The Other Takino

Not-as-Thrilling-as-Advertised
12. Swimsuits and Noodles

Rated: M - English - Humor/Drama - Reviews: 77 - Updated: 11-02-10 - Published: 05-09-08 - id:4246838

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"Okay my little knowledge sponges, we've only gotta get through this one day before summer vacation." Okabe-sensei leaned on the podium and clenched a fist. "Stay strong, my minions! I know it's difficult, but we've just gotta power through this one last day, and then we can slack off and not study for a whole month!"

"Sensei!" called a girl's voice from the back. "I slack off and never study anyway!"

"Shut up, Izumi." Okabe straightened. "Of course Watanabe would feed certain parts of my anatomy to a hog if I actually told you to slack off your homework until the last minute, so here goes." He cleared his throat and spoke quickly in a bored tone. "Everyone do your homework right away homework is fun it is a good time you lust in your heart for homework there is a fire in your soul and homework is the only extinguisher." An amused murmur ran through the class.

"Hey Okabe, what're you doing for vacation?" Asagi asked.

He shrugged. "Hell if I know. Probably sit and stare at the wall until my girlfriend yells at me." He looked out over the class. "Anybody got any real plans for vacation?"

"I'm going to Hawaii!" someone said.

"I hate you. Anyone else?"

"I'm going to play video games for a month straight!"

"Shut up, Izumi."

"I think we need to do something," Asagi said as they were eating lunch.

"Nothing is something," Torako said as she glared over at the teacher looking out at the city buildings. With so many students eating on the roof lately, faculty had started showing up to maintain order. Teachers meant no smoking.

"No, nothing is nothing," Asagi said. "And wasting your vacation time doing nothing is no fun at all."

"I don't know, could suit Torako just fine," Oikawa said.

"Well not me, and whatever I'm doing she's doing too," Asagi said.

"Could you at least pretend to care about what I have to say about this?" Torako asked between bites of her sandwich. Asagi had been acting particularly pushy and possessive lately, and it was starting to get on her nerves.

Asagi just shrugged.

"Why do you even put up with her?" Oikawa asked.

"Good question," Torako mumbled.

Asagi put an arm over her shoulders. "Oh, you know I love you," she said sweetly.

"Okay, prove it," Torako said tauntingly.

"Not here," Asagi breathed into her ear, and Torako's face went red. Asagi immediately pulled away and began laughing. "Kiddiiiiiing," she sing-songed.

A nearby group of boys began laughing. "Hey Takino, what'd she do this time?" somebody called as Torako tried to focus on her sandwich.

"She put her tongue in your ear?" someone else asked, prompting more laughter.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Asagi said with a leer.

There was a feeling of celebration in the air as school let out for summer vacation. Torako made a point not to hurry as she got ready to leave, in an admittedly somewhat childish attempt to appear more mature than her peers. As she placed her inside shoes in her locker she glanced over at Asagi watching her impatiently.

"Come on," she whined.

Torako closed the locker and picked up her bag. "Okay, I'm ready."

"You were making me wait on purpose," Asagi accused her.

Torako shrugged and smiled quietly. "Maybe a little."

"That's cold, Tora-chan," she said.

Torako just shrugged.

"So, your place or mine?" Asagi asked.

"Excuse me?"

She leaned in close. "You wanted me to prove that I loved you, didn't you?" she asked lasciviously.

Torako gaped at her and leaned away. "I . . . we . . . that was a joke!"

Asagi laughed at her. "Oh Tora-chan, you make it too easy." She waved a hand. "Anyway, we need to decide what you and I going to do for our vacation."

"How come Oikawa's exempt?"

"Oh, she's gonna be working, she says."

"For an entire month?"

Asagi sighed and closed her eyes. "Well no, but she's not going to have nearly as much free time as us. Anyway, yours or mine?"

Torako looked up at the sky and frowned. "Yours," she said finally. "You don't wanna be around my sister on the first day of vacation."

Jubei Okabe moved along the display case and sighed. How hard is it to get a decent pocket knife? The blades on some of these looked okay, but he hated lockbacks, and didn't trust stainless steel to hold an edge for long. Not the way he treated his knives, anyway. Not to mention the mirror-polished blades, which just made them look like cheap toys.

Well screw this place, he thought as he turned and headed out of the store. There were a few other places in this mall he could check. Somebody's gotta have something I can use. He checked his watch. No rush, he had a couple hours before he had to meet Kumiko.

