Living In Misery
Chapter 21: Seed Starts to Bloom
- x-
"You know Kenta is really nice. You should try to be more like him."
- Emi -
"How about tomorrow?"
- Kentarou –
"What's going on with you two?"
- Riya –
- x-
Emi walked into her house and was greeted by her older brother who was sitting on the couch with Michael. Daisuke looked really angry and worried, but Emi wasn't worried at all by her brother's demeanor. She was still floating on air from her day with Kentarou that nothing could faze her, that was until Daisuke got off the couch and stood up in front of her with his arms crossed.
"Emi where the hell were you, huh? You left the mansion so early and then you get home at this hour. Couldn't you have at least called one of us?" asked Daisuke.
"I'm sorry I was busy with the project and then when we finally finished I was tired so I kind of dozed off. When you called my phone I was sleeping so Ken's sister picked it up because she heard the phone ring and saw that it was your phone call," said Emi.
"Yeah but you could have at least told me where you were going!" he said still fuming.
"I didn't know that I had to report everything to you now, Dai-nii. I told mom and dad and they were fine with it so why are you getting so upset now?" asked Emi.
"Because you were at that boy's house all day and you even fell asleep there. I remember who he is Em," he lowered his voice as he continued, "He's Remi's boyfriend—"
"—Remi's ex-boyfriend. They broke up weeks ago," said Emi in defense.
"Well whatever, the fact is that they went out and this kid already slept with her. Doesn't that say something about him and his morals; he's only what sixteen and he's already sleeping around?! Don't you see he's a bad person to be around," said Daisuke in a quiet but deadly voice.
Emi stayed quiet when he said that. She knew of course that Kentarou has already slept with Remi. The whole school knew that, but it didn't mean that it still didn't hurt when her own brother was telling her. The words stung as she looked at her brother's eyes. He was furious and she just didn't understand why so she just turned away from him. She looked over and Michael and saw that he was looking down at his feet wishing he wasn't there.
"I don't understand why you're saying all this Dai-nii…" she said quietly as if there was nothing left to say.
"You don't understand Emi. He's a teenage boy, with a lot of testosterone and I know he likes you. I can see the way he looks at you Emi; you have to be careful around him. Who know what he can do, what if he touches you!?" said Daisuke.
"He won't touch me, not unless I say yes, and I'm not ready for anything like that so you have nothing to worry about. We're just friend Dai-nii," said Emi.
"If that's the case then why is his scent all over you?" asked Daisuke. Emi's eyes went wide with shock at what he just implied. Emi was starting to get really angry. Her brother knew what kind of person Emi was so why did he doubt her now. What was running through his mind to accuse her of all of this?
"Why do you think Dai-nii? I slept with him that's why," said Emi out of spite. He just glared at her.
"Why the hell would you say something stupid like that?" asked Daisuke.
"Well isn't that what you just implied? You think so little of your own sister so I thought I'd just say what you were thinking. I don't know why you're acting like this Dai-nii. Ken is a good guy, he may have slept with Remi but that has nothing to do with me and our friendship. Remi is a different case altogether, so please just leave it alone," said Emi as she turned around and headed to her room.
"Emi you shouldn't hang around him too much, it'll only hurt you in the future," said Daisuke as he watched her walk upstairs. He saw her flinch and felt bad but he didn't trust Kentarou, there was something that made him feel like he would hurt Emi.
He walked back to the couch still furious with Emi. Michael just looked at him and sighed.
"Dai don't you think you were a little too harsh on her. Emi wouldn't do anything with that kid, she's smarter than that," said Michael tensely hoping that he was right. He didn't have their keen senses so he couldn't tell if she did anything with another guy.
"You know I trust Emi, but that Kentarou kid is a different story all together. He was dating Remi not too long ago and Remi can be a total bitch at times, so who's to say that Kentarou wasn't the same?" he said with a frustrated sigh.
"Well I think Emi can handle her own," said Michael with a frown as he thought about her. She was so sweet and simple; she couldn't possibly do anything of that nature, already.
The two boys sat in silence contemplating what was going on with Emi lately, both really worried and for two different reasons.
"Hey guys! Guess what Mal just—" Daniel stopped midsentence when he saw the two sitting so seriously. "Uh what happened?"
Daisuke looked up then and snapped out of his thoughts. "Em just got home like ten minutes ago, and she had Kentarou's scent all over her," said Daisuke with a deep frown. Daniel whistled low with a big grin on his face.
"Go Emi, hooked in a guy without even trying!" said Daniel.
Daisuke narrowed his eyes at his best friend. "What the hell did you just say!? That's my little sister you're talking about Dan. She does not hook guys… she's not like that," said Daisuke.
"Whoa calm down man!" said Daniel as he held his hands up in defense. "I mean come on she's sixteen, isn't it natural for her to find someone she likes? And it's not like that Kentarou kid isn't bad he seemed like he was watching her at all times on Saturday making sure she was okay."
"No he's not good for her!" said Daisuke like a stubborn kid.
"Dude did you even talk to him? How do you know if he's not good for her? I think he's doing her a world of good, since we've come here she seems to have brightened up so much. I see her smile a lot more now, so how can you say that he's not good for her?" asked Daniel. Daisuke looked at him and frowned. He never really thought of it that way.
"Well I guess you're right…" he said quietly. Dan just grinned.
"Of course I am, you should always listen to your elders," said Dan with a grin.
"Elder by a year you dumbass!" said Daisuke with a grin and threw a couch pillow at him.
"You should go apologize to Emi Dai," said Michael from where he was sitting. He was sitting quietly as his brother spoke and with every word his heart started to twist. What if he was right, what if that Kentarou kid was what was making Emi happier? Even though Emi has kissed him more than once on her own, what did that mean? Was it something more than friends or just a young teen experimenting? He couldn't think of Emi as a girl to experiment with anyone. He would have to confront her with this.
"Yeah I guess I should huh?" asked Daisuke and got up before they could respond. He hurt his sister again, when all he was trying to do was protect her. He sighed to his resigned fate and walked up to her room trying to think of the best way to apologize.
-
Emi stormed into her room and suddenly the tears exploded. She tried to keep them in but it didn't work. She was already over the edge. Not only did her brother say those awful things but it hurt her so much to hear about Kentarou and his sex life. She knew he was really experienced of course he would be. He was a really good looking guy and he went out with Remi who was their school's number one slut so of course Ken would have experience. But it hurt for her brother to imply that she would do something like that. She could barely even kiss, how could she think about anything else.
The tears just wouldn't stop falling. She tried to wipe them away to no avail. Tired and sniffling she curled into her bed and just cried. Then she heard her phone ring. She looked at her bag and didn't know if she should pick up or not. She sighed and crawled over to her bag and pulled out her phone. She saw Taro's number and let out a sigh of relief. She picked up the phone and waited for him to say something.
