Chapter 3: For Practice And For Real
Seventeen-year-old Jenrya Lee stood in his room that night after dinner, practicing his pickup lines to use for Ruki, not exactly sure on which ones to pick.
"Hey, Ruki, if you're not going to the prom with anyone next Friday, maybe you could go with me."
"Ruki, sweetheart, even though we're just friends, maybe we could get together and go to the prom."
"If you aren't busy on June 1st maybe you'd like to go to the prom with me?"
He held his head in shame. "I don't even know what to say."
********************
It always was a wonder to me why people think that the prom is just for couples dating only. Of course friends can go; why did Jenrya think otherwise? He and Ruki can go together as friends, and then possibly leave being more than friends. Ruki, man, the girl is more stubborn than Jenrya is. Come to think of it, I'd better check on my girlfriend and see how she fared with Ruki.
I picked up my phone and looked at it, looking for Katou-san's speed dial. I mean, I memorized it from the moment she gave her number to me; I guess I was just too lazy to recall my memory.
"Hello?" A voice from the other end called. It was Juri's dad.
"Um. Yeah. This is Takato. Is Juri there?"
He sighed over the line. "Sure, Takato. Hold on just a minute."
A few moments passed. I checked the clock on my room: 10:00. She might be asleep. Maybe not.
"Takato?" A voice from the line spoke.
I smiled. "Oh, hi Juri! So, what did you get out of Ruki?"
She sighed. "Not much.all she ever said was 'Jenrya and I are just friends,' and 'we can't be nothing more, he knows it, I know it, and you two know it.' So how about you?"
"Well, can't say I had less success than you, but I still got the same answer from Jenrya, although he did say that he was going to try and ask Ruki to the prom. You do know that they're both lying about being nothing more than friends, right?"
"Maybe Jenrya, but I think Ruki was a bit serious about it."
I thought for a minute. "Hmm.that might be true about Ruki; we both know well about her."
"Sorry, Takato, but I gotta go now. My dad is trying to pull me off."
"Ok."
"Love you lots."
"I love you too, Juri."
I hung up the phone. I may have gotten Jenrya's attention, but I still wasn't sure about Ruki. She did have that promise to her mom. I only wish that Jenrya may be her one and only true love.
I change my clothes and hop into bed. I have to watch Jenrya's card tournament tomorrow. I guess I'll throw him some support. Maybe Ruki will be there too.
I don't see why I get involved with everyone's affairs.
*****************
May 18, 2006
"Mph, huh?" I lifted my head from my sleeping bag pillow full of drool and look up.
"Ruki, it's 10:00!" a familiar voice rang through my head.
10:00. Boy, I slept well.
"Oh dammit!" I said, getting up in an instant. "I have to go watch Jenrya's card tournament!" I ran over to my drawer, got out a series of clothes, and jumped in the shower.
"Where's the shampoo?" I said aloud in the shower, looking around frantically. I finally found it, and continued my half-assed quick shower. Why didn't my alarm clock wake me up at 8:00? Stupid alarm clock!
After I finished, I pulled my clothes on and looked myself in the mirror. Great. The shirt and shorts didn't match. I brushed my teeth, put on some hair spray and some light makeup, grabbed my purse, and ran out the door. "Bye, Mom!" I yelled. I checked my watch.
Wow, did all of that in the span of 15 minutes.
******************
I drove over to the Shinjuku Stadium, where the card tournament was being held. I got out of the parking lot and went into the lobby, where I checked the schedule.
Jenrya already played his first match. Great.
I quickly scanned my eyes, looking for my blue-haired friend, but found no sighting of him.
"Hey, Ruki." A hand placed on my shoulder.
I jumped back on instinct, but then cooled off to see who the dude was.
"Oh, hi Jenrya. Did you win your first match?"
He smiled. "Oh yeah. Pretty easy. Takato said that he'd be here. Have you seen him?"
I shook my head. "Haven't seen him."
