~Chapter Thirty-Three~
Romeo and Juliet
We were both young, when I first saw you.
I close my eyes and the flasback starts:
I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air.
And I said…
Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.
I'll be waiting – all that's left to do is run.
You'll be the Prince, and I'll be the Princess.
~Love Story, by Taylor Swift
Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.
Takashi rubbed the tip of his finger against the lines on the palm of my right hand, a sensation that tickled. My ghostly white skin was very bright, almost shockingly so, in comparison to his olive colored flesh. Like white and black, day and night, salt and pepper. Complete opposites. Just like the feeling of his skin against my own. The skin on my pale hands was incredibly soft, because most of the time, I could be found indoors, drawing, writing, reading, or playing video games. His hands, though, were rough with scars and calluses, thanks to all of those years of hard training to become the national kendo champion – and the heir to his family.
Nevertheless, I sighed and began gently running soft fingertips against that one scar on his left hand, the one shaped like a crescent moon. It was still thick to the touch, and the flesh was pink, shiny, and always caught my attention. Takashi had yet to explain the details behind that one marking. That didn't bother me, though, because there was still plenty of time for us to get to know one another better.
And I looked forward to it.
Sammy's P.O.V.
A colorful flash of bright blue, green, and purple feathers darted by for the twelfth time, before circling around and continuing back to the entrance of the dark exhibit for the thirteenth lap. The peacock tilted his body to the side, flapped his wings in the universal signal for flight, and leapt into the air. He squawked loudly at the other tourists, the latter of whom stared blankly at the strange creature as it made yet another left turn. Kinda like those drivers that speedily raced around and around and around the track for NASCAR.
Maybe I should start calling him Dale Earnhardt Junior…?
"Greetings, Dale!" I called quietly, almost in a whisper, and waved dramatically at the pretty bird that had stopped to rest beside the nearest park bench. "We come in peace!" Not to be confused with piece or pieces. 'Cuz that would hurt like a mother trucker. Ouch!
Dale swiveled his shiny head and blinked owlishly at me, which was a really odd sight to behold, since only owls could do that particular movement without breaking their necks. Or Emily, that possessed girl from The Exorcism of Emily Rose. She had that whole (please insert: kinda odd) double jointed thing going on, though, so it might have been easier to do than I thought. Maybe Emily liked to practice yoga, too! Or was it Yoda? Hmm…
Knew the answer, I did not!
The peacock suddenly ruffled his feathers, scratched his claws at the damp earth beneath his feet, and pointedly raised his beak to the ceiling. Several loud shrieks whistled through the air, then, one right after the other. He smiled quite obnoxiously – or, uh, kinda sweetly – as each shriek bounced backwards in the form of repetitive echoes. "Caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw…!" Sounded kinda like that Katy Perry song, too!
With a maniacal smile, I inhaled sharply through the nostrils and began to belt the lyrics to the popular American song. "I wanna see your peacock, cock, cock!" I cheerfully cackled before skipping straight to the vulgar chorus. "Are you brave enough to let me see your peacock?"
Peacock, by Katy Perry! My little brothers, Hikaru and Kaoru, absolutely adored that weird but totally awesome possum song – especially the vulgar parts about it being colorful, and beautiful, and mysterious. Come to think of it, Caleb did, too. Must be the theme song used by little boys and girls around the world to announce the arrival of the nearest pervert. The three of them did have this habit of shrieking the lyrics at each other when Caleb and I Skyped each other…
That, I must add, sounded really, really, really bad. Like, Bad to the Bone! Because I totally have not been forking my childhood friend, ladies and gentlemen. In fact, I have made it my goal to avoid spooning with him, either! He and I generally preferred to stab each other with sharp, pointy, rusty, and deadly knives of doom. Backstabbing BFFs and all that jazz. OMG. LOL. Pass the lip gloss, girl!
Dude, I sound like Taylor Swift, I thought with amusement, my shoulders practically shaking in amusement as another maniacal giggle burst into the air. 'We are never, ever, ever getting back together.'
