Hiho wonderful readers,
No internet at my casa still so here's your long awited chapter. drop me a review and tell me what you think!
RxExR
Chapter 11: Surge
All is quiet.
I wipe my face with Hotaru's handkerchief and sniffle a bit. I think I managed to save a little face at the end of my emotional speech when I concluded with a sarcastic remark about fate and destiny. Hotaru didn't say anything; she just refilled my cup with more oolong tea and looked rather thoughtful as she filled her own. My eyes feel tired and my knuckles are white from clutching her little handkerchief in my hands. Surprisingly enough, I feel better. After being submerged in my problems for a moment, when I was finished it was like the tides receded and I was here in the sitting room again, sipping tea with the ice princess.
No more drowning, just sitting there trying to compose myself with the same air of confidence I've been trying to perfect. She raises the cup to her lips and sips. It's driving me insane. I know this moment is supposed to be a comfortable silence with internal reflection, but her just sitting there as if I said nothing at all is making me fidgety.
I clear my throat, "Say something."
She places her cup delicately back down on the saucer.
"What do you want me to say?" she asks looking directly at me.
"I don't know. Isn't this the part where you ask me if I'm okay and tell me how brave I am?" I reply.
"Well anyone can see that you are not 'okay' by any means and I'm not going to tell you're brave because quite frankly I don't know if it was brave."
Pause.
What?
"What?" I say aloud this time.
"Bravery is doing something with courage, you didn't really have courage. All you had was fear."
"Then what would you call it?"
"Oddly enough I'd call it smart. Basic human survival: run away from danger. I didn't think you mentally capable."
"Gee thanks." I say forgetting my grief and drinking my tea sourly.
"As for Youichi, that was selfless. You aren't even biologically related and you didn't think twice about taking him with you and he didn't think twice about leaving. It's rather poetic."
"Well then write me a sonnet." I mutter twirling the small spoon in my cup.
She was silent for a moment and then shocked us both by saying, "I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for? It's not your fault."
"I'm aware of that, but I've been told I lack compassion: an ability to relate to others and see things from their perspective. Not that I've ever had such need for that ability, but I suppose statistically there is a first time for everything. So I am sorry that I pried so much, it must have made you very uncomfortable."
"Um, it's fine?" I reply not really knowing what to say.
Her apology sounds like something that should be submitted in writing, but she is making a genuine effort, which must make this a rare next to impossible occurrence.
"Well aren't we quite the pair. I'm the emotional, runaway basket case and you are a heartless, money hoarding, social interaction failure. Beyond repair aren't we?"
"Immensely." She concludes.
The corner of her mouth lifts ever so slightly for a moment. I guess that's as much of a smile as I'll ever get out of her.
"I propose we enact the ancient sacred ceremony passed down as tradition states between two friends throughout all of time." I announce placing my arm on the table.
She raises an eyebrow at me, "What is that exactly?"
"The pinky swear," I reply, "But first you have to tell me something about you. Something you don't want anyone to know."
"Why would I do that if I don't want anyone to know?" She asks monotonously.
"Because I have literally told you everything about me that I never want to ever have discussed without my knowledge so you are going to pinky swear to me that you won't tell, but I know for a fact that you are a woman of leverage so I cannot bind you in this practice until I too have something of pinky swearing value." I explain.
She folds her arms across her chest and looks defiant.
"Come on. Nothing? No embarrassing stories? No experiments gone horribly wrong and covered up by the government?"
She didn't budge.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Nothing.
"Not one tiny little thing?"
"Clowns." She said after another moment of silent pleading.
"Clowns?" I repeat.
"Hate them to an unparalleled extent." She clarifies.
I try not to laugh, "You're scared of clowns?"
"I was four. He squirted me with a flower and chased me around the yard. I hid in my mother's closet and peed my pants."
I lost it. She glared at me, but I couldn't stop. The thought of a stoic little Hotaru running away from a clown, hiding in a closet and peeing her pants, it's too much. I can't breathe.
"And you call me heartless."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I say clearing my throat trying to stop the remnants of my laughter from taking me over once again.
To some extent, I know there is a good chance that she's probably lying. Why would the super-rich ice princess tell me something personal about herself, especially an embarrassing secret? But part of me knows that she won't tell anyone my story so I loop my pinky with hers and laugh at the silliness of the gesture. Pinky promises between someone like me and someone like her.
Could we be any more different?
Yeah I doubt it.
"Hotaru!" a male voice shouts right outside the sitting room.
"Ruka we do not shout indoors." She said picking up her tea cup.
The blonde boy found his way into the room with Natsume right on his heels looking as bored as ever. I make the most effort to not even look at him which is easy considering my back is to the entry door. Ruka wastes no time plopping into an empty seat at the small round table and plucking a cookie into his mouth.
"I've been looking for you everywhere." He said between bites.
"Must have been quite a task, considering I'm at my own house."
He looked unfazed, "Yeah I called Hamilton and he said you had arrived with two guests. I'm surprised to see you here Sakura-san."
"I'm just as surprised to be here." I reply biting into a cookie myself.
"Where's your brother?" He asked.
"In place like this I would guess he's somewhere in Narnia, but last I checked Hotaru gave him full access to the game room. I think he might have smiled a little."
"That's fantastic! You guys should come by more often."
"How courteous of you to grant a standing invitation to someone else's home." Hotaru commented.
"Well I figured with all the bonding that must be going on, you two must be good friends by now." Ruka replied sheepishly.
"We're still ironing out the details. The proposal is not yet to the satisfaction of both parties, but we'll be sure to Xerox you a copy." I interject.
He smiles, "Well as long as the party of the first part doesn't have a negative effect on the party of the second part everything will be to my liking."
