Chapter II: Twin Troubles
To all those who reviewed:
renei: Ooookaaaayyy... I get your point about Sendoh Akira NOT being hentai. I just asked 'cause I felt like it. ::shrugs:: This is the next chapter you wanted me to show you, right? Enjoy! By the way, have you done anything about the three dumb idiots you're currently manipulating in NJA2? Tell me when you update. I'll be waiting!
kawaii imouto: As I already told you, why do you even bother asking me those pointless questions? You know very well that I'm not following the series that much, and I'm not as avid a watcher as you guys are, so STOP PESTERING ME!!! On the other hand, would you mind if I explain later on what happened to Kawasaki Shizuka in more detail? Then it will make more sense. Okay?
micchan: So I guess you're definitely into Sendoh... well, guess what? I am too!! So we can go ballistic over Sendoh together! ::goes spiral-eyed with the thought:: Here's the next chapter!
Silhouette Panther: Oh! You're the author of "Reactions"!?! My sister and I were laughing so hard over that one! Thanks for telling me that my fic is 'sugoi'! ::smiles so broadly face is beginning to crack:: I'll explain the cooler incident later, okay?
Rheia: She was reading "Blood and Gold". Actually, I just thought of that 'cause recently I've tried reading it. I'm very far from finished, but so far I can tell it's a really interesting plot. Thanks for reviewing!
shari: Hello there! What's a devil-may-care attitude??? ::frowns in confusion:: May you please explain to me? Anyways, continue your work! Hey, for everyone who's reading this, I recommend my cousin Shari's "Natural Disasters!" It's a story of hilarity and comedy! Try it yourself!
Jo-sen7: Too true... ::nods solemnly:: I would give anything to be Kawasaki too! Know why? 'Cause she gets Sendoh and I don't! ::bawls in frustration:: Anyway, below this is the chapter you've been waiting for. Hope you like it!
Fiery-Ice: He isn't? ::gasps:: Okay, okay, I'll cut you some slack. After all, there are plenty of charming guys in SD. One can only do so much about it... Oh, and don't worry...::lips twist into a self-satisfied smirk:: Sendoh's bound to give them a piece of his mind.
sLL: Yes, I have to agree... but that was necessary. I'll explain everything later.
cookies: Thanks! I really mean it! Your fics are NOT SHITTY! You just think so... but they're not. Everybody has a talent for writing, but they just have to discover that for themselves. Hope you like this chapter! Oh, and I hope we do become good friends!
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Kawasaki Aki
I pranced restlessly on the steps, which led to my younger sister's current place. I knew that the mat was getting worn out, and so were the brand new socks I was wearing, but I didn't care at the moment.
Where in the world is my imoto? For God's sake, Kira and I went home so we could invite her to a festival, and all I see is an empty house. Correction. An empty house, which happens to be loaded with books, cobwebs and dust, dilapidated and abandoned, in other words.
But I didn't care about such matters now. All I knew was, my sister, whom I had sworn to protect ever since I was a child, was gone! To hell with everything, then! Let the world go hang as long as I find her!
For all I know, she could have been kidnapped, or shot, or...
Annoyed at myself for not thinking about this earlier, I went inside again to calm myself from thinking morbidly.
"Kira!" My shout could be heard bouncing off the walls. My sister then appeared before me.
"What is it?" Her delicate features were pulled back into a barely noticeable frown. "I couldn't find her anywhere... perhaps she has gone with a friend?"
"Neither did I... are you sure she did go?" My eyebrows lifted in suspicion. If she did, that wasn't good. She could be out until full dark.
"Possibly."
That hadn't occurred to me. But then, I didn't know who Shizuka's friends were, so even if she did go, I would have no idea where to search.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Anxious as I was, I practically ran to the door.
I didn't expect her to come with someone else.
Especially not a furtive-looking someone.
Sendoh Akira
I guess this is the house.
Oh, well.
It's now or never.
I pushed the doorbell hesitantly, and the door opened to reveal a guy in his late teens, wearing the clothes of a samurai.
