Author's notes: Mainly about ol' Yu's dilemma.
Minato's about to get one, too…
YNPOV
February 23…
My birthday…
I had to make a choice…
I can't stay with all of them and it would be highly hypocrital and unfair of me…
I already made my choice…
*Knock* Knock*
A loud knock interrupted my brooding.
"No thank you! I don't anymore bibles, encyclopedia's or dictionaries!" I yelled, expecting a book salesman.
They're crawling out of the wood work…
Then, Minato's head appeared from the window.
"Yu, if you don't open this door right now, I will blast it out from its hinges and out the back kitchen!" he swore.
"Oh! My dear cousin! Half a minute!" I said, quickly and hastily getting up.
"Sorry, I was expecting some door-to-door salesmen or one of the girls…"
"Then I'll forget about it. Have you made your decision?"
"Yes, yes…I have. I thought it through…" I said firmly.
"Yeah, well, Lucy suspects something…" he said.
"Well, Yeah, I mean, she's as intelligent as Yukiko, assertive as Chie and as bubbly as Rise… but…" I groaned.
"You will tell them will you?" he said.
"Yes, yes…" I said, turning my back.
"They're very fond of you, dude." he said.
A pang of guilt speared my heart.
"I…I know… they'd… probably feel bad if I told 'em… and never talk to me again… and in my heart, I love all of them… but… I feel thinned out by them… like… a cup of thin broth in a bowl full of rice… I need to be with only one… and only one… I don't expect to be any more than friends with them… in fact, I mean not to…" I said.
Minato and I went upstairs, to the roof, where we had our rare smoking outs.
Just his classic styled ivory pipe, carved with a grape symbol.
And my pipe, which I bought with my paycheck, an ebony pipe, with a lightning bolt symbol.
"Ahhhh! Paulownia weed is the bessst weed evah, cuz…" I said in a college-guy voice.
I blew out a cool and decent looking smoke ring.
Minato smoked another smoke ring, which dissipated my ring.
"Hey!" I said.
He smoked some more before saying:
"Cousin… this will be a night to remember…" he said.
My cousin Minato made a party in my honor.
It took place in the Arisato Imports harvest grounds, where he and Mitsuru planted themselves.
When every one of the four hundred sixteen (416) guests had been welcomed, and was finally inside the gate, which took a generous amount of time as loads of gatecrashers and riffraff taken out, (probably due to Rise...) there was sings and dances, music and games and of course, loads of food and drinks.
There were a number of open air kitchens and several buffet tables.
There were also a number of bars.
And two karaoke machines…
I walked up to Minato, who had Mitsuru in his arms.
"Couz… I don't know how to thank you…" I said.
He laughed.
"Don't worry, Couz, you're a good worker and an incredible employee… and here's my gift…" he placed an envelope on the breast pocket of my blazer.
I opened it. It read:
ARISATO IMPORTS
YU NARUKAMI, JUNIOR ASSOCIATE
There was also a check…
It took some time for me to fully comprehend the gravity of the situation.
"So… I'm a permanent associate?" I asked.
"You always have been. Now, if you excuse me, I need to take my lady out on the dance floor so we can dance!" he said.
"Farewell Yu, have a pleasant birthday." She said before they left.
Magic was happening everywhere…
Kou and his girl, Yuko were on their tables, while Yuko looked at Kou like he was a shining star, while he chatted about some random nonsense…
Lee and Fuuka were slow dancing, which was a bit unusual, because that didn't match the tempo of the song, which was Le freak by Chic…
Akihiko and Chie were having a silent chat… (Which I felt slightly jealous.)
Kanji and Naoto were on the other karaoke machine, singing Ebony and Ivory, and to be honest, Kanji had a very good singing voice…
Yukari and Nathan were dancing and they bumped into Minato and Mitsuru, Nathan and Minato went closer to each other for a confrontation, but their respective ladies yanked them back.
Kenji and Chihiro, the paralegal, were hugging each other, a sure sign that they were more than just friends or workmates.