"I promise not to make her days off too common. I know things must be a madhouse without her looming presence at Imai's."
"I meant her negative affect on you Sakura-san. Hotaru tends to be firm in her ways."
"Not to mention she sucks the fun out of a room." Natsume adds from his seat on the window sill.
I laugh a little, "Well I believe we are at an impasse because I can be just as stubborn as she can, except of course I'm louder and I take things."
Hotaru makes a grunt noise in protest.
"It's true." I defend.
"Well I believe you since you did answer her phone this morning." Ruka chimed in.
"And drove her car." I say earning a pointed look from Hotaru.
Ruka looks impressed, "First time for everything I suppose. She won't even let me drive her car. It's not included in the boyfriend benefits package."
I choked on my cookie which resulted in my coughing and gagging for a moment trying to compose myself.
"Boyfriend? You and Hotaru are . . . Huh?"
I can tell by the smile on his face, he had intended to surprise me and my reaction must have been priceless because even Natsume smirked. I gulped down my tea in an effort to stop coughing and looking like a total moron.
"But I thought you and Anna were. . ."
"Me and Anna?" Ruka said chuckling a bit.
I make a note that Hotaru narrows her eyes slightly and resumes drinking from her tea cup.
"Anna and I use to date. In kindergarten." He says smiling somewhat fondly at the memory.
"Huh?" I say needing more clarification.
"She was nice and brought me cookies every single day. We always sat together during playtime our relationship never went further than that I'm afraid."
"That's adorable." I comment imagining a tiny Ruka with pudgy cheeks having his face stuffed by a teeny Anna with bubblegum pigtails.
"So wait," I say backtracking, "How did you two end up together?"
"She loves me." Ruka answers simply.
Hotaru rolls her eyes and pulls a small device from her pocket. She pressed a small rectangular button and placed it back in her pocket. Several seconds later a dog came running into the room breathing hard and yapping away. I got excited for a moment because I expected a real dog, but it was a robot dog that ran straight to Hotaru's feet with a stack of papers in its mouth. She patted its head taking the files and the dog runs from the room yapping away. Hotaru slid the papers across the table toward me and Ruka's face paled.
I picked up the stack and nearly died.
It's a stack of photographs of Ruka: tending to horses, feeding chickens, riding horses, washing a car, sleeping in class, standing in front of a row of lockers.
He looks drop dead gorgeous in each one, perfect lighting and angle. As I go through the stack there are photos of him daydreaming in class and getting out of a swimming pool and sleeping with a white rabbit.
"What are all these?" I ask flipping through the pages.
"How I paid to have my room remodeled." Hotaru answered.
"You let her take all of these? Isn't it a bit much?"
Ruka opened his mouth to answer but Hotaru beat him to the punch.
"I do not require permission to seize an opportunity to make profits." She replied simply.
"You get paid to take these?" I ask still flipping through the stack unable to believe my eyes.
I never realized how good looking Ruka is. Well defined muscles under his shirt, sparkling blue eyes, gold cornflower hair. . .
What was I talking about?
"You obviously doubt the power of the female's ability to lust after males they deem attractive." Hotaru said cutting through my thoughts.
"I really don't." I say straightening the pile and forcing my eyes to look at something other than Ruka.
"I simply provide the moronic female population with a look at a different side of Ruka. He should thank me for his popularity." She says.
"Thank you?" Ruka repeats incredulously, "Thank you for invading my privacy and taking advantage of me so that you can make money?"
His eyebrows were arched and his eyes narrowed at her, but she didn't even bother to make eye contact with him.
"I still don't understand how this turned into a romantic relationship." I say trying to cut through the sudden tension.
"It wasn't. She agreed to stop selling the pictures and I agreed to keep her followers away."
"Followers?" I repeat looking at Hotaru who said nothing.
"Geeky nerd types who worship her work in robotic engineering and then realized there is a girl under all that brain so naturally they started to worship other various parts of her as well." Ruka said giving me a knowing smirk.
The thought of anyone thinking of Hotaru in a sexual manner disturbs me.
Away bad thoughts.
I push the stack back across the table and before Hotaru could take them Ruka snatches them off the table and stands up. He dumps them all in the waste bin, but the lack of reaction on Hotaru's part tells me that there are truckloads more where that pile came from.
"Wow, that's . . . unexpected, yet somehow predictable." I say after thinking about for a minute.
It's completely fitting that Hotaru would enter into a monogamous relationship for means other than romantic pursuit. Ruka is tall and rather striking in terms of physical appearance and he's probably smart. I doubt Hotaru would date someone below a certain IQ level.
"So what do you ladies have planned for the rest of the day?" He asks.
"Well we thought we'd braid each other's hair and fawn over boy bands, but then we thought better of it and decided that plotting to take over the world is more our style."
Hotaru waved her hands signaling the maid standing at the door that it is okay to enter. She bowed before piling our used plates and tea cups onto her silver serving tray. She looks to be in her mid-twenties, rather plain looking with hair the color of straw pulled up in a bun and topped off with a bonnet that matches her uniform. Her hands move quickly, but carefully across the table as she removes the items from the table. She doesn't seem to be breathing and is keeping a wary eye on Hotaru who is tapping away on her phone. I guess if I worked in such close proximity to someone like Hotaru I'd be pretty nervous too.
She picks up the tray with some difficulty, but bows her head and hurries from the room. I didn't even realize Ruka was still speaking to me until he called my name.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
"I was asking if you'd like to go swimming." He said, smile unwavering.
"Swimming? In the middle of February?" I ask blinking at him.
