The Fifteenth
-19th March, 2020
A/N: Hey, it is the one year anniversary of The Fifteenth and coincidentally I am updating near the actual date! Wow, the year just flew by, I must say and I learnt and am learning so much through writing this. There are so many fans who have been with me on this journey for the last year and I want to thank them so much. Your support means the world to me!
-LuV3nZbLu-hlm3 ( and mallarieTwinkies for reviewing.
-HoshinoHikaru, Katnick88 and Meian-no-miko for following the story.
-maputemarisil, nadiaheyz, SUPAfast JeLLyFisH, cara8967, Meian-no-miko and Sakura Cupcakes for favouriting the story.
-maputemarisil for following me.
And thanks to everyone for reading the story. I really appreciate it.
Disclaimer: This is Inuyasha x Brothers Conflict fanfiction. I do not own the characters or the song mentioned but the story is mine.
Ema has been living with the Asahina brothers for a year now and we all know what has happened. But what happens when Kagome comes to live at the Sunrise Residence? Will things turn out to be for better... or for worse?
14. Brown
"Kowai (kowakunai) tsurai (tsurakunai) mayoi (mayowanai) samishii (un)
Samui (atatakai) akai (toutoi) kono sekai wa hakanaki ASHINMETORII
Nee ai ga eien ni tsunagu kizuna to honoo
Kokoro hitotsu nigekakuretari wa shinai wa
Nee ai wa kitto aru mikansei to shiru koro ni
Kimi ni Kiss wo ageru..."
Kagome very gracefully sang the opening theme 'Asymmetry' of 'K: Return of Kings.' She wasn't a good singer, but she could sing anime themes well. Plus, knowing the lyrics really helped. This was the best benefit of being a Japanese: You could sing the theme songs easily and watch animes without having to look at the subtitles.
"Ashinmetorii..." She continued singing and tapped her foot in rhythm while dusting the bookshelf.
After a while, she kept the duster down, and picked up her unfinished comic from yesterday and began reading. The store owner wasn't there but he had allowed his employees to read the books only if they paid attention to the customers and prioritized work first.
Kagome snickered as she skimmed through the comic. "Haha. What a dinkuss!"
Ding!
Her ears perked up, and she took a peek to see who had arrived, so she could go help them if required.
"Meh. It's just a boy. I can keep reading then." Kagome's eyes went back to the manga, but brown colour began flashing in her mind. 'Huh?' She blinked once or twice to get rid of it and began reading again but to no avail.
'HOLY SHIT! AM I GOING BLIND?! ALREADY?!'
Panicking, Kagome softly massaged her closed eyes, made promises that she won't use her phone, laptop too much after this. Will eat carrots and tomatoes, and whatnot. "Oh please, please, just spare me this one time. I promise I'll take care of my eyes."
When she was sure that her eyes didn't feel any strain now, she went back to reading her book, but the eye-thing began again, and Kagome's eyebrows furrowed.
'Brown again? What is going on?' She narrowed her eyes to concentrate on the comedic content, but she couldn't.
'Why is that colour stuck in my mind?'
Conscience: Darling, please tell me you've understood.
Kagome: What?
Conscience: That's me giving you an emergency signal.
Kagome: What?! An emergency signal! I didn't even know I had that! What emergency? Is a Tsunami coming?!
Conscience: I am your conscience, not the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.
Kagome: Okay, then what's up?
Conscience: Ugh, just look over the passage near the second shelf. And whatever happens, don't scream or gasp or make any sound.
'Okay...?' Kagome thought it was weird, but she obeyed. As she continued humming the song, she peeked over the respective spot.
"HOLY S-" She covered her mouth with her palm and hid behind the nearest shelf. 'What the f*ck?! What's Fuuto doing here??'
Her heart began to sink. 'Oh no. No, no, no, no. Does he know I work here? Maybe someone at home told him... Ugh! How the hell am I going to deal with this?? I DO NOT WANT TO SEE HIM! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!'
Some moments passed with her cursing her fate until she realized something. 'Wait. Is that even him? Maybe I am just panicking since with the emergency signal thing, I just associated it to the first dangerous thing that came to my mind.'
She took a breath. 'Maybe it's some other kid.' Deciding to check, she crept over to a nearby spot and took a glimpse.
In a fresh white hoodie and khaki, half pants stood Fuuto as his eyes moved across the video sections. Just then he took out a video and smirked. Maybe he had found the one he wanted.
