Note: What happened to all my reviewers? Awww, I guess I can understand that you're all busy, but at least take the time to read my story for me! J/K :P Anyway, we last left off with a decision that will forever change Ken's life. Has he made his decision? Find out on this chapter!
Chapter 11 - Aishiteru!
The sunlight seemed to burn through her mind as she opened her eyes to a bright new day. Miyako groaned, putting a hand on the top of her head. She didn't remember a thing about what happened last night. All she remembered was... having fun at the party Ken set up and... getting drunk? Miyako glanced at herself. She was dressed in her rose pink pajamas and her feet were bare from the socks she wore last night. Miyako looked around warily, slowly removing the blanket from on top of her as she got up. Her feet touched the cool wooden floor of the room and she lifted herself up from the bed. Miyako glanced at the side of the bed and just as she expected, her glasses were there... her round, ugly glasses. Frowning, she picked up the glasses and placed it on her nose, then prepared to leave the room, when the door opened, startling her. She was afraid to come face to face with Ken. She was afraid to see his angry face, realizing that she had gotten drunk last night and might have done something stupid because of it. Miyako sighed. She had to face him sooner or later, instead of running away. If she had to explain everything to him, she couldn't. She didn't remember anything, except maybe drinking a whole glass of sake.
"Don't get up, I'll come to you," Ken spoke, his voice interrupting her thoughts. She looked up, noticing her boyfriend step inside the room while the door slipped open slowly. Ken was carrying a glass of water in his hand, while his other palm was wide open, revealing two pills of Advil- probably for her headache. Miyako stared into her boyfriend's eyes. Nothing in them seemed to be filled with anger or hate.
She laid her head back down and sighed. Miyako could hear Ken's heavy feet as he walked towards her and felt weight on the bed beside her. The lavender haired girl looked up and frowned. "Gomen, Ken. Please forgive me for being so stupid."
Ken stared at her, bewildered. "Nani? What do you mean?"
Miyako sat up from bed, wrapping her arms around Ken's waist, then buried her face against his chest. "If I did something stupid while I was drunk, please forgive me."
Ken shook his head, his mind wandering to the time Miyako absent-mindedly looked into his bedside drawer and took out the acceptance letter from Harvard. He wasn't sure what she was doing at first when he noticed her pull out the folded letter. Ken was too late to stop her form reading it.
"Ken? What's this?" Miyako had asked that night, as she turned to look at him. Miyako glanced back at the paper and read it some more and realization finally hit her. "You were accepted at Harvard and you didn't tell me?"
Ken knew Miyako had been drinking, hence the glass of Shirley temple that Hanako brought from America placed on the table as Miyako entered the room and helped herself into looking inside his drawer. The blue haired boy noticed the way Miyako was standing. She was standing rather awkwardly, her body slightly moving back and forth, trying to keep her balance.
"What do you think you're doing just opening my drawer like that, Miyako?" Ken was not angry. He was nervous and his nervousness turned into anger... which was his way of getting rid of his, the anxiety in his heart. He grabbed the paper from her hand and stuffed it inside his back pocket without folding it back, closed the door and looked at her.
"Why didn't you tell me, you jerk?!" At that point, Ken wanted to feel nothing as Miyako lifted an arm and slapped him across the face, but the slap stung him, his cheeks reddened form the angry blow inflicted upon him. Ken said nothing, rather angry with himself for not telling Miyako in the first place and having her to find out while she was drunk. "Why don't you just leave?! That's what everybody's doing! They ALL want to leave Miyako Inoue, because she's so annoying!" Miyako walked pass him, but not before Ken grabbed her arm to stop her from walking away. "NO! Let me go!"
Ken pulled her for an embrace, forcing her against him. "Miyako, please let me explain," he whispered in her ear. "Let's talk about this when everyone's gone."
"Why are you wasting your time talking to me? You have Harvard to go to!" Miyako angrily pushed him as hard as she could and stared at him with tears in her eyes. "You love Harvard more than you love me!"
"That's not true, Miya..." Ken stepped forward, but Miyako had already opened the door, ready to leave the room. "Miyako..."
