pchan17/IMG_0530(dot)jpg
I'm Doxophobic - Thank you for liking it! ^^ yes, Ken-kun will have his turn. I do hope you'll wait for it...
Deidara'sgirl19 - Here you have it! A shinji chap ^^ haha, don't worry about the principal. He'll get by...
Luimeril - Nice to know it made you happy coz I was aiming for that. Hmm..about Theo..I guess you'll just have to wait and see..^^
pmch - Oh hi again! ^^ Thank you for reviewing! Glad to know you're still following my fic. ^^