After I had finished cackling like the Wicked Witch of the West, I turned around and grinned at Takashi. My boyfriend was not fluent in English, speaking only three dozen words at the most. He had trouble understanding anything spoken in my brusque native tongue, too. Thank the Good Lord Almighty, Who Art in Heaven – blah, blah, blah, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera! If Takashi actually understood German, then it would dawn upon him just how fucking often I cursed like a damn Sailor Moon. Sailor Venus liked Sailor Uranus, by the way. Just sayin'! 8D
Takashi continued to stare at me, and his lips twitched into a nervous grin, white teeth shining brightly against his olive colored skin. His left eyebrow twitched spastically, as well. Probably because I had spent the last five minutes acting like a complete and utter Luna Lovegood. In other words, I had alternated between giggling stupidly to myself and staring off into space, drooling like Hatake Kakashi. Minus the porn, anyway…
So, I smiled cutely at the older male, waving my arms up, down, and around like the Jedi do with their light sabers and – get those minds outta the gutter, people! I was acting like this and trying to catch his eye in the hopes of distracting him from the fact that I had been acting weird. Not to draw his attention to the perverted nature of his girlfriend, Sammy the Sarcastic and Slightly Sadistic Scoundrel with the Silly Smile.
"I love alliteration," I stupidly muttered, all the while thinking of inviting six snakes to stay and stare at the sunset with me. Nagini would be invited! So would Kaa of The Jungle Book. And the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets. Snake Siesta! Woot!
Mister Tall, Dark, and Handsome merely lifted his black eyebrows in a curious motion, per the usual, before cocking his head to the side in apparent thought. A puzzled albeit totally awesome frown marred the lower portion of his face and he pouted lightly in confusion, an innocent action that made him look just like a cute puppy. Oh, I could just picture him with fluffy doggy ears sticking out from beneath his soft hair! Like InuYasha! O to the M to the G!
And I had to bite back a squeal of epic proportions, putting my palm over my mouth to stifle the obnoxiously girly sound threatening to escape into the atmosphere and kill countless alien life forms. Several squeals still burst forth, pushing themselves through the cracks in my fingers with strange farting noises. Shit! Dr. Jumba, Pleakley, and Stitch just died…
Okay, I would admit that this was a sad day for the tomboys of the world. I just couldn't help myself, though, because, well – look at him! My Takashi was really freakin' adorable with his pointy nose all scrunched upwards, and his dark eyes wide and confused, and his head titled to the side like that! He was so…darn…cute!
Take that, Sesshōmaru!
Yeah. I was one of those animal lovers – the ones insanely interested in watching Animal Planet night after night and adopting stray animals from the street. Our garden back home had actually become like a playground of sorts for the homeless. Animals, I mean. Hobos were too weird too adopt, and kinda smelly, to boot. Feathered, furry, and scaly friends were certainly welcome at the Hitachiin mansion, though, in my opinion! Especially puppies! Everybody loved dogs, right?
I mean, seriously! InuYasha had that whole badass cutie persona going on, and Sesshōmaru, his smexy older brother, could bring people back to life with a sword, which was, you know, like a weapon of mass destruction and death! Ol' Lassie had saved the lives of countless sailors and children, pretended to be female, and played ball with his friends – all at the same time, too! Remus Lupin was a strong wizard, kickass professor, great father, and hero of the Second Wizarding War. Not to mention a werewolf. Bow wow, man.
Speaking of werewolves, though, Jacob Black had to one of the sexiest beasts alive! No pun intended, by the way…
"Who is Jacob Black?"
My boyfriend, as the stereotypical silent giant, had been quiet for the majority of the time that it taken me to peacefully muse over each of those batshit crazy connections between characters in several different books, television shows, and old anime series. From InuYasha to Lassie, and Remus to Jacob, and Back to the Future, Marty McFly! Rock n' Roll!
In other words, I had been staring blankly off into space with this big mouth o' mine hanging wide open, and for about ten minutes, too. Damn! Look at all that nasty drool dripping down my chin! Niagara Falls much, anyone? Not that I could really help it! I have been, and always will be, a nerdy teenage girl with a really sick obsession, er – totally cool, normal, and endearing fascination – with werewolves! Spreads like Mono. No cure, either. BeWaRe!
Oh, well! At least I had these beautiful images of handsome men wandering through the interesting landscape that was my crazy mind. Happy daydreams of Jacob Black, Paul Lahote, Sam Uley, Seth Clearwater, and the rest of the handsome Canine Company were running through the various brain cells inside my mind. The brain between my ears was also considered to be the safest of havens, guarded by locks, chains, and twelve tons of kudzu, like the Secret Garden. And I would totally be the ornery and stubborn Mary Lennox in that scenario, too. That, by the way, would place Takashi in the role of the sweet and gentle animal lover, Dickson. Cool! We would kiss, and get married, and have kids, and rule the world together: forever!
Bow down before the King and Queen of the Secret Garden!
Takashi blinked twice in quick succession and quietly inquired, "What does a garden have to do with anything?" His expression of confusion had deepened, making the lines furrow around his soft, gray eyes.