Among the crowds walking around the stadium, Jenrya and I went to get something to eat at the nearby concession stand. It was only 10:30, but I figured to have lunch now and get it out of the way. I picked up a hot dog and Jenrya got some nachos. We found a nearby table and sat down.
For $3.50, the hot dog wasn't very appetizing, and the $2.50 Pepsi didn't help either. Jenrya didn't seem to be enjoying his cheese flavored chips. Guess that's what concession stands do, screwing you over for crappy food.
*****************
Boy, are these nachos nasty. I took each bite with hesitation and sickness in my stomach, but I had to eat something, even if it cost $6.00. I looked over at Ruki, who didn't seem to enjoy her food either.
"That hot dog sure looks good," I said to her, laughing.
"Oh, yeah," she answered sarcastically. "When's your next match?"
I looked at my watch. "In an hour and a half."
"So tell me about your first match."
I laughed. "The guy had no experience, nor skill. It's like he didn't even know what he was doing. It's almost as if he wanted to lose."
Ruki gulped the last of her hot dog. "Well, remember that at a time everyone, including me, was like that, believe it or not."
"Well, I don't believe it, that you, Ruki Rose Makino, were a beginner."
She shrugged. "Guess so, huh?" She answered, laughing.
I joined in the laughing as well. That was what was so great about Ruki: Even after her first encounters with us in the beginning, we were good friends that could talk about anything.
Then I remembered. The prom. I had to ask her. But now? There's so many people walking around; it's crowded, and it's humid in the building. It has to be the flawless place, like the park. That's where everything happens.
"Well, Ruki, what do you want to do while we wait?" I asked her.
She thought for a minute. "Well.we could see some other matches and learn some techniques from them. If your next opponent hasn't played yet, we could go see who he or she is and learn their strategies."
I nodded. Boy was this girl brilliant or what. I would've just walked around for the next hour and a half. "Alright, let's go check the brackets."
Ruki and I got up from our seats and walked over to the nearby board containing the brackets and schedules for the matches. I was in Round two, and my next opponent was playing right now. Whoever I play, I don't know, because it's a single elimination type.
******************
"Oh my God, this one wasn't even close," I said in disbelief. The kid with black hair wiped the floor with his white-haired opponent, and unfortunately, I faced the black hair next.
12:00. The time of reckoning. It couldn't have come any sooner. Sure, I've faced worse, like the Devas and the D-reaper, but once you step up to that table, looking at the kid with death in his eyes, you forget about the past and focus on the present and future.
"Alright, Jenrya, just do what I told you last night and you shouldn't have any problems taking care of this loser," Ruki said to me, patting my back. "Now, go kick his ass!" She sank back into the crowd.
I nervously smiled and sat down on the table. There were about 100 people looking at Death and me, waiting for someone to make the first move.
*****************
For most of the match, I seemed to have the upper hand, but when it looked like I was about to pull away, Death would come back with an impressive move. He was tough; it was like he was cheating or something.
Cheating-
I looked at his hand and counted his cards.
He had eight cards, not seven.
Then it hit me. Had he not cheated, I would have advanced to the third round already. I didn't care much for it though; I would still kick his ass and move on, even if he had ten cards in his hand.
"My modify card: quick attack!" I said, slapping the card down on my Metalgarurumon. I knew he was going to hit me with a powerful move next, so I decided to attack first and deliver the finishing blow. Kudos to Ruki on that; I probably would have done a Wargreymon shield or something to enhance my defense and still get knocked out.
"What? That's.impossible!" Death cried out, then sighed. He grabbed his cards and left in a hurry.
I smiled. Not even the evil of cheating and lying can defeat me.
*****************
Where the hell was Takato? As much as I wanted to be alone with Ruki and all, that's the second time he's ditched me to leave us two alone. I guess he was doing us a favor, but the guy's being untrustworthy.
I ended up finishing up at third place among the group of 32. I was happy, though I knew I could have easily gotten first. Ruki was proud of me like a mother would of her son or daughter. I told her to lighten up; it's not like she was my mom.
