Chapter 11~ Flaw #11~ Human Relations
Amu and I acted simultaneously, diving for Nadeshiko and pining her to the ground as she writhed in surprise.
"Mmph!" She let out a muffled noise of dissent, but Amu merely readjusted her position and pinned down her legs and stomach, while I leaned on her arms and shoulder, covering her mouth. I crouched down so that my golden eyes were level with her ochre ones.
"Listen, Nadeshiko. Don't. Tell. Fuko." I hissed, smacking her on the head when she tried to bite me. She didn't appear hurt (she was a robot after all) but her movements were delayed.
"Ouch!" Amu cried, jumping backwards. I looked back, about to ask what was wrong when I felt it myself. Blue electricity arched across Nadeshiko's body, searing into my skin. I leapt back, clenching my teeth in pain.
Nadeshiko got up. "Fuko will already know. The moment you decided to reveal your power, Fuko found out. I am not here to spy. I am not here to relay information. If I was merely here for that purpose, Fuko would have made me a video camera."
"Then what the hell are you here for?" Amu spat, rubbing her hands and arms. Nadeshiko cocked her head, assuming a confused expression.
She didn't answer for several seconds. Then, she replied, "I can't tell you, I'm afraid."
A spark ignited on my hand out of irritation. I extinguished it immediately, remembering what Nadeshiko had just said about Fuko knowing. I stood up and brushed myself off, taking a deep breath and ignoring Nadeshiko's unnerving stare.
"I guess we have no choice." Amu said reluctantly, probably thinking the same thing I was. I nodded.
"Hey, everybody? We have a problem."
"So, remind me again, what happened?" Kukai asked dubiously, staring at the tied-up and gagged Nadeshiko. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.
"We already told the story like five times." I snapped. He shook his head disbelievingly.
"I know, but it's just so weird. I mean, your hands are on fire and we just beat up and bound a girl. That's sort of wrong."
"No, it's isn't." Utau disagreed, cracking her knuckles. "She's a robot."
Nagihiko laughed nervously. "Kukai's got a point. What does this solve? I mean, Fuko already knows, doesn't she?" He seemed to be disturbed, looking at his "twin" all tied up.
Amu shrugged. "Who knows, who cares? All I know is that she's a bitch and deserves to be tied up." I guess Amu was still bitter about Nadeshiko not being real and the fake Nadeshiko shocking her with electricity. I didn't really blame her, though. After all, they're not the ones who got electrocuted.
The stone wall gave a creak and everybody whipped around.
Kukai stood protectively in front of Utau, and I instinctively jumped behind Amu, who was trying to be tough but in actuality shaking. Yaya shrieked and dove under a bed, while Kairi hefted a thick dictionary. (He was reading that?)
Nagihiko stood in front of all of us, wary and ready to defend us. Ikuto crouched next to him, glaring. Tadase stood in front of Amu, arms out. She looked like she wanted to faint, but couldn't figure out how to.
The door opened wider, and suddenly, a blinding white flash of light caused us to recoil and fall to the floor, rubbing our eyes.
When our vision recovered, the door was once again closed, and there were five suitcases in front of the door.
Utau was the first to react. She got up swiftly, wobbling over to the suitcases and picking up pieces of paper lying on top.
"Plane tickets." She informed us somberly. "We're going to America."
"Even Nade?" Yaya asked disbelievingly. Utau nodded, before gingerly setting the tickets down like they might explode. Actually, knowing Fuko, that was a possibility.
Amu cracked open a suitcase. It was full of girl clothes, sizes that would fit Amu and Utau. I supposed that was theirs. Another suitcase had clothes that would most likely me for Yaya and I, while the others had clothes for the guys. One suitcase was for Kairi and Tadase, the slim boys, while the other one was for Kukai and Ikuto, the tall boys.
But there was none for the…twin things.
I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. But in all seriousness, there was nothing for Nagihiko or Nadeshiko. Nagihiko fluidly checked behind the suitcases, finding a duffel bag that contained enough clothing for him. Still, there was nothing for Nadeshiko. We all glanced at her, wondering if Fuko was abandoning her.
"I don't require clothing." Nadeshiko replied to our thoughts off-handedly. "I'm a robot."