"Hey Em, sorry to call so late, I just needed to talk to you about something," said Taro. Emi sniffled. "Em are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm alright," said Emi trying to sound as normal as possible.
"What happened you sound like you're crying," said Taro with a worried voice.
"I just kind of had an argument with Dai-nii he said some really stupid things and they really hurt me," said Emi.
"You and Dai-nii? You guys never fight though."
"Yeah well tell that to him, it seems that ever since he came back we've bumped heads here and there. But what he said really hurt," said Emi with a sigh as she hugged her pillow.
"Damn, okay well I'll see you in five minutes okay?" he said and hung up before she could respond. Emi smiled at the looked at the phone, leave it to Taro to cheer her up. Starting to feel a little bit better Emi decided to clean herself up just a little before Taro got there. As she was in the middle of changing she heard a knock on the door. She knew it was her brother, before he knocked.
"I'm changing, did you need something?" asked Emi with a very uninterested voice.
"Emi could you let me in I need to tell you something," said Daisuke.
"You can just tell me right now Dai-nii," said Emi.
Daisuke let out a sigh when he saw that she wasn't going to open the door for him. It's not like he could blame her about that though, he would probably have done the same thing. "I'm sorry Em; I didn't consider how you would feel so I didn't really think about it properly. If you like him then I trust you to know what you're doing, but please make sure you're safe okay? I don't want you getting hurt okay," he said. He waited for her to respond but she said nothing. "You know I love you right Em?"
"Yeah, I love you too Dai-nii," said Emi with a sigh and went to open the door. He was standing there and he saw her puffy eyes and cringed. He did that to her. He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms tightly.
"I'm really sorry Em!" Emi just let out a sigh.
"Yeah it's okay," she said softly as she held him for a second before pushing him away. "Taro's on his way here right now so I kinda need to clean up a bit if you don't mind."
"Yeah sure no problem," said Daisuke as he turned to leave.
Emi watched him as he went and sighed for what felt like the hundredth time today. She knew her brother's heart was in the right place but it still hurt her. She turned back around to go in her room when she heard Taro's voice. Immediately she felt lifted and when she saw him in the doorway she ran to him and took him in a hug.
He laughed as he caught her and held her close. "What's that all about?" he asked as he looked down at her.
"I just needed a friend tonight," said Emi.
"Well that's what I'm here for," said Taro with a grin. "Now what do you want to do? Talk a little or do you want to do something else? I do have something I still need to ask you though."
"Oh what is that?" she asked getting curious.
"Well Kin's birthday is coming up in a week and I need to get her something. It's different this year because we're actually going out so it needs to be something really good. Do you want to go shopping with me on Tuesday?" he asked with a grin because he knew she wasn't the shopping type of girl.
"Well for you I'll go for sure!" said Emi with a smile.
"Well now that that's out of the way how about we go watch a movie or something?" he asked.
"Sure, it'll be nice to take my mind off stuff for a little while," said Emi. So they walked down to the game/theatre room and picked out a movie at random and settled in to watch. They ended up not even watching the movie and just talked for a couple hours before they both fell asleep. Emi told him about Kentarou and what they did today and how she was starting to feel about him. Taro just listened quietly and told her that if she was happy with him then he would give the guy a chance, maybe they could all go out, since Kin was hostile towards him as well.
Emi was happy with what Taro said so she just snuggled close to him and fell asleep. He smiled and looked down at her before wrapping his arms more tightly around her and fell asleep himself.
-
Emi went to school the next day with Taro, early in the morning. Because he ended up staying over for the night he had to go to his house early and get his uniform. They told Reiji and Kaito to come with them but they just groaned in their beds saying it was too early. Emi told Kagome before they were leaving and Kagome just laughed saying she would drop them or get one of the boys to do it. So they left and headed to Taro's house.
When Emi walked in she saw her Aunt Kikyo at the stove as usual. It was always so weird to see her in the kitchen when she was such a famous fashion designer. But to her Aunt Kikyo family always came first because she lost her family at such a young age. When Kikyo saw Emi she had a huge smile on her face.
"Emi this is a nice surprise. Did you and Taro have a good time last night?" she asked.
"Yup! We talked for a long time, it was a lot of fun," said Emi with a big smile. It really did help her a lot and she was a lot more cheerful now.
"Well that's good I hope you're feeling better then. Taro said you were upset when he left last night, is everything okay at home?" asked Kikyo.
"Yeah everything is fine. Mom and Dad are doing pretty good considering…" said Emi as she looked over at the doorway where Taro was standing dressed in the school uniform. He looked so fresh that it made Emi blush. She always knew that Taro was good looking but seeing him today that way just kind of made her get flustered.
"Okay I'm all ready to go!" said Taro as he looked at them. He caught Emi's gaze and frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
Emi just got even redder as she looked away. "No there's nothing on your face, you look fine," she said as she tried to control her blush. What is wrong with me!? I must be getting hormonal or something geez! Emi thought as she shook her head slightly.
"Emi you can be really odd sometimes," said Taro as he walked into the kitchen and went to his mom. He snatched a sausage that was on the plate and grinned. "Thanks mom I'll see you later!" He gave her a kiss on the cheek and then turned to Emi. He slung his arm around her shoulder and led her out the door.
"Bye, make sure your brother and sister go with you. I don't have time to drop them too," said Kikyo. She let out a giggle when she heard her oldest son groan.
So Taro and Emi waited until Eiji and Kaya were ready and then they all went to school together. When they reached the school parking lot Eiji and Kaya went their separate ways while Taro and Emi sat in the car, they still had a good fifteen minutes before class started.
"So I know there are feelings between you and Yamanaka but what does that mean, are you guys going out now or are you friends?" asked Taro.
Emi blushed. She had told Taro about what happened yesterday but she left out many details; he never asked so she didn't say anything. "Well Kentarou did ask me to be his girlfriend yesterday but I'm just not ready from something like that. It scares me to think about me being someone's girlfriend," said Emi.
"So you turned him down? And he's still chasing after you? Wow he's quite persistent," said Taro with a laugh.
"Yeah well I kind of compromised by agreeing on going on a date with him soon," said Emi. Taro gawked at her when she said that, Emi going on a date was like seeing a cat swimming, it just doesn't happen.
"Wow Em you really are changing a lot. The Em I know wouldn't even think about a date," said Taro.
"Well he makes me feel pretty and special, I couldn't help it," said Emi with a deep blush as she looked down at her lap.
"Well I'm glad you're happy. You know that's all that matters to me," said Taro with a smile as he ruffled her hair which she left open. Taro stopped to look at her closely and smiled. She really had changed a lot in the past couple weeks. She wears her glasses most of the time now but they just enhance her beauty and make her look even prettier. She started to play around with her hair more, changing it from that gaudy horsetail she used to have, and that ugly black sweater she used to wear was no longer apart of her everyday apparel. Now she looked like a normal and really pretty high school girl. "Come on let's get going, Kin is probably waiting for me and I wouldn't doubt it if Yamanaka is waiting for you either."
