The Bishonen of February
Chapter 11
Yue eyed his plate of pancakes suspiciously.
"Are you sure these are edible?" he doubtfully stopped poking Kina's pancakes and slowly cut out a square. His forked raised to his mouth as his other three friends stared at his first bite. He chewed.
"Your food ruined me!"
"Shut up, they're not that bad!" Kina frowned slightly; she had put all her effort into make these pancakes for her friends.
"Well, now nothing else will taste good, because these are so delicious!"
After hearing this, Kina carefully put down the large kitchen knife that she had been prepared to use. "The reason I'm so good at making these is because your opinion matters to me." She walked up to the calendar and, with a big red "X", crossed off the previous date. Her gaze hardened as she noticed the morning's date. "Oh, just peachy," she muttered under her breath. "It's tomorrow."
Yue raised an eyebrow. What was his eccentric friend doing now?
Before anyone could comment, Kina spun around with a 1000-watt smile lighting her face. "Tell you what, guys. Since I was so...umm...not nice yesterday, I'll do all the chores today. You guys can take the day off!"
Hotohori instantly got in her face. "Promise me you'll take good care of her?" he asked fervently.
Kina blinked. "Who?"
"My dear little kitchen table!" he replied, as if the answer was obvious. "You have to make her all nice and sparkly, OK?" He laid his head on the table and stroked the table. "Don't worry, dear, I'll only be gone for a few hours. It's OK!"
"Hori? I hate to interrupt this touching scene, but your hair's in my pancakes."
"Oh. Sorry, Nuri."
"And if you flirt with that table *one more time*, you'll be sleeping on the couch for a week."
"Point taken," Hotohori replied instantly, and sat down.
"Are you sure about doing all of the chores?" Yue asked her carefully, an evil grin beginning to form on his face, he was already thinking of many extra chores he could make her do. (Hey, just because they're in love doesn't mean they're not going to torture each other once in a while!) He laughed maniacally to himself- or so he thought.
"Yue? Are you OK?" Nuriko asked him suspiciously. "You're laughing strangely."
"Oh." Yue promptly shut up.
"In answer to your question, yes, I'm sure about this. But," Kina added, "I'll know if you add any extra chores. I know I deserve it, but do it and you'll find yourself sleeping on the couch too."
"Hey!" Yue protested. "You can't kick me out of my own bed! I mean, it's not like we're like them!"
"I don't know whether to be offended or not," Nuriko commented wryly.
"I meant that we're not...um...as close as you," Yue explained, his face a lovely shade of pink. "She can't kick me out of that bed because she doesn't sleep in it!"
There was an awkward silence.
"Sooo..." Kina interrupted hastily, "Who wants seconds?"
~*~
"Nuriko, are you ready to go?" Hotohori called to the other bishonen.
"Yeah, sure. Give me a sec to finish braiding my hair, OK? Go get Yue!" came the reply.
"All right." Hotohori sauntered down the hallway to Yue's room and rapped sharply on the door with his fist. "Oi, Yue! Are you ready to go yet?"
"Go where?" Yue opened the door; clad only in his blue striped pajama bottoms and a towel around his neck. His toothbrush was held in one hand, ready for action.
Hotohori looked around secretively. "You know...*there*."
"No, I don't know where. What's your damage, anyway?"
Rolling his eyes, the emperor instructed him, "Just get dressed and come with Nuriko and me. We'll explain later, so don't tell Kina where we're going."
"Look, *I* don't even know where we're going. How can I tell Kina if I don't even know?"
"...Just get ready."
~*~
Kina hummed a quiet tune to herself as she grabbed a broom and dustpan and began to clean up the glass littering the hallway. "All the memories I have are beautiful in my mind...but they don't feed the hunger deep inside my soul..." Her three companions had left an hour or so previously on a mission that they wouldn't define. She was alone in the house and, with the morning sun shining in through the windows; she was in a fairly good mood. She was so engaged in her song that at first she didn't notice Neko padding into the room.