I don't think he was too happy to see me. He shot a death glare at me, unsheathed his sword, and...
Sword? I thought swords were already forbidden here in Japan! Maybe I'm seeing a hallucination...
The tip of a sword almost grazed my neck.
Oh, that wasn't a hallucination all right. It was real. In fact, it was so real I could have laughed out loud.
That was, if this wasn't happening to me, of all people...
Kawasaki Aki
"Unhand my sister, you moron! How dare you even touch her!" I snarled at the boy who was carrying my sister.
I got a look of bewilderment for my response. I seethed inwardly. Right there and then, I wanted to assassinate him, even more so since my katana rested comfortably on his neck, but I restrained myself and tried a more mild approach.
"Could you please give my sister back?" There. Now, maybe the imbecilic half-wit will understand.
Too bad I couldn't get the tone convincing enough... I scowled. Now he just looked plain dumb and dull-witted to me, with that annoying, irking smile and the outrageous hair.
Hello? Are you even listening, idiot? Or maybe you're just foolish, a simpleton come to her for answers to the homework given by some torturous teacher?
I sneered at him.
Pathetic.
What kind of 'friends' did Shizuka have, anyway?
Kira decided just then to make an appearance. Well, lucky him, then.
If she hadn't I really might have killed him.
I reluctantly let go of my sword, and mollified myself with glowering at him.
He deserves it, anyway.
Sendoh Akira
I heaved a sigh of relief when he held the sword away from me.
Only to be replaced by dagger looks.
Now I felt like squirming. This man, whoever he was, made me feel very strange and uncomfortable. As if I was an alien subject and he was carefully analyzing me for flaws.
Then there was the woman. She had the same intense look on her eyes.
I felt like gritting my teeth.
Excuse me, ma'am, but I don't think I'm a lab specimen to be stared at here...
But putting that aside, they seemed very... ancient. With the door open, I could see the old Japanese paintings, as well as the different flower arrangements barely visible. I knew I had seen them somewhere before. And also, the clothing was vaguely similar to what the Japanese used to wear in the earlier eras.
In fact, it reminds me of Minekura-sensei's lecture in Japanese History.
Which reminds me of our upcoming project about sketching the traditional dress of the Japanese.
Which reminds me that it's due this coming Wednesday, and I haven't done anything yet.
Which reminds me that if I don't pass this subject, I'll be kicked off the team.
Which makes me consider asking help from Kawasaki-san, lest I wish to quit.
Kawasaki Kira
Once there, he introduced himself.
"My name is Sendoh Akira. I'm a classmate of Kawasaki's in Ryonan High."
I eyed the so-called 'friend' of Shizuka's skeptically. He didn't look very trusting, not with that leering smile and outrageous hair. But then, in an unexplainable way, he did feel right sitting next to an unconscious Shizuka, so perhaps I should give myself the benefit of the doubt.
My gaze then went over to my imoto. She was starting to stir, and all of a sudden her eyes opened.
"Onii-sama, I didn't know you were coming home..." She sat up awkwardly and managed a weak grin. "I should have prepared you something..."
Aki dismissed her suggestion. Clearly she was still too fatigued with whatever had happened to do anything.
Besides, she was too late. The tea was almost ready. I bowed politely, and so did Aki, and we both exited to get the boiling tea.
Kawasaki Aki
That sly scoundrel! I'll teach him a lesson on how to treat a Kawasaki member with more respect!
Now, let me see... the only thing I have right now is tea so we'll just have to add a bit of... shall we say, spice.
Kawasaki Kira
I could see the dangerous glittering of emeralds and knew he had something up his sleeve. The amusement and gleeful excitement on his face was harder to decipher, but being his twin, I usually predicted what was going to happen next.
I felt like sighing. That or shaking my head. Mature though he seemed, he was a long way from it.
He probably 'forgot' to put sugar in the tea again...
Kawasaki Shizuka
I never knew they were going home... they didn't write me a letter, or any note to signify that they would visit me. Was this supposed to be a surprise?
I started when I heard his voice.
"Are they... your siblings?" An uncomfortable pause hung in the air for a few moments.