"Okabe-sensei!"

He turned and swore to himself. It was Ayase and her pet dyke. (Well he didn't know if Takino was gay or not, but he had his suspicions. And besides, he thought that sounded funny.) He waved back. "Ayase-san, Takino-san. What're you two fine young ladies up to?" And why aren't you off doing it instead of bugging me?

"We're going to the beach, so we came here to shop here for bathing suits," Ayase said when they'd reached him. Takino just stood by looking like she wanted to get moving. You and me both, kid.

"The beach?" Okabe asked, picturing them both in bikinis. There was no doubt that Ayase could pull it off with flying colors, but Takino had the figure of a wood plank. "In this weather?" It had been cloudy all day, and they were forecasting rain before evening.

Ayase laughed. "Well we wouldn't be going today. We just want to be prepared. So what're you up to?"

"Knife shopping," Okabe sensei without missing a beat. "Then later I'm meeting up with my girlfriend."

"Uh... right," Ayase said. "Well, see you around!"

"Right," he said as she and Takino took off. Hopefully not too often, he thought. It wasn't that he hated his students, he just didn't see how hanging out with them outside of class approached anything even resembling normal teacher behavior. Besides, he didn't need anyone accusing him of being in it for the high school girls. There were few things in the world he found more grating than teenage girls.

"He was joking, right?" Asagi asked when Okabe was out of earshot.

Torako looked at her. "About?"

"About getting a knife before he met his girlfriend."

"You can use knives for things besides murder," Torako pointed out. "I've never killed anyone with mine."

"You have a knife?" Asagi sounded a little surprised.

Torako reached into her bag and took out a black phosphate-coated folding knife. "Yeah," she said like it was no big deal. "Tomo's got one too, our dad got 'em for us for self defense when there were those kidnappings a couple years back. I just use it for stuff like cutting strings or tape." She looked forward as she thought. "I'm pretty sure Tomo's lost hers by now."

"That's a little scary," Asagi said.

"Oh calm down." Torako put the knife away as they reached their destination. "A knife's only as dangerous as the person holding it."

"Guess I've got nothing to worry about from you, then."

"Ha ha ha."

They headed for the swimwear. "Get a red one," Asagi said as they made a bee-line for the two-pieces. "I think you'd look good in red."

"You picture me in a swimsuit often?" Torako asked as she looked through the rows.

"Only every day," Asagi said with a sideways smile. "What about this one?" She held up a yellow bikini with a floral pattern.

Torako shrugged. "It suits you." She picked out a plain navy blue one.

"You think so?" Asagi asked, then frowned as she saw Torako's choice. "It's a little plain," she said.

"Have you ever seen me wear patterns?" Torako asked.

"Well I suppose it might look good on you." Asagi looked around. "Where's a changing room?" Torako pointed behind her at the clearly posted sign hanging from the ceiling.

Sure enough, Torako's blue two-piece had looked good on her. Her own choice had looked pretty good too, if she said so herself. Asagi looked across the food court table at her friend as she ate. She felt a sudden pang of annoyance. Three months and I still can't figure out the way I feel about you.

Torako noticed her looking at her. "What?" She sucked at her teeth, feeling with her tongue if there was anything stuck there.

Asagi shrugged and picked up some noodles. "Nothing, just thinking."

"About what?"

Asagi chewed, then swallowed. She hesitated a moment, wondering if this was really a good idea. "Has there ever been someone you couldn't quite figure out how you felt about them?"

"How do you mean?" Torako asked as she felt her pulse quicken slightly.

Asagi shrugged. "Well, like one day you think you might be in love with them, and then the next day you feel like you're just good friends, and then the next day you're back to being in love again."

There was something about Asagi's tone that said she was being serious for once. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me who you're talking about," Torako said, already agonizing inside. Though everything about Asagi's behavior told her she would be the most logical object of her affections, Torako's rather dismal romantic life so far (or, more appropriately, her complete lack of one) yelled louder. She looked down at her food. "I've felt that way a few times, yeah."

"What did you do?"

Torako shrugged. "I didn't do anything. Either I couldn't make up my mind in time or I was too scared of rejection to make a move and they hooked up with someone else."

"That's kinda sad," Asagi said.

Torako just nodded and picked up her drink.

They ate quietly as Asagi hesitated again, then: "Have you ever . . . felt that way about another girl?"