Of course the Imai mansion would have a heated indoor swimming pool. It goes without saying. Even so I still stand in awe of it. The intense aroma of chlorine is overwhelming. I follow Hotaru into the changing room where she lends me a spare swimsuit. She doesn't say anything and just disappears out the door to let me change. I stand in front of the full body mirror holding the tiny one piece suit in my hands. I look up at my reflection, feels like it's been awhile. Same face, same mess of brunette hair pulled up in the same way, same skinny body stuffed in unflattering clothes.
I slip out of my clothes slowly, pulling my sweater over my head and wiggling out of my jeans. It feels like it's been forever since I've been in a swimsuit I opted out of the swim class elective when I started working on theater productions in school. I also played lacrosse for a while. It helped to make excuses for my bruises.
I pull the black straps over my shoulders and let my hair down. It grows like a weed, at least that's what my mother use to say when she used to sit me on her lap to brush my hair before bed. A tiny pair of arms around my legs forces me from my thoughts.
"Youichi? What's the matter?" I say unwrapping his arms so I can kneel down to his level.
Natsume comes strolling in nonchalantly in a pair of black swim trunks and no shirt. He tosses a pair of shorts in Youichi's size at my head.
"He can't even change his clothes without you around?" He says shoving his hands into the pockets of his shorts.
I pull the trunks off my head and glare at him, "Maybe he just doesn't want some stranger staring at him as he changes. You could be a pedophile."
He scoffs and leaves the room letting the door slam shut behind him.
I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to Youichi, "You don't have to swim if you don't want to, but it could be fun."
"I didn't want him to see."
"See-" but I know what he means almost immediately.
The bruises.
"I'm sure they're all gone by now Youichi. Let me see." I say tugging at his shirt.
He stiffens under my touch, but let's me remove his shirt and undershirt. His skin is pale, but free of any marks or bruises.
"See? You're perfect." I say letting him check himself out in the mirror.
He looks himself over in the mirror searching for any marks, anything that might give away our past. I hand him the swim trunks and fold our clothes, placing them in a neat stack while he changes behind me. I know a five year old shouldn't be self-conscious, but if you saw bruises of various colors decorating your skin when you looked in the mirror, you'd be insecure too. He puts the remainder of his clothes on top of my neatly folded pile and follows me out to the pool area where Natsume and Ruka are hitting a beach ball back and forth while trying to stay above water. Hotaru is sitting on one of the cushioned lounge chairs surrounding the pool typing away on her laptop computer.
Youichi grabs my hand and I lead him around the pool and over to where Hotaru is sitting. I plop down on the chair next to her and Youichi climbs into my lap. It's a new behavior for him, but I think the swim trunks is making him feel a little vulnerable and exposed in front of these people he doesn't really know too well.
"Sakura-san! Come on in! The water is perfect." Ruka calls out swimming over to the edge of the pool closest to us.
"I will when Hotaru does." I say.
"Don't drag me into this." Hotaru says not even looking up.
"Are you going to let these guys ruin our day of bonding?" I say in mock horror.
She gives me a look out of the corner of her eye and I know this isn't a fight I'm going to win. Youichi tugs on a strand of my hair while looking at the water. I've never seen Youichi swim and I highly doubt Persona has ever taken the time to teach him. I want to ask him, but it would be odd to ask my 'brother' something a big sister should no doubt already know. Hotaru knows our circumstances, but I definitely don't want the lapdog boyfriend and the womanizer to know about it.
"Come on Youichi let's swim." I say to him.
He clings to me as I carry him over to the steps that lead down into the pool. The water is lovely like the temperature of a perfect bath. As we get further down the steps Youichi clings tighter to me.
"Don't be afraid." I say to him low enough so neither Natsume nor Ruka can hear me.
"Can he swim?" Ruka asks me coming over to where I'm standing waist deep in the water.
I shake my head, "No he's never had time to learn."
"Well I can teach him." Ruka says stretching out his arms.
Youichi tightens his grip on me and turns his head away, "That's nice of you, but Youichi's not a huge fan of strangers."
He didn't take any offense, "I see. Well I should try to get Hotaru in the water. I wouldn't want to ruin all your progress with her."
I just smile as he climbs out of the pool and makes his way over to Hotaru who ignores him. Natsume just leans against the edge of the pool watching me with an expression I can quite decipher, but Youichi's grip on me is more distracting.
"It's ok Youichi. We'll go real slow." I tell him.
He looks up at me and loosens his grip a bit. I support him under his back and let him float on top of the water. I can feel him relax in my hands as he moves his arms a bit. Ruka is fighting to get the computer away from Hotaru who is threating to take more photos of him.
"He'll never learn to swim like that." Natsume says coming up behind me.
"I'm not teaching him how to swim. I'm helping him get use to the water." I defend.
"Exactly. You're being such a girl about it."
"And let me guess you would suggest that I throw him into the deep end of the pool and tell him to just flap his arms and kick if he wants to live?"
"Not the technique I'd use, but whatever big sister feels is effective."
I just roll my eyes in response.
"Just relax Youichi."
Natsume just stands close to us watching me move Youichi across the surface of the water. He's beginning to make me feel awkward as I tell Youichi to move his arms. I'm glad my curtain of hair is cloaking me as I turn my back on Natsume who is watching us somewhat skeptically.
"Hotaru come back!" I hear Ruka shout.
I turn around in time to see Hotaru storm out the door with her laptop tucked under her arm. Ruka chases after her calling her name effectively leaving me alone in a pool with a boy I practically despise.
I focus all of my attention on Youichi putting my hands under his arms so he can be vertical in the water and move his arms and legs freely.
"He'll hit puberty at the rate you're going." Natsume says coming up behind me again this time much closer than before.
