Mandatory Doumyouji sequence. Sigh. I apologize for this chapter. It
ain't cute, and it's ain't very good, but I feel something like it is
needed for the sake of continuity. Maybe I'll rewrite it later when I'm
done with the fic.
Flashback to earlier that evening, at the restaurant-
Tsukasa and Shigeru sat in silence while they waited for Sakurako's phone call. At last, Tsukasa impatiently broke the silence,
"Why do we need Sakurako to scout for us?" he questioned petulantly, "I know where Tsukushi is. I always know where to find her. Just let me go."
"Patience," Shigeru counseled. "We don't want to run into them on the street by accident. We wouldn't want to have a scene, now do we?"
"I have to talk to her! Why won't you let me go to her?" Tsukasa growled in frustration. He could hardly bear to sit still any longer. If he had to witness any more of his three best friends hitting on Tsukushi, he felt as though he might snap. He was no longer sure what exactly the point of having him lurk in the shadows all night was supposed to serve. He'd questioned Shigeru about her plan repeatedly, but all she would say was that, "It's necessary," whatever that was supposed to mean.
Doumyouji had never really been long on patience, and now his urge to Do Something, was fairly eating him up inside. He was seething with anger, and was desperately trying to leash in his desire to kill that lying bitch Umi for her role in provoking him to cause this situation. Equally strong in him was the need to run to Makino and beg her forgiveness; though a little illogical voice deep in his head kept whispering that the girl should have known he couldn't have meant what he said, so it was her fault for doubting him. He quashed this nagging whisper repeatedly, but it still ate at him, aided by the angry jealousy he felt upon seeing her flirtations with the F3.
"Relax," Shigeru commanded, "stick with us, and everything will work out in the end. You'll see." She smiled a slightly malicious smile at he thought of the discomfort Doumyouji might have to endure over the rest of the evening. Luckily, for her, Tsukasa was so wrapped up in his own reflections that he didn't notice.
At last Sakurako called, and the silent couple went to meet her outside the club. Doumyouji hardly even noticed where they were going; it was almost as if his feet knew the way to his destination without even being told. Tsukushi's presence drew him on like a magnet.
Entering the club, the two girls made haste to whisk Doumyouji away to a quiet corner of the lower room. But even crossing the crowded dance floor, Doumyouji's eye was automatically drawn to where he knew Tsukushi must be sitting. He caught a glimpse of her melancholy face on the balcony above before Shigeru yanked him deeper into the crowd.
"Idiot!" she hissed, "They must not know you're here!"
"I don't see why not," Tsukasa groused, "They might show more restraint around my girl if they knew I was watching." He cracked his knuckles menacingly, and a cold gleam lit up his eyes.
"What an idiot," the two girls muttered in chorus.
From their corner it was hard to see much of the action on the balcony above, but they could see enough to realize what was happening when Rui suddenly leaned in to kiss Tsukushi. Doumyouji gasped in shock and anger and made as if to force his way across the floor. However, Shigeru and Sakurako each grasped an arm, and twined around him trying to play the parts of eager lovers cuddling with their man, while in reality desperately trying to hold on to and trip up the enraged Doumyouji.
"Don't create a scene!" Sakurako reminded angrily.
"I bite." Shigeru added, "so don't push your luck. Calm down. Now!"
Tsukasa allowed himself to be restrained; after all he had seen Rui kissing Makino before. It was never a sight that pleased him, but it perhaps could be ignored-Tsukushi had in the end chosen him over Rui, after all. Rui couldn't be a threat to him, could he?
But then, Rui kissed her again. And it went on. . . and on. Tsukasa couldn't bring himself to look away. He stared in horrified fascination at the events unfolding above. The evil little whispers in the base of his brain began to get more insistent; "Maybe Umi knew something you didn't," they seemed to say, "By the way he's kissing her, and she's responding, this isn't that unusual an event. Maybe Makino's been being unfaithful, and you were right to test her by dumping her. After all, if she truly loved you, your actions wouldn't stand in her way, and she'd return to you no matter what-just as Umi said. On the other hand, if she loves Rui, this is just the sort of thing you could expect"
"Shut up, shut up!" Tsukasa blurted aloud, "I don't want to hear anymore. It can't be true!"
The two girls holding him glanced at each other in confusion. Turning to stare at Tsukasa's face, they were horrified at the inner turmoil they saw reflected there, as the long buried wild and cruel parts of Tsukasa's psyche fought to free themselves from the constraints that love had bound them with.
"This is not the reaction, he's supposed to have. . . . I don't think?" Shigeru reflected, " I wish I knew what was really going on in that thick skull of his."