We ended up going out to get something to eat. I let Ruki choose our destination and she chose the nearby pizza place.
It was about 8:00 when we got out of our cars. Man, a whole day at the stadium can really tire one out, even if it isn't strenuous physical activity. It was more of an emotional exhaustion.
"Pepperoni and anchovies on a medium," I told the cashier.
"That'll be $11.36," she responded. I handed her a twenty, got the change, and sat down with Ruki in a nearby booth.
"Been a long day," She pointed out, looking around at the kids in the arcade and the other people sitting down, downing their pizza like there was no tomorrow.
"Sure has, I'm really exhausted." This was almost perfect. I'll just get her to go for a walk in the park with me and then I can ask her. I know for certain that she'll agree to go with me. "I don't know what's with Takato. He didn't show up at my house yesterday, and he didn't show up at the tournament today."
"I guess he has more important things to do," she shrugged. "Juri also promised to go as well."
I gave an eyebrow. "Maybe they."
"Oh shut up, Jenrya," she interrupted, laughing.
"Hey, you didn't know what I was going to say. I said, 'maybe they went to the movies.'"
"Yeah. I'm sure."
For the next few minutes in our conversation I honestly wasn't really listening to what Ruki said; instead I was just looking at her. Call me nasty or what you will, but she looked beautiful in whatever she wore, even today, when her outfit didn't exactly match.
A couple of minutes later, a boy not much older than me approached us with our pizza. It smelled good and I was really hungry, even after eating those nasty nachos. Ruki and I thanked the waiter and dug into our food.
She surprises me, because she doesn't eat like most girls do. Then again, she isn't really a normal girl. Anyway, she picks up the pizza and eats it with her hands, as most girls I have seen usually use a fork. It's just another trait in her expressive individuality.
We didn't talk much while we ate. It was kind of like a 'shut up and eat' kind of mentality, and we both respected it.
***************
Jenrya kept looking at me in an unusual way. It wasn't the usual look of friendliness he gave me all the time, but some sort of.seductive look. Like he was trying to get somewhere at me.
Jenrya wouldn't do that. He knows me too well. I shrugged and continued with my pizza.
***************
The two friends shortly finished their dinner and both had to admit that they felt a lot better. Ruki wanted to go home now, while Jenrya had different ideas.
"Let's go to the park," the blue-haired boy suggested. Ruki hesitated.
"Ok."
They both went into their respective cars and drove toward Shinjuku Park. Jenrya tried to focus on his mission to try and ask Ruki to the prom without throwing up. He hoped to God she didn't say no.
Ruki Makino pulled into the park's parking lot, followed closely by Jenrya. They both got out of their cars and walked together down the park. The sun was almost gone from the sky and it was a bit too dark to see clearly. But Ruki and Jenrya didn't let it faze them as they started to talk.
"It's a bit cold out here," Ruki pointed out, trying to start a conversation.
Jenrya had no choice but to follow. "Sure is," he said, taking a deep breath.
"What's wrong?"
He shook his head. "Nothing."
The two good friends continued to walk, and with every step, Jenrya became more and more anxious. He had to tell her, but soon!
"Um, Ruki, can we sit down a minute?" He started. Here goes nothing.
"Sure." Ruki responded. She began to wonder. Why would he want to sit down now? Must be important.
The two of them sat down on a bench. It was almost total silence, save for a few crickets chirping and lights dimming. To Jenrya, it was all too noisy, but he continued.
"Ruki, we're good friends, right?"
She nodded. "Right." 'Where is he getting at?'
"And there's nothing that can tear our friendship apart, right?"
She was hesitant in this query. "Of course, Jenrya."
He took a very deep breath. "Willyougowiththepromwithme?" He asked quickly.
Ruki gave him the most confused look he had ever seen in her. "What did you just say?"
Jenrya slapped himself mentally. 'Dammit, Jenrya, what the hell are you thinking?' He gathered his senses and tried to talk again. 'Ok, ok.'