"Yeah I know," said Emi with a laugh as she got out of the car and followed Taro into the school building, both looking for their special person.
-
Kentarou was waiting. He was standing against her locker with his headphone on. People walked past him and just stared, because Kentarou Yamanaka never stands around for anyone. He ignored them all and waited for Emi to get there. She stood watching him for a second and couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her. He kept checking his watch as if she was late for a date or something. She was still thinking about that when Kentarou turned in her direction. He had caught her scent and knew she was there.
The site that she saw next made her legs weak. The smile that lit his face was something she would always cherish. It lit his eyes and only made him look more appealing. She walked over to him then a little uncertain if she would be able to make it over there. He took off his headphones and grinned at her.
"I was wondering if you were even going to make it today," said Kentarou as he moved aside so she could open her locker.
"Of course I would make it, I don't skip school," said Emi as she put her bag in side and pulled out her English books. She closed her locker then and looked at him. "So is there something I can help you with?"
"Well I just wanted to walk you to class," said Kentarou with a big grin. Emi looked at him with a puzzled look.
"Why do you want to walk me to class?" she asked with a frown. His class wasn't anywhere near her class.
"Because baka, I like you." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Emi looked startled as she looked at him.
"Well that doesn't mean that you have to be late for class," she said still not understanding the concept. To her it just seemed like a waste of time to walk her to class.
"Geez Em I never knew you could be this dense," said Kentarou as he hooked his arm through hers and took the books from her hand. Emi spluttered as she tried to tell him to stop but couldn't get the words out. So she just got dragged along.
"You know I'm not dense, I understand why you're doing it I just understand why you'd want to. It's just a waste of time," said Emi with a frown.
"Because I want to spend as much time as I can with you," said Kentarou as he continued walking. He could see all the people staring at them and he could only smile. Good now they know that Emi is mine, he thought. He didn't want anyone else trying to get with her.
"Well aren't you a suck up," she said with a laugh when she saw his face fall. "Don't worry I think it's sweet." She couldn't stop the flutter in her stomach. Kentarou smiled at her last comment and felt as if they really were getting closer.
They reached the English class in no time, at the same time that Asato and Chisa got there. The four of them looked at each other. Asa and Ken both grinned at each other while Emi and Chisa gave each other a smile.
Asato and Chisa walked in first leaving Ken and Emi just outside the door. "Well I'll see you later? Around lunch time okay?" he said as he bent down to give her a kiss. She stopped him midway. She didn't want anyone to see that. "What was that for?"
"I should be asking you the same question. You can't be kissing me in school or anywhere for that matter. I'm not even going out with you," said Emi.
"Well whose fault is that…?" he muttered to himself. "I wasn't going to kiss you on the lips, baka; I'm a little smarter than that. I was just going to kiss you on the cheek."
"Still there shouldn't be any kissing at all, now I need to get to class," said Emi as she turned around with a blush on her face. Ken let out a laugh as he turned to head to his own class.
When Emi walked into class she was immediately approached by Asato. "So what was that all about? Are you two going out now or something?" asked Asato with a wide grin.
"What!? No way, we're just friends," said Emi with a dark blush.
"Hmm it didn't seem like that to me, Ken was eating you with his eyes," said Asato.
"That doesn't mean anything. We're just friends Asa, please don't start saying that we're going out, cause it would just be a rumor and I don't need him to think we are. That would just boost his ego which is already big as it is," said Emi with a sigh.
"Okay fine, but tell me something," he said in a whisper. "Do you like him?"
Emi looked at him silently. "Uh I th—"
"—okay class settle down class is about to start," said Yoshino-sensei as he walked into the classroom.
Asato let out a frustrated sigh as he went to his seat. Emi let out a relieved breath as she hurried to her seat. She didn't know how she would answer that. Yeah of course she liked Kentarou he was one of her friends now. He made her feel happier than she's ever felt in a long time. And yeah he does make her heart beat faster when he's around but does that mean that she likes him like that? Emi shook her head, she didn't have to think about it just yet thanks to Yoshino-sensei and she was thankful for that.
Yoshino-sensei started the lesson and then soon after all thoughts of Kentarou left Emi, well almost all of them, as she immersed herself in the English lesson. They were given their usual twenty minutes of free time and Emi groaned when she saw Asato making his way over to her. She would have to think about it again.
"So back to where we left off before Yoshino-sensei rudely interrupted," said Asato as he made it to her desk.
"Why are you so curious Asa? Your girlfriend is in the same class shouldn't you be talking with her instead of me?" she asked hoping that it would get him to leave.
"Oh don't trying to sway me, I want to know do you like him?" asked Asato.
Emi let out a sigh knowing that nothing would stop him until he got an answer. "Well I think I do," said Emi.
Asato just gawked at her. "What do you mean you think you do? How can you not know?"
"Well yeah there are feelings between us, but I don't know if it's anything more than friendship," said Emi.
"Well if you think about him at random times of the day and when you do see him your heart beats a little faster then I'd say those feelings are more than just of friendship. So does that happen to you?" he asked curiously. Emi's face burned red, obviously there were some feelings. When she didn't say anything Asato grinned. "So you do like him!"
"Well maybe, I guess," said Emi with a shy smile on her face.
"Wow who would have ever thought that you two would like each other," said Asato with a low whistle.
"Yeah well, he kind of grew on me," said Emi with a smile this time as she thought of his quirky ways.
"Well I'm glad you're happy Em. You smile a lot more now, it must be cause of him, huh?" he asked with a laugh.
"It's possible," said Emi as she laughed again. She looked up at the clock in the room and saw that there was just a few more minutes left. Emi set all her books in order. Asato watched her and laughed seeing that he was now being ignored.
"Okay fine I'm going back to my seat," he said as he flicked her on a nose. Emi just stuck her tongue out at him. She watched him go to Chisa then and wrap his arms around her waist as he rested his head on her shoulder. She was a tomato and even the girls she was talking to looked away feeling embarrassed. Emi smiled, Asa always knew how to smooth talk a girl. He was always good with the ladies.
When the bell rang Emi got up and wandered out of the class behind a few other girls. She made her way to her locker and was pulling out her art stuff. As she went to shut her locker door she saw Kenta standing right beside her. She didn't even notice him because her thoughts were let's say somewhere else.
"Hey Emi-chan what do you say about going out today?! After school we can go to an arcade or a family restaurant, please?" he said with a dazzling smile. Emi couldn't believe that he was still being persistent; didn't he know that she was the ugly duckling? He seemed like he was very dense in any other subject other than art. She looked at him and kind of felt sorry for him.
"Kenta I'm flattered that you want to hang out with me but—"
"—she already has me so can you stop bugging her?" asked Kentarou as he appeared out of nowhere. He made it known that Emi was already taken as he put his hand around her waist and stood very close to her. Emi looked up at him really flustered as she felt his hand on her waist. It felt like her skin was burning.
