Disclaimer: Nope.
Noda no Miko: Hi there noda!!! Just thought ya might like t' know that this is a sappy chapter na noda!!! So is the next one………
Tomo: Doesn't Tasuki-kun come after this chapter??
Noda no Miko: Yeah. Your point noda?
Tasuki: WAI! I dun wanna be a sap!!
Rose_senshi: Lonarwolf is gonna be mad that you put Chichiri with Tomo. He hates Tomo.
Tomo: WHY? WHY DOES EVERYONE HATE ME????? *Sob*
Chichiri: Err, I don't hate you noda………
Nuriko: Awww!!!
Noda no Miko: So, ahh, a REALLY NICE reviewer Butterfly Ishida requested an Hoto-hunny/Nuri-chan thing……… so I might do that noda!
Hotohori: What kind of a nickname is… Hoto-hunny?
Noda no Miko: Also da… this has… citrus… na noda
Nuriko: *gasp! * You? Writing citrus?? *giggles* Oooh! That's just too much!
Noda no Miko: Sooorry! I didn't mean to noda! Really!! I got the 'Yaoi amongst cackling opera singers and kawaii monks' disease noda!!!
Hotohori: That's not a real disease!
Noda no Miko: So this chapter is lime flavored or is it orange noda? I think lime… WAI! I dun know! I'm new to this na noda! I don't think it's either and it's definitely not a lemon noda (not even a fake one) so it's a- a TANGERINE noda!! Yes, yes, that's it… Tangerine…
Tasuki: Can ya stop blabberin' an actually cut to the story?
Noda no Miko: I dun blabber noda!!! What I have to say is very insightful na noda………
All sans Miko-chan: Suuuuure………
//*~Aono~*//
Ri shuffled on the sidewalk uncertainly. His eyes were lowered, but I could tell that he had been crying. Again. And this time I was certain it was because of me. I'm not sure what passed through his mind as he stood there, what thoughts were circling in his head, but he stood there, gnawing on his thumbnail. If not for the situation I would have thought that he looked cute standing there like that. What could I say to make him feel better?
"L-look………I'm sorry that I scared you………" He looked up at me, one of his mahogany brown eyes hidden by the feathery bangs, the other wide in shock. What I had just uttered made no sense to me. I wasn't sure if I had scared him or not. But something told me what I had sang had frightened him. Could it have reminded him of Hikou in some way?
"I……… how did you know?" his voice was just below a whisper, but I could hear him perfectly. His hand reluctantly gripped the door handle and he opened the door to my car. He climbed in with a great deal more trepidation than he had earlier this morning. He shut the door behind him gently.
"Alright, take me home noda………I've been meaning to talk to you anyway na noda." I felt my heart beat speed up. What was wrong with me? I had barely known this guy for two days!!
"Okay." I said licking my suddenly dry lips. "Where to?" Gods, I sounded like that chauffer guy on Driving Miss Daisy!
"Go straight until the first left, then take it." I nodded, mindful to keep my eyes on the road and not on him. He was facing the passenger side window. There was nothing but an icy cold silence in the car. Through the silence, my mind races, far, far away. That's one of the most powerful talents I posses you know. I can run miles with out taking a single step forward. The ability was first developed when I was a little kid, my father and mother were fighting in front of me and I just………started thinking about other things, happy things set far in the future. My mind was running around in circles now, here, but at the same time not all together focused. I wasn't all the way in Aono land. And naturally, like I found myself doing more and more frequently, I was thinking about the boy who was sitting next to me. The boy with hair colored like the autumn sky. The boy who had eyes that looked like pools of liquid chocolate, without being thick and syrupy. (Did you know his eyes have a strange red shading to them?!?) The boy whose skin holds a pale luminescence to it that is much like the moon. The boy who I had just sang a song that made me think of him each time I heard it. And that had scared him. We were at a red light. I chanced to steal a glance at him. He was sitting slumped down, perfect white skin striking against the black leather. His face was turned away from mine; he sat gazing out of the window.
"S-so………" I began; I couldn't think that it was possible to sound that weak. "What did you want to talk to me about?" I asked. The beautiful eyes turned painfully toward me. (I swear those eyes look like polished cherry-wood. They're so shiny and smooth and full of life. Gah, I ain't no poet………)
"Can it wait noda?" He asked in an equally weak voice. I nodded.