"Ruki," he started, "We have been very good friends for the past four years, and as friends, and nothing more, I would like it very much if you would go to the prom with me." He smiled. He finally got it out! He now sat, anticipating for the 'yes' that would come out of her mouth.
Jenrya noticed the face on Ruki and was in shock by her reaction. It wasn't a joyous face, or a happy face, it was-
a depressed face.
He looked in her lavender eyes. "Is there something wrong, Ruki?"
She bit her lip. "Jenrya, as much as we're good friends and as much as I appreciate your bravery in asking me,
I don't think I can go with you."
Jenrya gave a mild laugh, not the humorous kind, but an ironic one. "Oh, so you're going with someone else? I guess that's alright."
"No, no, you don't understand. I'm not going with anyone. I'm probably not even going at all."
Jenrya was confused. "But, why?"
"It's just that, I just can't," she answered. Tears started to form at her eyes, but she quickly shook them off. No way she was going to succumb to this.
"What do you mean you can't?" Jenrya was getting desperate, but he knew the inevitable. She won't go with him. Maybe he wouldn't go either.
"I can't say," she repeated.
"Dammit, Ruki, will you just give me a straight answer?" Jenrya snapped. He knew it. He had done it now. Now he would pay with possibly their friendship.
Ruki, meanwhile, got big-eyed. "How dare you raise your voice to me!" She yelled. "Alright, hotshot, you want to know why I can't go with you? Because my mom won't let me, that's why! There, are you happy now, you little son of a bitch?"
Jenrya couldn't believe it! He tries to ask her out to the prom, and straight out calls him a pig! Suddenly his senses took him over, and he couldn't take it anymore. He pointed his finger at her and exploded. "Fuck you Ruki. Just fuck you!"
Ruki stared at him, letting the insult strike her. Then, she responded with a strike of her own, a slap across the face of Jenrya, and before he could back up, she followed up with another one.
"I can't believe you would say something like that. You really fooled me, Jenrya," she said, now starting to cry. She didn't cry much, but this was one of those occasions where she had no choice but to. Before Jenrya could see her red face, she turned around and started to walk away.
Jenrya stood there motionless, checking his jaw for any permanent damage, then scoffed. "Fine! Good riddance!" He saw her walk away, thoughts of, 'who needs her!' and then 'she never understands me,' then to 'I didn't understand her either,' and then finally to 'there goes my best friend.'
**************
Ruki drove home as fast as she could and dove right into her sleeping bag, burying her face in her pillow. "ARGHH!" she screamed as loud as she could.
Her mother couldn't help but hear her exclamation. She went into her bedroom. "Honey, what's wrong?"
Ruki recognized the voice. "Mother, get out, please," she pleaded. Rumiko sighed, then closed the door and walked out.
After burying her head for ten minutes, Ruki got up and went over to her photo album. She picked it up and scanned through it, the past pictures of she and Jenrya together. She saw a picture of the original tamers, together in a pose. She turned the page and saw her and Jenrya when they went on vacation after saving the world from the D-reaper. A tear came to her eye as she closed the album.
"Jenrya, you're my friend," she said aloud. "We can't be possibly more."
****************
Jenrya slammed the door to his bedroom and sat down on his bed. He couldn't believe he just asked her out to the prom! She could've said yes, and then he would be the happiest man on the earth, but she said no, and he's the saddest man on the earth. All he could think of is what might have been.
He picked up his phone. He already did something stupid; another mistake wouldn't do much damage.
"Hello, is Ruki there?"
"Sure thing. Ruki!" He heard her mom call across the line.
He heard a sniffle. "Hello?"
"Ruki, it's me, Jenrya. I-"
"Please don't talk to me right now, Jenrya." There was a 'click' sound, and soon, the evil reverberation of the dial tone rang. Jenrya threw his phone across his bedroom, making a loud crash.
After calming down, he traced back to the root of the whole event. Who started all of this, the one who encouraged Jenrya to do such a stupid thing? The one who nearly, if not completely, destroyed his relationship with Ruki?
"Takato. I am so going to kick your ass," he said, with a wicked look.