"Kentarou what are you doing?" she said in a breathless whisper. He looked down at her and smirked. He gave her a wink for good measure and then looked back at Kenta. His face looked stricken as he looked at the hand on her waist and frowned.
"Are you two going out?" asked Kenta.
"Yes."
"No!" said Emi at the same time that Kentarou said yes. They looked at each other, and Emi started to blush. She shoved the hand off of her waist and looked at Kenta.
"Look Kenta I really am flattered, but I'm really not interested. So even if you ask me every day for the next year, I'll always say no. We can be friends if you'd like. I do respect you a lot as an artist. It would be nice to have another friend. I seem to have a short supply," she said with a smile as she held out a hand to him. He looked deflated but looked down at her hand. Friendship was always a start. He let out a smile and took her hand.
"I don't mind being your friend, Emi-chan," said Kenta turning back to his old self.
"That sounds like a good deal to me, now how about we get to class?" asked Emi as she looked at Kenta and then at Kentarou. Kentarou just raised a brow as he looked between the two. There was no competition which was a comforting thought because the guy wasn't ugly; thank god Emi wasn't interested in him. Emi started walking first and Kentarou ran to catch up. He walked very closely to her as they headed to her art class. Kenta walked beside them feeling very much like the third wheel, but there was no helping it since he was going to the same class as Emi.
"So Kenta tell me, why do you like Emi?" asked Kentarou as he looked at Kenta making him feel nervous. Emi glared at Ken and smacked him hard across the chest.
"Why are you asking him something like that?" she asked.
"I was just wondering."
Kenta looked at Kentarou and frowned. "Well I always had a love of beautiful things. Emi-chan is really beautiful," said Kenta with a smile.
"You do know she didn't always look like this, well technically she always looked the same, but before she used to cover up her beauty," said Kentarou.
"What are you talking about Yamanaka isn't Emi-chan a new student?" asked Kenta oblivious to the facts.
"Well no actually I'm not. I've been in the same school with you for years now," said Emi with a frown as she looked at him. Kenta just frowned as he looked at her. He tried to recall if he ever saw her but just couldn't figure it out.
"I think I would have remembered your face if I saw it before," said Kenta.
"Yeah well Emi used to be a little less beautiful with the get up she used to wear," said Kentarou with a laugh which earned him an evil glare from Emi. "Hey I'm only telling the truth."
"Still though it's kind of rude," said Emi with a frown. Kentarou just laughed as he ruffled her hair.
"I'm sorry Em, but you were still cute even under all that," said Kentarou. Kenta looked at them with a frown.
"Hold on what do you mean, Emi-chan you're not new?" he asked as he stopped walking and looked at her with a frown.
"Yeah I was going to tell you the first day we had our art project, but mom started class and you left thinking that I was a new student. You must have heard of me, or seen me around before. Ever heard of the ugly duckling?" she asked. Kentarou cringed when he heard her say it. It was his fault that she was called that.
Kenta blanched when he heard her say that. "No way, you were the ugly duckling? How?!" he gawked as he looked at her. "You're so beautiful. She had such gaudy things on her."
"Yeah well that was me, and let's just say I had some changes the year," said Emi as she hugged her self.
"Why did you keep yourself hidden like that Emi-chan? You're absolutely beautiful," said Kenta with a genuine smile. He always kept to himself. He never teased or taunted her, but neither did he talk to her. He was always just neutral.
"Thanks," she said with a blush. His eyes were sparkling as he smiled at her.
"No problem!" his grin just widened. Kentarou looked at the two and felt the jealousy rising in him. He hooked his arm through Emi and tugged her.
"Come on Em you're going to be late for class," said Kentarou as he pulled her along leaving Kenta still standing there.
"Oh right," she said as she tried to clear her face from the heat that was there. Kenta would have been a good friend all those years that she was tormented. Emi looked up at Kentarou's face with a smile. His jaw was tense as he strode with purpose. He was jealous. She smiled to herself. "You know Kenta is really nice. You should try to be more like him." Kentarou flinched when she said that and looked down at her.
"I was an asshole because the people I kept for friends weren't really the best influences back then, but I've gotten a better friend now and she's rubbed off all the good things my way," said Kentarou with his dazzling smile.
"Yeah I guess you're right," said Emi just as Kenta stepped in stride with them. They walked the last few steps to the classroom and Kenta walked in glancing at her for one last second. Kentarou looked down at Emi. She smiled up at him and then turned to get to class. "Thanks for walking me!"
"Yeah no problem," he mumbled as he turned to go to his own locker. For some reason he felt as if he'd lost; there was no challenge no competition but he really did feel like he lost. He looked back once more seeing Emi disappear into the classroom.
Emi walked in with a stiff spine. Every time she went into her art class, all she would be reminded of was the fact that her mother was sick. She barely thought about it until she had to go into the class. The new replacement teacher, Kyohara-sensei was really nice. He just got his teaching certification and so they were his first class. He seemed really cool but it just hurt Emi to look up at the front of the class and not see her mom. Emi was frowning when Kyohara-sensei started the lecture. She was still frowning half way through the class and so he gave the class a break fifteen minutes before class ended and called her to the front of the classroom.
"Takahashi was it?" he asked with a smile as he looked at her. She just nodded as she looked down at the ground. She really didn't want to be up there. "Is there something wrong with my teaching skills? I know I'm still learning and everything but I didn't think I'd make my students frown at me." He was laughing of course but Emi looked startled and guilty.
"Sorry Sensei I just have a lot of things on my mind right now, and not seeing mo—" she stopped herself; flushing with embarrassment. Kyohara-sensei looked at her and then it clicked.
"Oh right you're Takahashi-chan's daughter. I understand what's going on, I'm sorry I didn't realize earlier. If you need anything Takahashi, don't hesitate to ask. And tell your mother that I send my best regards for her to get better soon, but not too quickly or I'll lose my job," he said as a joke and it actually made her smile.
"Oh look at that you can smile as well. I was thinking that you only knew how to frown, for the last week that I've been teaching you," he said with a bright smile. Emi looked up at him and a soft smile formed on her lips.
"Arigatou sensei," she said with sincerity.
"No problem that's what I'm here for. Now I hope to see more of those smiles of yours," he said with a wink and she just nodded as she turned to go back to her seat.
Kenta was watching them and when she was heading back to her seat her stopped her. "Emi-chan what was that all about?"
"Huh?" was her reply when she heard his voice. "Oh Kyohara-sensei was just wondering if there was something wrong with me since I was let's say giving off an ominous vibe."
"Oh is there something wrong?" he asked looking worried himself now. Emi smiled as she looked at him.
"No nothing is wrong I was just having a hard time in the class knowing that my mom is sick," said Emi.