"And tonight I thought I'd be just sitting in my sorrow....hmm?" She looked up from the floor that she was sweeping.
"Meow," Neko told her.
"Aw, Neko, you shouldn't be in here. C'mon, let's find you a nice piece of lint to attack." She reached down to pick the feline up and noticed a small glass bottle lying next to her- the one she had dropped the previous night. She picked it up in her hands, feeling every square inch of the lavender- tinted glass. Recognition dawned in her eyes and she whispered, "Mama..."
~*~
Yue glanced over at Nuriko from his place across the aisle. "What am I supposed to be looking for again?"
"Potatoes," Nuriko replied automatically.
"Right, potatoes. Got it." He selected a package, looked it over, and picked up another. "Choices..." After five minutes of intensive study, he selected a completely different package. He tossed it to Hotohori and casually asked, "So what's all this for? You guys just went shopping three days ago."
"We're making Kina a surprise meal tonight," Hotohori told him. "Don't tell her, OK?"
"Um, ok, why are we making her a surprise meal?" Yue grabbed a tub of ice cream and dropped it into their cart.
"Because it's her birthday. She doesn't like to make a big deal of it so we just have a special meal and we leave it at that." Nuriko butted into the conversation.
"Do you guys really need me around or can I head home early?" Yue boredly
poked Nuriko.
"Well, I guess you can head home. Plus you can distract Kina while we get
the meal ready!" Hotohori nodded in agreement with Nuriko.
~*~
Engrossed in her book, Kina didn't hear the apartment door open and close. She had completed all of her chores and was now curled up in her unmade bed reading, "Saint Tail #3" while in her other hand she clutched the lavender
perfume bottle. She paused for a moment and looked down at the bottle again, studying the ethereal design that was engraved into the glass. Her mother always smelled of vanilla and cinnamon on a warm summer day. It had been her mother's favorite perfume; memories began to flash through Kina's
head as the familiar scent filled her room.
~~ Flash Back ~~
"Mommy? Can I put on some perfume too? I want to be just like you!" A tiny,
red-haired girl tugged onto her mother's pants. Kina's mother had red haired that fell to her waist loosely and was wearing a cotton dress that
had a rose pattern printed on it while a white apron guarded the front
against any possible stains.
"Just a tiny bit. Be careful honey, the bottle is very delicate." The motherly figure leaned down and handed Kina the bottle, which she proudly received. Holding it as if it was the most prized treasure Kina had ever had, she began to spray it around her neck. The floral sent filled the room
giving it a heaven-like smell.
A tender laugh escaped the mother's lips, "Not that much honey!" She leaned down as the tiny child gave her mother the bottle back and she carefully
put it away.
~~ End of Flash Back ~~
A footstep brought Kina back to reality. Glancing up quickly, she saw Yue
leaning against the doorframe watching her. He smiled a toothy grin and
walked towards her.
"Hey are you ok? You look sad." Yue sat down on the bed next to Kina, making it sink down where he was sitting. Grumbling, he made a comment that
was something like, "I'm not that fat!"
Kina giggled at his remark then smiled softly, "I'm ok! But I hate tomorrow!" Her gaze met the bedspread where her fingers decided to pick at
a piece of lint.
"Why?" Yue questioned. He remembered Nuriko and Hotohori had said it was her birthday but why would she hate it? So she was getting old, wasn't that
a good thing for her. Didn't it mean she had lived one more year?
The thoughts clouded his mind until he shoved them away and waited for her
reply.
"Because it's my birthday!" The grip on her book tightened slightly then
relaxed.
"I thought that birthdays were a good thing that were usually celebrated. I knew you were a freak!" Yue laughed, thinking this would cheer the girl up.
An uncomfortable silence went on for a moment before she looked up and
stared at him blankly.
"My parents died on my twelfth birthday." She muttered quietly, her hand
was now clenching the book and perfume bottle, making her knuckles turn
white.