Ken and Rachel were on a campfire, with other kids like Minako, Solenn and Chon…
Junpei and Chidori were having so much fun together; I almost didn't recognize Chidori without her signature poker face.
The only ones who weren't with anyone, not including my girls, were Suemitsu, Daisuke Akihiko and Yosuke.
Lee then went to the campfire.
He told them a story.
"…And so, there we were… the six of us, at the mercy of three hundred rebels! And they were all arguing about how they were going to execute us, whether they'd cut of our heads, impale us with their spears or take us back to their village and gang-rape us…"
Several of the children gasped.
"They were all arguing so much, that when our back up team arrived and used their snipers on them and boom!"
They were all surprised.
"They were all shot in the head!" he said, laughing victoriously.
Fuuka slapped Lee on the arm.
"Ow! What was that for?!" he demanded.
"For scaring the children!" she said.
"Aw, they need to grow up!" he said.
"Not now! You need growing up too, dear." She said.
"C'mon babe, gimme a break!"
Later, Rise was dancing around.
Akihiko and Daisuke were on the open air bar, nearest to them.
"C'mon Dais… invite Rise for a dance!" Akihiko said, in spite of his somberness a while ago.
Daisuke looked at Rise, then back at his mug.
"Meh, I think I'll get another Malt soda…" he said.
"Oh no you don't!" Akihiko said, pushing him to Rise, who took him and danced.
As Akihiko laughed, Yukiko pushed him towards Chie, who danced with him.
Then, Yosuke pushed Yukiko and speedily caught her and began dancing.
Later, in the gift tent…
JIPOV
Ken and I were very interested about the gift in the large box which Minato put on there.
I picked it up and opened it.
"It's a firework… a big ass firework…" I pointed out.
While I was mulling about the next gift to open, Ken lit it up.
"Oh! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I said, handing him the firework.
"What did I do wrong?!" he demanded.
"You were supposed to stick it to the ground!"I shouted.
"Well, it IS on the ground!"
"Outside ya idiot!"
"You told me to do it!"
We passed it to each other as if it was a grenade on fire.
WHOOOSH!
A cloud of gunpowder ignited the firework, sending the four foot three inch rocket flying into the skies, taking the tent with it as it soars into the heavens.
MAPOV
I was chatting with Mitsuru and Rachel after she finished his sing along with her boy, when we heard a noise,
WHOOSH!
"That's something you don't see everyday…" Rachel said.
It suddenly exploded into a giant, golden serpentine figure which resembled Lucifer…
If it wasn't life sized, it was terrifyingly life like…
It went into a nosedive right at us, sending crimson sparks out of its mouth.
"Holy shit! Take cover!" one partygoer shouted.
"Look at that!" the other shouted.
"Run for you lives! The bird men have come!" an elderly man shouted.
Everyone went into a state of panic.
One of them even split the table as he landed on it, sending bagels and pretzels flying.
I shepherd Mitsuru out of the demon king's way.
"Mitsuru, get out of the way, there a giant serpent flying right at us!"
"Serpent? That's nonsense; there hasn't been a flying serpent in these parts for a millennia!"
We ducked as it does a barrel roll, a loop-de-loop and finally does both in a sparkling finale as it exploded in the plains in a flurry of bright, colorful lights.
Back at the tent.
"That was AWSOME!" Ken shouted.
"C'mon, let's get out of here before ahhhh-" Junpei's was cut off when his wife pulled both their ears.
"Well, well… Ken Amada and my dear Junpei Iori… I suspected as much…"
Chidori punished them by making them wash a mountainous pile of plates.
YNPOV
I was talking to Lee and Fuuka, when a hand tapped me.
I quickly turned around to see some familiar faces.
"Uncle!" I shouted as I saw the seasoned detective beaming with my cousin, Nanako and some friends from Inaba.
"Nanako-chan!" I said as I embraced my young cousin.
"Man, you've grown on me kid! What has it been, three months?"
"Tee hee, quit it, big bro!" she said.
Before I even stopped laughing, she shoved a gift in my face,
"Happy birthday Big bro! Open it up!"
When I opened it, it was a leather bracelet adorned with a heart.