"Oh I'm so sorry to hear. But Takahashi-sensei is really strong she'll be back here in no time I'm sure," said Kenta with a whole lot of confidence that Emi couldn't help but believe him.
"Thanks Kenta, you really are a good friend," said Emi as she made her way back over to her desk. She gathered her things and then headed to the door when the bell rang.
-
Michael was still gloomy from the thoughts of Emi with another guy. He knew that he didn't have strong feels for Emi but he certainly felt something. She just had that aura that made you want to hold her and comfort her and he couldn't get enough of it. He was being tagged along with Jake and Daisuke's cousins Keira and Riya. They were going to pick up Megumi and watch a movie, since the girls were all free after lunch. They were on their way over to the Ishida residence. Jake was just happy to see Mei, while Michael, Riya, and Keira had nothing better to do.
Daisuke and Dan had made plans to go do some shopping for the big movie premiere that was going to happen in a couple of weeks. They said that they might meet up with the rest of the group in a little while.
Michael looked over at Keira and saw that she was fidgeting as if she was nervous. "Um Keira are you okay?" he asked. She jumped in her seat and then blushed.
She was thinking about Mei's cousin and was nervous to see him. "Sorry Michael, were you talking to me?" she asked.
"Yeah I was just wondering what's wrong you look really nervous," he said.
Keira looked startled what was she supposed to say. She was nervous but no one needed to know that. "I-I'm not nervous I was just thinking, lots of things… on my mind," she said unconvincingly.
"Oh… okay, if you're sure," he said as he dropped the topic.
"Okay guys we're here!" said Riya with a smile as she got out of the car and stretched. She didn't even wait for the rest of the guys and ran to the front door. She rang the door until it was opened and the one person she wanted to see was standing right in front of her. "Hey baby!" she launched herself in Taiyou's arms as she went in for a kiss.
"Hey Ri, you guys are here early, I was just about to head out," said Taiyou with a frown.
Riya groaned. "I wish you didn't have to work today! You could have come with us!" she said with a frown.
"Yeah I know but, mom and dad have to go deal with my aunt's drama last minute so I have to take care of the shop, but you know you guys could always come down for lunch," he said with a smile.
"We'll see," she said as she turned to the others to tell them to hurry up and come inside. She knew Mei would still be getting ready because she was still in the phase where she wanted to look perfect in front of Jake.
"Hey Yukio are you ready to go?" asked Taiyou still standing at the front entrance. Yukio appeared from the kitchen with a piece of toast in his mouth. He was grinning and then he saw Jake, Michael and Keira. His eyes narrowed in on her as he took a bite out of the toast and grinned.
"What were you saying cousin?" asked Yukio as he kept his gaze on Keira. Her face was starting to turn red as she looked to the ground. He was just about to go up to them when Riya reappeared.
"Kei come on, let's go check on Mei. She's probably still getting dressed," said Riya. She saw Yukio standing there and turned to smile at him. "Hey Yuki!" Then she ran upstairs pulling Keira with her.
Yukio turned to the other two guys that were standing by the door. "So what are you guys up to?" asked Yukio.
"We're going out for lunch then gonna go hit the movie theatre," said Jake.
"Oh really?" he asked as he looked at them and then turned to Taiyou. "Hey Tai—"
"—do you want to hang out with them today?" he asked with a wry smile.
"You took the words right out of my mouth," said Yukio with a grin. "Would you mind?" he looked at all three of the guys.
"No problem at all," said Jake.
"Yeah you'd even out the numbers too," said Michael.
"It's fine by me," said Taiyou with a shake of his head. "Now I'm leaving so don't go changing your mind!"
"Don't worry cuz, I'm sure I wanna go with these guys," said Yukio as he thought of Keira.
"Okay…. Well I'll see you guys later!" said Taiyou as he walked out to his car.
"So what kind of movie are we going to see?" asked Yukio in a loud voice as he slung his arms across both guys' shoulders and led them back into the kitchen where his breakfast—probably more like brunch—was waiting for him.
-
Megumi's room was a mess. It looked like a hurricane came right into her closet and threw everything out. She had been trying to find an outfit for the last half an hour and still nothing. Everything she put together gave off the wrong image of what she was trying to go for. She wanted to look like the cute yet independent girlfriend but it just wasn't coming across.
She heard a knock at her door and frowned. She really didn't want to deal with her brother or cousin right now. She was having a fashion emergency. She went to go open the door ready to yell when she saw that it was Riya and Keira. She let out a breath of relief as she hugged them both.
"I am so glad you guys are here! I can't find anything to wear," said Megumi with a frown. She looked at all the clothes and just got frustrated again.
"Mei just breathe, you don't have to go all out, we're just grabbing lunch and a movie, it's nothing special," said Riya with a laugh.
"Yeah well this is different. I want to look special for Jake, we never really get to go out, with my school's schedule and rehearsal times," said Megumi.
"Okay well how about we find you something cute but still casual?" asked Keira as she got control of her nerves from Yukio's stare.
"Please!?" she said in a pathetic voice. Both girls laughed as they started sorting through her clothes. Riya pulled out some shirts and a couple accessories, while Keira sorted through her pants, skirts, leggings and shorts.
"Okay how about this?" asked Riya as she pulled out a navy blue long sleeve that had a cute bunny in white on the bottom right of the shirt, with a pair of jeans and a silver belt.
"I don't want to wear that shirt, it's too… childish," said Megumi at a loss for a better word.
"Okay fine, I'll look some more," said Riya as she went back into the mess.
"How about this one Mei?" asked Keira. She was holding a green bubble shirt that came to mid thigh. She was also holding a pair of jean shorts and black leggings. "You could wear heels or flats."
Megumi looked at the outfit and a smile made it on her face. "Oh Kei that's perfect, it's cute but still grown up enough!" said Megumi.
"Mei the fact that you said that just shows that you're not grown up yet," said Riya as she stuck her tongue out at her.
"Oh whatever," she said as she rolled her eyes.
"Okay now hurry up and change! I'm starving," said Riya.
"Okay thanks guys, I'll be down in five minutes, you can go hang out with the guys and tell Jake sorry that I'm taking so long!" said Megumi with a smile as she pushed them both out of her room.
"Well let's go see what the boys are up to," said Riya as she pulled Keira with her.
They got downstairs and found the boys in the kitchen. Yukio was eating and talking at the same time, while Jake and Michael were listening trying hard not to laugh. But it was failing miserably.
"What's so funny?" asked Riya as she looked around the room.
"Yukio was just telling us about his road trip about one of their street performances where a girl gave them a bill with her number on it, and when they called her number a guy picked up swearing at them saying not to call his brother ever again," said Jake as laughter flooded out of him.
"Wait… what!? Do you mean some guy came dressed as a girl gave you guys his number?" asked Riya.
"Yeah but in our defense she—I mean he was really cute, if you guys looked at it you would have thought it was a girl too!" said Yukio not even trying to hide his lopsided grin.