Tsukasa stood frozen, hardly seeing anything in the room before him, as he desperately tried to quell these terrible thoughts. It was to his credit that he did at least realize in his saner mind how ridiculous his accusations were; nevertheless, the voices refused to be stilled. The only thing he could see, the only spot of light in the room, was Tsukushi. He watched snakelike, as Akira and Soujiro returned to the table, as Akira mesmerized them with his storytelling, as Soujiro led Tsukushi down to dance. She was so near. He could almost touch her, if only she'd look this way! But what would he do? What would he say? He wanted to fall to his knees and plead with her . . . he wanted to pull her to him and kiss her until this whole week was forgotten . . . he wanted to . . . seize her and demand an explanation for tonight's actions. No! that he would not do, no matter what the whispers said.
Wait. what was going on now? What was that look on her face? What was Soujiro doing? He. . . Kissed Tsukushi? She Let Him Kiss Her??? The trio stared in disbelief from their dark corner. Sakurako and Shigeru were so stunned that they loosened their grip on Doumyouji just a little.
When Tsukushi reached up to kiss Soujiro on the cheek, Tsukasa could take no more. He surged free of his captors, and, in a storm of ferocious anger, forced his way across the crowded floor. Behind him, he left a number of the hapless dancers in his path strewn about the floor nursing their bruises, not knowing quite what had hit them with such force.
Shigeru turned, openmouthed, to Sakurako, but could find no words to say to express the disaster that had just occurred.
On the other side of the room, neither Soujiro nor Tsukushi noticed the commotion that was headed their way, with a curly-haired devil at its epicenter. . .
To be continued. . .
ok, so I wanted to put in a comment here in response to some of the reviews of the last chapter: Don't read this if you don't want hints about the plot!!!
No, Soujiro is not going to fall for Tsukushi. She's just not his type. (I mean really, does she remind you of Sara at all? (or Yuki-though I'm still not quite sure what he feels towards her)) I decided that he does however, think she's really damned cool. Which is different than being in love with her. And No way is Tsukushi going to fall in love with Soujiro-again, not her type. Doesn't mean they can't be better friends though. And I had to have a Soujiro chapter because after Rui he's my favorite one of the f4 (no, I'm not a huge Tsukasa fan) (I just finished reading the latest in the Soujiro story arc. Poor Soujiro). Can't tell as yet if there's gonna be an Akira chapter-it's hard to write about him, since unlike the others he's never yet got his own plot in the manga. Maybe I'll write another Soujiro chapter instead. Yah. Damn I hope I figure out a way to end this plot soon.I'm babbling. I'll stop now.
Flashback to earlier that evening, at the restaurant-
Tsukasa and Shigeru sat in silence while they waited for Sakurako's phone call. At last, Tsukasa impatiently broke the silence,
"Why do we need Sakurako to scout for us?" he questioned petulantly, "I know where Tsukushi is. I always know where to find her. Just let me go."
"Patience," Shigeru counseled. "We don't want to run into them on the street by accident. We wouldn't want to have a scene, now do we?"
"I have to talk to her! Why won't you let me go to her?" Tsukasa growled in frustration. He could hardly bear to sit still any longer. If he had to witness any more of his three best friends hitting on Tsukushi, he felt as though he might snap. He was no longer sure what exactly the point of having him lurk in the shadows all night was supposed to serve. He'd questioned Shigeru about her plan repeatedly, but all she would say was that, "It's necessary," whatever that was supposed to mean.
Doumyouji had never really been long on patience, and now his urge to Do Something, was fairly eating him up inside. He was seething with anger, and was desperately trying to leash in his desire to kill that lying bitch Umi for her role in provoking him to cause this situation. Equally strong in him was the need to run to Makino and beg her forgiveness; though a little illogical voice deep in his head kept whispering that the girl should have known he couldn't have meant what he said, so it was her fault for doubting him. He quashed this nagging whisper repeatedly, but it still ate at him, aided by the angry jealousy he felt upon seeing her flirtations with the F3.
"Relax," Shigeru commanded, "stick with us, and everything will work out in the end. You'll see." She smiled a slightly malicious smile at he thought of the discomfort Doumyouji might have to endure over the rest of the evening. Luckily, for her, Tsukasa was so wrapped up in his own reflections that he didn't notice.
At last Sakurako called, and the silent couple went to meet her outside the club. Doumyouji hardly even noticed where they were going; it was almost as if his feet knew the way to his destination without even being told. Tsukushi's presence drew him on like a magnet.
Entering the club, the two girls made haste to whisk Doumyouji away to a quiet corner of the lower room. But even crossing the crowded dance floor, Doumyouji's eye was automatically drawn to where he knew Tsukushi must be sitting. He caught a glimpse of her melancholy face on the balcony above before Shigeru yanked him deeper into the crowd.
