DID I FORGET MAKINO?
[ ] – Characters' thought
- EPILOGUE-
[That night, we hugged…because he finally remembered my name…]
:: Two days after the gang returned from Osaka ::
:: Inside the dango stall ::
" Sugoi desu ne!" Yuuki quipped in joy while she rearranged the dango inside the display counter.
" Huh?" Tsukushi responded.
" You and Domyouji…" Yuuki explained her earlier joyful remarks.
" Oh…" There was a thoughtful pause. " Ya, everything's back to normal, I guess." Tsukushi said, smiling.
[Normal…it never occurs to me that this word would be back in my dictionary ever since the day he came into my life…]
*****
:: Inside certain pub ::
" Something seem to be missing…" Akira commented in a surprisingly serious tone.
" Got dumped again?" Soujirou teased.
" It is not about me, and - " Akira glared at Soujirou, " my current love life is doing just fine."
" Okay! Okay!" Soujirou quipped, rolling his eyes.
" Then why are you getting so edgy?" Shigeru joined in.
" Yeah…you have been acting so funny lately, especially after we got back from Osaka." Sakurako added.
" Didn't you all realize something significant and yet so insignificant has been missing lately?" Akira asked. A brief silent fell within the group as everyone was trying to figure out what Akira had just mentioned.
" Did you just hook up with some over-sensitive old lady?" Soujirou said, not feeling too comfortable about the topic that Akira had struck up. It kind of spoiled his mood for clubbing if they were to discuss such a heavy-hearted topic.
" Come to think of it…" Shigeru finally spoke up and then pause to finger her chin in a thoughtful manner before she went on, " there seem to be something missing…"
"Domyouji-sempai remembered Makino-sempai, Domyouji-sempai found Makino-sempai in Osaka and now Domyouji-sempai and Makino-sempai are dating. Everything seem so perfect…" Sakurako added as she recalled the whole trouble they had been through just for the couple.
" That's it!" Shigeru snapped her fingers, her eyes lit up with interest, " They are now dating…that's the reason."
" I don't see anything wrong with that." Soujirou said, still looking very confused. Sakurako had the same clueless expression on her face too.
Resolutely, both Shigeru and Akira let out a grin and turned towards Rui, who had been very quiet all the while.
" I wonder if Tsukasa has already noticed about this?" Rui said, smiling back to the duo.
" What are you three talking about??" Both Soujirou and Sakurako almost screamed out in frustration, for not knowing what the rest of them were talking about. However, it seemed that Akira had no intention in telling his buddy about their discovery. It was about time Akira had his revenge.
*****
:: Outside the main gate of the Domyouji mansion ::
[Strange…]
Tsukasa told himself while his eyes started scanning his surrounding. He was on his way to the dango stall to fetch Tsukushi from work.
[Has she already given up? Nah…it would seem quite impossible.]
" Were you following me?" Tsukasa growled into the face of the helpless man in black suite as he pulled him out from the alley.
" No…No sir!" The man pleaded out loud. His face was turning from red to pale blue because Tsukasa was practically cutting off the poor man's oxygen supply with a hand clenched tightly around his throat.
" Eekkkk! What are you trying to do? Let him off!" A hysteric voice echoed behind Tsukasa and then followed by a few painless punches from one petite lady, however, Tsukasa's murderous glare made her stop her useless defense.
" Who…are…you?" The lady stammered, her eyes reddened when she noticed her partner's suffering expression. It was during that moment Tsukasa finally released his fatal grip.
[He is not one of them?]
*****
:: Back at the dango stall ::
" Ah, your Domyouji is here." Yuuki informed when she spotted Tsukasa standing outside the stall. However, she noticed an unreadable expression on his face.
" He's here already?" Tsukushi turned around and indeed he was there, " He's early." Tsukushi said after casting a quick glance at her watch.
" Dai jo bu, I will do the clean up later." Yuuki assured.
" Nah… let him wait." Tsukushi said and continued with her cleaning, but Yuuki stopped her.
" I think you better go first…don't let him wait too long. He looks kind of jumpy..." Yuuki reminded.
" Jumpy?" Tsukushi stuttered out and gave him another glance and sure enough, she knew what Yuuki was referring to. Tsukasa practically had his head constantly turning from left to right, expecting the unexpected.
[That baka! Ha! Ha! Ha!]
Tsukushi tried to muffle her inner laughter. " All right then, I guess I better get to him before he gets a nervous breakdown." Tsukushi thanked Yuuki for covering her duty before she retreated into the locker room.
*****
:: Outside the dango stall ::
" You are early tonight." Tsukushi commented as she stopped beside Tsukasa.
" Am I?"
" Yeah, anyway Yuuki-chan is very kind to cover the rest of my duty because she told me about your jumpy expression." Tsukushi said.
" Jumpy expression?"
" Did something happen just now?" Tsukushi asked.
" Nothing happen."
" Well, that's good."
" Good? That's precisely the problem, NOTHING HAPPENED!" Tsukasa remarked worriedly, " It's just too…peaceful…"
" What's wrong with that?" Tsukushi asked again.
" Don't you have any awareness? She won't give up that easily." Tsukasa almost wanted to scream some sense into his naïve girlfriend's head.
" Awareness…hmmm…" There was a thoughtful pause between the two and then Tsukushi surprised Tsukasa by wrapping her hands around his right arm.
" Come, turn around and wave goodbye to Yuuki-chan." Tsukushi said and obediently, Tsukasa did as told. Yuuki too, waved back to them from inside.
" It's such a beautiful night. Let's take a stroll in the park…" Tsukushi suggested.
" Hey, we are still on that topic – " Tsukushi cut his words short by sealing his lips with a surprise peck. It was enough to keep him quiet for a while and made him forsaking his earlier 'awareness lecture'.
" Let's go." Tsukushi said as she pulled her dazed Domyouji along. While they were strolling along the quiet pathway, Tsukushi tilted her head up a little to have a quick glance at the face of her beloved Domyouji Tsukasa and their eyes met.
" I love you." Tsukasa whispered into her ear.
" But you have once forgotten about me." Tsukushi said with a frown.
" When did I?" Tsukasa insisted and almost regretted immediately because they would probably going to end this beautiful night with another bickering session. Suddenly, a shadowy figure caught his attention and Tsukushi could feel Tsukasa's muscle tightened.
" I think we are being followed." Tsukasa whispered out in a cautious tone.
" What should we do?"
" Maybe we will meet the rest in the pub. They can't do anything to us when we are in a group." Tsukasa said, with an expression so serious that he almost had Tsukushi enthralled.
[I really wanted to him to know about the conversation I had with that woman…but…]
" Domyouji…" Tsukushi called out.
" Yes?" Tsukasa responded, but his eyes were still on 'scanning mode'. At that very moment, Tsukushi was surprised to find herself longing for the protection from this lanky guy beside her.
[I guess…]
And now, indeed, she felt so…protected and so…loved.
[I will tell him another day…]
" I love you too."