Everlasting
Everlasting
by: Reiko-chan
Standard disclaimers apply.
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Chapter 7: Realization
Sean, Tony and Kevin were seated
at Sean's living room watching basketball. They were all passing around some
popcorn and were so absorbed in the game when the phone rang. They didn't bother
to answer it. The phone rang again. They still remained glued to the game. And
it rang again... and again... and again... and again... Finally, Tony got
annoyed. He stood up from the sofa, picked up the phone and answered it.
"Hello?" he said in a
very annoyed tone. He was so shocked when he heard Mikki's voice in the other
line that he nearly stumbled on Kevin, which, as Sean pointed out, was a first.
"Tony! What took you guys so
long to answer?" Mikki exclaimed.
"Uh, the NBA game,"
Tony standing up. "Why did you call?"
"I called your house, but
your mom said you were out, and I called Kevin's place but his mom said that
both of you were at Sean's place so I called here. Anyway, could you come over
to Meg's place now? Well there are a couple of new kids in town and she'd like
to introduce them to you guys," Mikki explained. She lowered her voice a
bit and began talking as if her skirt was on fire. "If you'd ask me these guys are a bunch of
nerds, some guys I wouldn't want to get acquainted with alone. The guy here's a
creepy one. He's so different looking. I mean, he looks so... wild... but his father's one of the richest guys in California. His sister is
a different case though... very pretty and charming though there's this
mysterious aura about her.... what, will you come?" Tony blinked.
"Just a minute," he
told Mikki. Cupping a hand over the speaker, he asked the guys if they would want to go over the Pryce mansion.
The two boys seemed to be reluctant to leave the game, but when Tony mentioned
the 'creepy guy' with their girls, Sean quickly turned the power
off and Kevin headed for the door. Tony grinned and replied, "Yeah, we're
coming." And he hung up.
******
They took Kevin's car to the
Pryce mansion, and arrived there in a few minutes. Jefferson kindly let them in
and they were able to park Kevin's Honda near the garden. They went up the tall
staircase to the mansion's front door, and they were well-received by the maids.
They were directed to the vast living room, and found the three girls huddled
together in a sofa with Meg in between, Meg's parents talking with two other
persons, and a boy and a girl just their age. Tony looked at the boy and found
him close to Mikki's descriptions. He did look quite wild with the way he cut
his hair, but he did look very serious. He was reminded of... himself. Tony's insides shuddered at the thought. He
turned to look at the girl, his sister. The girl was very pretty like Mikki had
said, though he couldn't find her mysterious. Her long black hair
and pale skin certainly made her beautiful, although her eyes were dark... so
far away. Funny though. The air seemed to smell of...
"White plums," Kevin
murmured. "I smell... white plums..." Sean and Tony looked at each
other, then at Kevin. He was staring at the girl, very differently. Sean then
turned to look at the girls. They were all huddled close to each other, quite
uneasy, not knowing what to say to the visitors. The other boy was looking at Kate, and she seemed very uncomfortable under
his gaze. Sean saw her clutch her skirt rather tightly, and Meg put a hand over
hers and held it tightly. That was when Meg's father turned around and saw
them.
"Ah," said Mr. Pryce.
"The boys. Come, come now you three." They did as they were told and
went inside the living room. Mr. Pryce began introducing them to his guests.
"These are three of the best
boys I know in town," he told his guests. "I'm sure your children
would be comfortable around them. My daughter's friends are very nice kids. She
doesn't hang out with bad crowds." Sean felt himself blush under Mr.
Pryce's comments. He was probably faking.
"Please sit down," said
Meg's mother. She motioned to the other sofa behind them. They did sit and
quickly looked at the three girls. Sean went lipsing, trying to talk to Meg. Meg
looked at him, trying to figure out whatever he was saying. She saw his lips
form the sentence, "What is going on?"
She replied, "My father'
guests. New people in the neighborhood. They want us to befriend those
kids." She shot a glance at the siblings seated in front of them. Sean
nodded his head and told the boys what Meg had said. Kevin turned to look at
Kate. She looked pale and sick. She probably needed to go home. He turned to
look at the boy, a strange feeling pouring over him, as if he knew that him for
so long. Then, Meg stood up and said, "Eric and
Tonya Matthews, meet Sean O'Malley, Tony Simmons, and Kevin Williams." They
all nodded at each other in acknowledgement. Meg noticed that Eric and Kevin seemed to glare at
each other, while Tonya was quite oblivious to their presence. She sat down
again and turned to Kate, who had just told Mikki that she wasn't feeling to
well.