He slips his arms under my own and turns Youichi over on his stomach putting my forearms to support him in the water. His body is several inches from mine and he's still holding my forearms under the water making me move Youichi (who doesn't even look up) around in a small circle. My skin feels tingly and warm against his. Once again I'm finding myself grateful that I let my hair down because I'm pretty sure my cheeks are on fire.
"He needs to feel his weight in the water so he knows that he has to keep himself above the water."
Why is it that whenever you're in an embarrassing situation of a somewhat intimate nature, every sappy scene from every sappy movie pops into your head and makes you ten times more embarrassed than you were to begin with? Natsume is the last guy on earth I would cast in the role of male heart throb if my life was a romantic comedy, but the proximity of our bodies and the touching of our forearms is fueling unrealistic thoughts.
"He should have fun and not depend on you for every little thing." He says cutting through my thoughts.
"He does no-" I begin to say, but Natsume takes Youichi from my arms and I try not to look as panicked as I feel.
After his little incident with Anna, I don't trust Youichi's ability to 'play well with others'. The lack of emotion on his face as he looks up at Natsume quells some of my mounting anxiety. He just stares up at him and doesn't even blink as Natsume turns him over to lie on his stomach and tells him to kick and move his arms to stay afloat. I just watch as Youichi follows Natsume's instructions and kicks and waves his arms as hard as his little body will allow.
Ruka and Hotaru return a few moments later with Ruka looking triumphant and Hotaru looking bored clad in a green tankini with yellow swirls. Ruka is tugging her along much like I did early today. I wave at her and smile, she looks at me for a minute and breaks out of whatever trance Ruka has her under and pushes him into the pool with ease. I can't hold back my laughter as he lets out a yelp before hitting the water making a large splash. He returns to the surface sputtering, but Hotaru is already on the other side of the pool descending the stairs with a small smile on her face. I dog paddle over to her and sit on the step next to her and watch Ruka swim up. I don't think Hotaru could've picked a better contract boyfriend. My lapdog theory wasn't too far off although it did stem from paranoia.
Ruka is a good space filler because between Hotaru's silence, Natsume taking Youichi around the shallow end of the pool and me not wanting to really tell anymore lies, he just talks and talks; everything from school to sports. I told him I played lacrosse for a while and that sent him into an endless chatter about sports. He played lacrosse for his school team until he started the equestrian club. His mother donated a couple of horses and started a charity to raise money for underprivileged kids, some of those kids even got to ride horses at the school once in a while.
"That's amazing." I comment.
"Not really. My mom is eccentric and does everything to an extreme level. She bought some land next to the school and built the stables and fenced in the training circle."
"There should be more people like her in the world." I say imagining a blond goddess-type super heroine.
"I think the balance of the universe would be greatly disturbed if there was more than one Misa Nogi." Ruka replied half-joking, half-horrified.
We spend a couple hours in the pool swimming back and forth. Natsume put Youichi on his shoulders as he swam around the pool. Youichi waved his arms excitedly, but didn't say anything or even smile. He reached for me when Natsume was standing rather close to me and as I reached up to take him down, Natsume turned towards me and leaned forward. His face was practically paralleled with my chest so I wasted no time swinging Youichi off his shoulders and turning around to face Hotaru who's listening to Ruka talk about something that was obviously boring her.
We clamor out of the pool drying off with the towels some maids had brought in. I rub Youichi's hair with the white fluffy cloth and drape it over his shoulders. I wrap one towel around my hair and a second around my body and take Youichi's hand in my own walking towards the changing room.
"Your clothes aren't in there." Hotaru says walking towards me.
"Where are they?" I ask her as she floats pass.
"It's time for lunch. I've been informed that both my mother and brother are home so I cannot have you looking like a hobbit at the table."
"You're giving me clothes?" I say trailing behind her with Youichi in tow.
"I have every intention of charging you for them." She says matter-of-factly.
I shake my head with a small smile on my face.
This girl really grows on you.
"It's too much." I say.
Hotaru flipped a page in her book and didn't look up, "If you don't like it, just change."
"It's not that…" I defend weakly.
I'm standing in front of Hotaru's full body mirror in her bedroom wearing a rather expensive pale pink chiffon dress. After we followed her back to her room, there were several maids inside laying out outfits on Hotaru's obscenely large bed. They took Youichi into Hotaru's bathroom where there was a bath waiting for him. I don't know if it's the king sized tub filled with bubbles or having several girls waiting on him hand and foot, but Youichi definitely likes life in the Imai house. They helped him change into a pair of navy shorts and a white button down shirt and a gray vest slipped over it. He even let one of the girls comb his hair.
To say that I'm elated with his lack of outburst is a massive understatement.
I got to shower in one of the bathrooms down the hall after I was given a bottle of Imai brand shower gel, a wash cloth and a fresh pair of towels. The bathroom down the hall is just as amazing as Hotaru's personal bathroom. The interior is decorated like an enchanted forest with its pale green walls and vine-like molding. Little fairy candle holders and soap dishes adorned the sink counter. The bath is already filled with warm water that is tinged a light purple color and smells amazing for the post-shower soaking. I could hardly pry myself out of the lavish shower, but I didn't want the S.W.A.T. team sent in after me because I was already indulging a little too long, plus the water in the tub was beginning to cool to a lukewarm.
I was only in the tub for a few minutes before a soft knock came on the door and a voice told me Hotaru was ready for me. I questioned what that meant but there was no reply. So I just toweled off and made my way back to Hotaru's room. Hotaru's wearing a white single-shoulder dress that reaches her knees. The layered skirt material sways with her every movement and the sequined bodice glitters in the light. A simple snowflake pendant necklace decorates her chest and white stiletto pumps hug her tiny feet. She looked like such a grown–up I was taken aback by her like the first time we met. She seems to sparkle even without a smile on her face.
