Chapter Seven
The park was dark, and all he could hear was the quiet chirping of crickets. Under the streetlight, he glanced at his watch. Twenty more minutes before he would go and pick Sendoh up.
The sudden flash of bright headlights made him wince, as another car drove past, the gravel crunching softly under the wheels as the driver reversed the car and parked it smoothly a lot away. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear his vision, when the sound of the car door opening behind him made him look over his shoulder.
What…?
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Hanamichi pulled the keys out of the ignition and snapped them close into their leather casing. He opened the door, stepping out into the quiet night, glad for the solitude. The park was deserted this time of the night. There was only another lone car, one lot away, and a slim figure leaning by its side downing a can of drink. Rubbing his arms slightly to ease the chill, he suddenly wished he had brought a jacket.
The sudden sound of an empty can clattering across the road made him pause his thoughts and look up. The figure had turned and was standing, leaning slightly against the car. He got the feeling that the stranger was looking at him. He squinted, not sure, when his eyes suddenly moved to the car.
It's black…
He took a hesitant step forward, his arms falling to his sides, the chill temporarily forgotten.
It looks the same…
His heart was thumping wildly now. For inexplicable reasons, he felt breathless, but he didn't feel scared. Under the scant light provided by the overhead lamp, he advanced slowly, not knowing why he was walking, not knowing why he had to see.
The figure stepped out into the illumination the streetlight offered, standing in a pool of shadows, and there, staring back at him, was another pale face he didn't recognize.
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It's him. Him.
They stood a few meters apart, looking at each other silently.
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He seems so familiar…where have I seen him before?
Pale skin that stretched over slender limbs clothed in ordinary jeans and a shirt of black. Dark, ebony hair which swept past a defined face, especially framing the sensual mouth. The features were sculpted in an almost ethereal fashion, but it wasn't what arrested him about the stranger's appearance.
His eyes…
Emotionless, cold, the most startling color of glimmering blue crystal. I know those eyes…
A small smile had begun to tug on the corners of the full lips, pink and slightly glossed in the wavering light. I know that smile…
Shock flooded him as he stepped back, stunned.
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Rukawa cocked his head slightly and slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans. What was supposed to happen now, he had no idea. It almost felt like a scene from a movie.
The other man was just standing there, looking at him, amazement stamped so clearly on his features and posture that Rukawa was suddenly tempted to laugh. Finally making his decision, he stepped away from the car and walked forward, closer, closer, until he stood within a foot of the red-haired man. He held out his right hand.
"Hello."
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"Hello."
He blinked, looking down at the proffered hand. It took a few moments for him to realize what it meant.
"You're the dancer."
He blurted it out without even thinking, and then a second later cursed himself graphically. Manners, Sakuragi Hanamichi, where are your manners?!
The blue eyes narrowed.
"How astute."
I must be in a nightmare. This can't be happening. I was just thinking about him…what is he doing here? What am –I– doing here?
The moonlight seemed to freeze them into a tableau, before the slimmer of the two lowered his head and his shoulders begin to shake. It took a while to register that the stranger was chuckling.
"I was just thinking about you, you know."