"Oh. I'm sorry." He looked down at the bedspread also and picked at a piece
of lint, then he wrapped his arm around her to comfort her, "My parents also died when I was young." Yue proceeded to tell Kina the whole story.
"I'm sorry Yue!" Kina put her hand on his and squeezed it gently.
"It's strange, you're the first person I've ever told about my past and I
feel like I can trust you enough that I can tell you anything."
"You can talk to me anytime you want." Kina smiled up at him, looking into
his eyes.
"I'm going to give you the best birthday ever Kina!" Yue thought to himself, then he jumped up, fire raging in his eyes and left the room, "Bye
Kina! I've got a few things I forgot to do. Be back soon."
~*~
Nuriko and Hotohori crept inside the apartment to find Kina asleep in her
room and Yue gone.
"I'm going to get a shower then we can get started on some of the food."
Nuriko smiled at Huri.
"Ok." He winked at his friend.
~*~
"HOT-O-HOOOOORRRIIIII!! OH' SO HOT-OOOO-HOORRII!" A god-awful noise sounded through the apartment, jerking Kina out of her sleep. She reached under her
bed and pulled out a baseball bat.
"My gosh, what is that noise? It can't be the cats! Geez, a dying cat would sound better than this!" She uneasily crept toward the source of the noise,
raising the bat above her head.
"SUPER SPOON AND SLIM JIM GIRL FORM TOGETHER AS ONE TO MAKE CAPTION FANFIC!" The voice then proceeded to sing a theme song to the famous show,
"Caption Fanfic."
Kina flung the door opened, yelled an amazon scream and ran into the bathroom ready to beat whoever or whatever was making the noise, to a pulp. She froze, the bat slipping out of her grip and clattering to the floor.
"Nu...u..r..i..i?!?! So..o..rry!" She stuttered slowly. Nuriko was in the bathtub scrubbing his back and was *singing* the Caption Fanfic theme song. Kina edged her way out of the bathroom dumfounded. "Nuriko, you need some serious singing lessons." She muttered to herself then burst out laughing.
Chapter 11
Yue eyed his plate of pancakes suspiciously.
"Are you sure these are edible?" he doubtfully stopped poking Kina's pancakes and slowly cut out a square. His forked raised to his mouth as his other three friends stared at his first bite. He chewed.
"Your food ruined me!"
"Shut up, they're not that bad!" Kina frowned slightly; she had put all her effort into make these pancakes for her friends.
"Well, now nothing else will taste good, because these are so delicious!"
After hearing this, Kina carefully put down the large kitchen knife that she had been prepared to use. "The reason I'm so good at making these is because your opinion matters to me." She walked up to the calendar and, with a big red "X", crossed off the previous date. Her gaze hardened as she noticed the morning's date. "Oh, just peachy," she muttered under her breath. "It's tomorrow."
Yue raised an eyebrow. What was his eccentric friend doing now?
Before anyone could comment, Kina spun around with a 1000-watt smile lighting her face. "Tell you what, guys. Since I was so...umm...not nice yesterday, I'll do all the chores today. You guys can take the day off!"
Hotohori instantly got in her face. "Promise me you'll take good care of her?" he asked fervently.
Kina blinked. "Who?"
"My dear little kitchen table!" he replied, as if the answer was obvious. "You have to make her all nice and sparkly, OK?" He laid his head on the table and stroked the table. "Don't worry, dear, I'll only be gone for a few hours. It's OK!"
"Hori? I hate to interrupt this touching scene, but your hair's in my pancakes."
"Oh. Sorry, Nuri."
"And if you flirt with that table *one more time*, you'll be sleeping on the couch for a week."
"Point taken," Hotohori replied instantly, and sat down.
"Are you sure about doing all of the chores?" Yue asked her carefully, an evil grin beginning to form on his face, he was already thinking of many extra chores he could make her do. (Hey, just because they're in love doesn't mean they're not going to torture each other once in a while!) He laughed maniacally to himself- or so he thought.
