LOCO chapter 14
"Gah!" My toiletries crash to the floor. Eyes. Glowing fucking eyes are staring at me through the window! But when I blink once they're gone! What in the hell…?
The door behind me crashes open slamming into my back so hard I trip over a fallen shampoo bottle and face plant the ground.
"Mio!"
"Rin, what the fuck?" I groan on the ground. I realize the state of dress I'm in suddenly. "Rin! Get the hell out!"
"Honda! What happened?" Okumura, I guess, has caught up with Rin.
"You were screaming bloody murder a second ago! What the hell happened?"
"I saw something out my window. That's it. Now get out!" I shove the two of them out the door and shut it in their faces. I take a few seconds to calm myself before throwing some clothes on and tying my wet hair into a ponytail.
The window is dark on the other side of the room. I tip-toe over and whip the curtains closed. It was probably just a cat. Just a cat. Yeah…
The boys are still out in the hallway when I leave my room.
"Haven't you ever heard of knocking? I was in a goddam towel!" I set my fists on my hips and stare them down.
"What was I supposed to think when you scream like that!" argues Rin. "It sounded like you were dying or something."
"I can take care of myself, thank you. I don't need someone to come save me." I roll my eyes. Who does he think he is, some knight in shining armor?
"Honda, what did you see outside your window?" interjects Okumura, rubbing the bridge of his nose, before Rin could blow a gasket.
"I don't know. Some eyes. Creepy ones. It was probably just a cat. Gave me a damn heart-attack." I sigh and lean against my door.
"I'll go look around just in case."
"That's really not necessary. It just spooked me is all. Maybe it was Kuro wandering outside somewhere."
"Kuro is down in the kitchen…"
"That's not the point. Thanks for worrying about me but its not a big deal."
"Ok then. I'm heading back to our room then… Rin?" Rin eyes me, annoyed still but follows his brother shortly after. I almost want to stick my tongue out at them but resist. Instead I roll my eyes and trod back into my room and shut the door with a groan.
"Stupid Rin being over protective over everything… ugh." The room is almost uncomfortably quiet do I switch on the radio. I know I should do homework but I'm so tired.
I dump out the contents of my book bag onto my bed anyway and sort through the mix of papers. Old quizzes, homework and notes tumble into a heap. I really should organize my shit better. I begin to sort the papers onto piles and paper clip things that belonged together. It was too much effort to do anything better. I take the homework and books I need to the desk and plop down on the chair to begin after checking the time. 8:30… I have plenty of time to finish.
An hour later, I'm of course still powering through some of that crazy French lady's aria drills for cram school when something taps on the window. At first I jump and my heart skips a beat before I tell myself to chill out. Until it happens again. By this point, I'm still a little, well not scared, but nervous about pulling open the curtain so I peak through the gap first. Look at me being a damn wimp. I flinch when something small hits the window. A rock…? I hesitantly pull the curtain to the side to peer out into the dark. Nothing. I look to the ground. Who's that? I lean forward more until my forehead hits the glass. Whoever it is, they have a pretty good arm to throw a rock at a third story window. It's a guy I think. It looks like he's motioning me to do something. Come down? Hmm… To say I wasn't curious would be a lie. What guy would come and throw rocks at my window like some romantic idiot? No one I know.
I ponder ignoring my mysterious rock thrower but I figure the curiosity would get the better of me anyway. Of course said curiosity is the reason I ended up in my current position, being stuck in a virtually abandoned dorm with a pair of obnoxious twins but… eh what'll I do?
I leave the window and the forgotten homework behind and slip on some shoes and a jacket. I also grab a baseball bat. Just in case. I don't actually play the sport. I just find the things useful in self-defense. The hallway is quiet, like always, when I leave my room. I try to stay as quiet as possible going down the stairs. I don't want to alert Okumura. I briefly wonder about my "surveillance" people but dismiss it. Surely they don't monitor me 24/7. Eh, whatever. It not likes it's a crime to leave the dorm for a little bit.
The lights stay on in the foyer at all times, so I don't make an idiot of myself fumbling around in the darkness. The door opens with a loud creak but about a few minutes of waiting, nobody comes charging down the stairs interrogating me about where I'm going. So I exit and shut the door softly. I make my way around the building, where my window is facing.
Back here it is dark and I stumble a few times over some small shrubs and the like. It's an old building and upkeep isn't the highest priority. I wonder idly what the hell someone could want right now. And how the hell they knew where to find me since when I had moved out, no one really bothered to ask where I was going.
The area outside my window is in range now so I squint in the darkness to make out someone there.
Finally, I decide to call out, "Is anyone there? What do you want?"
"I'm over here."
"Yusuke?" I make out his silhouette in the dim light from my window on the third floor. "How the hell did you know where I live?"
"I asked around. That boy with the glasses has a surprising number of fans that keep tabs on the place." I should have known. Ugh. I shift the baseball bat to my shoulder. He raises and eyebrow—I think—it's hard to tell in the dark.
"Is that really necessary?" he asks in a mock innocent voice.