Seventeen-year-old Jenrya Lee stood in his room that night after dinner, practicing his pickup lines to use for Ruki, not exactly sure on which ones to pick.
"Hey, Ruki, if you're not going to the prom with anyone next Friday, maybe you could go with me."
"Ruki, sweetheart, even though we're just friends, maybe we could get together and go to the prom."
"If you aren't busy on June 1st maybe you'd like to go to the prom with me?"
He held his head in shame. "I don't even know what to say."
********************
It always was a wonder to me why people think that the prom is just for couples dating only. Of course friends can go; why did Jenrya think otherwise? He and Ruki can go together as friends, and then possibly leave being more than friends. Ruki, man, the girl is more stubborn than Jenrya is. Come to think of it, I'd better check on my girlfriend and see how she fared with Ruki.
I picked up my phone and looked at it, looking for Katou-san's speed dial. I mean, I memorized it from the moment she gave her number to me; I guess I was just too lazy to recall my memory.
"Hello?" A voice from the other end called. It was Juri's dad.
"Um. Yeah. This is Takato. Is Juri there?"
He sighed over the line. "Sure, Takato. Hold on just a minute."
A few moments passed. I checked the clock on my room: 10:00. She might be asleep. Maybe not.
"Takato?" A voice from the line spoke.
I smiled. "Oh, hi Juri! So, what did you get out of Ruki?"
She sighed. "Not much.all she ever said was 'Jenrya and I are just friends,' and 'we can't be nothing more, he knows it, I know it, and you two know it.' So how about you?"
"Well, can't say I had less success than you, but I still got the same answer from Jenrya, although he did say that he was going to try and ask Ruki to the prom. You do know that they're both lying about being nothing more than friends, right?"
"Maybe Jenrya, but I think Ruki was a bit serious about it."
I thought for a minute. "Hmm.that might be true about Ruki; we both know well about her."
"Sorry, Takato, but I gotta go now. My dad is trying to pull me off."
"Ok."
"Love you lots."
"I love you too, Juri."
I hung up the phone. I may have gotten Jenrya's attention, but I still wasn't sure about Ruki. She did have that promise to her mom. I only wish that Jenrya may be her one and only true love.
I change my clothes and hop into bed. I have to watch Jenrya's card tournament tomorrow. I guess I'll throw him some support. Maybe Ruki will be there too.
I don't see why I get involved with everyone's affairs.
*****************
May 18, 2006
"Mph, huh?" I lifted my head from my sleeping bag pillow full of drool and look up.
"Ruki, it's 10:00!" a familiar voice rang through my head.
10:00. Boy, I slept well.
"Oh dammit!" I said, getting up in an instant. "I have to go watch Jenrya's card tournament!" I ran over to my drawer, got out a series of clothes, and jumped in the shower.
"Where's the shampoo?" I said aloud in the shower, looking around frantically. I finally found it, and continued my half-assed quick shower. Why didn't my alarm clock wake me up at 8:00? Stupid alarm clock!
After I finished, I pulled my clothes on and looked myself in the mirror. Great. The shirt and shorts didn't match. I brushed my teeth, put on some hair spray and some light makeup, grabbed my purse, and ran out the door. "Bye, Mom!" I yelled. I checked my watch.
Wow, did all of that in the span of 15 minutes.
******************
I drove over to the Shinjuku Stadium, where the card tournament was being held. I got out of the parking lot and went into the lobby, where I checked the schedule.
Jenrya already played his first match. Great.
I quickly scanned my eyes, looking for my blue-haired friend, but found no sighting of him.
"Hey, Ruki." A hand placed on my shoulder.
I jumped back on instinct, but then cooled off to see who the dude was.
"Oh, hi Jenrya. Did you win your first match?"
He smiled. "Oh yeah. Pretty easy. Takato said that he'd be here. Have you seen him?"
I shook my head. "Haven't seen him."