She walks around the rolling dress rack pushing fabrics aside. I'm interested to see the types of dresses Hotaru has, but she seemed to be looking for something in particular, so I just stayed quiet. Finally she plucked something off the rack and handed it to me. There's a dressing screen set up in the corner for me to slip behind and change. The dress fits perfectly snug around my body and doesn't require a bra which is good because I have no idea where Hotaru put my clothes. I was discreetly given underwear which was folded into the towel I received. It was still in the purchase package, but I had no fears about receiving a pair of underwear that Hotaru Imai had actually worn. She probably wears them once and then burns them for safety reasons.
Now here I stand on top of a small cushioned foot stool with maids busying themselves around me trying to make something of my tangled mess of wet hair and altering the hem of my dress to fall just below my knees. Hotaru waves off one of the maids carrying two pairs of shoes that obviously didn't please her. I finally got to step down from the stool and admire the dress that I know I will never be able to afford in a million years.
The style reminds me of the Roman fashions we studied during Cultural appreciation week at my school. We're not allowed to wear costumes to school during Halloween so the School board decided that Cultural appreciation week can both teach us and let us dress up. Each class sends a representative to draw a country from the principal's office and the whole week during history period we learn about our country and vote on ideas for our booth to be set up during the Cultural festival at the end of the week. The best booth gets to have an early release day at the teacher's discretion. Early release means no crowded streets or buses, getting the best table at the local hangouts, and for me specifically it means several school-free and Persona-free hours where I can go anywhere I want (typically the movies or the library). Our class didn't win, but we had a lot fun with our Egyptian maze and costumes. Our teacher was so proud of us that we had a pizza day during lunch period right before winter break.
That's one of my fonder memories of school. One that makes me kind of miss it because for a few hours every day I could pretend I was normal.
I admire my reflection for a moment: the dress falls right below my knees, twirling with the slightest movement, the wrap-like design makes it look as if one long piece of fabric is wrapped around my waist several times then brought up to cover one breast go behind my neck and brought down to cover my other breast and then fasten into a bow on my left side. I'm sure whoever made it used a lot more than one piece of cloth, but I like the simplistic look of it. One of the maids brings a pair of cotton candy colored heels to my feet and I wriggle my way into them.
And I thought my work shoes were ridiculous.
Not so surprisingly, working for hours a day almost every day on your feet in heels makes leisure time in heels very easy and not so painful. Plus the bows on the front make them absolutely adorable.
Hotaru gets up and struts around me like a sergeant for inspection. I've forgotten what my hair looks like blown out. A blow dryer is a luxury that I have long forgotten, but I forgot how straight and shiny my hair can look. They wanted to put it up, but I stopped them. I really want to enjoy my dry straight hair, so instead they loop the sides together and fasten it with a flower clip behind my head and dismiss themselves. Wordlessly, Hotaru deems my appearance acceptable and I follow her down the grand staircase and into the dining room where Natsume, Ruka, and Youichi are already seated.
The table is long surrounded by eights chairs placed in the very center of the room. A giant vase of tropical flowers stands proud and beautiful in the center of the shiny wood table. The surface has been polished to shine and even show a reflection of the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Chairs at both ends of the table are unoccupied; Natsume and Youichi sit on one side of the table looking disturbingly the similar with their dapper clothes and blank expressions. Ruka sits alone opposite them with a grin on his face upon seeing us.
"You guys look amazing." He says standing up to pull back Hotaru's chair.
"We don't need your hormone driven approval." Hotaru says slipping into her seat.
Ruka just keeps smiling at us. I slip quietly into the seat next to Youichi opposite Hotaru. I feel like I'm in some kind of alternate universe. Sitting across from a modern day princess and her prince for hire, their dark, brooding knight, and my brother and I are in disguise trying to mingle with people who are so clearly above us in every shape and form. But if it's one thing I've learned from spending quality time with the ice princess herself, is that I can't go through life lumping people into categories and judging them before I really know them.
If I never put myself out there and try to really get to know someone I won't end up wearing their expensive couture and sitting in their magnificent dining room about to have probably the best meal of my life.
"Oh Susan you know how much I adore you, but if I say it won't sell then it won't sell. I'm not about hand you a hundred grand so you can flush it down the toilet. Either come up with a new line by Tuesday or I'll give another designer your spot. Tootles!"
Hotaru's mother is nothing I expected.
I pictured a librarian looking woman with a tight bun fastened atop her head and piercing violet eyes; someone who always wears pantsuits and talks in a harsh tone. Someone who probably talks down to Hotaru a lot which would explain Hotaru's poor people skills, but Mizuki Imai is the exact opposite of everything I imagined.
First off, she's tall. Like probably almost six feet tall. Her hair is jet black like Hotaru's and cut in a cute pixie style. Her lips are coated in a pink shimmer and she's wearing a lavender cocktail dress with a white leather jacket and matching boots. She has several shopping bags hanging carelessly from one arm (I don't recognize any of the names but they look expensive). Her French tip manicure looks fresh as she plops down into the seat between Hotaru and me at the head of the table. Her voice is light and bubbly as she introduces herself and shakes my hand. I catch the faint smell of acetone.
"Mikan. That's a beautiful name. It reminds me of summer, which I can't wait for because I cannot stand the cold. I tell my husband we should just move to some place exotic when it's cold like this, but he won't hear of it."
"Where's Subaru?" Hotaru asks suddenly.
"He and Shizune are still with the wedding planner. Your brother is being so stubborn about the food. Sometimes I think sending him to med school was a bad idea: high cholesterol this and poor digestive quality that." She waves her hands dismissively.
