Sixteenth chap! Anyway, I'd just like to tell you about my updating system: My current lifestyle at the moment only allows me to update ONCE a week. I know that's an awfully long time, but I can't help it. Gomen!! Usually, I'll update during the weekend, so that should make it easier for you to know when to check for new updates. : ) Hope you understand and bear with me… *fingers crossed*
Shinomori : I dunno when that arrogant b*****d will get off his high horse. Why don't you help him by kicking his ass off that animal?? Ha ha! Me glad you like my little ficcie. And yeah, I'm all for girls with girl power!
Frack : OK, let's compromise. Kaede loves Akima and me and you. : ) Ha ha! You can change the sequence of that if you like!! Knowing Rukawa, is he ever going to make a move???
SLL: *looks at starry eyed sLL* Hello?? Hello??
Tiran: Next chapter dished up! Hope your brain can take it!! Ha ha!
Naohmee: : ) Who's to say if he's a pervert or not?? Really? Akima's mom's like you? As in, you both curse a lot?? Ha ha ha! BTW, I'm glad you like her. : ) I think you're one of the first to proclaim that. And YES, I think you're starting to become a lunatic!! Why don't you join Maemi (she's in the mental hospital after banging her head after reading one of the chapters of this story)?? (joking)
Yoriko: Hi! Thanks for liking or loving my fic!! : D!!! I won't be bringing ika up for some time, so save your energy and your fist. You can punch her when I'm finished with her. *heh heh* Thanks for the good luck – I need that for my science subjects! (today, Physics totally sucked – what's half of Fx???)
Miss Univerz: Arigato! Enjoy this chappie!
Sakura: Wonder no more! The chapter's here!!
Maemi: Hey! Glad your jail guards are understanding ppl!! How's it going?? You've probably guessed who the boy is, but you won't tell me cuz you're afraid you're wrong, right??? Ok, tell you what, at the end of this fic, why don't you tell me if your guess was correct or not?? PS: I won't be e-mailing you for this update – sorry! I have no time! I need sleep! Exams! Additional Mathematics!! Chemistry! Biology!! *starts banging her head like Maemi did*
Phoe2K: Alloooo to you too! Thanks! Someone's actually keeping track of my chapters!! Am so flattered!!! Ha ha! I seriously did not know hana yori dango existed. I still haven't found websites about it – I'm such a hopeless searcher. BTW, enjoy the story! PS: Sorry, I can't update every day. I wish I could, though! Still, thanks for asking!
Tensaispira: I knew it! It's becuz they kissed!! Ha ha! Next chapter's here!
Joy: I salute your patience with chili. If it had been me drawing chilis for half a year, I would've lost my mind, brought bags of chillis to school and stuff them down my Arts teacher's throat. Let's see if she dares mention chillis after that!!!! *evil laugh* *slaps herself and turns normal* Enjoy this chap!!
Leika: Hey, your reviews are getting longer and longer! You trying to rival Rukawa Joycie?? (joking!) You've read a Rukawa lemon? I've read some, but they're usually too unrealistic. Why don't you recommend me some?? *starts thinking dirty thoughts* Ehem. Ha ha ha! *slaps herself again and blames today's Physics paper for this unnatural behaviour* BTW, I really love it when you express your feelings to the characters (or Rukawa, to be specific!!), even though you're hurtling curses from all directions! Ha ha!! Not many ppl take the trouble to get personal with the characters, and I'm glad you're taking the trouble. : )
Reiko: YOU DARE FALL IN LOVE WITH RUKAWA?? *grows ten times bigger and glowers at Reiko* *once again slaps herself and goes back to ordinary nothingtodo* : ) Thanks for the compliment. My butt grew about ten inches and I had to get new pants. Ha ha! Hey, what's your story about?? Maybe you can alert me when you're done?? BTW, you called my fic a LIT!!!! (you meant Literature, rite??). OK, it probably didn't mean anything, but it made me happy anyway!! Ha ha!
Goodbye: Hey, why'd you nickname yourself goodbye? Made me sad for reasons unknown. ??? Thank you so much for telling me your POV. I love it a lot, and yes, you are so right!! Maybe she'll think he's taunting her!! (I really appreciate you taking the time to understand my characters! *tears start flowing* Man, I'm an embarrassment to the world).
Rukawa Joycie: Poor thing. I had that experience a dozen of time. Had one just yesterday, in fact, while I was e-mailing a friend of mine. I didn't write up to nine pages – just a couple of paragraphs – but I accidentally deleted it and it still made me so angry that I had to cause a rampage in the room. :P Take your time reviewing, no rush. : ) And I like surprises. Ooh! Wonder what it is!!! And that idea of yours about sending me your versions is the COOLEST. I'd really like to know how you would've done this fic had it been yours. : ) Thanks for taking the trouble to do that. I can't begin to think what reviewing my fic is costing you!!
You know SoS?? That's so cool. In fanfiction.net, only two writers I know in person. Sorry that I forgot your name!! Gomen! Gomen! I'm a scatter brained, in case you haven't noticed. Sorry again! And yeah, I noticed right after you mentioned it that ppl are writing longer reviews. I also dunno why. Maybe they wanna rival you or something?? Ha ha!
Fiery Ice: Hey!! Thanks a lot. I really appreciate you taking the trouble to read my long fic because for us ppl who hate long stories, it's quite a hard task! Ha ha! I dunno where I get my ideas from – most probably from the pink organ in my head. : ) Ha ha! Nah, sometimes ideas just hit you even when you're doing something as boring as hanging your wet clothes outside. (Honestly, I hate that chore). And I love replying to the readers. You ppl are so much fun. : ) BTW, enjoy this chapter!
Sixteenth chapter.
Mrs. Hanashi eyed her ex-husband coolly. "What are you doing here?"