Miyako paused by the doorway. Eyes looked their way as Miyako turned to face Ken again, tears now running down her cheeks. Everyone had heard everything, but no one dared to interfere, except for the two girls who were standing right across the room. "I hate you, Ken Ichijouji..." For that, Miyako turned and left the apartment, leaving Ken stunned and hurt from her words.
"Ken-kun? Are you all right?" Miyako lifted her head from his chest and looked into his eyes. She wanted him to tell her how he felt, wanted him to tell the whole truth about what she did the other night. She noticed Ken's hesitant look as he smiled and nodded.
"I'm fine. Here's the pill for your headache. I'm sure you want to get rid of it before English starts tomorrow." He wanted to know in her eyes if she remembered. Ken held out the pills to her and Miyako took it as slowly as she could, and then swallowed it whole, followed by the glass of water Ken provided for her.
When she was finished, Miyako grabbed hold of Ken's arm and frowned. She could tell whether Ken was lying or not. The change in his eyes gave away the answer to it all. "Ken, why are you lying to me?"
Ken looked at her. "What are you talking about?"
"I did something stupid, didn't I?" She waited until he nodded his head, but he didn't. Angrily, Miyako slammed a hand hard on the bed and glared at him. "Tell me, Ken!"
Ken stood up and frowned. "Miyako, if I tell you now, you don't ever want to see me again." Before he could leave the room, Ken noticed Akira and Hanako standing by the doorway, frowning.
"Ken, you have to start telling her, before both of us do," Akira spoke.
Miyako glanced at the two curiously, watching as Akira and Hanako stepped inside the room, trapping Ken. Hanako closed the door behind them and glanced at her best friend, before turning her attention towards the tall boy.
"You told her?" Ken spoke, his eyes blazing with shock at the red head.
"I had no other choice. She is the only one who can help me to get you talking," Akira replied.
"Start telling the truth, Ken! Remind her of what happened last night."
"So you do know what happened!" Miyako spoke, standing up slowly from bed. She placed a hand on Ken's shoulder and cautiously turned him around. Ken glanced down on her, closing his eyes sadly. Miyako could not stand Ken's sad look. She wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed, burying her face to smell her favourite cologne that he wore everyday. "Ken... please tell me. Why did you say that I wouldn't want to see you again if you told me?"
"Because I have been accepted to Harvard, Miyako, do you remember that? Do you remember reading a letter from the drawer you opened? I tried explaining to you, but you just shoved me away and ran out. You told me you hated me..." Ken gently pushed Miyako off of him and turned his face away from her. "I wanted to explain to you... I did, but you didn't want to listen. You didn't want to know the truth. You thought I would leave you... But do you even know the answer I gave them Miyako? Read this." Ken fished inside his coat pocket and took out a new envelope, then handed it for Miyako to open.
Miyako said nothing as she took the letter from his hand and opened it. Indeed, inside was a letter from Harvard's campus dean, neatly and formally typed on thick paper and sighed by the owner of the campus. It said:
Dear Mr. Ichijouji,
We are sorry to hear that you will not be able to attend Harvard. We know it must be a tough transfer from Japan to America, for it would be hard to leave your family. However, if you do change your mind, we will reserve a seat for you in the school until the end of September so that you can join us. Thank you for your honesty.
Sincerely,
Donovan Clydesdale
Harvard School Board Donovan Clydesdale
Miyako stared at the paper, her eyes watering with despair and utmost disappointment. Ken did this for her. He rejected Harvard so he could stay with her. Why? She looked up, her eyes watery from crying and shook her head. "No. You can't reject them. Write them back, Ken. Write them back and say that you will go to this school. You've always wanted to go to Harvard." She looked down in sadness.
Ken shook his head. "It's too late, I've already made my decision, despite what they say about reserving a seat for me. Miyako... I love you... When Hanako left, I felt I didn't have the right to tell you about Harvard right after she boarded that plane and left your life for good. I thought that if I stayed, you wouldn't be sad anymore." He took a step forward, then placed a hand under her chin to life her face up so he could see her face. "You know how much I hate it when you're sad."