"How was your trip Mizuki-san?" Ruka asks.
"Oh Ruka, you gorgeous boy," She says looking fondly at the blonde, "I swear you are the sweetest thing. How on earth did you end up with my daughter I will never know, but I am thankful." She giggles in the sweetest way and launches into a description of her flight to New York in the family jet. Shizune, who in addition to being Subaru's fiancée is also Mizuki's assistant, met her in the airport and got a private car to take her to the hotel where she 'slept like a log for eight hours straight'. Mizuki is the editor in chief of Vogue Japan and also the personal consultant for many designers famous and not. She gives the final say-so on everything from print to runway and she is not shy about her power.
"I was sick of being a model. Constantly pushed into and out of clothes. Finish one shoot and you're on a plane half way around the world about to walk the runway and when you finally get a break it's nothing but the gym and spas to stay in top condition. It was fabulous, don't get me wrong, but I just wanted to call the shots you know? I was more interested in the clothes than myself. When I quit modeling I met Hotaru's father and he inspired me to go after what I really wanted and I just never stopped working since. I gave birth to Hotaru at an airport on the way home. Little lady just decided she was ready to be born and before anyone could reach a proper doctor, an Air Marshall put my little six pound five ounce miracle into my arms. I thought I scarred my little Subaru for life, but coincidentally I think that was the moment he decided he wanted to be a doctor."
The way her stories just blend together when she talks makes me feel comfortable. She effortlessly goes from topic to topic without any awkward gaps or glances. She is perfectly comfortable talking about herself and her work. I, myself, have never been on a plane or even to Tokyo. I imagine Mizuki's life to be very glamorous. I've only seen New York in pictures, but it still enchants me that she's actually been there. She might as well have told me she's been to the moon.
"It's pure chaos, but it is a glamorous life." She shrugs, "So what have you guys been up to? Hotaru hardly ever has girlfriends over to the house. Do you go to the Academy?"
"No I'm home-schooled." I reply.
"How exotic. You must have lots of free time. Do you travel?"
"Not really and free-time is rare since I'm working to pay for college."
"Independence. I love to see that in a woman your age. Hotaru came out of the womb with it let me tell you. Never wanted help for anything. I had to practically force parenting on her sometimes just to feel like a mother. She and Subaru have always been so smart and stand-offish; sometimes I can't even believe they're my children."
She reaches across the table and squeezes Hotaru's hand, "But she will always be my little Ruru."
Hotaru just sits there bored as ever, "Where are the crab cakes?"
Lunch is an under the sea festival with different platters of fish, shrimp, crab, and lobster placed on the table with steam rising, sending an aroma of deliciousness into my nostrils. The servers place down each platter painfully slow and bow out. I wait for everyone to start taking their shares before I do anything. Traditional meals at my house usually result in overturned tables and broken dinner plates. I'm not sure how the well to-do go about their midday meals, but I hope not to screw up too bad like using a salad fork instead of a dinner fork.
I place rice into Youichi's plate and help him get some tasty crab cakes. I can feel Mizuki's eyes on me as I make sure Youichi has everything he wants before turning back to my own empty plate.
"You're so attentive Mikan-chan." She comments cracking a crab leg.
"Youichi's not comfortable around strangers so I have a full time job around him." I reply taking some rice.
"I wish my children were like you guys. They're so cold to each other." Mizuki says giving a shudder.
"I'm sure they love each other in their own way." I say giving a glance to Hotaru who is stuffing crab cakes into her mouth.
"Yeah in that looming silence kind of way." Mizuki says bitterly.
"Touchy feely isn't really Hotaru's thing." Ruka interjects.
"Which makes the relationship between the two of you even more questionable." Mizuki arches an eyebrow at them.
Mizuki seems to be the love-at-first-sight, fireworks, and grand gesture kind of woman. I don't think she'd be too pleased to know that her daughter is in a loveless contractual relationship with a boy.
No matter how 'gorgeous' he is.
"Madam, Master Subaru and Miss Shizune have arrived." A maid calls from the door.
"Well it's about time." Mizuki says wiping her hands in her handkerchief.
A tall male with straight dark blue hair and tan skin clad in a tailored grey suit enters the room followed by a girl with long black hair cut in a traditional style wearing a black pantsuit. She holds his forearm loosely with her small hand while he just looks ahead with a serious expression and a hand in his pocket.
"Did you finally decide on anything?" Mizuki asks with a big grin on her face.
"You mean did your son get frustrated with our wedding planner and storm out? Yes." Shizune says sitting in the empty chair next to Ruka adjusting the spectacles on her nose.
Subaru sits at the head of the table opposite Mizuki before he speaks, "If you want all of the guests at our wedding to suffer from indigestion and gas at the reception then you can go ahead. Well just move the wedding outside."
"Do you see what I have to work with?" Shizune says with a sigh.
Mizuki shakes her head, "I'll talk to Deidre tomorrow I'm sure we can work something out. Flexibility isn't in Subaru's dictionary."
Subaru scoffs and loosens his tie, only then did he seem to notice Youichi and myself and he then raises a questioning eyebrow.
Without anything being said Mizuki pipes up, "This is Mikan and her younger brother Youichi. Your sister has defied the odds and actually made a friend and a cute one at that."
I can feel my cheeks warm.
"That's not fair mother Hotaru has friends. Take these two for instance," Subaru says gesturing to Natsume and Ruka, "They're always here."
Natsume takes a sip from his glass and Ruka just laughs off the comment. The atmosphere gets a little colder, even Mizuki stops talking to take a long drink from her glass. I use the time to stick more food in my mouth and savor the exotic flavors. Everything is so delicious.