With a singe and a terrible smell wafting in the air, she burned off the bed sheets we had tied her up with. Miraculously, the clothes she was wearing were fine. My guess was that they were specially "Nadeshiko-made".
The door suddenly whammed open with a huge force, causing all of us to either shriek, jump back, jump into someone's arms, throw a dictionary, cringe, cower, hide under a bed, or in my case, stay perfectly still from shock.
"FUKOOOOOOOOO HAS ARRIVED!" The psychotic teen bellowed out, arms dramatically spread as if she was the one who had slammed open the door. Can you even slam open a door? Whatever, that wasn't exactly relevant right now.
"You guys ready to leave this place?" She asked in a tone reminiscent of a game show host. She was so into it, even donning a sundress and sunglasses as well as some kind of designer bag. I wondered briefly if this was all some kind of strange prank.
But as Nadeshiko gracefully stepped forward and kneeled at Fuko's feet, I knew it wasn't. Fuko was only an illusion. The girl behind her was a monster.
"…Yay." Ikuto replied sarcastically. The rest of us nodded in mute, mocking silence. Fuko remained unfazed, only turning around and beckoning.
"Come on, hurry, or we'll miss the flight! Oh, and don't forget the suitcases. Move your butts, or I'll lock you all in solitary confinement again!"
Crazy woman.
But the threat was enough to get us scrambling, pulling the suitcases along and stumbling after Fuko, who strode confidently with Nadeshiko at her heel like an emotionless puppy.
We went down several corridors, all identical looking, and yet Fuko seemed to know exactly where she was going. As a door came into view at the end of a hallway, random agents surrounded us and blindfolded each one of us, albeit with a lot of screaming, kicking, biting, and scratching. But nonetheless we were hauled off, stumbling around blindly, and led along some intricate path our feet could never recreate.
It was rather sickening, all in all.
They shoved us into a limo and ripped off our blindfolds as we went.
"Get in the car!" Fuko screamed cheerfully, gleefully kicking Kukai's butt into the limo since he was the last one. I had a feeling that was her payback for Kukai trying to break her neck. Utau glared.
Fuko danced towards the front of the car and got in, separated from us by several layers of glass. We all stared at the back of her head as she started the ignition.
"Oh god, is she going to DRIVE?" Amu's voice was hysterical. The rest of us were freaking out, too, some of us quietly, and some of us not so quietly.
"Yaya doesn't want to die!" Yaya wailed as Fuko hit the gas pedal, and we sped off at a dangerously high speed. Yaya's voice choked in her throat and her eyes practically bugged out as inertia took effect.
"Seatbelts!" Nagihiko shouted, and all of us fumbled for some kind of lifeline.
"Isn't this fun?" Fuko asked, her voice projecting over the car radio. "I'll put the windows down!"
The windows rolled down, but we were going so fast the landscape was only a blur. The wind pelted in viciously, and I cringed, my huge locks whipped around mercilessly. Oh. My. God. My hair! I tried desperately to smooth it down, but to no avail. My ringlets were having some kind of party in the air, and my black headband got torn off and went flying out the window. I snatched at empty air, gazing frustratingly at the hairband lying on the road behind us.
Amu was okay, since her hair was shorter. But since she was such a freak-out about her hair, she started shrieking and cowered under the seat to avoid the wind.
Utau didn't exactly have it easy, either; since her huge pigtails were being blown around and pulling her head weight this way and that. But Nagihiko had it worst of all. My hair was just as long as his, but it usually behaved by staying in separated locks. His was wild and straight, strands blowing into each other and performing complicated knots. He was trying to get it out of his face, since his violet hair was working its way into his mouth and eyes.
The other guys all looked like they were riding racecars or something, their hair ruffled by the wind. Lucky them.
Fuko then proceeded to blast music at super loud volumes through the radio.
Damn! I liked that song! Now it was going to be forever ruined by this memory.
And of course, Fuko just had to stop abruptly at a red light. I mean, the girl can kidnap nine innocent teenagers, and yet she won't run the red? Seriously? All of us bolted forward, losing our grip on the seatbelts we had yet to put on. Kukai hit his head on an armrest and passed out cold.