"Sure." I said quietly. I held his gaze. I didn't want to look away. And I wouldn't have if the bastard behind me hadn't honked his horn when the light turned green………
When Ri finally told me to stop, it was in front of a some-what shabby apartment complex. The white wash walls were peeling and cracking. It reminded me strongly of the skin of an old woman.
"This is it na noda." I gazed at the black slatted roof. It looked suspiciously leaky.
"This is where you live?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's not very much, it was all my family could afford noda." Ri replied. He climbed quietly out of the car and climbed the rickety wooden steps. "You………you wanna come in noda?" he asked softly. There was that weird rush inside me again. I didn't say anything, but I followed him inside. The inside of the apartment was white walls with dark green carpeting. Very western. He had furniture. (Unlike my apartment. We all sat on the floor, not because we are traditional, but because we are broke.) I eased myself down on the nubby red couch that was tipping to the side like a man who had drank too much sake. Ri kind of stood in the middle of the room as if he was deciding what to do with him self.
"Do you want some tea noda?" I picked at the hole in the thigh of my jeans.
"Uh, sure." I kept my eyes focused on the worn carpet as he bustled about, putting on a kettle, boiling water, getting out tea bags etc. I've never really been much for cooking. Kouji's our number one chef. Genrou tried to cook once………nearly burned everything to the ground too. Never give that guy fire. He's dangerous. Ri handed me a china cup.
"Here you go noda." He mumbled. He sat down next to me, but for some strange reason I felt like he was so far away.
"So," I prompted quietly, "talk."
"Okay." There was silence. A looooong silence. "Oh, right. I think that would involve me speaking, ne?" Ri asked. A small wavering smile played on his face. "Well, I, uh, see, the thing is noda that I-" He sighed. "This is so hard to explain, I don't know if I can I've never said anything like this to anyone na noda..." I really, really know that I should be listening to him and not watching his lips move, but I couldn't help it. They're shaped just right. Pretty, kind of soft pinkish………I wonder what they'd taste like………(so folks, do I pass the A.D.D test or not?) "And well, I just, oh Gods don't hate me if I say this noda, but I think, maybe, just maybe that I might-" In the meantime, I had set my untouched tea down on a near by coffee table. I couldn't take it anymore. I quickly closed the gap between us and kissed his mouth gently. For once, I didn't even think of the out come. I pulled back an inch or two to see his reaction. He looked shocked, surprised. His cheeks were tinted a rosy color. Ri cleared his throat and swallowed.
"W-well, you just said what I meant to with out speaking so, I mean, I kinda just- do I babble a lot when I'm nervous noda?" He gazed up at me and wrinkled his nose just a bit.
"Maybe a little." I admitted playfully before kissing him again. You know how on TV or in a movie when couples kiss for the first time how they describe fireworks and electricity? This was the exact opposite. This kiss was-was well, uh, yummy. The inside of his mouth was hot and sweet. It tasted……… I'm not really sure how it tasted. It tasted like nothing I've had before. If I find something that tastes like it, I'll let you know what it is. I ran my tongue over the ridges of his mouth, traced his lips, his ring, and as I was thoroughly trying my hardest to convince myself that Ri had put some sort of hallucinogen in the tea and I had passed out moments before and was dreaming this up. I cupped his face in my hands just to make sure as I underwent the same treatment.
When we finally parted I was almost positive that my face was hot enough to fry an egg on.
"Uhm… N-noda…" Ri began. I was suddenly very aware of everything. His arms around my shoulders (one hand tangled in my hair) his breath tickling my face, everything.
"You don't have to say anything." I said quietly. He nodded and leaned his head against my shoulder. I leaned against the arm of his little sofa. His eyes fluttered shut.
"'M kinda sleepy noda…" he mumbled dozily while he rubbed an eye with a fist. Like a little kid that was really tired. How cute. I yawned ever so slightly. It was weird. I was kind of tired too.
"'Kay…" I let my head drop back on the arm of the sofa. I didn't mean to fall asleep. Really. I didn't. But I did. When I woke up again, it was ten minutes until three.
"Oh crap." I mumbled. I sat-lay there for a moment fighting an internal battle. Wake Ri up and go hang out with the others or go back to sleep. Ri opened his eyes before I decided. He yawned just a little.