And I had to be talking to myself again. There was no other plausible explanation for his mind reading skills, the likes of which scared the chicken flavored stuffing outta me. My boyfriend could not possibly be a psychic, either, because he was not Shawn Spencer. Or Ootori Kyoya, the omnipotent Shadow King of Doom and Gloom and the Bathroom. Thank God for that small blessing, too! That Takashi was not one of those mind reading, psychic, psycho people, I mean. Otherwise, Takashi would be able to read my mind, and he'd tune in to the sounds of static or crickets chirping softly, depending on the day of week. The Bangles were right to sing that song! 'Manic Mondays' really irked me, too, and…
Pause.
Huh? Uh, I mean, Takashi would know all about my (not so secret) crushes on Remus Lupin and Jacob Black. Shit, take mushrooms! Or was it Shiitake Mushrooms? Damn those drug dealing Japanese for confusing me at important and possibly traumatic moments like this!
Blushing, I frantically waved both hands in the air and guiltily exclaimed, "Oh, I absolutely hate werewolves, Takashi-kun!" Followed shortly after by nervous giggles. "Ha, ha, ha…?" Which was a lie! Gasp! Bad, Sammy, bad!
"I thought that werewolves were your supernatural creature of choice," Takashi lightly argued, continuing down the dimly lit path and towards the tour guide at the head of the group. He paused to listen to her explanation of the exhibit. "Which one is your favorite, then?"
"I heart vampires!" I declared with a smile and two thumbs up. My facial expression quickly transformed into a smug smirk at the following thought, and I jokingly added, "Except for Edward Cullen, anyway."
Although Takashi could probably sense my impending vampire joke – and its corresponding punch line of total corniness – he humored me. My boyfriend followed the strict rules of high society and politely inquired, "Why would that be, sweetheart?"
With a grin, I bounced on the balls of both feet, leaned forward, and hissed, "Because Edward Cullen sucks!" I snickered quietly in delight before adding the explanation. "Vampires suck blood, and Edward is a vampire, so…" I used both index fingers and mimed having fangs by putting them beside my mouth. "He sucks!"
My boyfriend stared blankly at me. He hesitantly opened his mouth to respond to these silly declarations, and then shut it once again, seemingly thinking better of himself at the moment. Asking strange questions would only get him stranger answers. (Two divided by five equaled tampons, you know?) Instead, Takashi merely shook his head in bemusement and turned back around, his long legs steadily sending him deeper into the dark exhibit, which, according to the signs on the podiums, housed nocturnal creatures. Like Dracula!
Or Kyoya…
Gulp.
An unknown entity screeched loudly in the darkness, sending several loud shrieks towards the small pack of tourists that had been squished together in a desperate attempt to fight the desire to run in the other direction. We slowly followed them and headed towards the back of the (very, very, very) dark cave. Takashi, brave soul that he was, did not falter. He merely frowned and blinked owlishly, surprised, at the series of resulting shrieks and whistling chirps. His strong shoulders were set straight, his thin chin pointed firmly upwards, and his expression stern.
Like a wolf, Samurai Takashi was on the prowl! Here him roar! Growl~!
I, other the other hand, was a coward. And I tended to walk the (very, very, very) thin line between chicken and hawk, generally leaning towards the former and falling down into the henhouse, to be honest. The other chickens and I liked to hide, calling for help in our native language. Pikachu! I mean, uh, bagawk! Polly wanted a cracker! Feed me!
Another screech whistled into my ears, and I decided to impersonate that cowardly chicken by timidly scooting closer to Takashi and grabbing onto the tail of his button down shirt, which was peeking out from beneath his leather jacket. I grasped the tough material between my fingers, all the while sweating nervously at the fact that the exhibit appeared to be getting darkerand darker by the minute. Total Eclipse of the Heart style!
We had finally stopped here, standing at the edge of the shadowed lake in the corner of the cave. That could only mean that there were nocturnal animals out and about. Like a boss, I could also sense them, lurking here and there and freakin' everywhere! Owls, flying squirrels, and badgers, or perhaps hamsters! Kinda hard to tell at the moment, though. All that really mattered then was that the damn creatures were just waiting for the chance to eat our souls! Nom, nom, nom. Tastes like chicken!
Go figure, right?
I sighed wearily, stomping my white boots on the dirty ground in irritation and forcing my eyes into a squint against the frightening onslaught of dark, uh, darkness. It was so goddamn dark in here, dammit! And I really hated being left in the dark, both figuratively and literally. With dark blue eyes, I glared darkly into the dark darkness, and –
Yeah, I really needed to purchase one of those nifty thesauruses…
Soft laughter echoed throughout the empty section of the caverns and bounced backwards, before lodging firmly in my ears. I twitched faintly, annoyed, and attempted to stubbornly ignore the red anger marks pulsing steadily across my sweaty forehead. My lips puffed outwards, and I huffed loudly in irritation, instead. Takashi bit back another laugh – my childish antics only appeared to amuse my perfect boyfriend, a superhuman individual that could see in the dark. Takashi could probably see through these cavern walls with his x-ray vision, too, come to think of it. Like Cyclops. Or Superman!