The lavender haired girls sniffed, cried his name, and then collapsed in his arms to cry some more. "Baka! Why?! This was your chance to be in Harvard. Why would you choose me over the one thing you've always cared for the most?"
"Because the only one that I care for the most is right here in Japan." He wrapped his arms around her tightly and a single tear fell down his cheek.
Akira and Hanako watched as the two became wrapped up in each other's arms. Tears also streamed down their faces as they stepped out of the room to leave them alone and closed the door. Hanako turned to Akira and frowned.
"I wish I had a boyfriend like him," Hanako spoke, sniffling.
****************
Miyako sighed, as she listened to her English professor make a lecture about the poetic form of an American poet's story. 'Ballad? Limerick?' she thought in her head. Right now, it didn't matter. She was thinking about yesterday, how Ken sacrificed his career in Harvard to be with her. No matter how happy she was, she couldn't help but feel miserable about it. She knew how it meant so much for him to be in Harvard. He once mentioned to her that his older brother, Osamu always wanted to go to Harvard, but didn't have enough money to go there. Miyako's heart lurched. She was beginning to feel like she was the evil person here, keeping the good guy from accomplishing his goal.
"Inoue-san? Did you hear what I said?" It took a moment for Miyako to actually listen, until someone's elbow gently brought her back into the world. She glanced towards one of her friends and then at her sensei, his eyes looking annoyed.
"Uh... hai..." Miyako gulped, his eyes still tattooed on her face.
"Then, could you please repeat it to me," the man spoke, folding his arms across his chest.
Miyako said nothing and as she was about to say something else, her sensei broke eye contact and sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "Honestly, Miyako, could you please pay a little bit more attention? Just because your birthday was last night and had a party, doesn't mean you should neglect your homework." He glanced over his shoulder and smiled. "Next time, please pay attention."
The lavender haired girl nodded. Despite her sensei's words to listen, her mind was somewhere else, still placed upon Ken and his decision. "Aishiteru, Ken-kun..." she whispered to softly that none of her friends sitting beside her could hear.
GoodGurl: Wow! Have you guys been waiting THAT long?! I'm sorry! I've been busy! Thanx for all your reviews tho!
Chapter 11 - Aishiteru!
The sunlight seemed to burn through her mind as she opened her eyes to a bright new day. Miyako groaned, putting a hand on the top of her head. She didn't remember a thing about what happened last night. All she remembered was... having fun at the party Ken set up and... getting drunk? Miyako glanced at herself. She was dressed in her rose pink pajamas and her feet were bare from the socks she wore last night. Miyako looked around warily, slowly removing the blanket from on top of her as she got up. Her feet touched the cool wooden floor of the room and she lifted herself up from the bed. Miyako glanced at the side of the bed and just as she expected, her glasses were there... her round, ugly glasses. Frowning, she picked up the glasses and placed it on her nose, then prepared to leave the room, when the door opened, startling her. She was afraid to come face to face with Ken. She was afraid to see his angry face, realizing that she had gotten drunk last night and might have done something stupid because of it. Miyako sighed. She had to face him sooner or later, instead of running away. If she had to explain everything to him, she couldn't. She didn't remember anything, except maybe drinking a whole glass of sake.
"Don't get up, I'll come to you," Ken spoke, his voice interrupting her thoughts. She looked up, noticing her boyfriend step inside the room while the door slipped open slowly. Ken was carrying a glass of water in his hand, while his other palm was wide open, revealing two pills of Advil- probably for her headache. Miyako stared into her boyfriend's eyes. Nothing in them seemed to be filled with anger or hate.
She laid her head back down and sighed. Miyako could hear Ken's heavy feet as he walked towards her and felt weight on the bed beside her. The lavender haired girl looked up and frowned. "Gomen, Ken. Please forgive me for being so stupid."
Ken stared at her, bewildered. "Nani? What do you mean?"
Miyako sat up from bed, wrapping her arms around Ken's waist, then buried her face against his chest. "If I did something stupid while I was drunk, please forgive me."