'Oh shit, that's him alright. He's got that smug look all over his face.'
Kagome again tiptoed to the last shelf and lingered there for a while. 'What should I do?'
Conscience: You can face him like a mature person. I mean, what's the big deal? The warning was just a heads-up.
Kagome: Or... I could just hide until he goes away. Right?!
Conscience:...
Kagome: Right???
Conscience: ... Sure.
She again went near the shelf Fuuto was, took a deep breath, and walked with super-sonic speed from there till the counter.
"I don't think he saw me, did he?..." She walked while looking backwards and gave a sigh as he hadn't.
"Kagome?"
"SHHHH!! Don't say my name!!" She turned and saw that it was the store owner.
"Uh... Okay. Is everything alright?" He asked with a concerned look.
"Oh. Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I shushed you. Haha." Kagome felt uneasy as the store owner stared at her as if checking she was mentally stable or not. "...I'll go the counter now. Excuse me." And she did the walk of shame towards the store counter.
"What was that?" Ayame tried to stifle her laughter as Kagome stood next to her.
"Shut up. I am avoiding someone. And they're in the shop." The redhead's eyes shot up with interest. "I don't wanna meet him."
"Him? It's a boy?" Kagome gave her a look that said 'obviously'. "Alright. He isn't an ex, is he?"
"Ayame, I came here two months ago! How can I already have an ex?!" Kagome defended while keeping an eye out.
Ayame shrugged. "I don't know any Brits, so I wouldn't know how you people have relationships."
"We're humans, Ayame. Can we please close the topic? I am already stressed out."
Ayame "What's the big deal, Kagome? Just face him. What's the most he could do?"
"He can't do anything. But I just don't like him! You know how sometimes you don't even know a person but you still get a bad vibe from them and whenever you see them you're like 'Ughhh!'?" Ayame nodded as she related. "Well, he is like that."
'Wow, who is this guy?' Ayame eyed Kagome worriedly. "...I see. Then just go back to the staff room. And come back later."
"Can't do. Didn't you see the f*ck-up I did in front of Ryo just now?" Ayame giggled as she remembered the moment with the store owner. "And if he sees I am leaving my appointed shift halfway just so I could avoid some guy- he's not gonna be happy. And I would hate to disappoint him."
Ayame nodded. Ryo really was a good guy, and she wouldn't wanna let him down either. "Well, it seems like you're just gonna have to suck it up and face this guy."
"Who says I've to suck up?" Kagome returned from the props unit. "Good thing we work at a rental." Along with the books, and videos, the store also provided merchandise. "I'll just put on some shades and a mask so that my face will cover-up."
Ayame glanced at her weird friend who even tied her hair up in a bun.
The ebony-haired girl opened her phone camera and glanced at her reflection. "Hmm. This is better..."
'Is she really this stupid?' "Kagome, this is way too suspicious. He's probably gonna spot you because of this weird get-up."
"He may spot me, but he won't recognize me. He's too self-involved for his own good." The girl answered as she adjusted her mask.
Ayame gave up. If there was one thing she knew about life was that if someone's clearly making a mistake, you just sit back and sip your oolong tea while the drama unfolds.
They stood at the counter, guiding customers, making payments, informing buyers more about the special deals they offered, but Ayame still kept an eye out to see if the guy Kagome disliked so much had appeared yet or not.
And Kagome knew what Ayame was doing. 'Look, it's not as if I am scared of him or what. It's just... I don't wanna be seen by him at all. He's an absolute jerk.' Kagome thought with a pout.
"Here." Fuuto finally came up to the counter and spoke with natural authority. Kagome's heartbeats intensified but she took deep breaths to calm herself down. 'God, he's worse than a Tsunami.'
"Sure, sir." Ayame conversed cheerfully with her customer- her emerald eyes shining. "Do you want to rent or buy them?"
"Rent. If I keep buying all of then, I'll have to live outside my own home." A laugh came out of Ayame while she did the calculations and Kagome put the videos and comics in a bag. 'See? He went to the reading section as well. I've seen him reading them at home. Good thing I came back at the corner. Here, Ayame can do all the talking and I can just fade in the background.'
"I have to return them in 15 days, right?" He inquired, putting his strong hand on the counter.
"Yes, sir. That is the store policy." Ayame looked up and saw him staring at her directly, which caught her gaze. Quickly withdrawing her orbs, she replied, "That'll be 2000¥. You'll be giving cash or card?"