"Kevin," Mikki said.
"Kate isn't feeling too well. Maybe you could take her home." Kevin
nodded and walked over to Kate. He knelt in front of her and asked, "Are
you alright?"
"I mightn't be feeling too
well," she replied softly. "I had a headache a while ago and it's
coming back." Kevin nodded and said, "I'll drive you home." After
saying goodbye to Meg's parents, Kevin led her to his car and started on the
road. On
the way home, Kate spoke up.
"Kevin, I feel
strange," she whispered. Kevin looked at her for a moment.
"What do you mean?" he
asked.
"That guy... Eric... I'm
strongly reminded of... of..." she breathed deeply and looked out the
window. "And that girl, Tonya... she smelled of..."
"White plums," Kevin
finished for her. "Yes, I know." It took a few minutes for a
realization to sink in Kate's mind. Suddenly she turned her head to him, face
stern. Then, she looked away, her eyes sullen.
"You're hiding
something," came her sharp voice. "There's something I must know and
yet you've never told me."
"I am hiding nothing,"
Kevin replied, annoyed, yet uneasy.
"Oh c'mon." She lifted
a brow. "I know you. I know when you're lying or not. I can feel it. I
can..." Suddenly, the car screeched to a halt at the side of the
road. Kevin turned to her, his face hard and angry, eyes turning amber.
"Would you just shut
up?" he yelled. "For heaven's sake, I told you, I am hiding nothing
from you!"
Kate just stared at him, her eyes
as sullen as they had been before. It was clear from her expression that she
didn't believe a single word of his sentence. Without warning, she opened her
door and stepped out.
"Thanks for the ride,"
she said in a cool, low voice. "This is near my place anyway. You don't
have to bring me home." And with that, she banged the door shut and walked
off, not bothering to say goodbye.
******
A few hours later, Kate felt
better and went out to do some groceries for her mom. She wasn't able to take
her car since her dad borrowed it, so she took a walk instead. In fact, she
thought it safer since she was still feeling quite nauseous and driving in that
condition could make her crash into a post. She did her groceries
quickly and was walking back home in a few minutes time. As she was passing by
Swirly's, she saw a car she could've sworn cost a million bucks, parked
across the street. Then, the window went down, and she saw Eric Matthew with his
sister.
Tonya was so beautiful. Her rich
black hair and pearly white skin could surely make any man fall head over heels
for her. Kate wished she could say the same about Eric... He did have some
looks, but then, he wasn't too handsome... Her thoughts were interrupted when
she saw Tonya yell at her brother, although she couldn't hear most of the
conversation.
They were having an argument.
Tonya seemed angry with her brother about something, and Eric seemed equally
angry about it too. Tonya's eyes were brimming with tears, threatening to spill
any moment. Her eyes were fiery, her fists were clenched. Suddenly, the window
started going up again, hiding the siblings from view. At that moment, Kate
remembered her argument with Kevin. She sighed heavily and before she could get
further into the details she started walking home.
*********
Sunset. The sky now hued with pink and purple and
orange as the stars began appearing. Kevin meanwhile was out for a
walk in the park. He sat down in a bench, his mind full of so many thoughts. He
began thinking of the past... everything about his past. He remembered the first
time he had held a sword, the first time he had killed someone, all his
adventures as the Hitokiri Battousai, Tomoe, his wanderings, and the day he met
Kaoru. Yes. The day he met Kaoru was truly unforgettable, and it was one of the
best days of his life. He remembered the night he had to leave in order to stop
Shishio. He remembered the fireflies too well. He remembered her tears and her
sobs and the feeling of her in his arms. It was painful, yet quite happy. He
sighed at those memories...
He remembered their recent
argument...
"You're hiding
something," came her sharp voice. "There's something I must know and
yet you've never told me."
"I am hiding
nothing," he replied, annoyed, yet uneasy.
"Oh c'mon." She
lifted a brow. "I know you. I know when you're lying or not. I can feel it.
I can..." Suddenly, the car screeched to a halt at the side of the
road. He turned to her, his face hard and angry, eyes turning amber.
"Would you just shut
up?" he yelled. "For heaven's sake, I told you, I am hiding nothing
from you!"
Kate just stared at him, her
eyes as sullen as they had been before. It was clear from her expression that
she didn't believe a single word of his sentence. Without warning, she opened
her door and stepped out.
"Thanks for the
ride," she said in a cool, low voice. "This is near my place anyway.
You don't have to bring me home." And with that, she banged the door shut
and walked off, not bothering to say goodbye.