Torako choked on her soda. "Uh . . . one time, yeah," she finally said. "Why do you ask?"

"Why do you think?" Either you're very oblivious or very dense, Asagi thought.

Torako shrugged. "Well . . . if you like them, I don't think it matters whether they're a boy or a girl." Could it be Oikawa? Asagi had known her since middle school, after all. They had a lot more history and emotional investment in each other than she did. Still, that didn't feel quite right, but she couldn't think of anyone else. She couldn't force her mind to accept that she could be a possibility.

Asagi nodded and picked up another bunch of noodles but didn't take a bite. "If they were a guy I'd just ask them out, but I don't know how they'd react to being approached by another girl."

Torako nodded. She wasn't used to seeing Asagi uncertain about anything. "That would make it a bit more complicated," she said. Are you talking about me? she thought. You can't be, I'm never that lucky. But if you were, I wouldn't say no . . . would I? It killed her that she was unsure.

"Do you think I should?" Asagi asked. "Make a move I mean."

"Well . . . " Torako began, feeling uncertain. "Do you think she likes you back?"

Asagi shrugged. "Sometimes I think so, but other times I'm not so sure."

"She's probably just as confused as you are." She chewed a mouthful of noodles and swallowed. "I guess all you can really do is tell her how you feel and hope she feels the same way."

Asagi nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Torako wailed inside as she dug her chopsticks into the noodles. It's not me, she thought, it's never me, and I just killed my chances.

"Did you bring your umbrella?" Asagi asked as they headed back to her house. The sky was looking pretty ominous.

Torako shook her head. "No, I forgot."

"That's okay, I brought mine." Asagi patted the side of her bag as they walked. "So what's your sister doing over vacation?"

"She said something about visiting people's homes. Probably an excuse to copy homework."

"Hm, maybe we should visit Yuko-chan sometime then."

"What's this 'we' business?" Torako asked. "I'm doing my own homework."

"Can I see it once you're done?" Asagi asked.

Torako sighed and lit a cigarette. She'd hoped not being able to smoke for a week when she'd gotten sick last month would have helped her cut back, but if anything it only made her cravings worse. "Possibly," she finally said.

Asagi clapped her hands. "Hooraay!" She changed the subject then. "So what do you wanna do tonight?"

Torako shrugged. "I don't know, stay up way too late I guess."

"We need to hit some parties this vacation," Asagi said. "You need to get socialized."

"And you drunk, I assume."

"Oh, you don't drink ever?" Asagi asked.

Torako shrugged. "I've had beer a few times, but not enough to get trashed."

"I need to get you wasted, I bet you'd be a hoot."

Torako wasn't sure she agreed, but kept it to herself.

"And who knows," Asagi continued, "you might even get laid."

"When the time comes for that I want it to mean something," Torako said quickly.

Asagi punched her shoulder lightly. "I should have known you were the romantic type. That's okay, I feel the same way. For my first time, anyway."

"You mean that hasn't come and gone?" Torako asked, more as a joke than anything else.

Asagi gaped at her in feigned disgust. "Torako Takino, I am shocked! Shocked, that you would think so low of me that I would already have given it up by my first year in high school! What kind of a girl do you think I am?"

Torako just shrugged. "Dunno, what kind of girl are you?"

Asagi crossed her arms in a huff. "Not that kind. That's more Yuko-chan's department anyway."

"Yuko-cha-OIKAWA?" For the first time she could remember Torako did a double-take. "She's given it up?"

Asagi grinned at her. "Gotcha." She shook her head. "No, compared to us that girl's as pure as the driven snow. Her sister, though . . ."

"I was gonna say," Torako said. "She'd be the last person I'd suspect."

Asagi was about to say something when she saw movement from the corner of her eye. She was just starting to turn her head towards it when she heard a sickening SMACK and Torako suddenly lurched towards her with a surprised grunt. "TORAKO!" she screamed as she grabbed onto her friend as her legs gave out. What was that? She stopped wondering when she saw the crimson start to flow from Torako's torn scalp and a cold fear clenched her innards.

Everything flashed white as the rock collided with the side of Torako's head. She heard Asagi scream as the pavement was pulled out from under her and her vision filled with streaking points of light. She tried to catch her balance, but the pain in her head was overwhelming and the world was spinning too crazily. She felt arms catching her as she fell, felt something hot running into her eye and realized it was blood, and then everything went dark.