Utau probably wasn't far behind, looking extremely carsick. Ikuto looked almost as nauseous, since cats probably weren't used to this kind of stuff. Kairi rubbed his head, as if he had a migraine. Amu was still under the seats, Yaya was wailing her head off, and Nagihiko was combing his hair unsuccessfully. I stayed where I was, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down. I was pretty sure Tadase had died, since he hadn't said a word.
"ISN'T THIS FUN?!" Fuko screamed at us gleefully again from her seat up front. Nadeshiko was in the passenger seat, and I could swear I saw her turn around and smirk at us.
"NO!" We all screamed back as best we could. Fuko sped up even more.
"At this rate, we'll die before we get to the airport!" Kairi cried. The car shot over a speed bump as we went into the circling path around the airport, and my leg kicked something. I looked down and saw my foot embedded in Tadase's corn silk locks. He had fainted, evidently.
Finally, the terrifying ride was at an end, braking so abruptly we almost flew past the seats. I almost had a heart attack, and I was pretty sure Amu did have one.
"We're here!" Fuko announced cheerfully, opening her car door and getting out perfectly fine. Nadeshiko followed suit. There weren't any agents, but I was pretty sure Nadeshiko was protection enough for Fuko.
The rest of us sat still for a moment, trying hard not to throw up, pass out, or die from dizziness. Fuko didn't give us any time, though, yanking open the door so that our unruly pile tumbled out onto the asphalt. She kicked Tadase and Kukai out of the car with her foot, since they were both out cold.
"Hey, Amu?" I panted, nudging dizzy Amu's head. She groaned.
"What?" She whispered back hoarsely, running her fingers through her hair.
"How is Fuko going to get us past customs? Won't they be able to tell that Fuko kidnapped us?" I asked, glancing worriedly towards Nadeshiko, who was standing threateningly above us. I lowered my voice.
"Also, Nadeshiko's a robot. How is she going to get on a flight? And anyways, couldn't we just tell the security there that Fuko kidnapped all of us? They'd probably believe us if there's so many of us." I contemplated the possibilities, sitting patiently and waiting for my headache to disappear.
I gave a start as a hand landed on my shoulder. I turned to stare into Fuko's ice blue eyes, large and friendly.
"Oh hon, don't worry. I'm the CEO of Easter. No one's going to question me, and besides, we're flying a private jet." Fuko "reassured" me.
"Then why are we at an airport?!" Utau screeched, extremely pissed off. Fuko shrugged.
"I don't know. It's not my job to know this stuff. I just get to have my fun and make extremely decisions that I probably shouldn't." She skipped away to talk to Nadeshiko.
All of us sweat dropped, exasperated. "She even admits it." Ikuto said incredulously. "At least when Gozen was head of Easter, he didn't admit that he had no business being a CEO. This just makes Fuko shady."
"She was already shady." Kukai grumbled, rubbing the huge bump on his forehead. He had woken up, but Tadase hadn't. Utau rushed over to him and hugged him, gently rubbing his head. Kukai coughed, but hugged her back.
"Come on, slow pokes, let's go!" Fuko called, waving impatiently. I wondered if we could make a run for it now.
"And don't run, or I'll make Nadeshiko hunt you down and microwave your brains!" She added, reading my mind. Oh my gosh, it would be scary if she really could.
Kairi and Ikuto picked up Tadase, and Yaya clung onto Nagihiko and cried. I felt a slight twinge of jealously but brushed it away as I reminded myself that Yaya only viewed Nagihiko as an older brother.
"Rima, should we follow her?" Amu muttered, worried. I nodded, taking her hand as we supported each other as we followed Fuko.
When we finally got to the airfield and all that, I was extremely tired. After boarding, I fell into the nearest seat, strapped myself in, and fell asleep.
"Rima…can I talk to you?"
I glanced up, feeling my heart skip a beat as I saw Nagihiko. I nodded immediately, hoping that I wasn't blushing.
"Okay."
He smiled gently, holding his hand to me. I took it and he helped me stand up. He didn't let go until a few seconds later, blushing slightly as he turned around and cleared his throat.
"Want to take a walk?" He asked, waiting politely for an answer. I smiled slightly.
"Okay."
Ugh. I was so stupid. Was "okay" all I could say? As Nagi and I walked along some path that I wasn't even paying attention to, I cursed at myself mentally for being awkward.