"Yue? Are you OK?" Nuriko asked him suspiciously. "You're laughing strangely."
"Oh." Yue promptly shut up.
"In answer to your question, yes, I'm sure about this. But," Kina added, "I'll know if you add any extra chores. I know I deserve it, but do it and you'll find yourself sleeping on the couch too."
"Hey!" Yue protested. "You can't kick me out of my own bed! I mean, it's not like we're like them!"
"I don't know whether to be offended or not," Nuriko commented wryly.
"I meant that we're not...um...as close as you," Yue explained, his face a lovely shade of pink. "She can't kick me out of that bed because she doesn't sleep in it!"
There was an awkward silence.
"Sooo..." Kina interrupted hastily, "Who wants seconds?"
~*~
"Nuriko, are you ready to go?" Hotohori called to the other bishonen.
"Yeah, sure. Give me a sec to finish braiding my hair, OK? Go get Yue!" came the reply.
"All right." Hotohori sauntered down the hallway to Yue's room and rapped sharply on the door with his fist. "Oi, Yue! Are you ready to go yet?"
"Go where?" Yue opened the door; clad only in his blue striped pajama bottoms and a towel around his neck. His toothbrush was held in one hand, ready for action.
Hotohori looked around secretively. "You know...*there*."
"No, I don't know where. What's your damage, anyway?"
Rolling his eyes, the emperor instructed him, "Just get dressed and come with Nuriko and me. We'll explain later, so don't tell Kina where we're going."
"Look, *I* don't even know where we're going. How can I tell Kina if I don't even know?"
"...Just get ready."
~*~
Kina hummed a quiet tune to herself as she grabbed a broom and dustpan and began to clean up the glass littering the hallway. "All the memories I have are beautiful in my mind...but they don't feed the hunger deep inside my soul..." Her three companions had left an hour or so previously on a mission that they wouldn't define. She was alone in the house and, with the morning sun shining in through the windows; she was in a fairly good mood. She was so engaged in her song that at first she didn't notice Neko padding into the room.
"And tonight I thought I'd be just sitting in my sorrow....hmm?" She looked up from the floor that she was sweeping.
"Meow," Neko told her.
"Aw, Neko, you shouldn't be in here. C'mon, let's find you a nice piece of lint to attack." She reached down to pick the feline up and noticed a small glass bottle lying next to her- the one she had dropped the previous night. She picked it up in her hands, feeling every square inch of the lavender- tinted glass. Recognition dawned in her eyes and she whispered, "Mama..."
~*~
Yue glanced over at Nuriko from his place across the aisle. "What am I supposed to be looking for again?"
"Potatoes," Nuriko replied automatically.
"Right, potatoes. Got it." He selected a package, looked it over, and picked up another. "Choices..." After five minutes of intensive study, he selected a completely different package. He tossed it to Hotohori and casually asked, "So what's all this for? You guys just went shopping three days ago."
"We're making Kina a surprise meal tonight," Hotohori told him. "Don't tell her, OK?"
"Um, ok, why are we making her a surprise meal?" Yue grabbed a tub of ice cream and dropped it into their cart.
"Because it's her birthday. She doesn't like to make a big deal of it so we just have a special meal and we leave it at that." Nuriko butted into the conversation.
"Do you guys really need me around or can I head home early?" Yue boredly
poked Nuriko.
"Well, I guess you can head home. Plus you can distract Kina while we get
the meal ready!" Hotohori nodded in agreement with Nuriko.
~*~
Engrossed in her book, Kina didn't hear the apartment door open and close. She had completed all of her chores and was now curled up in her unmade bed reading, "Saint Tail #3" while in her other hand she clutched the lavender
perfume bottle. She paused for a moment and looked down at the bottle again, studying the ethereal design that was engraved into the glass. Her mother always smelled of vanilla and cinnamon on a warm summer day. It had been her mother's favorite perfume; memories began to flash through Kina's
head as the familiar scent filled her room.