Ken shook his head, his mind wandering to the time Miyako absent-mindedly looked into his bedside drawer and took out the acceptance letter from Harvard. He wasn't sure what she was doing at first when he noticed her pull out the folded letter. Ken was too late to stop her form reading it.
"Ken? What's this?" Miyako had asked that night, as she turned to look at him. Miyako glanced back at the paper and read it some more and realization finally hit her. "You were accepted at Harvard and you didn't tell me?"
Ken knew Miyako had been drinking, hence the glass of Shirley temple that Hanako brought from America placed on the table as Miyako entered the room and helped herself into looking inside his drawer. The blue haired boy noticed the way Miyako was standing. She was standing rather awkwardly, her body slightly moving back and forth, trying to keep her balance.
"What do you think you're doing just opening my drawer like that, Miyako?" Ken was not angry. He was nervous and his nervousness turned into anger... which was his way of getting rid of his, the anxiety in his heart. He grabbed the paper from her hand and stuffed it inside his back pocket without folding it back, closed the door and looked at her.
"Why didn't you tell me, you jerk?!" At that point, Ken wanted to feel nothing as Miyako lifted an arm and slapped him across the face, but the slap stung him, his cheeks reddened form the angry blow inflicted upon him. Ken said nothing, rather angry with himself for not telling Miyako in the first place and having her to find out while she was drunk. "Why don't you just leave?! That's what everybody's doing! They ALL want to leave Miyako Inoue, because she's so annoying!" Miyako walked pass him, but not before Ken grabbed her arm to stop her from walking away. "NO! Let me go!"
Ken pulled her for an embrace, forcing her against him. "Miyako, please let me explain," he whispered in her ear. "Let's talk about this when everyone's gone."
"Why are you wasting your time talking to me? You have Harvard to go to!" Miyako angrily pushed him as hard as she could and stared at him with tears in her eyes. "You love Harvard more than you love me!"
"That's not true, Miya..." Ken stepped forward, but Miyako had already opened the door, ready to leave the room. "Miyako..."
Miyako paused by the doorway. Eyes looked their way as Miyako turned to face Ken again, tears now running down her cheeks. Everyone had heard everything, but no one dared to interfere, except for the two girls who were standing right across the room. "I hate you, Ken Ichijouji..." For that, Miyako turned and left the apartment, leaving Ken stunned and hurt from her words.
"Ken-kun? Are you all right?" Miyako lifted her head from his chest and looked into his eyes. She wanted him to tell her how he felt, wanted him to tell the whole truth about what she did the other night. She noticed Ken's hesitant look as he smiled and nodded.
"I'm fine. Here's the pill for your headache. I'm sure you want to get rid of it before English starts tomorrow." He wanted to know in her eyes if she remembered. Ken held out the pills to her and Miyako took it as slowly as she could, and then swallowed it whole, followed by the glass of water Ken provided for her.
When she was finished, Miyako grabbed hold of Ken's arm and frowned. She could tell whether Ken was lying or not. The change in his eyes gave away the answer to it all. "Ken, why are you lying to me?"
Ken looked at her. "What are you talking about?"
"I did something stupid, didn't I?" She waited until he nodded his head, but he didn't. Angrily, Miyako slammed a hand hard on the bed and glared at him. "Tell me, Ken!"
Ken stood up and frowned. "Miyako, if I tell you now, you don't ever want to see me again." Before he could leave the room, Ken noticed Akira and Hanako standing by the doorway, frowning.
"Ken, you have to start telling her, before both of us do," Akira spoke.
Miyako glanced at the two curiously, watching as Akira and Hanako stepped inside the room, trapping Ken. Hanako closed the door behind them and glanced at her best friend, before turning her attention towards the tall boy.
"You told her?" Ken spoke, his eyes blazing with shock at the red head.
"I had no other choice. She is the only one who can help me to get you talking," Akira replied.
"Start telling the truth, Ken! Remind her of what happened last night."
"So you do know what happened!" Miyako spoke, standing up slowly from bed. She placed a hand on Ken's shoulder and cautiously turned him around. Ken glanced down on her, closing his eyes sadly. Miyako could not stand Ken's sad look. She wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed, burying her face to smell her favourite cologne that he wore everyday. "Ken... please tell me. Why did you say that I wouldn't want to see you again if you told me?"