"Shouldn't you lot be in school? What? Has the academy gone lax on its truancy policy?" Subaru says.
"It's actually an off day for seniors who scored high enough on the assessment test given earlier this week." Hotaru answered before taking another crab cake.
"And the little one?" Subaru asks eyeing Youichi.
"We're home-schooled." I answer, my protective instincts kicking in.
What is this guy's deal? He makes Hotaru look like a cuddly kitten with that serious, condescending expression chiseled into his face.
"Well, Subaru has succeeded in killing the mood once again. Why don't you girls come with me to my bedroom? I've brought some wonderful things back from New York. Ruka and Natty-chan can take Youichi to the library or maybe the theater to keep you boys busy." Mizuki stands up grabbing her bags off the floor.
Hotaru takes her plate of crab cakes and follows her mother and Shizune to the door. Youichi looks at me and I rub his hair.
"You can go if you want to. I won't be too far." I say reassuringly.
He leaps off the chair and runs after Natsume who is already half way out the door. This silent bonding is beginning to scare me, but I don't have the luxury of worrying about it now because Mizuki is calling and heading in the opposite direction as the boys. Subaru wonders off by himself, probably to go and drown kittens or take candy from babies. I hurry to catch up to Hotaru and the others, throwing a last glance at Youichi who is following behind Natsume anxious to see what other toys the Imai house possesses.
Hotaru's parent's room is a big circular room decorated in a deep blue with black accents. The king sized bed with its mahogany frame has crisp white bed sheets with black vine-like designs embroidered into it. A blue plush blanket is thrown across the bottom half of the bed. A big trunk sits at the foot of the bed with a seat cushion on top for sitting on. A large vanity sits near the floor-to-ceiling windows that are draped in baby blue sheer curtains. This entire house can be the poster child for Better Homes and Garden magazine.
"Make yourself at home Mikan. Hotaru and Shizune are so uptight in here." Mizuki says throwing her bags carelessly on the bed and heading into her bathroom.
Hotaru and Shizune say nothing and plop down on top of the trunk's cushion seat, Hotaru chewing on the remainder of her crab cakes and Shizune tapping away on her cell phone.
I opt to sitting on the stool in front of the vanity. Mizuki reemerges from the bathroom barefoot and without her jacket. She doesn't look anything like a mom. I imagine what it would be like if Yuka and Mizuki ever met. Of course that would mean Yuka would actually have to be conscious and not drunk or high.
Yeah that would never work.
I haven't really thought about Yuka since I left. Mostly because I've been way too busy and exhausted to think about anything except money and survival, but part of me knows that I can't think about her because then I'll start to worry and worrying about Yuka is not something I can afford to be doing ever. Whether she's eating, bathing, if she stopped drinking, or if she's even alive, and then the damn guilt starts to creep in. No matter how liberated and safe I feel being away from that house, I can't stop that guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know Persona won't take time out of his busy drug hoarding schedule to take care of her and I don't know if she's even taking care of herself. There are times, mostly late at night, when I imagine what it would be like if I never left. It's ridiculous, I know, but there's a part of me that wonders if I tried hard enough to make things work at home. Maybe I should have called the cops, but they probably would've put Youichi in foster care and I couldn't bear that. And if the cops can't help you, you're pretty much screwed.
"Mikan?" a voice calls.
"Yes?" I say jerking my head up slightly embarrassed.
"What do you think?" Mizuki asks with outstretched arms.
Her lavender cocktail dress is tossed carelessly on the bed and she is wearing a long black dress that hugs her slender figure. It's completely bare back with a v-neck that does what Mizuki calls 'showing that I'm a woman, but still a lady'. I think it's her way of saying that it shows off just enough cleavage.
"It's beautiful. I love the crystal flower on the bodice." I reply.
"Finally! A girl I can talk to. Hotaru and Shizune don't really have opinions. You can't ask Hotaru anything when she's eating and poor Shizune is up to her eyeballs in wedding details."
Neither Hotaru nor Shizune look up, Hotaru is polishing off her last crab cake and Shizune is tapping away quite viciously on her phone. Mizuki moves in front of the mirror gathering her short hair in one hand and looking at her face from different angles. I take off my shoes and stand up. The plush white carpet feels cool and soft beneath my feet. She has several other dresses on the bed and midnight blue one catches my eye.
"How about this one?" I ask holding up.
Mizuki turns to me, releasing her hair and smiles, "Gorgeous, isn't it? But I don't think is suitable for a Gala with a bunch of stuffy suits." She says touching the soft material.
"What if you dressed it up with some nice jewelry and pinned up your hair?" I suggest.
"Pin up?" She contemplates.
"With those jeweled bobby pins like in the magazines, you'll look like a fairy goddess." I say.
She laughs, "Fairy goddess. I like it. I probably do have some of those pins lying around."
She searches for the pins in the drawers of her vanity table. Hotaru, who is all done eating, stands gracefully from her seat and crosses the room toward me.
"You were staring into space like an idiot."
I just smile, "I was thinking about my mom, a dangerous pastime."
Hotaru just looks at me, I nudge her with my elbow, "Don't worry I'm not going to burst into tears again. I just got a little caught up."
"Here they are!" Mizuki announces holding a small box over her head.
Hotaru flops down on her mother's bed kicking off her shoes in the process. I don't know how much time passed between helping Mizuki get ready for the Gala and pinning up her short hair with jeweled flower bobby pins. Hotaru even picked out her perfume. Shizune left halfway through to go find Subaru. I can't remember the last time I talked and laughed so much with an adult present. Even my teachers were bland and faded into the backgrounds of my daydreams, but Mizuki is full of fun and energy and bounces around the room commanding attention. She bought Hotaru a gorgeous cream-colored cashmere coat which she presented to her by wrapping her in it from behind. It was then that I noticed how alike Hotaru and her mother look with their violet eyes and short raven hair. Even Hotaru's small smile seems to mirror her mother's large beaming one.