"I don't know. What do you want?"
"To talk, that's all. Alone. I figured I'd give you some time to cool off. You seemed so tense earlier today."
"I don't have the slightest idea why that is," I snap sarcastically. "It's not like I hate you guts or anything."
"Don't be that way, Mio. I'm sorry that it ended the way it did before. Why can't we rekindle what we had before?"
"Maybe because there's nothing to rekindle. You pretty much blew everything to smithereens. At least I found out how much of an asshole you are."
He advances a few steps but this time I stand my ground. But I do adjust my grip on the bat. He doesn't seem to notice. "As they say, Mio, 'Forgiveness means to let go of the past.' Why can't you forgive me? We can start over completely if we have to."
"Why the hell should I do that, Yusuke? You laughed at me, called me stupid and useless, and left me to wallow in my self-loathing. How can you expect me to just forget all of that and take you back?" My head is muddled. The majority and rational part of myself tells me, of course I can't forgive him, and he can go screw himself. But one small, tiny, fucking irrational part of me in the back of my mind still hasn't gotten over him in all this time and wants to forgive him and start over, that he has changed over time. No, No! I can't do that. I'm stronger now. I'm not going to let him walk all over me again.
"The answer is no, Yusuke. I don't want anything to do with you anymore, ever." I tell him firmly.
He's silent and I can't see his facial expression but I get a weird vibe off of him. Almost like he's impatient… or something. I turn away slightly. I drop my arm and the bat settles against my leg. "I don't want to see you again. Leave me and my friends alone… Find someone else to use."
"Wait, Mio," he calls.
"What? What could you possible want from me? Go find some other stupid, useless girl to harass."
"It doesn't have to be like this. We could be happy again." That small voice cries out to me, pleading to give him another chance. He has changed, it tells me, why else would he go through all this trouble? I shake my head furiously.
I turn my back to him stiffly and take a step. But I feel a hand grasp my wrist to flip me around. My mouth opens to curse out a protest but his goddam lips overtake mine and everything goes to hell. Of course I fight. I think to myself that there was no way on hell Yusuke could expect me to just fall into his arms. But… I find myself almost liking the feeling of his lips on mine again. The bat falls to the ground. I don't know what has come over me. His hand moves to the back of my head to pull me closer. A numbing buzz fills my head, not altogether unpleasant. Then memories rush past my eyes. Memories of Yusuke and I. At least I think they are. Did these happen? We were so happy. Everything was great. What happened again? Why… do I hate him? My head hurts.
My knees buckle from under me and the kiss ends. He catches me by my elbows and allows me to lean against him. He's hot, burning hot, an energy emitting from him. Coal tars dart around us in swarms.
"Yusuke, what's… going on? My head…"
"You're tired. My reappearance must have caused quite the strain. You love me don't you, Mio? You have always loved me. The breakup was all a misunderstanding." His eyes… glowing? No, I must be tired… yeah.
"Yes… misunderstanding… I'm dizzy…" I wrap my arms around his neck. It feels good.
"Shh… Mio. It's ok. I've got you." I lean my head against his chest, I feel him take out my ponytail and drag his fingers through my hair. He used to do this all the time… didn't he? Yeah. That's right. I love Yusuke. I've always loved Yusuke.
I wake up with a start with my alarm. My head jolts up from where it was lying on the desk. Ugh, I was drooling on my homework. I must have fallen asleep last night while finishing up my homework… Wait… last night…? What happened last night? I dreamt I think. About Yusuke. For some reason my head pounds when I try to think about him. It must have been a dream. But I want to see him. Really bad. I want to talk to him. Why does that seem weird? I haven't seen him in a really long time so it's natural that I would want to spend time with him, right? After all, I've always regretted breaking up with him.
"Oooow…" I groan and bend backward, stretching my spine. Several pops later I straighten up and get ready for classes. I brush out my loose hair—huh, I thought I put my hair up last night—and braid it back.
Downstairs, Okumura is eating breakfast alone. Rin must still be asleep.
"'Morning," I greet, sitting down across from him with my own breakfast—I wonder who cooks our breakfast everyday…
"Good morning, Honda," he replies with his usual immaculate manners.
"Is there something on my face?" He looks up with a raised eyebrow.
"No! Uh, sorry…" He hums to himself and watches me carefully. I fidget under his gaze and glare.
"What? Now you're staring at me."
"Did you go somewhere last night?"
"Huh? No. Why?" His eyes narrow the slightest. What's his problem? He piles his plates together and stands up from his chair to take them to the kitchen. I sniff with a frown and finish up the rest of my breakfast. It's oddly silent without Rin there eating with me. Have I really gotten so used to being here?
Okumura's heading out the door just as I'm putting the dishes away. I offer a wave which he returns with an emotionless smile.
There's a crash upstairs followed by a loud string of curses. Rin's awake.
My book bag is where I left it by the stairs in the foyer and I'm just about to head out the door when Rin charges down the stairs, with his clothes askew and tail hanging out.