In a warmer and enthusiastic tone, Akima echoed: "When did you get here?"
The lanky man unfolded himself from the car seat and stood up, winking at his daughter. "A week ago. Didn't you know? I sent a letter ages ago telling you about my transfer."
"Letter? No, I didn't…" Akima glanced at her mother, who glared at her.
Understanding the situation, Mr. Hanashi shrugged uncomfortably and quickly changed the topic. "Never mind. It's so nice to see you again, sweetie pie. How long has it been, seven years?"
"Her name is Akima," Mrs. Hanashi hissed. "It's not sweetie pie."
Mr. Hanashi's eyes heated up, but quickly cooled down. "I know. I was the one who named her." He quickly turned his attention to Akima again. "Anyway, you've grown a lot since the last picture of you that I received. Especially around this area," naughtily, he gestured at his chest.
Unable to help it, Akima burst laughing. "Dad, please."
Annoyed that father and daughter were laughing along even with the seven years that separated them, Mrs. Hanashi stepped in. "So, Mizano, I heard you're getting married again." The tone was unpleasant.
"Marry?" Akima repeated, her tone almost matching her mother's. "What??"
Mr. Hanashi coughed, willing himself to stay calm and sensible and to not mind the emotional abuse the woman he once loved – and still does, in a way – was throwing at him. "You heard right."
The deepest of frown lines appeared on both mother and daughter's foreheads. Thrown off-balance by the startling announcement and the resentment that her mother hadn't bothered to tell her anything, Akima gritted her teeth. "Why?" she demanded. "Who?? When?? Why??"
"I'll explain, sweetie – I mean, Akima," Mr. Hanashi said rather nervously, throwing a glance at his ex-wife who had veins popping out of her forehead in anger. "Why not go for dinner with me?"
"You can dream about that!" Furious, Mrs. Hanashi practically swung her handbag at him. "There is no way she is going with you. Don't you even dare take her away from me! You think you can just step back into her life after seven years??"
"Listen, Akiko," unable to control his temper anymore, he stepped around the car and confronted his ex-wife. "I have always been part of her life. You're the one who's been standing between us. Now if you'll just stop being selfish, I think Akima has a right to choose who she wants to go with."
Akima cursed violently. Great, now they were going to put it all on her and make her feel guilty. "Okay, tell you what, let's not have dinner outside. Dad, you can come home with us and I'll cook dinner. We'll talk."
"I don't think so!" Mrs. Hanashi objected. "I am not letting him come in the house, Akima, you hear that?? Now," grabbing her daughter by the arm, she pulled, "now we'll go home."
Akima resisted, standing firm. "Mom," she said soothingly, thinking it was the only way to get through her mother's wrath. "Dad's just come back. I'd like to have some time with him."
Mrs. Hanashi's eyes all but popped out. "I don't want you to!"
"But I want to."
Her mother stared at her for a while. Then, turning beet-red, she released Akima's arm. "All right, fine. That's just fine." Whirling around, she stomped away, her movements mirroring her anger.
Akima watched her mother ago, and for an instant, thought of running after her and begging for forgiveness. Then her father placed a warm, strong hand on her shoulder and she turned around to face him. "I'm sorry, sweetie - Akima – I mean –"
She smiled vaguely. "You can call me sweetie pie. I don't mind."
Her father looked relieved. "Thank you," he said appreciatively. "I've always called you sweetie-pie, ever since you were born. Calling you by name sounds so… formal – as if you're not my daughter." Changing moods, he gave her a peck on the cheek. "I've been gone for so long. There's so much I've missed. How are you?"
"I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm hungry. And we need to talk. No reference to my chest growth, please."
Her father laughed. "Come on." He turned to head for the car, suddenly slapped his forehead and whirled back on Akima. "How could I forget?? Sweetie pie, I forgot to introduce you to my soon-to-be stepson. Come out, son."
The previous boy who had stayed glued to the seat in the car watching with intense concentration at the drama unfolding in front of him now emerged from the car. He was tall – taller than Kaede, she estimated – with the same blue eyes, only his were fuller with life and warmth. Then, in a gesture so like her father, he winked at her. "Hi."
"Yeah, hi." He was the son of the woman her father was about to marry. Akima wasn't sure exactly what she felt about him. Her muscles grew tense, for reasons she didn't know.
Her father's chuckle burst through the tension gathering in her brain. Casually, her father draped an arm across the boy's shoulder (he was just as tall) and rubbed his head affectionately. "This is Akira. Akira Sendoh."
Now Akima knew what she felt. Jealousy oozed out from every part of her body, and without realising it, she was gripping her hand. She had never gotten that gesture before, and she felt hurt that a boy who wasn't even officially his stepson yet would get the privilege.
Relax. Your dad's just returned. This is the first time he's seen you in person since seven years ago. It's natural for things to be awkward between you. She calmed down a little bit. Oh, God, I wish Dad would mess up my hair like that too. How come he's never wrapped an arm around MY shoulder? Why is he standing beside that boy? Why isn't he standing beside me?
"Why don't you tell Akira your name, Akima?" her father asked.
Akima managed a smile. "You just said it, dad."
Her father looked at her blankly, then recalling what he had said, he burst into easy laughter. "Akima, Akira … that's so close." Again, he patted the boy on his shoulder. "Must be fate, son."
Akira flashed a smile. "Yeah."
"Yeah," Akima echoed weakly.
"All right!" her father said enthusiastically. "Let's go for dinner!"
You saw that coming, didn't you? : D Lots of people kept asking me about other characters – so I thought: What the heck, I'll do it. So here he is. Had a long debate on who he'd be, and finally Sendoh won my vote. : ) Can't help liking that guy. Anyway, hope it's OK.