"Thanks Nanako-chan! You're the best!" I said.
She blushed.
"Thanks Big bro!"
I looked at my friends.
"Ai, Ayane, Naoki and someone else… what are you guys doing here?!" I asked.
I didn't recognize the other girl.
"Seeing you, of course!" Ai said as she hugged me.
I gently pushed her away.
I didn't want to dig myself in an even BIGGER hole…
"Good to see you too, Ebi…" I said.
"What about me, Senpai!?" Ayane shouted.
"Ayane! I must say, you've really grown! What are you, five feet?" I asked.
She pouted.
"One thing that hasn't changed: you're still a cutie!" I said.
"Senpai!" she said as she hugged me.
I also gently pushed her back.
"Naoki… how are you?" I asked.
"Fine, senpai… Happy twentieth birthday." He said aloofly.
I looked at the other girl.
"And who is this?" I asked.
She looked flustered, but she had longer, rich hair and slightly resembled Rachel Berry.
"It's me." she said irately.
"Uhhhh…"
"*sigh* Yumi Ozawa." She said.
I was star struck.
"Yumi?! Omygod, you look amazing!"
"Really?!" she asked.
"I must say… you really blossomed over the years…" I said.
She blushed.
"Well, who are these guys?" Minato asked as he stepped forward.
"Cuz! It's Uncle Dojima , cousin Nanako and some of my friends." I said.
He shook Dojima's hand.
"Uncle Ryotaro Dojima… it's been almost a decade since we met!" he said.
"Yeah, you were still a baby when I last met you!" Dojima said.
Minato looked at Nanako, who hid behind Dojima.
"Well, what's your name, kiddo?" he asked.
"N-Nanako…" she said.
Dojima laughed.
"You were like this when your Big bro came into town!"
Nanako forcibly slapped Dojima's backside.
"Ow!" he yelped.
"Well, uncle, I don't know how to say this…" he said.
I knew where this was going…
"Say it. We're family, yeah?" Dojima said.
Minato nodded.
"You have a great-niece." Minato said.
Dojima seemed calm, then his eyes became wide as he heard the words.
"You- what?! You made me a great-uncle at my age?!" he asked.
"Yeah…" Minato said.
"Obviously, you haven't heard the phrase "Don't be silly, protect your willy" but please, introduce me to her, I'm dying to see her!" he said.
He called Mitsuru (It was hard to find anyone there) to bring Minako over to our location: at the gates.
As soon as she arrived, she went to Minato and he carried her.
"Minako, Mitsuru, I want you to meet my uncle and my cousin…" he said.
Dojima looked at her. Nanako glanced at Mitsuru curiously.
"Funny man!" Minako said.
That sent Dojima gaffawing.
"Well, I see the family resemblance: she has your mother's eyes and your… uhhh… wife's hair…" he managed.
Minato seemed uncomfortable.
"She's not my wife…yet. Nor is she the mother. She's my dear girlfriend, Mitsuru." Minato said.
Mitsuru shook his hand.
"Mitsuru Kirijo."
"Hello, Mitsuru. Um… where's the mother then?" he asked.
MAPOV
I decided to phone Yukari.
"Hello?" she asked.
"Yukari, its Minato…" I said.
"I know. I have a caller ID, you know…" she said.
"Yeah, okay, but I need you by the gates… don't tell Nathan or he'll screw things up." I said.
"O-kay…" she hung up.
She went to our place.
Yukari seemed like a goddess in her Greek-styled gown, her sylvan hair, silky as the threads of the empress' kimono's and her golden choker gleamed in the night light.
"U-uncle, this is the mother of my child, Yukari… Y-Yukari… this is my uncle…" I couldn't take my eyes off her face.
"Well, she is very pretty. Good choice. I mean, I don't approve of this one bit, but I'm a bit more understanding. So long as you provide for them…" he said.
"We're not together." I pointed out.
"Oh. That was fast, but sure…" he said.
Nanako looked up me.
"Cousin Minato, may I play with Minako?" she asked.
"Of course, Nanako-chan! And call me Big bro, okay?" I said.