Keira was watching him and her stomach was fluttering. His smile was making her feel weak. She tried not to look at him directly fearing his gaze.
"Wow Yukio being in a band you must meet the most interesting people," said Riya.
"Yeah interesting is putting it nicely. There was also this one time that we were performing back home and we got this girl come to us after the performance and asked us if we'd let her give us a massage," said Yukio he saw their expressions and laughed. "It would have been kind of cool if she was cute and she was enthusiastic about it. We could have just laughed it off or something, but this girl looked so serious and she didn't even seem like she liked us. She said she was in training to be a masseuse and she needed to find people to practice on. It was really creepy," said Yukio.
"You guys didn't do it did you?" asked Riya with shock.
"Of course not, we had to leave early because she wouldn't leave us alone."
"Well that's just weird," said Jake with a shudder. "She was cute at least?"
"Not really, there was nothing about her that made us feel comfortable. We wanted to get away as fast as possible," said Yukio.
"Well at least you're not there anymore, most girls in Tokyo are pretty cute, right Ri?" asked Jake for conformation.
"Hell right, you're looking at two right now!" said Riya with her childish grin.
"I couldn't agree more," said Yukio as he looked at Keira with a slow lazy gaze. She was wearing a pair of low riding jeans and a tank top with a blazer on top. She looked casual yet sophisticated. Business like but still the essence of femininity. She was just so beautiful in his eyes.
"Okay guys I'm ready! Sorry I took so long!" said Megumi with a smile as she posed for them. Jake's eyes immediately went straight to his girl friend. Her hair was tied to the side and was left in loose curls. She looked really cute.
"Babe you look so adorable," said Jake as he walked over to her and gave her a quick peck and then played with the dangly earrings on her ears.
"Thanks," she said breathlessly. "I wanted to look perfect."
"You always look perfect," he said with a grin as he turned to the rest of the group. "So guys should we head out now?"
"Yeah let's go!" said Riya as she hooked her arms through Michael's since he was the closest and her. Jake was still holding Mei's waist so they headed out, which left Keira and Yukio to be the last to pair up.
Yukio grinned at his luck. He stepped up to her and smiled. "You don't say much do you?" he asked as he looked down at her.
She looked up at him then and her beautiful eyes dazzled him. "It depends on who I'm speaking to," she said with a shy smile.
"It's good to hear you voice again, sweetheart. I've missed it these past two days," he said as he smiled at her.
Keira blushed. She didn't know what to say so she didn't say anything at all. He saw her face shift again as she tried to get her emotions under control and it felt like a part of him shifted with her. She really was mesmerizing.
"Don't worry you'll be talking a lot by the end of our date today!" he said his dimples showing. Keira looked startled as she looked up at him then.
"D-date?! What do you mean d-date!?" she asked trying hard not to stutter.
Yukio just gave her a knowing smile and didn't say anything. Just as Keira was about to set things right she heard Megumi calling. "Hey you two can you hurry it up! I need to lock up!" said Megumi from the entrance way.
"Come on sweetheart, we're keeping everyone waiting."
Feeling annoyed by his confidence Keira stopped moving. "This is not a date, and I am no way your sweetheart! My name is Keira, Keira Takahashi, please remember to use it properly!" she said as she walked away from him feeling just a little miffed.
Yukio watched her walk away and felt his heart squeeze. She was definitely a breath of fresh air and he was going to make sure he got his fill of her.
-
Emi was lucky during lunch block because for most of it she got to have her own time. She was able to work on her writing which she had been neglecting because of a certain someone.
Kentarou had taken up so much of her time the past weekend and it was due at the end of the week. It really frustrated her that she was forgetting all about the things that were important to her.
She was almost done writing when she was interrupted by the same person she had been thinking about for a while now. He blocked the sunlight that was seeping through the tree she was sitting under. She looked up already knowing who it was and glared; hoping that he could see it.
"What are you doing?" she asked as she turned back to her story.
"I came to hang out. You know that's what friends do," he said as he plopped himself down beside her.
"Well I need to do some things right now so I won't be good company," said Emi as she kept her eyes on the paper.
"That's okay you don't have to say anything just listen I have something I want to ask you," said Kentarou with a hopeful voice. Emi looked up at him then, curious to see what he was about to say.
"What are you talking about Kentarou?" she asked with a brow raised.
"Well I was wondering about that date you promised me, are you still up for it?" he asked with his boyish smile. Emi smiled then, a slight blush on her face.
"I think it could be arranged," said Emi trying to look as unaffected as possible even though her heart was beating a mile a minute.
Kentarou looked at her then with a most brilliant smile and hugged her. "Okay… sweet… this is gonna be awesome!" he said rambling to himself while he still held Emi in his arms. When she made a sound to get him to let go he looked down at her and realized what he was doing. "Oh sorry, I'm just excited," he said with a sheepish grin. "How about tomorrow? We can go after school; I already know where to go."
Emi looked at him then. Now that it was happening it seemed so soon. She wasn't really ready to take that first step so quickly. She looked at him with alarmed eyes. "How about this weekend?" asked Emi.
Kentarou looked at her with a frown. "Are you busy tomorrow?" asked Kentarou.
"No but aren't you? Taro was telling me that you guys have soccer try outs this week and I'm sure you were on the team, right?" she asked. "Plus I have to go out somewhere with Taro after the try outs."
"Oh okay, well that's fine then. I completely forgot about the try outs. I'm most likely the captain next year once Naoko-kun graduates so I do have to be there," he said with a grin feeling pumped up again. She would see him play and he would make sure that she enjoyed it.
"Okay so maybe on Friday?" she asked shyly as she closed her book.
"Yeah Friday sounds good. I'll pick you up from home around fourish," he said looking at her for confirmation.
"Yeah that sounds good."
"Wait don't you have work though? I think I do too," he said with a frown.
"No I wasn't scheduled," said Emi. "So does that mean Friday won't work?"
"No it will, I figure it out," said Kentarou.
"Okay so I'll be looking forward to it," said Emi as she got up and stretched. Kentarou was still sitting in his seat as he looked up at her. She was bathed in the sunlight and looked extra beautiful. He was tempted to haul her back down into his arms and kiss her senseless but knew better than to do that in public. She would probably cancel the date.
"What are you doing, Ken? Did you hear the bell ring?" she asked as she held out her hand for him. He looked at it for a second before grabbing it pull himself up. He was contemplating pulling her down to him again. He stood up beside her and grinned; they had the same class together and he had already brought their project in the same morning. "Why are you smiling? Weirdo?" she said trying to hide her smile
"Oh nothing you'll see when you get to class, now come on I don't want to be late for history," said Kentarou as he pulled her along back into the building. They went their separate ways because their lockers were nowhere near each other's but they met back at the class room.