"Hurry, Rin! You're gonna be late!" I call as he rushes past into the dining hall. He shouts something back but it's muffled. Okumura is already a ways ahead of me.
Clouds are rolling over the horizon. It is technically rainy season now. It's June after all. I wonder where my umbrella is…
For the hundredth time, I glance to where Yusuke is sitting on the other side of the classroom. And again, he catches my gaze and smirks. Ugh! Why am I getting so flustered? We broke up a long time ago! I know the only reason we broke it off was because of a misunderstanding but… I never thought I would still have feelings for him. I'm perfectly happy not having a boyfriend!
Somehow, I get through the rest of class without getting called on—no way I could have answered any questions as I was too busy being a love-struck idiot.
I almost have a heart attack when Yusuke walks over with his lunch and stands in front of my desk.
"Hey," he says casually, his lips curved upward.
"…Hi." I narrow my eyes suspiciously trying to look more confident than I feel. It takes all I can to force down a stupid grin.
"Will you come to the courtyard and eat lunch with me?" I swallow the nervous lump in my throat.
"Yeah, sure." I hear the whispers of my classmates around us, especially the girls that had stood up to me that one time. What had I told them? Oh well. It probably wasn't important.
I follow him outside, my heart thudding in my chest. What is this feeling? The rational side of my mind tells me that I'm being stupid. Why should I get so excited about Yusuke who I've been over for so long now? I watch the back of his head, his hair swaying slightly with his stride. He's pretty tall. Almost as tall as Suguro. I almost forgot how tiny I always felt walking next to him.
"Mio." I'm startled out of my conflicting thoughts. He's led us to a shaded bench in a relatively secluded spot in the courtyard. He's noticed that I was staring at him, a smirk playing at his lips. I turn my head quickly. I refuse to give him the pleasure of seeing my flushed face. I feel my hand swept up and the brush of lips across my knuckles.
"Gah! What are you doing?" I snatch my hand back, glaring lightly to hide my surprise.
"Don't you remember? You used to love it when I did that." He looks into my eyes earnestly, an odd expression on his face. I blink.
"Oh yeah…" I hold my hand to my chest, still feeling the tingle of his touch. He pats the space next to him for me to sit. Almost automatically, I sit down with my lunch.
"Mio… I know that we had something special before we broke up." He pauses, for effect I guess. I look down almost, almost excited about what he's going to say. "I hope that we can, maybe, try again. I want to be with you, Mio." His looks at me expectantly, waiting for my answer.
"Uh…I—" His gaze suddenly shifts behind me.
"Mio?" I flip around to find Rin and Okumura with their bento boxes.
"Hey guys," I greet with a smile. I try to calm myself. "What's up?"
"What do you mean what's up? What are you doing with that guy? I thought you hated him." demands Rin, with scrunched eyebrows and a concerned frown.
"Hated him? Nah," I correct scratching my head. "It was just a big misunderstanding." Rin tenses and looks confused.
"What are you talking about? Mio, don't you remember? You were… scared. I'd never seen you like that." It's my turn to look confused.
"I was just overreacting… It's no big deal."
"I don't know what kind of preconception you had about me—Okumura Rin, is it?—but Mio and I had a shaky break up that had both of us pretty messed up. I hope the past won't affect the present." There is a tense silence. I look between Rin and Yusuke nervously. Okumura's look catches my attention. He is watching me carefully with a masked expression. What's his issue?
Yusuke stands up and walks up to Rin with his hand outstretched. "Mio's friends are my friends. So I hope we can get along." What's with this atmosphere? Yusuke's just trying to be nice.
Rin shakes his hand warily. "Yeah…" Yusuke smiles and turns to Okumura.
"And you to, Okumura Yukio, let's get along in the future." Yukio grasps his hand and smiles carefully.
"Likewise." They size each other up, like guys do, and let go of each other's hands.
"Now, if you'll excuse us, Mio and I were in the middle of a conversation."
"Yeah, I'll see you guys later!" I wave to them and Okumura nods and turns away.
"Come on, Rin." Rin gives one last concerned look before turning to follow his brother.
I turn to look at Yusuke. He's got this weird sort of satisfied smile on his face. "Yusuke?" His eyes dart down to me. What was that? They seemed to flash there for a second. It's probably the lighting.
He smiles for me which makes my heart speed up again. He sits back down next to me. We sit and eat for a while, sort of just enjoying each other's company. Yusuke… why did we break up? I don't remember… I…
"Mio?"
"Hm?" I look at him out the corner of my eye. A hand wraps around my jaw and pulls me softly to the side. His lips touch mine and an electric shock runs through me. The sudden feeling of déjà vu shoots through me but is quickly overshadowed. He's so gentle, but there's this feeling of animosity being held back. His fingers slip behind my head and run through my hair pulling me closer. But then, he pulls back slowly. I find myself craving more. I want him. I love him. But... my mind is conflicted. Like there's something holding me back. What is it?
His eyes are dark when they come into focus. He studies me thoughtfully and grins.
It looks…almost sinister.