ANOTHER DOOR ALWAYS OPENS
Chapter Three
Author's Note: Thank you to all who have been reading! I am truly loving how the story is turning out. If you feel inclined, please review after you're done reading this chapter. Any and all reviews are much appreciated! Enjoy Itsuki's and Mitsuki's outing!
Mitsuki woke up somewhat early Saturday morning so she could work on homework. After eating some breakfast, she did her least favorite subject first: math. The rest of the day continued as such, with the brunette taking occasional breaks to watch TV or read some manga. Arashi, as usual, was either out running errands or plugging away at his own schoolwork. Both the twins tended to stay out of each other's paths on weekends since they were together enough during the week.
As evening approached and the sun slowly sank down, Mitsuki finished the last question on her final assignment. She stretched at her desk and then stood up and walked to her closet. She found herself searching for an outfit to wear on her outing with Itsuki the next day. After going through several combinations, the brunette finally decided on what to wear. She would dress in a green spaghetti-strap jumper over a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and light blue and white sneakers.
Mitsuki grinned from ear to ear as she hung her clothes on the bedroom doorknob. She laid on her bed and stared at them for a while and giggled with excitement. As the light of day faded to twilight, she turned out her lights and fell into a peaceful sleep.
The brunette woke up promptly at eight-o'-clock Sunday morning. She turned her alarm off, took a shower, and put her special outfit on. Following a swift breakfast, she grabbed her plain tawny purse as well as some cash and immediately started towards the front door. She wanted to get out of there before Arashi—
"Hey, Sis, where are you going?" her brother yawned from his doorway.
"Oh, Itsuki and I are going to see a movie together." Mitsuki answered nonchalantly.
She peered at the raven-haired teen through her peripheral vision and watched his eyes widen and the corners of his mouth droop. It was difficult for her to stifle her laughter.
"You what-?!" Arashi nearly shouted.
"Ciao!" the brunette waved goodbye. She finally let her laughter out and rushed out the front door before her brother could finish his reaction. Her excitement took over as she sprinted out of the elevator, out of the apartment building, and towards the train station. She arrived under the train station clock at a quarter 'til nine.
After about ten minutes, the brunette saw Itsuki running up to her. She waved with a smile and took great notice of what her companion was wearing. He had on a midnight blue hoodie with a band name on it, black bootcut jeans, and Converse. Mitsuki's heart nearly busted out of her chest.
As Itsuki caught his breath, the two exchanged the traditional questions such as 'how are you' and 'did you finish your homework.' Mitsuki was surprised when her fellow teen gestured for her to lock arms with him. She felt her face grow hot and simply stared at Itsuki's arm. However, she shook off the butterflies and accepted the gesture.
"This way to the movie theater, madam." Itsuki said, winking.
The brunette nodded with a grin and the two started on their way. After a couple blocks' worth of conversation, a curious thought hit Mitsuki.
"What did my brother say to you on Friday, anyway?" she inquired absently. However, she quickly caught herself, "I-I'm sorry, did I ask that out loud?!"
"It's okay, no worries," Itsuki responded. "Arashi simply told me that he'd do unspeakable things to me if I so much as touched you."
"R-Really?! Wow…I'm sorry."
"It's all right, seriously! This is my first time out with a girl, so I'm kind of winging it."
"Is that so? I guess we're both making this up as we go, then." Mitsuki glanced up at her companion, blushing. Itsuki met her eyes and smiled warmly, which made the shorter teen turn bright red and stare at the sidewalk below.
Shortly thereafter, the two arrived at the theater. They walked inside and paused to study the movie posters. Neither of them had suggested any particular feature beforehand, so both took their time studying each picture. After a few minutes, they met in the middle.
"See anything you like?" Itsuki inquired.
"Actually, yes." the brunette replied. She looked at the movie poster halfway behind her. It was for an animated film of Romeo and Juliet, which she had never seen. The poster featured a red-headed Juliet in crimson armor and a blue-haired Romeo in midnight armor.
"You like Shakespeare stories?" Itsuki asked, studying the picture.
"Somewhat," Mitsuki answered. "I read the manga for Romeo and Juliet, though I didn't know it had an anime adaptation. I love a compelling romance story, though."
She must have been staring at the poster intently, because after about ten seconds Itsuki spoke up:
"Shall we go see it?"
Mitsuki looked up at him with sparkling blue eyes. Itsuki grinned and they bought their tickets separately. The brunette declined any snacks since, after all, she was on a budget that day. As they walked and sat down in the darkened theater, the two heard a soft violin melody playing. A lump developed itself in Mitsuki's throat.
'I'm gonna be in for it, aren't I?' she said silently.
She wasn't wrong.
There were several scenes in the first half of the movie where Juliet attempted to deny her affections for Romeo. Her denials culminated at a firework show where Romeo chased her to a bridge. He embraced his love and they kissed.