Dude, I thought with a small smile of amusement whilst watching him effortlessly dodge another puddle of water in the darkness, Takashi must have fallen into a wok of radioactive sushi when he was a little kid. Snicker, snicker, snicker. His Spidey Senses Are Tingling!
A moment later, I was ripped from all thoughts of Marvel Comics after bumping into the back of Superman, or the human equivalent of the famous superhero, otherwise known to his fangirls as Morinozuka Takashi. And I snorted at that silly train of thought. Not to mention the fact that I had bruised the skin on my nose, thanks to my clumsiness and the overly muscular back of the Hulk. Superheroes were so awesome!
Speaking of which, I would give anything to be able to see in the dark, like …
"Bats!" I squealed, in both fear and excitement, after sighting the large creatures attached to the ragged ceiling overhead by their viciously clawed feet. My eyes were now about the size of dinner plates, and I was clutching at Takashi's strong hand, too scared to move an inch.
Takashi placed his soft lips against my ear to teasingly murmur, "I thought that you adored bats and vampires, sweetheart." He gently moved his lips sideways, sweetly kissing my cheek and offering his comfort.
After the initial shock had passed, I moved forward to stare at the roost of bats, counting about two hundred at first glance. Which was a lot, you know? Then, I counted two hundred more. And I would swear to God and the Devil that the little beasts were multiplying by the minute, like rabbits! My heart thundered rapidly in my chest at the thought of being stuck inside this cave with all of these bats. Hundreds of thousands of Energizer Bunnies on steroids. With claws, and fangs, and wings! Oh, my!
"Actually, I really do like them! Vampires are awesome. Bats are pretty cool, too," I nervously blurted in response and eyed the nearest animal with exaggerated caution. "Vampire Bats, on the other hand…" And I (over)dramatically shuddered.
"You needn't be afraid of them, sweetheart," Takashi stated amidst soft chuckling and, after noticing the petulant glare that I was sending his way, stifled his laughter behind the sleeve of his leather jacket.
"I'm not scared!" I softly protested through clenched teeth, so as not to disturb the sweet and innocent angels, all of whom were planning my untimely demise via small bite marks and permanent blood loss. Fucking phlebotomists!
"Ah…" My boyfriend smiled crookedly at the skeptical glow in my eyes, and he placed his hand atop my head, affectionately ruffling the blonde hair between his slender fingers and pinching the split ends in passing. "I understand, sweetheart."
And Takashi did. Although I had been strange, cynical, and secretive from the moment that he and I met, Takashi really did understand and accept me. He even seemed to love me, too. My boyfriend was a real sweetheart, going out of his way to smile, offer comfort, and protect me, even from myself. Only God knew how much I truly appreciated his silent albeit powerful presence. His attempts at distraction were gentle and treasured, given the bouts of depression that came and went with the sad thoughts of the family that I had lost forever. Daddy, Mommy, and Sarah. Gone…
I still had Hikaru, Kaoru, and Takashi, though. And I would always have them. The idiots that called themselves the members of the Ouran High School Host Club might be considered part of that dysfunctional family, too. Not like Tamaki would let his friends escape, anyway! Come to think of it, I was actually pretty surprised that Takashi and I had managed to progress this far into the first date without any of those morons jumping around and ruining the fun.
"Fancy meeting you all here!"
Shit…
***Author's Note***
I apologize for the wait, my friends, but life decided to punch me in the gut in the worst possible way. My cousin died at the beginning of August, shocking the foundation of the entire family, since she was such a sweetheart and all. She was a great person, with a great sense of humor and one of those smiles that brightened the world around her. And I miss her. :(
Anyway, I have not really wanted to write lately. My only goal was to survive school, work, and the funeral without deciding to crawl under the nearest rock and start sobbing. Yeah. Not the best motivation for writing this story, seeing as it is full of humor and funny references.
Here is the new chapter, though, and please look forward to the next one, which will include the animals, several surprises, and a confession! ;)
P.S. I will try to answer your reviews as soon as possible. And I would love to have between 390 and 400 reviews soon. (Pretty please, with rainbow sprinkles on top?) If you review, please tell me who the last person speaking in the chapter might be! Hint: Sammy really does not want to see 'em!