"Thank you… Big bro…"she blushed and went off to play with Minako.
Uncle and I talked for a moment as Yu talked with his friends.
After the formalities, eating, and dancing and whatnot, everyone began shouting:
"Speech! C'mon! Speech!" they shouted.
"C'mon dude! Speech!" Minato yelled.
I went up.
I decided to wing it.
Mainly following a speech of my favorite author…
"My dear people!"
They all shouted.
"Hear, hear!"
"Today is my twentieth birthday! I'm twenty!" I yelled.
Dozens of cries:
"Hurrah!"
"Happy birthday!"
"Good ol' Yu!"
"I hope you're enjoying yourselves as much as I am!" I said.
Loads of them shouted: YES.
While a small number of them shouted: NO.
"I won't keep you here long. I would just like to announce something."
Everyone pricked their ears at me.
"I…Uh… as many of you know, I have… four girlfriends…"
Thunderous rounds of applause.
"Yu! Yu! Jolly old Yu!"
"Thank you. Now… I want to announce… I want only one girl… and it is…"
Rise went up.
"Hello everyone!" she said.
And naturally, everyone said Hi back.
"I'm here to give my dear senpai, Yu Narukami, a special gift from a special girl…" she hands out a small box.
Inside it was a rhodium-gold locket with her picture and mine inside.
"Rise…" I faltered.
"See, senpai?" she asked, before Yukiko pushed her aside.
"Everyone, my name is Yukiko Amagi…"
"We know that!"
"Here's my gift to you…" she hands out a small glass plate.
"It's a snowflake from the mountain where the old Castle Minato was… it's coated in a special resin… it'll last forever…" she said.
Chie knocked her aside.
"Yu-kun, this is MY gift…" she handed me a bead ring and whispered: "From the fight we had with Namatame."
Lucy seemed somber.
"Well? What's your gift?" the girls asked.
She patted her pockets and frowned as she opened her bag and took out a folded handkerchief.
She slowly walked to the stage.
"Yu, darling, I have no gift for you…"
The girls were really OOC, because they kept snickering.
"But this…" she handed the handkerchief to me.
I unfolded it and I was touched when I saw what was inside the folds.
A folded, well preserved lotus.
I didn't understand at first.
Then…
"I…I gave this to you, didn't I?"
She nodded.
She was surrendering to me.
I was touched by her gift, a treasure from our childhood which she kept all these years…
"Alright! Everyone! I… choose Lucy Aketchi!" I said as I hugged Lucy.
She looked at me like I did something good to her.
The first two girls nodded soberly, as if they were okay with it, but Rise bawled and cried.
I tried talking to her about it, but she just ran off.
Later, when it was only twenty guests left, Mitsuru left to bring Minako and Nanako off, as they were going to have a sleep over.
Dojima is going to stay over with me. So were the others.
Lucy went up to me.
"Yu, dear, I love you… but I feel bad for Rise, she's drunk and need's to go home… she refused to let me drive her, and promised to kill herself if you or the other girls go near…" she said.
"I guess cousin Minato could do that…" I said.
I went to Minato.
"Hey, couz, can you send Rise home?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Sure thing, birthday boy, where is she?"
After I told him to carry Rise out, gave her a big bottle of water, they left in his BMW.
MAPOV
As I was driving along the high way, Rise began playing some Nicky Manaj songs.
"I looooooove this song! I mean, rap is the best, no?" she asked.
I exclaimed in disgust.
"Is this what passes off for rap these days? Eminem is the best rapper." I said.
Rise was laughing.
"Where was that water I gave you?" I said nervously.
"Oh! Out back!" she said as she dived for the back, revealing her red polka dot panties.
I stared at the young starlet's panties.
Everything slowed down until I heard horns blaring.
I swerved to avoid it, causing Rise's butt to hit my face.
"Ow!" she said.
"Well, sorry about tha-" I stopped when I saw she was drinking vodka.
"Woah! That's not your water! That's mine…" I said, throwing the vodka out the window.
She began crying.
"Waaaaaah! Yu-senpai replaced me for that whore!" she said.