"I'm-"
"You know-"
We both started at the same time, and stopped. Nagi laughed nervously. He gestured for me to continue, and I blushed again, embarrassed.
"I'm not really good at talking to people. All my life, people have admired me for my ice queen image. But inside, that's not really who I am. And if what you have to say relates to my outer character, I'm sorry. I can't accept anything you have to say if it's not about who I really am." I felt a tear almost slip out. It was true, anyways. If Nagi did actually like me, which I doubted, I didn't want to hear it first, only to have my hopes dashed when I found out he only liked my outer character.
Nagihiko laughed.
"You're such an awkward person, Rima-chan." He said affectionately, mussing up my hair. I knocked his hand away gently, fake-pouting. He smiled, leaning down so his eyes were level with mine.
"But that's what I like. You're terrible at human relations, you know? And you're obnoxious, over-the-top when it comes to comedy, uncaring, harsh, and it takes a lot to please you. But you're also sweet, dense, confused, awkward, and funny. You're really so amazing on the inside, even if you do have a lot of flaws. But Rima…even if you have all these imperfections…
…I love you anyways."
Tears streamed down my face from shock and joy. Nagi leaned in, eyes closed, and I closed my own eyes, close to bliss.
I jolted awake, the fuzzy details of the airplane coming into focus.
Damn. It was a dream.
I tucked myself into my signature ball, lifting my head.
"Rima, you're awake?" A familiar voice said next to my ear. I jumped, and my cheeks burned with embarrassment as I realized it was Nagi. I also realized that I had lifted my head from his direction, which meant…
"That's good. My shoulder was getting kind of tired." Nagi laughed, a joking expression on my face. His smile died away as I remained frozen, staring.
Did I fall asleep on Nagi's shoulder? Did I really? Oh god, I talked in my sleep! What if he heard me?
"Did I say anything in my sleep?" I asked, voice high and hysterical. He tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, you mumbled some stuff, but you didn't really talk clearly. I couldn't really tell what you were saying. I did hear you say something about human relations, though. What were you dreaming about?" He asked curiously.
"Zombies taking over the earth." I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, and then burrowed back into my ball as I realized how stupid that sounded. But to my relief, I heard Nagi laughing. He thought I was joking.
"Well, you only fell asleep for about an hour. There's still like eleven hours left of the flight. There's not much we can do on this airplane, but at least Fuko provided us with some entertainment. And a hairbrush." He grunted, yanking a brush through his tangled violet hair. I almost laughed, but I didn't want to be rude.
"Want some help? I'm a girl, after all." I said, trying to regain some of my snarky attitude. Nagihiko rolled his eyes.
"Thanks, but it's not necessary. I may not be a girl, but I've had long hair since I was young. I know how to take care of it." He explained, continuing to painfully brush his hair. I mentally smacked myself. Of course, he would know! Rima, you idiot!
He stopped brushing and smiled kindly at me. "Really, Rima, it's fine. You can go back to sleep if you want."
I nodded, resting my head on the window instead of Nagi's shoulder. I wished that I could, but that would be weird since I didn't know if he liked me or not.
"IKUTO-NIISAN, DON'T TOUCH IT! IT MIGHT HAVE A BOMB!"
Crash.
"Crap. Sorry, Utau. I'll clean that up."
"No, it's fine. You're still recovering. Kukai, go sleep. Onii-san, help me with this coffee."
"EWWWW! WHAT IS THIS LIQUID? YAYA DOESN'T LIKE IT!"
"Ace, calm down!"
"Getting Yaya to calm down is impossible, Kairi!"
"Like you should be talking, Amu-chan. You're practically spilling Sprite everywhere. Maybe you should just come lay down with me."
"No, you pervert cat!"
"You heard her, Ikuto! Leave Amu alone!"
"Geez, Kiddy King, getting possessive, are we?"
Apparently, sleep wasn't going to be possible.
Ohmygosh, sorry for not updating for so long. But school's been really busy lately, so updates might be even more sporadic than usual. I hope you guys like this chapter, even though the Rimahiko in it was kind of artificial. But things are gonna start heating up! (Even more, that is.)
I'll give you a dumpling if you give me a review.
Ciao for now!