That definitely got Mitsuki's waterworks going.
There were several moments after that in which tears trickled down the brunette's face. However, one moment caught her emotions towards the end of the film. It was a scene where Romeo and Juliet were sword fighting in armor below their noble city. The clashes of the blades were like the pangs in their heart, symbolizing all that they had fought for. The same violin music that she had heard upon entering the theater played somberly.
Mitsuki placed her hand over her mouth, trying to contain her tears. However, a few quiet sobs exited her throat, causing Itsuki to glance over at her. He put his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him for comfort. As the movie came to a close, Mitsuki's tears slowly dried and she noticed a scent that her nose hadn't caught earlier.
Is Itsuki wearing cologne?
When the credits started rolling, Mitsuki sat up and wiped her eyes. She then followed Itsuki out of the theater and the two stood on the sidewalk just outside of the building.
"I'm sorry," Itsuki spoke up. "I didn't know that film would make you cry."
"It's okay, really," Mitsuki replied. "It was something I didn't expect anyway. I'm a sap for emotional romantic fantasies."
Just as the auburn-haired teen was glancing around the street, both heard a sound come from below their noses.
It was their stomachs.
"We should go find something to eat before we starve," Itsuki chuckled. "I know a great ramen place a couple blocks downtown. My treat!"
"Are you sure?" Mitsuki looked up at him.
"Positive."
The two started down the street to the ramen shop. As they grew closer, a marvelous smell was wafting through the air and caused the brunette's mouth to water. She and Itsuki quickened their pace, their stomachs guiding every step. They were hungry high school students, after all.
Once inside the restaurant, they were guided to a booth. Both ordered miso ramen and a soda. As the two teens were waiting on their meal, they began discussing their favorite things as well as likes and dislikes. Both enjoyed the company of cats over dogs and both preferred to listen to rock or pop music. Itsuki liked to read historical fiction and Mitsuki enjoyed reading fantasy adventure stories. Both of them hated the mere concept of bullying.
The two teens said their thanks in unison when their meals came. They were both silent while they were eating at first, filling their stomachs with the warming goodness.
"So, do you like Shakespearean-based works?" Itsuki inquired out of the blue.
"I mean…I guess," Mitsuki answered. "I've never really studied them in-depth before."
"Have you ever heard of the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead?"
"What's that?"
"It's not a play Shakespeare wrote himself," Itsuki explained, putting his chopsticks down. "The play was written after his time. It's about two of the minor characters from Hamlet, a comedy of sorts. I really would love to be in that play. It's a small goal I have."
Mitsuki's eyes softened as she gazed at her friend staring out the window. She was glad he felt comfortable sharing something like that with her, even though she had no idea the play existed. She truly enjoyed being in Itsuki's company.
"Maybe…we can do that play for the Arts Festival in the fall." Mitsuki said.
"Yeah." Itsuki returned the smile.
After finishing their lunch and paying the bill, the pair headed to the library to relax their stomachs and read books. They met up in the lounge area once they each had a small stack of books to relish in. Mitsuki's stack, of course, was manga. Itsuki, however, had a small collection of books from the Meiji Period and post-war Japan. The Meiji Period in general made the brunette want to hurl.
When both teenagers were done reading, they checked out their remaining books and headed to the arcade. There they mostly played fighting games and Dance-Dance Revolution. After becoming thoroughly drenched in sweat, they made a brief stop in Akihabara to window-shop for anime figurines they only wished they could afford.
Upon the clock striking five, Itsuki proceeded to walk Mitsuki home. Both were all smiles as they entered Mitsuki's neighborhood and rounded the corner to her apartment. However, the brunette stopped in her tracks when she saw who was waiting for her by the gate. Itsuki kept walking, but paused and glanced back at her.
"A-Arashi…?" Mitsuki asked softly. "What are you doing there…?"
"That was the longest movie I never heard of." Arashi answered.
The blue-eyed teen gradually stepped toward the wall surrounding the complex. She watched as her brother took eerily quiet footsteps towards Itsuki, but the auburn-haired teen didn't budge. From her visual perspective, Mitsuki couldn't see her friend's face. She couldn't detect any fear, apprehension, or hatred.
What is he thinking?!
"Itsuki, watch-!"
The words had barely left her mouth when Arashi forcefully tackled Itsuki into the brick wall. He grabbed Itsuki by his hoodie strings and pulled him in to where their faces were less than a half an inch apart.
"What did you do to my sister?!" Arashi seethed.
"What do you think we did?" Itsuki retorted, an overwhelming edge in his voice.
The brunette looked on in horror as her brother slammed her companion against the wall and punched him across the face.
"Did you take her to a love hotel?!" Arashi yelled, continuing his spree. "Did you take her to a park and do the unthinkable?! What did you do?!"