Among the crowds walking around the stadium, Jenrya and I went to get something to eat at the nearby concession stand. It was only 10:30, but I figured to have lunch now and get it out of the way. I picked up a hot dog and Jenrya got some nachos. We found a nearby table and sat down.
For $3.50, the hot dog wasn't very appetizing, and the $2.50 Pepsi didn't help either. Jenrya didn't seem to be enjoying his cheese flavored chips. Guess that's what concession stands do, screwing you over for crappy food.
*****************
Boy, are these nachos nasty. I took each bite with hesitation and sickness in my stomach, but I had to eat something, even if it cost $6.00. I looked over at Ruki, who didn't seem to enjoy her food either.
"That hot dog sure looks good," I said to her, laughing.
"Oh, yeah," she answered sarcastically. "When's your next match?"
I looked at my watch. "In an hour and a half."
"So tell me about your first match."
I laughed. "The guy had no experience, nor skill. It's like he didn't even know what he was doing. It's almost as if he wanted to lose."
Ruki gulped the last of her hot dog. "Well, remember that at a time everyone, including me, was like that, believe it or not."
"Well, I don't believe it, that you, Ruki Rose Makino, were a beginner."
She shrugged. "Guess so, huh?" She answered, laughing.
I joined in the laughing as well. That was what was so great about Ruki: Even after her first encounters with us in the beginning, we were good friends that could talk about anything.
Then I remembered. The prom. I had to ask her. But now? There's so many people walking around; it's crowded, and it's humid in the building. It has to be the flawless place, like the park. That's where everything happens.
"Well, Ruki, what do you want to do while we wait?" I asked her.
She thought for a minute. "Well.we could see some other matches and learn some techniques from them. If your next opponent hasn't played yet, we could go see who he or she is and learn their strategies."
I nodded. Boy was this girl brilliant or what. I would've just walked around for the next hour and a half. "Alright, let's go check the brackets."
Ruki and I got up from our seats and walked over to the nearby board containing the brackets and schedules for the matches. I was in Round two, and my next opponent was playing right now. Whoever I play, I don't know, because it's a single elimination type.
******************
"Oh my God, this one wasn't even close," I said in disbelief. The kid with black hair wiped the floor with his white-haired opponent, and unfortunately, I faced the black hair next.
12:00. The time of reckoning. It couldn't have come any sooner. Sure, I've faced worse, like the Devas and the D-reaper, but once you step up to that table, looking at the kid with death in his eyes, you forget about the past and focus on the present and future.
"Alright, Jenrya, just do what I told you last night and you shouldn't have any problems taking care of this loser," Ruki said to me, patting my back. "Now, go kick his ass!" She sank back into the crowd.
I nervously smiled and sat down on the table. There were about 100 people looking at Death and me, waiting for someone to make the first move.
*****************
For most of the match, I seemed to have the upper hand, but when it looked like I was about to pull away, Death would come back with an impressive move. He was tough; it was like he was cheating or something.
Cheating-
I looked at his hand and counted his cards.
He had eight cards, not seven.
Then it hit me. Had he not cheated, I would have advanced to the third round already. I didn't care much for it though; I would still kick his ass and move on, even if he had ten cards in his hand.
"My modify card: quick attack!" I said, slapping the card down on my Metalgarurumon. I knew he was going to hit me with a powerful move next, so I decided to attack first and deliver the finishing blow. Kudos to Ruki on that; I probably would have done a Wargreymon shield or something to enhance my defense and still get knocked out.
"What? That's.impossible!" Death cried out, then sighed. He grabbed his cards and left in a hurry.
I smiled. Not even the evil of cheating and lying can defeat me.
*****************
Where the hell was Takato? As much as I wanted to be alone with Ruki and all, that's the second time he's ditched me to leave us two alone. I guess he was doing us a favor, but the guy's being untrustworthy.
I ended up finishing up at third place among the group of 32. I was happy, though I knew I could have easily gotten first. Ruki was proud of me like a mother would of her son or daughter. I told her to lighten up; it's not like she was my mom.
We ended up going out to get something to eat. I let Ruki choose our destination and she chose the nearby pizza place.