"You have a nice nap?" he mumbled into the crook of my neck.
"Mm-hm." I returned. I felt my eyelids start to drift shut again.
"What time is it noda?" Ri asked, snuggling closer.
"Two fifty-three." I replied.
"Don't we have to be some where at three na noda?" Ri asked. I sighed a little.
"Yeah, shall we?" I asked sitting up.
"Lets." Ri joined me. He exited his apartment and climbed back in to the Hummer. When we got to my place, Genrou and Kouji were in our kitchen (if you call a stove, fridge, and two cupboards a kitchen) with their pajama pants on doing what I like to call their 'Happy Dance' and laughing like they had gone insane. Their, uh Happy Dance actually is a lot like some kind of mix between square dancing and that Russian hat dance. It's pretty funny to look at.
"Da?" Ri looked kind of confused.
"We did it!" Crowed Kouji.
"Err, did what?" I asked. The both of them began to jabber incoherently. I managed to pick out: Telephone, manager, Surreal, and T.V. Ri cocked his head to the side like a confused puppy dog.
"Nani noda?"
"It's soooo fuckin' cool! Ya won't believe it!" Genrou yammered.
"We're gonna open for the band Surreal!" Kouji interjected.
"Who's that?" I asked. Kouji's eyes went wide.
"You dunno who Surreal is?" he asked in a shocked voice.
"Err, Kou, we dun know who th' hell Surreal is either." Genrou pointed out.
"Oh yeah! But hey! Th' manager of Purple, what's her name again Gen- kun?"
"Miss. Makaiyo?" Genrou ventured.
"Yeah, that chick, she called us an'-" Kouji started.
"Said we was gunna open fer 'em an' that-"
"Th' performance's gunna be on T.V.!!!" They both shouted.
"Are you serious?" I asked. I had to work on a new song then!
"Yeah!!!" the two of them started to Happy Dance again.
"I know who Surreal is na noda!" Ri cried. "They're a British rock band! They're really popular noda!"
"What're we doin' standin' here like bakas? We need to celebrate! Bring on th' sake!" Genrou bellowed.
"I have a feeling Genrou's the sort of person that if the mail comes be 'brings on th' sake' noda!" Ri whispered. I laughed and reminded Genrou that Ri and I are the only ones present that are legally allowed to drink. He and Kouji sulked a bit and then began to Happy Dance again. I had a feeling they'd get rip-roaringly drunk sooner or later. They always manage to.
"Uh, what's going on in here?" Heika and Ryuuen were here.
"We're gonna be on T.V.! We're gonna be on T.V.!" Chanted Genrou and Kouji. Ri and I stated what we knew and tried not to get too excited.
"We're gonna be on T.V too!!" We miserably failed. Ryuuen's whole face lit up.
"Really?? Yay!" He smiled and clapped to show he was happy. Heika smiled and shook our hands. (Must be some rich-boy thing)
"Really? When?" He asked.
"Uh, guys, when are we opening?" I asked.
"Friday! Friday!" Heika looked around at our, well, poorness-ness.
"You have no furniture." He stated.
"We have a couch." I said pointing to the lonely thing in the corner. He explored the room for a bit.
"I had no idea people were this bad off. Why did mother not tell me…(mumble, mumble) that people could be so wretchedly poor?"(*) Well, I got to hand it to the guy. He sure is honest. (A/N: *That was from manga number five noda.)
"So, we're all here! Who wants some sake, eh?"
"Genrou………"
Noda no Miko: Weeee-eeell! That's the end for now na noda!!!
Nuriko: You know what I've just noticed?
Hotohori: What?
Nuriko: Every band member is gay…
Chichiri: We're a punk-rock version of The Village People noda!!
Tomo: I call dibs on being the policeman!
Noda no Miko: Will Aono write his song in time? Will Heika ever hook it up with Ryuuen? And most importantly: Will Genrou and Kouji ever gat drunk and 'boink eachother's brains out' again??? Find out next time on BEKKU HAKUSHI NODA!!!
Tasuki: Bah, shuddup an' write th' next chapter Miko-chan!
Noda no Miko: *glower, glower* For that I'm making you extra sappy noda!!!
//~*Owari*~// (for now that is noda!!)
