Chapter 7 – Walking home
They reached the cinema safely somehow after the trip to the coffee shop. Nicole was pretty sure they would not be seen along that street corner for while. She and Heather might as well look for another place to drink coffee.
Starbucks would do just fine. Frappucinos were a fad anyway.
Nicole was still adjusting to Kaede's attitude. As far as she was concerned, Akira was more Kaede than Kaede himself. Well Nicole didn't remember the Kaede she knew sleeping on the streets, but one thing she did remember about Kaede, was he barely knew how to smile.
* * *
'How come your eyes are always narrowed?' the kid Nicole asked Kaede, peering into his small eyes. She placed her face right in front of his and blinked, puzzled.
He gave her a confused look, pulling his head back and darting his eyes away from her gray ones. He apparently did not understand.
'I mean, your eyes, you always look mad,' rephrased Nicole.
He shrugged.
'How come I don't see you smile?' she dug in deeper.
He shrugged again. 'Me look odd…' Kaede stretched his lips to a smile, forcibly showing his teeth. His eyes however showed no hint of mirth, just that stupid glare. His face broke to a scowl.
Nicole burst out laughing. 'I'll teach you how. Think of a funny thing and laugh…in case you don't know it comes out naturally…'
Kaede stayed silent for a while and erupted, 'Ha…ha…ha…ha..ha..ha.hahaha…hahaha…' his hahas trailed off.
'You need better lessons…' Nicole said, biting her lip.
* * *
*He looked so weird then* Nicole mused to herself, absentmindedly handing the ticket to the ticket-person at the entrance to the movies. She followed the three enter the dark theater.
*At least at the end of his one month vacation I managed to make him smile and laugh…well his smile looked genuine and cute…but his laugh…whatever* recalled Nicole as she took her seat. The kid Kaede looked so adorable in her memory. His little eyes dancing and his small teeth all white and sparkling when she accompanied him to the airport when they were about to leave. That was the first and last smile she saw of him. She could tell even his parents were surprised to see him smile.
[errr…hehe ^^ I think I'm destroying slowly Rukawa's character with that…gah! =p gomen ne…^^ somehow I can't imagine what I wrote…]
And suddenly after twelve years, he grinned like movie stars straight out of the TV screen.
Sighing, she stared at the screen inattentively. Kaede and Heather were chatting quietly, having the time of their lives. Akira was…well…sleeping. Nicole could get used to that.
A few more minutes trailed on.
'Oh I love you!' the girl in the screen gushed to the boy as they hugged each other and smooched.
Nicole winced. 'Sappy,' she muttered 'Ugh!' She turned to Kaede and Heather. 'Sappier…' Feeling sick she stood out and made for the exit.
No one noticed.
*
The coffee Nicole ordered from the theater's store was already cold after an hour, but Nicole still had no intentions of going back. She sat there quietly, swinging her legs absently under the stool she sat on.
She was positive the guard was already giving her those looks. 'What is she doing there? Strange kid…' he must be thinking.
Well Nicole was so fed up that she decided to leave. Then she caught glimpse of Akira exiting the theater's doors, stretching and yawning. He gave her that 'huh?' look, his eyes all drowsy and his stance all sluggish.
'Akira…!' Nicole called, waiting for him to approach her.
He did wordlessly.
'Why aren't you inside?' Nicole asked.
'That boy went in the cinema to sleep?' That probably what was meant by the stare the clerk of the theater's store was giving them.
Akira shrugged. 'Wanna get out here…' he mumbled incoherently.
'You better come with me,' she said, dumping her half-filled coffee cup into the trashcan. 'Those two are making me sick.'
*
The next thing Rukawa knew, he was walking with Heather to…who-knows-where. He was still half asleep when he agreed to whatever she suggested he didn't catch.
Sendoh and Nicole were too busy with themselves in the movie house to even care he left.
He had no idea what to tell her. If he remembered it right, they were walking for half an hour speechlessly.
'How come I never saw you smile?' she asked suddenly, breaking the silence. That question seemed awfully familiar to Rukawa. Well so people always asked him that, but its relevance now was different.
He shrugged.
[chibi-Rukawa 1 while floating on Rukawa's shoulder: Hey dumbbell is that all you can do? Shrug?]
[chibi-Rukawa 2 also floating on Rukawa's shoulder: Nani?]
[chibi-Rukawa 1: Talk to her! Baka yarou! This is LONDON for crying out loud!]
[chibi-Rukawa 2: She's not Nicole…]
[chibi-Rukawa 1: Be polite at least!]
[chibi-Rukawa 2: Was I ever? Girls don't mean anything to me…]
[chibi-Rukawa 1: Do-aho…*kicks chibi-Rukawa 2*]
[chibi-Rukawa 2: *retaliates*]
[The two chibi-Rukawas fight on Rukawa's shoulder as the real chibi-Rukawa brushes them off to kingdom come]
'You don't really talk do you?' she asked.
'Iie…' he answered.
'I see. Well that figures…you really don't talk a lot.'
Then Rukawa jerked conscious suddenly. She understood that? 'You know Japanese?' he asked.
Suddenly, a car came speeding by them, splattering melted snow on their clothes.