It was about 8:00 when we got out of our cars. Man, a whole day at the stadium can really tire one out, even if it isn't strenuous physical activity. It was more of an emotional exhaustion.
"Pepperoni and anchovies on a medium," I told the cashier.
"That'll be $11.36," she responded. I handed her a twenty, got the change, and sat down with Ruki in a nearby booth.
"Been a long day," She pointed out, looking around at the kids in the arcade and the other people sitting down, downing their pizza like there was no tomorrow.
"Sure has, I'm really exhausted." This was almost perfect. I'll just get her to go for a walk in the park with me and then I can ask her. I know for certain that she'll agree to go with me. "I don't know what's with Takato. He didn't show up at my house yesterday, and he didn't show up at the tournament today."
"I guess he has more important things to do," she shrugged. "Juri also promised to go as well."
I gave an eyebrow. "Maybe they."
"Oh shut up, Jenrya," she interrupted, laughing.
"Hey, you didn't know what I was going to say. I said, 'maybe they went to the movies.'"
"Yeah. I'm sure."
For the next few minutes in our conversation I honestly wasn't really listening to what Ruki said; instead I was just looking at her. Call me nasty or what you will, but she looked beautiful in whatever she wore, even today, when her outfit didn't exactly match.
A couple of minutes later, a boy not much older than me approached us with our pizza. It smelled good and I was really hungry, even after eating those nasty nachos. Ruki and I thanked the waiter and dug into our food.
She surprises me, because she doesn't eat like most girls do. Then again, she isn't really a normal girl. Anyway, she picks up the pizza and eats it with her hands, as most girls I have seen usually use a fork. It's just another trait in her expressive individuality.
We didn't talk much while we ate. It was kind of like a 'shut up and eat' kind of mentality, and we both respected it.
***************
Jenrya kept looking at me in an unusual way. It wasn't the usual look of friendliness he gave me all the time, but some sort of.seductive look. Like he was trying to get somewhere at me.
Jenrya wouldn't do that. He knows me too well. I shrugged and continued with my pizza.
***************
The two friends shortly finished their dinner and both had to admit that they felt a lot better. Ruki wanted to go home now, while Jenrya had different ideas.
"Let's go to the park," the blue-haired boy suggested. Ruki hesitated.
"Ok."
They both went into their respective cars and drove toward Shinjuku Park. Jenrya tried to focus on his mission to try and ask Ruki to the prom without throwing up. He hoped to God she didn't say no.
Ruki Makino pulled into the park's parking lot, followed closely by Jenrya. They both got out of their cars and walked together down the park. The sun was almost gone from the sky and it was a bit too dark to see clearly. But Ruki and Jenrya didn't let it faze them as they started to talk.
"It's a bit cold out here," Ruki pointed out, trying to start a conversation.
Jenrya had no choice but to follow. "Sure is," he said, taking a deep breath.
"What's wrong?"
He shook his head. "Nothing."
The two good friends continued to walk, and with every step, Jenrya became more and more anxious. He had to tell her, but soon!
"Um, Ruki, can we sit down a minute?" He started. Here goes nothing.
"Sure." Ruki responded. She began to wonder. Why would he want to sit down now? Must be important.
The two of them sat down on a bench. It was almost total silence, save for a few crickets chirping and lights dimming. To Jenrya, it was all too noisy, but he continued.
"Ruki, we're good friends, right?"
She nodded. "Right." 'Where is he getting at?'
"And there's nothing that can tear our friendship apart, right?"
She was hesitant in this query. "Of course, Jenrya."
He took a very deep breath. "Willyougowiththepromwithme?" He asked quickly.
Ruki gave him the most confused look he had ever seen in her. "What did you just say?"
Jenrya slapped himself mentally. 'Dammit, Jenrya, what the hell are you thinking?' He gathered his senses and tried to talk again. 'Ok, ok.'