Noda no Miko: Hi there noda!!! Just thought ya might like t' know that this is a sappy chapter na noda!!! So is the next one………
Tomo: Doesn't Tasuki-kun come after this chapter??
Noda no Miko: Yeah. Your point noda?
Tasuki: WAI! I dun wanna be a sap!!
Rose_senshi: Lonarwolf is gonna be mad that you put Chichiri with Tomo. He hates Tomo.
Tomo: WHY? WHY DOES EVERYONE HATE ME????? *Sob*
Chichiri: Err, I don't hate you noda………
Nuriko: Awww!!!
Noda no Miko: So, ahh, a REALLY NICE reviewer Butterfly Ishida requested an Hoto-hunny/Nuri-chan thing……… so I might do that noda!
Hotohori: What kind of a nickname is… Hoto-hunny?
Noda no Miko: Also da… this has… citrus… na noda
Nuriko: *gasp! * You? Writing citrus?? *giggles* Oooh! That's just too much!
Noda no Miko: Sooorry! I didn't mean to noda! Really!! I got the 'Yaoi amongst cackling opera singers and kawaii monks' disease noda!!!
Hotohori: That's not a real disease!
Noda no Miko: So this chapter is lime flavored or is it orange noda? I think lime… WAI! I dun know! I'm new to this na noda! I don't think it's either and it's definitely not a lemon noda (not even a fake one) so it's a- a TANGERINE noda!! Yes, yes, that's it… Tangerine…
Tasuki: Can ya stop blabberin' an actually cut to the story?
Noda no Miko: I dun blabber noda!!! What I have to say is very insightful na noda………
All sans Miko-chan: Suuuuure………
//*~Aono~*//
Ri shuffled on the sidewalk uncertainly. His eyes were lowered, but I could tell that he had been crying. Again. And this time I was certain it was because of me. I'm not sure what passed through his mind as he stood there, what thoughts were circling in his head, but he stood there, gnawing on his thumbnail. If not for the situation I would have thought that he looked cute standing there like that. What could I say to make him feel better?
"L-look………I'm sorry that I scared you………" He looked up at me, one of his mahogany brown eyes hidden by the feathery bangs, the other wide in shock. What I had just uttered made no sense to me. I wasn't sure if I had scared him or not. But something told me what I had sang had frightened him. Could it have reminded him of Hikou in some way?
"I……… how did you know?" his voice was just below a whisper, but I could hear him perfectly. His hand reluctantly gripped the door handle and he opened the door to my car. He climbed in with a great deal more trepidation than he had earlier this morning. He shut the door behind him gently.
"Alright, take me home noda………I've been meaning to talk to you anyway na noda." I felt my heart beat speed up. What was wrong with me? I had barely known this guy for two days!!
"Okay." I said licking my suddenly dry lips. "Where to?" Gods, I sounded like that chauffer guy on Driving Miss Daisy!
"Go straight until the first left, then take it." I nodded, mindful to keep my eyes on the road and not on him. He was facing the passenger side window. There was nothing but an icy cold silence in the car. Through the silence, my mind races, far, far away. That's one of the most powerful talents I posses you know. I can run miles with out taking a single step forward. The ability was first developed when I was a little kid, my father and mother were fighting in front of me and I just………started thinking about other things, happy things set far in the future. My mind was running around in circles now, here, but at the same time not all together focused. I wasn't all the way in Aono land. And naturally, like I found myself doing more and more frequently, I was thinking about the boy who was sitting next to me. The boy with hair colored like the autumn sky. The boy who had eyes that looked like pools of liquid chocolate, without being thick and syrupy. (Did you know his eyes have a strange red shading to them?!?) The boy whose skin holds a pale luminescence to it that is much like the moon. The boy who I had just sang a song that made me think of him each time I heard it. And that had scared him. We were at a red light. I chanced to steal a glance at him. He was sitting slumped down, perfect white skin striking against the black leather. His face was turned away from mine; he sat gazing out of the window.
"S-so………" I began; I couldn't think that it was possible to sound that weak. "What did you want to talk to me about?" I asked. The beautiful eyes turned painfully toward me. (I swear those eyes look like polished cherry-wood. They're so shiny and smooth and full of life. Gah, I ain't no poet………)
"Can it wait noda?" He asked in an equally weak voice. I nodded.