They reached the cinema safely somehow after the trip to the coffee shop. Nicole was pretty sure they would not be seen along that street corner for while. She and Heather might as well look for another place to drink coffee.
Starbucks would do just fine. Frappucinos were a fad anyway.
Nicole was still adjusting to Kaede's attitude. As far as she was concerned, Akira was more Kaede than Kaede himself. Well Nicole didn't remember the Kaede she knew sleeping on the streets, but one thing she did remember about Kaede, was he barely knew how to smile.
* * *
'How come your eyes are always narrowed?' the kid Nicole asked Kaede, peering into his small eyes. She placed her face right in front of his and blinked, puzzled.
He gave her a confused look, pulling his head back and darting his eyes away from her gray ones. He apparently did not understand.
'I mean, your eyes, you always look mad,' rephrased Nicole.
He shrugged.
'How come I don't see you smile?' she dug in deeper.
He shrugged again. 'Me look odd…' Kaede stretched his lips to a smile, forcibly showing his teeth. His eyes however showed no hint of mirth, just that stupid glare. His face broke to a scowl.
Nicole burst out laughing. 'I'll teach you how. Think of a funny thing and laugh…in case you don't know it comes out naturally…'
Kaede stayed silent for a while and erupted, 'Ha…ha…ha…ha..ha..ha.hahaha…hahaha…' his hahas trailed off.
'You need better lessons…' Nicole said, biting her lip.
* * *
*He looked so weird then* Nicole mused to herself, absentmindedly handing the ticket to the ticket-person at the entrance to the movies. She followed the three enter the dark theater.
*At least at the end of his one month vacation I managed to make him smile and laugh…well his smile looked genuine and cute…but his laugh…whatever* recalled Nicole as she took her seat. The kid Kaede looked so adorable in her memory. His little eyes dancing and his small teeth all white and sparkling when she accompanied him to the airport when they were about to leave. That was the first and last smile she saw of him. She could tell even his parents were surprised to see him smile.
[errr…hehe ^^ I think I'm destroying slowly Rukawa's character with that…gah! =p gomen ne…^^ somehow I can't imagine what I wrote…]
And suddenly after twelve years, he grinned like movie stars straight out of the TV screen.
Sighing, she stared at the screen inattentively. Kaede and Heather were chatting quietly, having the time of their lives. Akira was…well…sleeping. Nicole could get used to that.
A few more minutes trailed on.
'Oh I love you!' the girl in the screen gushed to the boy as they hugged each other and smooched.
Nicole winced. 'Sappy,' she muttered 'Ugh!' She turned to Kaede and Heather. 'Sappier…' Feeling sick she stood out and made for the exit.
No one noticed.
*
The coffee Nicole ordered from the theater's store was already cold after an hour, but Nicole still had no intentions of going back. She sat there quietly, swinging her legs absently under the stool she sat on.
She was positive the guard was already giving her those looks. 'What is she doing there? Strange kid…' he must be thinking.
Well Nicole was so fed up that she decided to leave. Then she caught glimpse of Akira exiting the theater's doors, stretching and yawning. He gave her that 'huh?' look, his eyes all drowsy and his stance all sluggish.
'Akira…!' Nicole called, waiting for him to approach her.
He did wordlessly.
'Why aren't you inside?' Nicole asked.
'That boy went in the cinema to sleep?' That probably what was meant by the stare the clerk of the theater's store was giving them.
Akira shrugged. 'Wanna get out here…' he mumbled incoherently.
'You better come with me,' she said, dumping her half-filled coffee cup into the trashcan. 'Those two are making me sick.'
*
The next thing Rukawa knew, he was walking with Heather to…who-knows-where. He was still half asleep when he agreed to whatever she suggested he didn't catch.
Sendoh and Nicole were too busy with themselves in the movie house to even care he left.
He had no idea what to tell her. If he remembered it right, they were walking for half an hour speechlessly.
'How come I never saw you smile?' she asked suddenly, breaking the silence. That question seemed awfully familiar to Rukawa. Well so people always asked him that, but its relevance now was different.
He shrugged.
[chibi-Rukawa 1 while floating on Rukawa's shoulder: Hey dumbbell is that all you can do? Shrug?]
[chibi-Rukawa 2 also floating on Rukawa's shoulder: Nani?]
[chibi-Rukawa 1: Talk to her! Baka yarou! This is LONDON for crying out loud!]
[chibi-Rukawa 2: She's not Nicole…]
[chibi-Rukawa 1: Be polite at least!]
[chibi-Rukawa 2: Was I ever? Girls don't mean anything to me…]
[chibi-Rukawa 1: Do-aho…*kicks chibi-Rukawa 2*]
[chibi-Rukawa 2: *retaliates*]
[The two chibi-Rukawas fight on Rukawa's shoulder as the real chibi-Rukawa brushes them off to kingdom come]
'You don't really talk do you?' she asked.
'Iie…' he answered.
'I see. Well that figures…you really don't talk a lot.'
Then Rukawa jerked conscious suddenly. She understood that? 'You know Japanese?' he asked.
Suddenly, a car came speeding by them, splattering melted snow on their clothes.