"Don't cry, Rise, just calm down and hang loose!" I said, imitating a Hawaiian voice.
She laughed gaily, which scared me.
"You're right… Hang loose!" she said as she took off her shirt and bra.
I sat there, dumbfounded.
"HOLY FUCK! OHMYGOD…." I said as I stared at her smooth boobs.
They were pink, round and a little perky, but that could be due to the aircon…
"C'mon, senpai, play with me…" she said so sexily, there was only two words in my mind.
INSTANT. BONER.
I heard a voice on my left shoulder:
It was a mini-me, in white, including the hair, with a halo…
"Alright, stop! Before you do something you're gonna regret, think about the consequences…"
Who are you?!
"I'm your fucking conscience! She's drunk as a Dionysus…" it sounded like Orpheus and Messiah combined.
"That's nonsense…" a voice that sounded like Thanatos and Beelzebub said in my right shoulder.
He looked like me, in red, including hair and had horns.
"Go in and grab those tits, squeeze 'em and hold 'em! Can you afford to blow this shit? Are you that type of bitch? So who gives a fuck if she's drunk?"
My left said:
"Man, don't do it, it's not worth it to risk it! Not over this shit! Drop the biscuits! Don't even listen to Beelz, dude, it's not good for you…"
The right said:
"I don't like your attitude."
Next, Rise kissed me roughly.
She whispered: I want you to be my first…
The right said:
"Now listen to me! While you kissin' her cheek, tasting her mouth, now all you need to do is nibble on this little bitch's earlobe…"
The right said:
"C'mon! This chick's only seventeen years old! You can't take advantage of her! That's not right!" he said.
The right said:
"Fuck that. Do that shit. Fuck that bitch. Look at her bush? Does it even got any hair? Fuck this bitch right on that roadside spot there, until she passes out and forgot how she got there!"
"Man, haven't you even seen the work she did with kids? She's a saint!" Angel said.
"Nope, but I did see her pictures before…"Devil said.
"Man, you want to get hauled off to jail?" Angel asked.
"Fuck that. Do her bareback and bail." Devil said.
Beeeeep!
Reflexively, I swerved, hit a tree and caused Rise to get KO'ed by the steering wheel.
"Rise? Rise! Oh shit! See what you two made me do?!" I yelled.
"Hey, don't look at me! It was you who decided to follow a guy with a doughnut on his head!" Devil said.
"It's not a doughnut! It's a halo! And we don't even exist. We're a figment of your mind used to personify your good and evil side."
I tried to wake her up. Then…
"Oh my god! Are you alright?!" someone jogged by.
"Yes…" I managed.
"Are you alright?!" he asked.
"YES! Wait…" I recognized him.
"Minato?" he asked.
"Kaz?"
"Small world! So, what you been up to?" he asked.
"You know… things… and can I borrow your phone?"
"Sure."
I called Lee, Ken and Akihiko to come over.
"I'm going to plan the reunion, I'll E-mail you or post it on Facebook!" he said.
"Yeah, okay…" just then, Rise groaned and tried to get up.
I pushed her head down.
"Oh! Is that *mouths* Mitsuru-senpai?" he mouthed.
"Y-Yes."
"I knew it! Well, that explains a lot… bye now! Don't overdo it!" he said, then he jogged off.
After the three arrived:
I let Rise wear my shirt.
"What the hell did you do to her?!" Lee asked.
"She… took off her shirt and tried to kill the both of us, I knocked her out." I lied.
"Wow, you must've hit her hard…" Akihiko said.
"I want to see her tits!" Ken said.
Lee slapped the back of his head.
"Asshole. You have a girlfriend, be loyal and maybe she'll show you her tits." Lee said.
They helped me get my car out, Lee went with the guy from AA to get my BMW off as Akihiko drove with me.
It was a silent drive, but we arrived at the guest house, I let Rise to her room, got a glass to her bedside table and locked her room.
"What now?" Akihiko asked.
"Bring me home. You can go back to the party…" I said sleepily.
He did so and Minako and Nanako were still watching TV, so I left them alone, slept with Mitsuru and dreamed good dreams.