"Sure." I said quietly. I held his gaze. I didn't want to look away. And I wouldn't have if the bastard behind me hadn't honked his horn when the light turned green………
When Ri finally told me to stop, it was in front of a some-what shabby apartment complex. The white wash walls were peeling and cracking. It reminded me strongly of the skin of an old woman.
"This is it na noda." I gazed at the black slatted roof. It looked suspiciously leaky.
"This is where you live?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's not very much, it was all my family could afford noda." Ri replied. He climbed quietly out of the car and climbed the rickety wooden steps. "You………you wanna come in noda?" he asked softly. There was that weird rush inside me again. I didn't say anything, but I followed him inside. The inside of the apartment was white walls with dark green carpeting. Very western. He had furniture. (Unlike my apartment. We all sat on the floor, not because we are traditional, but because we are broke.) I eased myself down on the nubby red couch that was tipping to the side like a man who had drank too much sake. Ri kind of stood in the middle of the room as if he was deciding what to do with him self.
"Do you want some tea noda?" I picked at the hole in the thigh of my jeans.
"Uh, sure." I kept my eyes focused on the worn carpet as he bustled about, putting on a kettle, boiling water, getting out tea bags etc. I've never really been much for cooking. Kouji's our number one chef. Genrou tried to cook once………nearly burned everything to the ground too. Never give that guy fire. He's dangerous. Ri handed me a china cup.
"Here you go noda." He mumbled. He sat down next to me, but for some strange reason I felt like he was so far away.
"So," I prompted quietly, "talk."
"Okay." There was silence. A looooong silence. "Oh, right. I think that would involve me speaking, ne?" Ri asked. A small wavering smile played on his face. "Well, I, uh, see, the thing is noda that I-" He sighed. "This is so hard to explain, I don't know if I can I've never said anything like this to anyone na noda..." I really, really know that I should be listening to him and not watching his lips move, but I couldn't help it. They're shaped just right. Pretty, kind of soft pinkish………I wonder what they'd taste like………(so folks, do I pass the A.D.D test or not?) "And well, I just, oh Gods don't hate me if I say this noda, but I think, maybe, just maybe that I might-" In the meantime, I had set my untouched tea down on a near by coffee table. I couldn't take it anymore. I quickly closed the gap between us and kissed his mouth gently. For once, I didn't even think of the out come. I pulled back an inch or two to see his reaction. He looked shocked, surprised. His cheeks were tinted a rosy color. Ri cleared his throat and swallowed.
"W-well, you just said what I meant to with out speaking so, I mean, I kinda just- do I babble a lot when I'm nervous noda?" He gazed up at me and wrinkled his nose just a bit.
"Maybe a little." I admitted playfully before kissing him again. You know how on TV or in a movie when couples kiss for the first time how they describe fireworks and electricity? This was the exact opposite. This kiss was-was well, uh, yummy. The inside of his mouth was hot and sweet. It tasted……… I'm not really sure how it tasted. It tasted like nothing I've had before. If I find something that tastes like it, I'll let you know what it is. I ran my tongue over the ridges of his mouth, traced his lips, his ring, and as I was thoroughly trying my hardest to convince myself that Ri had put some sort of hallucinogen in the tea and I had passed out moments before and was dreaming this up. I cupped his face in my hands just to make sure as I underwent the same treatment.
When we finally parted I was almost positive that my face was hot enough to fry an egg on.
"Uhm… N-noda…" Ri began. I was suddenly very aware of everything. His arms around my shoulders (one hand tangled in my hair) his breath tickling my face, everything.
"You don't have to say anything." I said quietly. He nodded and leaned his head against my shoulder. I leaned against the arm of his little sofa. His eyes fluttered shut.
"'M kinda sleepy noda…" he mumbled dozily while he rubbed an eye with a fist. Like a little kid that was really tired. How cute. I yawned ever so slightly. It was weird. I was kind of tired too.
"'Kay…" I let my head drop back on the arm of the sofa. I didn't mean to fall asleep. Really. I didn't. But I did. When I woke up again, it was ten minutes until three.
"Oh crap." I mumbled. I sat-lay there for a moment fighting an internal battle. Wake Ri up and go hang out with the others or go back to sleep. Ri opened his eyes before I decided. He yawned just a little.