Something inside me hurts and I find myself blinking away tears. Luckily Mizuki excuses herself to take phone call and Hotaru and I pad our way down the hall barefoot to go find the boys. We don't speak and I just focus on swallowing the lump in my throat. I didn't realize how much seeing someone else's mother would make me miss my own. Not Yuka, but my mom. The person she was before I stopped calling her mom. I shake my head in an attempt to clear my thoughts.
Hotaru stops walking and looks at me.
"What is it?" I ask.
"My mother is smothering you." She states bluntly.
I actually laugh, "No of course not! She's wonderful."
"Then why do you look so constipated? Was it the food?"
"No, no, I'm fine really."
"You don't have to tell me what's wrong, but you should know by now that lying to me accomplishes nothing."
I take a pause, "You're so lucky to have a mom who's so strong and full of life. She reminds me of Yuka. . . before."
Another pause between us makes me feel the sadness and guilt creep up. I put my hands over my stomach trying to quell the surge of irrational feeling building up in it.
"It's normal." She says suddenly.
"Huh?"
"To feel sad, confused, maybe even guilty. You abandoned her to a certain extent and every action has a consequence. Just because you left doesn't mean that things magically got better there. Running away didn't fix anything."
I can't even speak and my vision is starting to blur. She takes my shoulders in her hands and squeezes.
"Guilt. Sadness. Pain. Confusion. These are things you feel because you are alive to feel them. You are alive and you can go on living. You have to. For your own sake and for Youichi's."
I still can't form words so I smile and nod. I wipe my face with the back of my hands and follow Hotaru through her house to where the boys are in the media room. Explosions are going off on the 56 inch screen and the surround sound shakes the room and nearly deafens me. Instead of sitting in the leather recliners, Ruka, Natsume and Youichi are sprawled out on the floor with Youichi sitting on Ruka's back while the three of them play cards. Hotaru snatches up the remote and lowers the volume before sitting in one of the recliners.
"Is girl time over?" Ruka asks without looking up from his hand.
"It's always girl time, haven't you heard?" I reply without even thinking about it.
Ruka just laughs, "Well I hope you don't expect us to get our nails painted."
I sit on the floor next to him taking Youichi from his back and placing him in my lap, "Of course not. You will paint our toenails while Natsume feeds us fresh grapes and Youichi waves the giant fan."
Natsume scoffs.
"Oh I'm sorry Natsume-kun. Would you like to hold the fan?" I ask.
He makes eye contact with me and smirks which makes me uneasy for some reason, but I try not to let it show.
"Should we peel the grapes first?" Ruka asks.
"Yes and they must be green." I say matter-of-factly.
"Green grapes give Hotaru the runs." Ruka says with a straight face.
I nearly explode from laughing so hard and double over when the TV remote sails into the back of Ruka's head. We play a few hands of Old Maid and Gin with old movies playing on the television, even Hotaru played a few hands as long as there was a bet involved.
And just like that my entire day consisted of staying inside a palace swimming, eating fine cuisine, wearing expensive clothes, and playing cards with three unlikely people. I wriggle into my clothes at a quarter to five inside Hotaru's bathroom. I stare hard at my reflection as I pull my hair up into a ponytail. I feel different, but I can't quite put my finger on it. It's like the day I ran away, everything felt so surreal like any moment I was going to wake up in my bed back at that house with Persona lurking in my doorway.
But the days slowly went on and every time I woke up I was lying next to Youichi in an abandoned building feeling safer than I've ever felt and now we even have a little apartment to call home. Something Hotaru said is still bugging me though even after several hours of movies and card games.
Running away didn't fix anything.
She's right, as always. Running away didn't get my mother off drugs or make Persona magically disappear. He's still out there selling drugs and probably destroying other people's families. I'm praying with every fiber of my soul that he doesn't come after us, but what if he does? What's going to stop him from dragging our sorry asses back to that prison? The police? He'll just say I'm a kidnapper and have me locked up and then I'll never see Youichi again and God knows what he'll do to him then. Just thinking about it sends a cold shiver crawling down my spine.
I have to stop acting like I've escaped to some impenetrable fortress a million miles away.
I grab my coat of the sink counter and exit the bathroom. Youichi is waiting downstairs with Ruka and Natsume while Hotaru is doing Hotaru stuff on her computer waiting for me to finish getting changed.
"Ready." I announce pushing my arms through my coat sleeves.
"Natsume is going to drive you home. He and Ruka are heading back to the club." She says without turning around.
"Oh okay. So I'll see you tomorrow?" I say.
"Is that a question? You'll be at work, I'll be at work, and assuming neither of us will lose our vision, you will for all intents and purposes 'see' me tomorrow."
I can't help but laugh. I know she's being like this on purpose. The whole friend thing is way weird especially with my background story involved.
"Hotaru? I need a favor." I say turning away from the door I had been walking towards.
She doesn't respond but I know she's intrigued.
"I need to adopt Youichi."
Even I didn't see that one coming! Next chap should be a good one it's already in production!
Let me know what you think!
And as a side note PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE no anal reviews about the adoption process. I did some research but for the most part I will be making it up. I'm going to try to stay as realistic as possible and not offend anyone, but it will be mostly stuff that I make up to help shape the story!
Cry me a river, Build me a bridge and Get Over it!
Lots of love!
Chi-chan