~~ Flash Back ~~
"Mommy? Can I put on some perfume too? I want to be just like you!" A tiny,
red-haired girl tugged onto her mother's pants. Kina's mother had red haired that fell to her waist loosely and was wearing a cotton dress that
had a rose pattern printed on it while a white apron guarded the front
against any possible stains.
"Just a tiny bit. Be careful honey, the bottle is very delicate." The motherly figure leaned down and handed Kina the bottle, which she proudly received. Holding it as if it was the most prized treasure Kina had ever had, she began to spray it around her neck. The floral sent filled the room
giving it a heaven-like smell.
A tender laugh escaped the mother's lips, "Not that much honey!" She leaned down as the tiny child gave her mother the bottle back and she carefully
put it away.
~~ End of Flash Back ~~
A footstep brought Kina back to reality. Glancing up quickly, she saw Yue
leaning against the doorframe watching her. He smiled a toothy grin and
walked towards her.
"Hey are you ok? You look sad." Yue sat down on the bed next to Kina, making it sink down where he was sitting. Grumbling, he made a comment that
was something like, "I'm not that fat!"
Kina giggled at his remark then smiled softly, "I'm ok! But I hate tomorrow!" Her gaze met the bedspread where her fingers decided to pick at
a piece of lint.
"Why?" Yue questioned. He remembered Nuriko and Hotohori had said it was her birthday but why would she hate it? So she was getting old, wasn't that
a good thing for her. Didn't it mean she had lived one more year?
The thoughts clouded his mind until he shoved them away and waited for her
reply.
"Because it's my birthday!" The grip on her book tightened slightly then
relaxed.
"I thought that birthdays were a good thing that were usually celebrated. I knew you were a freak!" Yue laughed, thinking this would cheer the girl up.
An uncomfortable silence went on for a moment before she looked up and
stared at him blankly.
"My parents died on my twelfth birthday." She muttered quietly, her hand
was now clenching the book and perfume bottle, making her knuckles turn
white.
"Oh. I'm sorry." He looked down at the bedspread also and picked at a piece
of lint, then he wrapped his arm around her to comfort her, "My parents also died when I was young." Yue proceeded to tell Kina the whole story.
"I'm sorry Yue!" Kina put her hand on his and squeezed it gently.
"It's strange, you're the first person I've ever told about my past and I
feel like I can trust you enough that I can tell you anything."
"You can talk to me anytime you want." Kina smiled up at him, looking into
his eyes.
"I'm going to give you the best birthday ever Kina!" Yue thought to himself, then he jumped up, fire raging in his eyes and left the room, "Bye
Kina! I've got a few things I forgot to do. Be back soon."
~*~
Nuriko and Hotohori crept inside the apartment to find Kina asleep in her
room and Yue gone.
"I'm going to get a shower then we can get started on some of the food."
Nuriko smiled at Huri.
"Ok." He winked at his friend.
~*~
"HOT-O-HOOOOORRRIIIII!! OH' SO HOT-OOOO-HOORRII!" A god-awful noise sounded through the apartment, jerking Kina out of her sleep. She reached under her
bed and pulled out a baseball bat.
"My gosh, what is that noise? It can't be the cats! Geez, a dying cat would sound better than this!" She uneasily crept toward the source of the noise,
raising the bat above her head.
"SUPER SPOON AND SLIM JIM GIRL FORM TOGETHER AS ONE TO MAKE CAPTION FANFIC!" The voice then proceeded to sing a theme song to the famous show,
"Caption Fanfic."
Kina flung the door opened, yelled an amazon scream and ran into the bathroom ready to beat whoever or whatever was making the noise, to a pulp. She froze, the bat slipping out of her grip and clattering to the floor.
"Nu...u..r..i..i?!?! So..o..rry!" She stuttered slowly. Nuriko was in the bathtub scrubbing his back and was *singing* the Caption Fanfic theme song. Kina edged her way out of the bathroom dumfounded. "Nuriko, you need some serious singing lessons." She muttered to herself then burst out laughing.