"Idiot!" she hissed, "They must not know you're here!"
"I don't see why not," Tsukasa groused, "They might show more restraint around my girl if they knew I was watching." He cracked his knuckles menacingly, and a cold gleam lit up his eyes.
"What an idiot," the two girls muttered in chorus.
From their corner it was hard to see much of the action on the balcony above, but they could see enough to realize what was happening when Rui suddenly leaned in to kiss Tsukushi. Doumyouji gasped in shock and anger and made as if to force his way across the floor. However, Shigeru and Sakurako each grasped an arm, and twined around him trying to play the parts of eager lovers cuddling with their man, while in reality desperately trying to hold on to and trip up the enraged Doumyouji.
"Don't create a scene!" Sakurako reminded angrily.
"I bite." Shigeru added, "so don't push your luck. Calm down. Now!"
Tsukasa allowed himself to be restrained; after all he had seen Rui kissing Makino before. It was never a sight that pleased him, but it perhaps could be ignored-Tsukushi had in the end chosen him over Rui, after all. Rui couldn't be a threat to him, could he?
But then, Rui kissed her again. And it went on. . . and on. Tsukasa couldn't bring himself to look away. He stared in horrified fascination at the events unfolding above. The evil little whispers in the base of his brain began to get more insistent; "Maybe Umi knew something you didn't," they seemed to say, "By the way he's kissing her, and she's responding, this isn't that unusual an event. Maybe Makino's been being unfaithful, and you were right to test her by dumping her. After all, if she truly loved you, your actions wouldn't stand in her way, and she'd return to you no matter what-just as Umi said. On the other hand, if she loves Rui, this is just the sort of thing you could expect"
"Shut up, shut up!" Tsukasa blurted aloud, "I don't want to hear anymore. It can't be true!"
The two girls holding him glanced at each other in confusion. Turning to stare at Tsukasa's face, they were horrified at the inner turmoil they saw reflected there, as the long buried wild and cruel parts of Tsukasa's psyche fought to free themselves from the constraints that love had bound them with.
"This is not the reaction, he's supposed to have. . . . I don't think?" Shigeru reflected, " I wish I knew what was really going on in that thick skull of his."
Tsukasa stood frozen, hardly seeing anything in the room before him, as he desperately tried to quell these terrible thoughts. It was to his credit that he did at least realize in his saner mind how ridiculous his accusations were; nevertheless, the voices refused to be stilled. The only thing he could see, the only spot of light in the room, was Tsukushi. He watched snakelike, as Akira and Soujiro returned to the table, as Akira mesmerized them with his storytelling, as Soujiro led Tsukushi down to dance. She was so near. He could almost touch her, if only she'd look this way! But what would he do? What would he say? He wanted to fall to his knees and plead with her . . . he wanted to pull her to him and kiss her until this whole week was forgotten . . . he wanted to . . . seize her and demand an explanation for tonight's actions. No! that he would not do, no matter what the whispers said.
Wait. what was going on now? What was that look on her face? What was Soujiro doing? He. . . Kissed Tsukushi? She Let Him Kiss Her??? The trio stared in disbelief from their dark corner. Sakurako and Shigeru were so stunned that they loosened their grip on Doumyouji just a little.
When Tsukushi reached up to kiss Soujiro on the cheek, Tsukasa could take no more. He surged free of his captors, and, in a storm of ferocious anger, forced his way across the crowded floor. Behind him, he left a number of the hapless dancers in his path strewn about the floor nursing their bruises, not knowing quite what had hit them with such force.
Shigeru turned, openmouthed, to Sakurako, but could find no words to say to express the disaster that had just occurred.
On the other side of the room, neither Soujiro nor Tsukushi noticed the commotion that was headed their way, with a curly-haired devil at its epicenter. . .
To be continued. . .
ok, so I wanted to put in a comment here in response to some of the reviews of the last chapter: Don't read this if you don't want hints about the plot!!!
No, Soujiro is not going to fall for Tsukushi. She's just not his type. (I mean really, does she remind you of Sara at all? (or Yuki-though I'm still not quite sure what he feels towards her)) I decided that he does however, think she's really damned cool. Which is different than being in love with her. And No way is Tsukushi going to fall in love with Soujiro-again, not her type. Doesn't mean they can't be better friends though. And I had to have a Soujiro chapter because after Rui he's my favorite one of the f4 (no, I'm not a huge Tsukasa fan) (I just finished reading the latest in the Soujiro story arc. Poor Soujiro). Can't tell as yet if there's gonna be an Akira chapter-it's hard to write about him, since unlike the others he's never yet got his own plot in the manga. Maybe I'll write another Soujiro chapter instead. Yah. Damn I hope I figure out a way to end this plot soon.I'm babbling. I'll stop now.