"Ruki," he started, "We have been very good friends for the past four years, and as friends, and nothing more, I would like it very much if you would go to the prom with me." He smiled. He finally got it out! He now sat, anticipating for the 'yes' that would come out of her mouth.
Jenrya noticed the face on Ruki and was in shock by her reaction. It wasn't a joyous face, or a happy face, it was-
a depressed face.
He looked in her lavender eyes. "Is there something wrong, Ruki?"
She bit her lip. "Jenrya, as much as we're good friends and as much as I appreciate your bravery in asking me,
I don't think I can go with you."
Jenrya gave a mild laugh, not the humorous kind, but an ironic one. "Oh, so you're going with someone else? I guess that's alright."
"No, no, you don't understand. I'm not going with anyone. I'm probably not even going at all."
Jenrya was confused. "But, why?"
"It's just that, I just can't," she answered. Tears started to form at her eyes, but she quickly shook them off. No way she was going to succumb to this.
"What do you mean you can't?" Jenrya was getting desperate, but he knew the inevitable. She won't go with him. Maybe he wouldn't go either.
"I can't say," she repeated.
"Dammit, Ruki, will you just give me a straight answer?" Jenrya snapped. He knew it. He had done it now. Now he would pay with possibly their friendship.
Ruki, meanwhile, got big-eyed. "How dare you raise your voice to me!" She yelled. "Alright, hotshot, you want to know why I can't go with you? Because my mom won't let me, that's why! There, are you happy now, you little son of a bitch?"
Jenrya couldn't believe it! He tries to ask her out to the prom, and straight out calls him a pig! Suddenly his senses took him over, and he couldn't take it anymore. He pointed his finger at her and exploded. "Fuck you Ruki. Just fuck you!"
Ruki stared at him, letting the insult strike her. Then, she responded with a strike of her own, a slap across the face of Jenrya, and before he could back up, she followed up with another one.
"I can't believe you would say something like that. You really fooled me, Jenrya," she said, now starting to cry. She didn't cry much, but this was one of those occasions where she had no choice but to. Before Jenrya could see her red face, she turned around and started to walk away.
Jenrya stood there motionless, checking his jaw for any permanent damage, then scoffed. "Fine! Good riddance!" He saw her walk away, thoughts of, 'who needs her!' and then 'she never understands me,' then to 'I didn't understand her either,' and then finally to 'there goes my best friend.'
**************
Ruki drove home as fast as she could and dove right into her sleeping bag, burying her face in her pillow. "ARGHH!" she screamed as loud as she could.
Her mother couldn't help but hear her exclamation. She went into her bedroom. "Honey, what's wrong?"
Ruki recognized the voice. "Mother, get out, please," she pleaded. Rumiko sighed, then closed the door and walked out.
After burying her head for ten minutes, Ruki got up and went over to her photo album. She picked it up and scanned through it, the past pictures of she and Jenrya together. She saw a picture of the original tamers, together in a pose. She turned the page and saw her and Jenrya when they went on vacation after saving the world from the D-reaper. A tear came to her eye as she closed the album.
"Jenrya, you're my friend," she said aloud. "We can't be possibly more."
****************
Jenrya slammed the door to his bedroom and sat down on his bed. He couldn't believe he just asked her out to the prom! She could've said yes, and then he would be the happiest man on the earth, but she said no, and he's the saddest man on the earth. All he could think of is what might have been.
He picked up his phone. He already did something stupid; another mistake wouldn't do much damage.
"Hello, is Ruki there?"
"Sure thing. Ruki!" He heard her mom call across the line.
He heard a sniffle. "Hello?"
"Ruki, it's me, Jenrya. I-"
"Please don't talk to me right now, Jenrya." There was a 'click' sound, and soon, the evil reverberation of the dial tone rang. Jenrya threw his phone across his bedroom, making a loud crash.
After calming down, he traced back to the root of the whole event. Who started all of this, the one who encouraged Jenrya to do such a stupid thing? The one who nearly, if not completely, destroyed his relationship with Ruki?
"Takato. I am so going to kick your ass," he said, with a wicked look.