"Card, here." Fuuto, on the other hand, felt no such desire to leave her face as he calmly handed his credit card to her and his right hand again went to rest in his pockets. She turned the card swiper towards him and he put in his PIN and turned it as it was before. "You're new here?" He asked as his cinnamon eyes continued to observe Ayame.
"Yes, I joined a month ago. I see you're a regular customer." She replied while she looked for some brochures to give along but one thing kept poking her in her head. 'Have I seen this guy somewhere before? His face looks a bit familiar.' Ayame tried to search her memory for a guy with stylish glasses, but nothing clicked.
"I am regular but the frequency varies, I suppose." He fiddled with the keychains that hung on the counter but his eyes flew all around the store. "Even the shop's been repainted, I think." His eyes finally landed on Kagome and they assessed her from head to toe before fleeting again. 'Gah! See, see how creepy he is!' Kagome screamed inwardly while remaining passive outside.
"It is. Just some days ago." Fuuto raised his eyebrows as an answer and Ayame took another glance of him to see if she knew him at all. She bit her lip, debating whether she should as or not. She drew a breath and decided to go with her instincts.
"Sir, forgive me, but have we met before? I mean, apart from the shop?" Her eyes were focused on him now and she was already glad that she had asked him. He gave too much of a deja vu feeling, and who knows? Her gut feeling might be true.
His other hand stopped playing with the keychains and placed that hand in his pocket as well. With both hands being in there, his chest naturally broadened and he looked more masculine if it was possible.
Ayame took a small breath as she calmed herself after seeing that gesture while Kagome rolled her eyes even behind her shades. 'What the hell is he? A gorilla? Then again, why just stop at puffing your chest, dumbass? Might as well stick out your butt, and thump that undeveloped 17-year-old chest as well.' She thought bitterly.
Oblivious to Kagome's thoughts, Fuuto focused on what Ayame had questioned him. "Do you watch a lot of TV?" He asked nonchalantly.
Ayame was caught off guard. 'Huh?' "...I do." But she answered anyway.
"Fan of pop music?"
"A bit, yes...?" 'Where is he going with this? To be honest, he is kinda acting like the idol Asakura. That guy also never answers a question straight...' And just then a bulb lit up in her mind. "Oh, oh!" She bounced up and down as the realization hit her. "Are you Asak-"
"SHH!" He kept a finger over his lips and she was baffled at first but understood. "But yes. I am."
"Oh god. Oh my god. I can't believe this! I never expected to run into a pop idol, and here out of all places." 'Yeah? Well, you should come to my place. There's one crawling there all the time.' Kagome said to herself.
Ayame continued cheerfully, "This is so great! My friend..." Fuuto's eyes looked over at Kagome, who just stood there like an inanimate object, and Ayame quickly clarified. "Not this one. But my friend from college just loves you. And I would love to make her feel jealous. Do you.. mind if I get a picture with you?"
"Not at all. Anything for making someone jealous." He involuntarily adjusted his hair a bit as he hovered over the glass counter, and straightened his specs.
'Wow, pretentious much?' Kagome rolled her eyes again.
Ayame and Fuuto posed- His hands remained in the pocket and Ayame stood with her hands clasped before her like a well-mannered schoolgirl with a joyous smile. But what surprised Kagome, was the genuine smile that appeared on Fuuto's face. She remained stunned for a second before blinking and taking the picture.
"Thank you so much, sir. It was so nice of you to take the picture. We hope to see you soon." Ayame bowed, perhaps too much while Kagome checked the pictures and lingered at them for a while.
He left shortly, and Kagome let out a sigh. But she didn't take out her getup just yet, even though she was sure Ryo must be thinking she has lost her mind. 'What if he comes back to get something? All this would be a waste.'
She eyed the smiling Ayame. 'Plus, then Ayame would know that Fuuto was the one I was hiding from. And then I'll be bombarded with questions.'
As minutes passed, Kagome finally took off her disguise. Ayame didn't even notice, she was in the back reciting the incident to her friend.
Kagome glanced at the wall clock above the entrance. '5:39. Just half an hour now.' She stretched out her arms and just then she saw something.
Outside the glass doors, was him. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched. With her mouth agape and blood pressure breaking the charts- as Kagome stared through the transparent doors, she could see the mischievous glint in his eyes as he returned her gaze while leaning on the pillar with his hands folded- as if just relaxing.
He waved his hand with a curved up mouth that Kagome always thought makes him look like a cunning cat.
"Oh, son of a..."
So?
