"You're back! Both of you?" Zachary's mouth formed an O of surprise. "Torako I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"Save it," she said simply, but not spitefully.
"What's going on you two?" Madison asked them, seeing that they had joined hands.
"Yeah, what's the big secret? " Zachary asked. Sakura didn't say anything.
Li took another deep breath.
"Okay, we have something to tell you all. You all know my father died not long after I was born. What I haven't told you all these years is how." He paused. "Torako?" He looked at her, and she looked back at him for a second, and then started to tell the rest of the story. By now everyone was listening with interest.
"Before I was born, strange things began to happen to my father. He started to change somehow, but not for the better. He became frightening, and he would lock himself in his study for days on end. Strange voices came from the room, and other days he would just start talking to himself, quarrelling with the voices inside his head, and he had hallucinations too. The clan chose to ignore it, because it would hurt our reputation if it got out that there was an insane man in the family. His condition got worse and worse, until one night he came home raving about the devil. On that night the Li's were visiting. My father saw everybody in the room as demons. He took a samurai sword from the rack of weapons we kept, and took it upon himself to…get rid of the 'demons'. I would have had two sisters and three brothers, but Li's father couldn't stop him until only two brothers were left. Heroically Li-san risked his life defending my family, but in the end there was no winner. Li-san died on our living room floor, and my father died shortly after that."
As she ended her story, every mouth in the room was now shaped like an O.
"Torako…I'm sorry." Sakura said quietly.
"I would never have guessed in a million years." Zachary said, staring ahead of him with a blank expression..
"Oh my," Madison was speechless.
There was a long pause. Torako looked at Li in distress, as if to say, "See? I told you they would react badly". In response he squeezed her hand encouragingly, at the same time wondering how it was possible that he cold be standing there like that with someone whom he hated only hours ago.
Sakura got off the couch and walked up to Torako. After a second, she gave her a huge hug. "Don't worry Torako, you can't be blamed for what happened, and we know that."
"Thank you Sakura." Torako hugged her back. "I think I should go home now though."
"Me too. Thanks for the costume Madison. Kudos on not making it look gay, huh? See you guys tomorrow." He stuffed it into his backpack along with Quan, put on his coat and went out the door without another word.
"Well that was strange." Sakura said. "Anyways, see you tomorrow Torako."
"Bye Torako!" Madison said, "Don't forget about those costumes!"
"Erm, sure." She sweatdropped.Just before she closed the door she said one last thing. "Little Wolf?"
Li looked over in surprise. "What?"
"Don't miss out on the laughter, hmm?"
At that he gave her one of those rare smiles. "For sure, Tiger Child. I don't think I could ever forget after tonight."
She closed the door behind her.
"You know, I think this is one cousin I might be able to stand." Li said thoughtfully.
~*~*~*~*~
Ping………….Ping…………..Ping
Torako rode the elevator down to the front entrance, and when she got out, she was surprised to see Zachary still standing there, looking out the glass doorway into the pouring rain.
"Hi again." He said.
"Yamazaki? What are you doing here still?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Waiting." He replied.
"What for?"
"The end of the world." He said, without even looking at her. "I'll walk you home?"
"Uh, no thanks."
"Come on, I'm going that way anyways."
"That's alright."
"I have an umbrella and you don't." he had a teasing look in his eyes
"No you don't."
"I do now." He said as he grabbed hers and held it behind his back.
Torako sighed. "Okay, I guess you win this round. Let's go."
They walked for five minutes in complete silence, except for the sound of the rain, and their shoes squishing. Suddenly Zachary broke the silence.
"That must have been hard for you, to tell a bunch of people who are pretty much strangers something that…deep."
"Believe me, it was."
"Well, I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on."
"I guess."
"Sooo, how about a truce? Let's stop fighting."
"You mean like, be friends?"
Zachary nodded.
"Well…I guess that would be okay. But I'm still going to capture those cards."
"That's what you think."
They both grinned at each other.
"This is my building." Torako said. They walked up to the doors.
"I guess this is goodbye then?"
"Yeah, I'd say so." She put her hand around the umbrella handle above Zachary's.
They looked at each other in silence, which was interrupted by an English voice from inside his backpack.
"Are you two going to kiss or what? Because if you're not then hurry up. It's bloody cold out here."
"Ahe." Both of them laughed and looked away.
"I'm going to go inside now."
"Oh…okay. See you tomorrow." He let go of the umbrella (finally) and watched Torako go inside.
Zachary walked back out into the rain and instantly realized something.
"Crap." He muttered.
He didn't have an umbrella.
~*~*~*~
Wow, that was quick. Ok I know it was short, but I promise, the next one will be longer.