"Yes."
I knew that he was surprised to say the least, at the first impressions he got of my older brother and sister. Yet they were very far from what they seemed to be.
I didn't know why, but I felt the need to explain to him my family, bizarre as we were. After all, it wasn't nice to leave him in the dark.
"They're my only family now, so I've learned more about them than I expected." Alert, inquisitive eyes stayed focused, so I told him a bit about the history with the names.
"Well, they're twins, so naturally, they'd have similar names, accompanied by less bewildering ones. My brother's is Shizuki Aki. At school, his friends call him 'Kai' but at home my sister calls him 'Aki'. I guess he's reserving 'Shizuki' for his girlfriend." I broke off and we both shared amused glances.
"My sister's is Shizuku Kira. She's called 'Kira' because it was too confusing for twins to have a letter difference in their names." I let out a long breath, then continued.
"We're a traditional Japanese family, as you might have guessed. My ancestors were already involved in the Kamakura era, as samurai. When the Muromachi era came, they were part of the Ashikaga shoguns. By the Tokugawa era, they joined the battle for the Meiji Restoration. By this time, though, my far-off cousins are just heirs to Kawasaki Industries. They don't care about maintaining the customs anymore."
"But, as you have already witnessed us wearing the cultural dress, as my parents instructed us to, we still follow."
He stared at me briefly, and his eyes glimmered mischievously. "So that's why you know so much about Japanese History..."
I suddenly felt stupid. I felt incredibly foolish to have informed him all about the eras in which my ancestors had existed. After all, what did he care? He didn't have to live up to about twenty generations' expectations to keep the heritage going. I did. So of course it seemed different to me than it was to him.
Sendoh Akira
Now I get where she digs up all those facts to fluster Minekura-sensei. But thinking about it, I guess it was hard to keep all those things in your head when you had other stuff to ponder about.
The door from the kitchen creaked, and I instinctively turned to glance at Kawasaki-san's siblings as they made their way towards us, placing the teapot and teacups in the middle.
"Let the tea ceremony begin." The twin called Kira announced quietly. Somehow, they brought out pillows for us to sit on, and in no time they were contentedly sipping tea.
I reached for a teacup the same time another hand did. We both yanked our hands off, and I realized that it was Kawasaki-san.
"Sorry." This time I felt embarrassed. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice that.
"It's okay." And so she gave me the teacup, which she meekly filled with the tea, and did the same to hers.
As I drank it, the bitter taste was overwhelming. It was all I could do to keep from gagging.
Maybe staying here too long wasn't such a good idea as I thought it was after all...
Kawasaki Shizuka
I guess he's having a second contemplation after taking a sip from onii-sama's herbal tea. I felt the same way about staying with him when I was younger after I had seen other people flinch after having the tea ceremony.
The odd thing though, is, a person is only served that kind of tea when he displeases onii-sama... so does that mean that my brother detests him? I always thought my brother wasn't prejudiced.
Maybe...
I was wrong.
I was interrupted when I sensed hawkish gazes land on Sendoh-san. I turned just in time to see him choking and sputtering.
I should have known better...
Just then, Sendoh-san reached for the pitcher of cold water, but onee-sama reached it first and calmly poured the icy liquid on him.
Kawasaki Aki
I let a self-satisfied smirk creep up my face slowly. The poor boy was drenched now from top to bottom, and the expression on his face was priceless. Now he looked like a lost little boy.
Serves you right, chicken wuss.
The urge to laugh now wasn't far behind. In fact, it was very tempting indeed.
Kawasaki Aki, keep your family's honor! Get a hold of yourself! It is a disgrace to laugh at something so shallow as this!
Too late, though.
Snicker. Snicker. Snort. Snort.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! AHA-AHA-AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
Kawasaki Shizuka
I. Can't. Help. It.
"I'm so sorry, Sendoh-san, but I..." That was all I managed to croak out before I burst out laughing.
Kawasaki Kira
I knew that trick would get rid of the tension.
Sendoh Akira
How come I'm the only one who doesn't find anything entertaining in this little charade?