When Emi walked into the class room her eyes zeroed in on their project. She was so happy to see it, it looked so awesome. "You brought it!" she said as she ran to the back and looked at it. Everything was still in place.
"Yeah I know that the project isn't due until Friday but I thought it would be safer here than at home," said Kentarou with a grin as he watched her study their diorama.
"Well that's fine as long as the teacher is okay with it," said Emi as she turned back to him. His eyes were still staring at her and she felt a blush coming on again. She shook her head trying to get rid of it. She felt like such a girly girl these past few days because of him. She didn't like it.
"Yeah he's fine with it," said Kentarou as he took a step closer to her. She just turned and went to her desk. Kentarou just laughed as he followed her. He was looking forward to today's class.
-
Emi got a ride home with Taro since he dropped her off. He dropped her off and headed back home because he said something about a date with his soccer team. She laughed at him and said thanks before he headed home.
When she walked into her house at around three thirty she came to an empty house. Kaito and Reiji were busy with their dance team stuff, Daisuke, Daniel and Michael were nowhere to be found. Even her mom wasn't home. It gave Emi a chill to see the house unbearably quiet. She called out once more and still no response until she heard Cleo's footsteps.
Cleo had a note attached to her and Emi looked at it with apprehension. Would it be something bad or of no consequence? She took the note and opened it…
'Hey Emi, Mike is going out with Jake and a bunch of the guys, doing the whole movie lunch thing, Dan and I are going shopping for some stuff and are probably gonna meet up with them later. Mom went to Oba-chan's house, she called her over and I think the twins are gonna be out for a while. So don't worry about us, go hang out with friends or something! We'll see you later!
-Love you, Dai-nii!'
Emi looked at the paper with a frown. She didn't have to stay home today. That was frustrating. It's not like she had plans or anything but she could have made some. She had friends now to make plans with. But instead she just went upstairs. She put her books away and decided to take a long shower. Once she was done she got changed into some comfy sweats and went to do her homework. She finished it all in an hour but still no one came home. She didn't like being home alone even if Cleo was there. It felt so empty lately.
So she decided to watch a movie. As she was about to wander into the theatre room, Emi heard the doorbell ring. She turned around and headed for the door hoping to see that someone else was home. When she opened the door she saw the one person that she never thought she'd see. Well she wasn't alone but it was still weird.
Remi was there with her brother Hiro. Hiro was smiling from ear to ear while Remi looked pissed.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" asked Emi as she turned to Hiro.
"Hey Em, we just came by to drop off something for your dad, I know he's not home but my dad told us to go drop it off cause we were being lazy at home," said Hiro with a smirk.
"Weren't you supposed to go out with Ami today? I thought you guys had a date?" asked Emi remembering the whole conversation they had at the showcase that weekend.
"No she had a late class I forgot about, so I was at home trying to avoid my homework," said Hiro.
"Oh what about Kei-nee?" asked Emi as she looked over his shoulder thinking that maybe she was still in the car.
"She's out with Riya, Jake and the rest of them who went out today, they told me to come but I was too lazy," said Hiro with a sheepish grin.
"Hiro-nii you better be careful, just cause you have a girlfriend doesn't mean you should get lazy," said Emi as she stepped to the side to let them in. He noticed what she was doing and walked right in, much to Remi's delight.
"Yeah, yeah so I've been told. So where is everyone else?" asked Hiro.
"They're all out, even Mom went out. She's at Oba-chan's house right now," said Emi with a laugh.
"Do you guys want something to drink?" asked Emi looking between the two. Remi just looked away not really wanting to talk to her.
"Uh no it's okay, I'm fine, Rem you want something?" asked Hiro as he looked at his younger sister. She just shook her head. Hiro furrowed his brows but chose to ignore it. "Okay well Em maybe we should head out. You look like you were busy and this one," he said as he motioned his head towards Remi, "wants to get back home."
"Yeah that's fine, I'll see you later, then Hiro-nii," said Emi with a smile as she walked back to the door. Hiro was heading out of the house and Emi saw that the files were still in his hand. "Hiro-nii!"
He turned back around with a questioning smile. "Yeah what's up?"
"You forgot to give me the folder," said Emi as she pointed down to his hand.
Hiro looked down at his hand and let out a sheepish laugh. "Oops my bad," he said as he turned back and handed it to Emi.
"What is it anyways?" asked Emi as she took it from him.
"I don't know Dad said it was something for the Takahashi Corporation. He forgot to give it to Uncle Inu, I think it's just some contract he needs to look over as co-owner. Make sure you'll give to Uncle Inu okay Em, and sorry about Rem, mom made me bring her along because she was moping around the house," said Hiro with a sigh.
"It's okay, it's nothing new to me," said Emi with a half-smile.
"Okay, see ya later Em, tell the family I said hi," said Hiro as he went back to his car where Remi was already sitting in the passenger seat.
Emi watched him go. She walked back in and put the folder in her dad's office and then turned to go back into the theatre room. There she found Cleo already cuddled onto the couch. She smiled and went to play the movie. She put in her all time favourite movie, beauty and the beast. She settled in her seat to watch. Half way through the movie her eyes fell heavy. Soon enough she had fallen asleep.
-
Mei, Jake, Riya, Michael, Keira and Yukio had finished their lunch and had made their way over to the theatre. They had decided to watch the new movie that came out; AVATAR.
The three boys had picked and the girls were interested to see what the movie was about so they agreed. Daisuke and Daniel had called them up and met up with them at the theatre. So they all headed to find their seats.
Riya grabbed Keira's hand and went to go find their seats. "So I've seen the way Yukio was watching you. What's going on with you two?" asked Riya as she waggled her brows.
"N-nothing, why do you say that?" asked Keira as she turned beet red.
"Well because the whole time we were at lunch you two happened to be sitting beside each other and he was rather flirtatious," said Riya with a grin. When Keira didn't say anything Riya let out a laugh. "I'm glad you found some on Kei, you've always been stuck in the books."
"I didn't find anyone, he just likes to talk a lot," she said with indignation.
"Well you guys looked really good together and he seems like he's really into you," said Riya.
"Who's really into you?" asked Yukio as he came up behind them with Mei holding his arm.
"Yeah what are you guys talking about?" asked Mei with curiosity.
Keira just blushed as she looked at the two. "No one, now can we sit down the movie is going to start," she said with a huff. She crossed her arms and looked at her best friend. Riya just laughed but there was a definite twinkle in her eye.
"Hey Mei come here I want to talk to you about something so come sit beside me," she said as she tugged on Mei's arm leaving Kei alone with Yukio again. She winked at Yukio who just smiled back at her thankful for the opportunity.
"So sweetheart looks like you're stuck with me," said Yukio as he held out his hand.
"Yeah for like the millionth time," Keira mumbled under her breath as she walked to her seat totally ignoring his hand. Yukio smiled.
"You know you have quite a hard wall built up, why?" he asked as he sat down beside her.