"You have a nice nap?" he mumbled into the crook of my neck.
"Mm-hm." I returned. I felt my eyelids start to drift shut again.
"What time is it noda?" Ri asked, snuggling closer.
"Two fifty-three." I replied.
"Don't we have to be some where at three na noda?" Ri asked. I sighed a little.
"Yeah, shall we?" I asked sitting up.
"Lets." Ri joined me. He exited his apartment and climbed back in to the Hummer. When we got to my place, Genrou and Kouji were in our kitchen (if you call a stove, fridge, and two cupboards a kitchen) with their pajama pants on doing what I like to call their 'Happy Dance' and laughing like they had gone insane. Their, uh Happy Dance actually is a lot like some kind of mix between square dancing and that Russian hat dance. It's pretty funny to look at.
"Da?" Ri looked kind of confused.
"We did it!" Crowed Kouji.
"Err, did what?" I asked. The both of them began to jabber incoherently. I managed to pick out: Telephone, manager, Surreal, and T.V. Ri cocked his head to the side like a confused puppy dog.
"Nani noda?"
"It's soooo fuckin' cool! Ya won't believe it!" Genrou yammered.
"We're gonna open for the band Surreal!" Kouji interjected.
"Who's that?" I asked. Kouji's eyes went wide.
"You dunno who Surreal is?" he asked in a shocked voice.
"Err, Kou, we dun know who th' hell Surreal is either." Genrou pointed out.
"Oh yeah! But hey! Th' manager of Purple, what's her name again Gen- kun?"
"Miss. Makaiyo?" Genrou ventured.
"Yeah, that chick, she called us an'-" Kouji started.
"Said we was gunna open fer 'em an' that-"
"Th' performance's gunna be on T.V.!!!" They both shouted.
"Are you serious?" I asked. I had to work on a new song then!
"Yeah!!!" the two of them started to Happy Dance again.
"I know who Surreal is na noda!" Ri cried. "They're a British rock band! They're really popular noda!"
"What're we doin' standin' here like bakas? We need to celebrate! Bring on th' sake!" Genrou bellowed.
"I have a feeling Genrou's the sort of person that if the mail comes be 'brings on th' sake' noda!" Ri whispered. I laughed and reminded Genrou that Ri and I are the only ones present that are legally allowed to drink. He and Kouji sulked a bit and then began to Happy Dance again. I had a feeling they'd get rip-roaringly drunk sooner or later. They always manage to.
"Uh, what's going on in here?" Heika and Ryuuen were here.
"We're gonna be on T.V.! We're gonna be on T.V.!" Chanted Genrou and Kouji. Ri and I stated what we knew and tried not to get too excited.
"We're gonna be on T.V too!!" We miserably failed. Ryuuen's whole face lit up.
"Really?? Yay!" He smiled and clapped to show he was happy. Heika smiled and shook our hands. (Must be some rich-boy thing)
"Really? When?" He asked.
"Uh, guys, when are we opening?" I asked.
"Friday! Friday!" Heika looked around at our, well, poorness-ness.
"You have no furniture." He stated.
"We have a couch." I said pointing to the lonely thing in the corner. He explored the room for a bit.
"I had no idea people were this bad off. Why did mother not tell me…(mumble, mumble) that people could be so wretchedly poor?"(*) Well, I got to hand it to the guy. He sure is honest. (A/N: *That was from manga number five noda.)
"So, we're all here! Who wants some sake, eh?"
"Genrou………"
Noda no Miko: Weeee-eeell! That's the end for now na noda!!!
Nuriko: You know what I've just noticed?
Hotohori: What?
Nuriko: Every band member is gay…
Chichiri: We're a punk-rock version of The Village People noda!!
Tomo: I call dibs on being the policeman!
Noda no Miko: Will Aono write his song in time? Will Heika ever hook it up with Ryuuen? And most importantly: Will Genrou and Kouji ever gat drunk and 'boink eachother's brains out' again??? Find out next time on BEKKU HAKUSHI NODA!!!
Tasuki: Bah, shuddup an' write th' next chapter Miko-chan!
Noda no Miko: *glower, glower* For that I'm making you extra sappy noda!!!
//~*Owari*~// (for now that is noda!!)