He felt his insides pang with
guilt. Yes... It was true. He had lied to her, and he never had the courage to
admit to her the truth. Weren't they supposed to share their secrets?
But this is one secret I
couldn't bear to share with her, a small voice said within him. But didn't
that prove that he didn't trust her at all to keep that secret? They shared
something more than regular couples. They had a special bond. Something that
couldn't easily be broken. And yet, he couldn't even tell her about
Tonya...
The sky was already dark. The stars were shining
brightly with the moon gleaming like a silver platter. A full moon! How
wonderful... How beautiful...
Then, a girl in a coat walking towards. She had a
hat on and some shades, as if she was trying to hide her face. She had a
suitcase in her left hand, and she was walking briskly. Suddenly, the air
smelled of white plums. Astonished, Kevin stood up, looking at the girl all the
while. She seemed to have noticed his stare, for she stopped right in front of
him, and lowered her shades. One look at her eyes told him everything about this
girl, including who she was.
"Tonya," Kevin
muttered. "What are you doing here? Why do you have a suitcase?"
"Kevin?" Tonya
asked. Kevin nodded. She frowned a bit and put her shades back in their place.
"It's none of your business."
"You're running away?"
he asked. Tonya shot a glare at him and continued walking, but Kevin quickly
grabbed her wrist and stopped her. "Where are you going?" Tonya pulled
her wrist free and glared at him.
"What right have you to
meddle in my business?" she snapped. "You're no longer my boyfriend
Kevin. We broke up long ago. Don't you know that?"
"You're going with Kiyosato,
am I right? You met him when we were still going steady. Then, suddenly, you
decided that I was not good enough for you, so you left me. Your father
never liked him, even when we were at the same school. He never wanted you to be
with him, because, 'He didn't belong'. So he transferred you. So now, you're
running away with him like you've always threatened to do..."
"Stop it! We broke up long
ago. You have a girlfriend now, right? Kate, isn't it? I believe you haven't
told her about me since she didn't even seem to know me when we were introduced
to one another a few hours ago," Tonya mocked.
"Don't include Kate here.
She knows nothing..."
"Then don't include Kiyosato
either! He's got nothing to do with this."
"This is between you... and
me..." Kevin sighed. "But... you're right... I haven't told Kate about
you... She doesn't know that we had a relationship..."
"How come? You of all
persons should know that communication is one way to maintain a relationship.
That was one problem we encountered when it was still 'us'."
"I know."
"And yet you refuse to do
anything," Tonya replied. Sheesh. This guy is hopeless, one of the
reasons why I broke up with him. He's... dense. I think I have to pound some
sense into his brain.
Tonya smiled, much to Kevin's
amazement. "Kevin, tell her. Tell her what's happened to you before. Tell
her everything. If you don't, you could lose her... Forever," she
said.
Kevin just stared at her, too
stunned to reply. Then, Tonya spoke.
"I know you love her,
perhaps, much more than you loved me... So go now. Tell her what she needs to
know. Don't lose her," Tonya urged. After a few minute's silence, there was
still no reaction from Kevin, she began walking silently. After a few steps, she
turned around.
"Please, tell no one you saw me," Tonya
asked. "I don't want anyone to find me."
Kevin nodded and said, "My way of thanking
you, for what you've done for me. My silence." Tonya smiled, and Kevin
nodded his head once more. Then, she left, disappearing into the night.
Tell her... Her words rang
in his head... or you'll lose her...
Staring at the sky, he thought. He had to tell her everything,
even if it meant that Kate would bring the whole house down on him with her
anger. God, he loved her, and he would never want to lose her... Not
anymore.
He returned to his senses though when he
heard a soft toot from his beeper. He took it, and it read:
Sean: Tony's called. Said you
weren't home. Anyway, the finals are coming soon, Philadelphia's playing. It's
going to be aired tomorrow. You coming over my place? Give me a ring.
Kevin tucked in his beeper and
stared at the night sky, wondering if he'd ever spend this lifetime waiting once
more for death to arrive.
Some feet away from him, a creature watches...
waiting...
Author's notes:
Gosh everyone I'm so sorry for not being able to update for like...
so long! I was so busy with my studies and the extra-curricular activities.
There was one whole week wherein I was not able to eat my lunch, and we were
like so busy with tests and activities left and right. I'd like to thank
everyone for the encouraging reviews! They surely helped me a lot. And by the
way, I'm also working on another story, although I'm not sure if ever I'd post
it at fanfiction.net or not. I'm thinking of putting up a website of my own so
that if fanfiction.net breaks down again in the near future, you guys could read
my fics at the site.
Please rate and review!