Then, Mitsuki found herself darting over to her raven-haired sibling and grabbing his right arm. She yanked it away as Arashi was about to throw his next punch. She could feel her brother resisting her force, but still she held on. Mitsuki couldn't bear to watch it anymore.
"Arashi, you need to stop!" she ordered.
Arashi turned his head and gazed at his sister with such an animalistic expression in his eyes that it caused Mitsuki to loosen her grip. He then shoved her aside like a ragdoll and prepared the next blow to his victim.
However, Itsuki caught his fist this time around.
"Don't do that to your sister," Itsuki said in a low voice. "We didn't do whatever your twisted mind is thinking."
"She's my sister, my blood," Arashi shouted. "Mind your own damn business!"
That's when Mitsuki's resolve came over her. She rushed inside the apartment gates and grabbed the manager, a six-foot-two, two-hundred-pound monster of a man. After explaining the situation to the man, he agreed to help. The two dashed outside to where Arashi was desperately trying to keep Itsuki on the ground. Mitsuki could clearly observe Itsuki fighting back.
The manager then hooked his arms under Arashi's and yanked him off. The raven-haired teen squirmed and shouted in the grip, but the bigger man put the boy's arms behind his back and shoved him into the wall.
"Let me tell you something," the manager said. "You need to stop right now, or I'm calling the police. They won't be as generous as I am."
That caused Arashi to relax, and Mitsuki ran to where Itsuki was standing up. She saw bruises developing on his face and blood slowly flowing from his nose. The sight alone broke her heart. She grabbed a package of tissues that she constantly kept in her purse and handed it to her friend.
"Here," she whispered audibly. "For your nose."
"Thank you," Itsuki replied softly. He had just started opening the package when the manager walked up to them.
"I sent that boy up to his apartment after a good talking-to," he said, looking at Itsuki. "Would you like to file a complaint? I can send it to the police."
"That won't be necessary, sir," Itsuki answered. "I was just heading home."
The auburn-haired teen bowed to the manager, said good-bye to Mitsuki with a hug, and walked away. In that moment, all she could think about was sadness for the person she cared about.
"Are you going to be okay tonight, little missy?" the manager asked her.
"Yeah, I think so." Mitsuki answered, staring off into the distance.
After the manager escorted the brunette to her place, Mitsuki entered and started walking towards her room. She ignored Arashi snacking on sushi at the kitchen table, but when she heard him stand up, she stopped.
"Mitsuki, I-!"
"Don't talk to me, you bully." Mitsuki responded harshly. She ran into her bedroom, closed the door and locked it, and collapsed on her bed. Her day had been filled to the brim with excitement until Arashi had butted in. All the girl could do was bury her face in her pillow and scream.
Apparently, Mitsuki had fallen asleep, because when she woke up, the sun was setting and darkness was gradually prevailing outside. She turned over on her bed to where she was laying on her back and stared at the ceiling. Pulling out her cell phone, she checked the time.
'Seven-thirty,' Mitsuki mused silently. 'I wonder if Itsuki is still up.'
Suddenly, a thought came to her. She stuck her hand in her right pocket and grabbed the receipt from the movie theater. Turning it over, she saw a phone number with Itsuki's name written above it. Mitsuki quickly opened her phone and dialed the number. To her relief, after a few rings someone picked up.
"Hello, this is Koizumi." Itsuki's voice sounded.
"Hey, Itsuki, it's Mitsuki," the brunette greeted. "I'm so sorry about my brother. How are you feeling?"
"You don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything," Itsuki answered cordially. "My bruises and nose aren't anything some ice-packs and those tissues can't handle. Say, how did you like our outing today?"
"I loved it! It was the best day I've ever had!"
The two shared what they thought the greatest parts of their day were and had a few laughs in the process. To Mitsuki, talking to her crush was like being in a completely different world.
"Mitsuki, can I ask you something?" Itsuki inquired. The tone of his voice changed from casual to serious.
"Yeah, sure."
"Were…you afraid of your brother back there?"
Mitsuki was taken aback. She had never thought of Arashi as a person to be feared. She loved him. After all, he was her brother. Sure, he could be overprotective and a piece of crap at times, but that's who he was.
"I don't know," Mitsuki answered quietly. "I guess…I've never seen him act that way before. It was a totally new situation for me."
"I see. Just be careful, all right? I don't want anything to happen to you. If you ever need anything, call me at this number."
"O-okay!"
Both teenagers exchanged good-byes and promised to see each other at school the next day. After hanging up, Mitsuki changed into her pajamas and curled up into her bed. She kept imagining that animalistic gaze in her brother's eyes.
That night, those same sky-blue eyes would haunt her in her dreams.
So, what'd ya think? ;D Chapter Four should be out within the week. See you then!