She looked at him and frowned. Why was he able to understand what she was doing all the time? Yeah she had a wall up but it was because she was scared. She had never experienced any relationship other than the ones of her family. She wanted to find someone but the thought scared her and so she never really looked at any boys all throughout her adolescent life.
Riya, her best friend, may have been interested in guys and went on many dates but her heart had always belonged to Taiyou. So Kei thought that it would be hard seeing as all the guys that she grew up with that was her age were pretty much all family. So she just kept to them and steered clear of any boys who approached her, but now she regrets it because she feels so scared of getting involved with a guy.
"I'm scared…" she said in a whisper. She couldn't stand his clear gaze and the way she felt like he was searching her soul.
Yukio looked at her then confused. "What do you mean you're scared, why are you scared?" he asked.
She let out a sigh and looked at him dead in the eye. He was taken aback by the way she looked. Her eyes were clouded, but she looked so serious. "I've never been comfortable being around boys. I've been too scared by the thought of being in a relationship," said Keira.
Yukio was astounded. She was such a gorgeous girl; to him she looked like a model. So does that mean that she's never been in a relationship before? That would mean she's a total innocent, in all literal terms.
"How?" was all he could say in his astonishment.
"Well I've been going to school with my goal of becoming a social worker. There are so many kids out there that have horrible family life or deal with abuse. I want to help those kids because I've been lucky enough to have a good childhood and a great family but I know not everyone is as lucky as I am. So I've been focused on my school so that I could get into the right programs," said Keira.
Yukio just stared at her with amazement. "You don't know how attractive that is Keira. I'm surprised no guy ever wanted to get to know you better," said Yukio. Keira blushed.
"There have been guys who approached me, but I would always turn them down, because for one no one ever made me feel anything and two I too scared," said Keira.
"That doesn't matter, even if you didn't accept them they could still be persistent," said Yukio. "For me there is never a no with any girls you just have to be genuinely interested and that's all it takes."
"Yeah well you're a different case altogether," said Keira with a smile. She had relaxed considerably since they started talking.
"Well I'm special that way, but you're worth getting to know, even if you try to keep me at arm's length," said Yukio with a grin as he went to grab her hand. She looked down at their joined hands and blushed again.
"I'm not that interesting," said Keira with the shake of her head.
"Yes you are. I love that passion in your voice when you talk about your school, and it's really hot that you know what you want to do in life. You're motivated, so down to earth and absolutely gorgeous," he said as he touched her face. She smiled as she moved her head so that they weren't touching.
"Please don't, it's embarrassing and really uncomfortable," she said as she shifted her position on the chair. He just lets out a smile and intertwines her fingers with his. She tried to pull away but he just squeezed them tighter.
"I can't touch your face but I'm not letting you go sweetheart," said Yukio.
"Why?" she asked with a frown.
"Because you just made me fall for you, with your beautiful vitality," he said; his dimple showing.
Keira's heart started to flutter. Her wall was melting away with his smooth words and excess charm. She smiled at him and as she was about to tell him to stop the movie started and they didn't have a chance to talk again after that. Through the three hour movie Yukio kept her hand in his. She smiled as she watched the movie.
-
When they got out of the theatre it was almost seven at night. So they all headed home. On their walk back to the cars, Yukio held onto her hand and she didn't even think to stop him. They walked just behind the rest of the group. Yukio really was falling for her sweet demeanor. She was such a breath of fresh air, because she was beautiful but so modest. All the girls back home were all interested in looking the best and in doing so all looked skanky. It never stopped him from hooking up with them, but only when they both had the understanding that it wasn't anything special.
But with Keira Yukio knew that this was something special. There was more to her than just another notch on his belt, if he was serious about her then this would be a full relationship. He wanted her and so he would go about wooing her.
As they were walking he stopped her and made her look up at him. She furrowed her brows in confusion as she tried to get him to start walking again.
"Yukio-kun what are you doing?" she asked.
He smiled at her. "You know that was the first time you said my name," said Yukio. When he said that to her she started to flounder.
"I've said your name before!" she said resentfully.
"No I know, because it sounds so beautiful when you say it. Everything about you is beautiful, yet you're so naïve about it all," he said as he cupped her face again.
"Stop saying I'm beautiful, because I'm no—" he stopped her mid-sentence by placing his lips on hers. It was a chaste kiss, anything more would have scared her off. He pulled away and saw her eyes cloud over with what looked like contentment. She looked at him and he smiled.
"See you are beautiful," said Yukio with a smile as he held her hand again and pulled her along. "Come on sweetheart we don't want to keep everyone waiting again."
"I told you before I'm not your sweetheart, my name is—"
"Keira, Keira Takahashi, I know and it's a beautiful name too," he said with mock seriousness. Keira just glared even though she felt like she was walking on clouds. She let him drag her along and tries her hardest not to smile.
-
When Daisuke, Daniel and Michael got home, they didn't see anyone around. It was really late but no one was home. Daisuke headed upstairs, while Daniel went to get changed and put the things he bought earlier today away. Michael just wandered and then he heard the TV playing in the theatre room so he went to go see who was in there.
When he walked in he saw Emi snuggled into a small ball on the couch with Cleo snuggled right beside her. The play menu for Beauty and the Beast was playing on the TV as she slept.
A smile broke out on his face as he saw her peaceful features. She was really tired it seemed. He walked over to turn the TV off first and then as he was walking over to her he heard her mumbling something. He went to go wake her but thought better than to. So he went down to his knee as he pushed away the hair that was covering her face. She smiled then, still in her sleep, and snuggled closer to the warmth of his hand.
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Emi felt like she was being held in the warm hands of someone. She couldn't tell who it was but she just smiled and snuggled closer. Whoever it was she was really comfortable with him. She shifted a little feeling something pushing at her stomach and looked down to see that it was Cleo.
Emi didn't understand why she still felt like she was floating. She looked up and her eyes fell on the blue eyes of the boy she was falling for. His hair fell down past his eyes and she just smiled.
"Emi wake up…" he said in a hushed whisper, but it just made her smile.
"Ken…" she murmured as she went to touch his face.
"Emi…" he said again a little louder this time.
"Kentarou," she said as she opened her eyes and the deep blue eyes turned green and his long blue hair turned wavy and brown. She blinked twice and saw that her hand was on his face and the face was no longer Kentarou's.
She looked at him in astonishment. "Michael?!"
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A/N: So guys don't hate me! Please don't I know I'm not consistent at all with these updates but I'm trying. I get these weird writers block that make no sense to me because I know what I want to write but when I go to write it I don't like it. Anyways I hope you liked this chapter. I got to add more people of the family rather than just Emi and Kentarou. I know it wasn't too exciting a chapter but now that I finally was able to get this partial filler out of the way I can go about writing the next chapter which will be the date chapter. Can't you guys just wait to see how that goes!? Well anyways I hope you enjoyed and please tell me what you think!