"Because I have been accepted to Harvard, Miyako, do you remember that? Do you remember reading a letter from the drawer you opened? I tried explaining to you, but you just shoved me away and ran out. You told me you hated me..." Ken gently pushed Miyako off of him and turned his face away from her. "I wanted to explain to you... I did, but you didn't want to listen. You didn't want to know the truth. You thought I would leave you... But do you even know the answer I gave them Miyako? Read this." Ken fished inside his coat pocket and took out a new envelope, then handed it for Miyako to open.
Miyako said nothing as she took the letter from his hand and opened it. Indeed, inside was a letter from Harvard's campus dean, neatly and formally typed on thick paper and sighed by the owner of the campus. It said:
Dear Mr. Ichijouji,
We are sorry to hear that you will not be able to attend Harvard. We know it must be a tough transfer from Japan to America, for it would be hard to leave your family. However, if you do change your mind, we will reserve a seat for you in the school until the end of September so that you can join us. Thank you for your honesty.
Sincerely,
Donovan Clydesdale
Harvard School Board Donovan Clydesdale
Miyako stared at the paper, her eyes watering with despair and utmost disappointment. Ken did this for her. He rejected Harvard so he could stay with her. Why? She looked up, her eyes watery from crying and shook her head. "No. You can't reject them. Write them back, Ken. Write them back and say that you will go to this school. You've always wanted to go to Harvard." She looked down in sadness.
Ken shook his head. "It's too late, I've already made my decision, despite what they say about reserving a seat for me. Miyako... I love you... When Hanako left, I felt I didn't have the right to tell you about Harvard right after she boarded that plane and left your life for good. I thought that if I stayed, you wouldn't be sad anymore." He took a step forward, then placed a hand under her chin to life her face up so he could see her face. "You know how much I hate it when you're sad."
The lavender haired girls sniffed, cried his name, and then collapsed in his arms to cry some more. "Baka! Why?! This was your chance to be in Harvard. Why would you choose me over the one thing you've always cared for the most?"
"Because the only one that I care for the most is right here in Japan." He wrapped his arms around her tightly and a single tear fell down his cheek.
Akira and Hanako watched as the two became wrapped up in each other's arms. Tears also streamed down their faces as they stepped out of the room to leave them alone and closed the door. Hanako turned to Akira and frowned.
"I wish I had a boyfriend like him," Hanako spoke, sniffling.
****************
Miyako sighed, as she listened to her English professor make a lecture about the poetic form of an American poet's story. 'Ballad? Limerick?' she thought in her head. Right now, it didn't matter. She was thinking about yesterday, how Ken sacrificed his career in Harvard to be with her. No matter how happy she was, she couldn't help but feel miserable about it. She knew how it meant so much for him to be in Harvard. He once mentioned to her that his older brother, Osamu always wanted to go to Harvard, but didn't have enough money to go there. Miyako's heart lurched. She was beginning to feel like she was the evil person here, keeping the good guy from accomplishing his goal.
"Inoue-san? Did you hear what I said?" It took a moment for Miyako to actually listen, until someone's elbow gently brought her back into the world. She glanced towards one of her friends and then at her sensei, his eyes looking annoyed.
"Uh... hai..." Miyako gulped, his eyes still tattooed on her face.
"Then, could you please repeat it to me," the man spoke, folding his arms across his chest.
Miyako said nothing and as she was about to say something else, her sensei broke eye contact and sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "Honestly, Miyako, could you please pay a little bit more attention? Just because your birthday was last night and had a party, doesn't mean you should neglect your homework." He glanced over his shoulder and smiled. "Next time, please pay attention."
The lavender haired girl nodded. Despite her sensei's words to listen, her mind was somewhere else, still placed upon Ken and his decision. "Aishiteru, Ken-kun..." she whispered to softly that none of her friends sitting beside her could hear.
GoodGurl: Wow! Have you guys been waiting THAT long?! I'm sorry! I've been busy! Thanx for all your reviews tho!