PART THREE
Torn Amid Purple and Blue
Tokiya
This must be it, I thought, looking up at the shop's sign the next morning. Koneko no Sumu Ie.
I knocked on the door of the shop. It had a sign that said it was still closed, so I couldn't just barge in without notice.
Ken came and opened the door. "Hey, Tokiya, you came. I thought you were going to back out."
"Hn, don't even think that you know me too well," I said.
"Yeah, well, you've got a point. C'mon in," he stepped back and closed the door as soon as I got inside.
"Hey, it's Mikagami-kun," Omi looked up from the pot he was holding.
I looked around and almost laughed out loud at what I saw.
"A flower shop? You assassins work at a flower shop?!? You're kidding me," I smirked.
"Shut up, Tokiya," Aya grumbled from the corner of the shop. Boy, he was a worse leader than Recca.
"So then what are we supposed to do here?" I asked Omi.
"Well," he ticked off with his fingers, "you water the plants, you put 'em in a pot, you---"
"And you got to survive the horde of schoolgirls who come here the very moment the store opens," Ken rolled his eyes. "They never stop bugging us no matter how much we try to send them off."
"That's also a good thing," Yoji said, "just think: you won't have to set off looking for the girl of your dreams. You'll just have to wait 'till they come to you. But it'd take an awful long time, though; it's hard to find your love among these girls. They're just too…forward," he went on.
"Anyway, Tokiya, if you're joining our team, then you'll have to live in our apartment, too. That way it'll be easy for us to meet up every time there's a mission coming up. That okay with you?" Ken put a hand on my shoulder. I winced a bit. The deep wound that Omi's dart had caused last night wasn't that well yet, and a rather big scar was marked on my left shoulder at the moment. Obviously, Ken had forgotten about that.
I shrugged. "It's not like I'll be needing to get in deep thought about it. I'm pretty much just living on my own now that my sister's…" I trailed off. "Forget it," I shook my head, scolding myself silently for almost slipping my tongue.
Thump!!!
"Aya!!! What in blazes do you think you're doing?!?" Yoji scolded.
I looked at Aya. He had dropped the sprinkler he was holding at what I had just said.
"Um, Aya-kun, daijoubu desu ka?" Omi asked worriedly.
Aya didn't respond. He kept staring at the pot of flowers he was once watering.
"Aya?" Yoji shook him by the shoulders. "Hey, hey Aya! Snap out of it!"
It was just at that moment that Aya seemed to return to his senses. He shook Yoji's hands off, and narrowed his eyes into slits at him.
"Hey… wait a minute… sorry, okay? No need to get harsh now…" Yoji took a step back.
Ken sighed and turned to look at me. "You need to help out at the shop, Tokiya."
"No way," I glared at him doubtfully.
"You're in, you work," Aya muttered from behind me.
I opened my mouth to say something, but then he glared at me. "Not a single objection."
Ken grinned. "Why don't you go get two more pots out back?"
I sighed. "Alright, fine," I snapped.
I went and did as I was told. And when I got back, they had already opened the store. And true enough, huge masses of schoolgirls surrounded each and every one of the Weiß guys.
I just stood there, not quite sure of what to do.
Ken pushed away one girl who was practically gluing herself to his shirt. "Kenken-chan!!!" another one of them grabbed his sleeve and pulled him away from the other girls, who shouted in protest.
I looked over at Yoji's group. They were all leaning over at him behind the counter, and one was toying with his shades.
Omi was desperately trying to avoid his admirers by walking back and forth the shop, carrying some pots, pretending to be really busy.
Aya, on the other hand, was just staring out the window, oblivious to the girls who were staring at him dreamily and practically fainting on the spot.
I forced myself not to burst out laughing. It was a pretty hilarious sight; so I guess this was what the Weiß team had to go through every morning. No wonder Ken was really pissed when he was talking about the horde of girls. I would call it torture, myself. Still, it was kind of unbelievable. These were highly trained assassins. They could annihilate thousands of men in single blows,
and yet they could not send these girls away?
Hn, foolish.
"Hey, Tokiya! You're back," Yoji managed to notice my arrival despite all the girls who were blocking his sight.
Just my luck. Because of Yoji acknowledging me, some of the girls turned around and began to cast their wicked smiles at me.
"Is he new here, Omi-kun?"
"Does he work here, too?"
"He sure is cute!"
"I think he's my type!"
"This flower shop is so blessed with bishounens!"
"Yatta! A new kawaii guy!"
Some girls gathered around me, now, asking my name and my age and all those insignificant information. Ugh, repulsive.
Ken began to laugh. So did Omi. "You'd have to live through all this from now on, Mikagami!' Ken remarked.
Oh darn, this is pure torture, I thought, trying to make my way to the counter through the disgusting girls around me. But then I spotted something that made me stop dead in my tracks.
The sight of the roses at one corner of the shop had stabbed me so.
Roses…ugh…
I've always despised roses since the first time I met my cousin when I was still a little kid. I've despised them, reviled them, detested them. Especially red ones. Which were exactly the roses that were sitting there in the corner. Roses. Red. I shut my eyes close and clenched my fist. All the girls surrounding me disappeared in thought and the memories of my cousin flooded back to my brain. My cousin. My rival. Damn him!!! I still remembered everything well. The way he'd made my life miserable even when we were still kids. The annoying way he walked. The way his green eyes sparkled in sarcasm. The way he turned my life into a nightmare. Damn him, damn him, damn him! I was clenching my fists too tight that my knuckles began to turn white.
Thankfully, Yoji broke my way to insanity.
"Hey! How's it going?" he said to someone I didn't notice enter the shop, since my back was to the door.
"I'm fine, Yoji, and don't you dare ask me out on another date again! The last time I went out with you I ended up barfing at the food!"
My eyes widened. I recognized that voice. It was soft, sweet, yet firm. It was…
"Hey, I'm sorry, okay? It's not my fault that restaurant served awful food," Yoji countered.
"Yeah, well it's your fault you brought me there!" the lady snapped back.
I turned around. "Fuuko?!?"
She gasped when she saw me. "Freezer Boy?"
"You both know each other?" Yoji asked, bewildered. Fuuko glared at him, and he smiled at her apologetically, stumbling back behind the counter because some girl pulled him back.
I squeezed through the girls around me. "What are you doing here?!?"
"Actually, Mi-chan, I'm the one who's supposed to be asking you that," she said, placing her hands on her hips, "and your answer better be good."
"Um, well…I---"
"Mikagami works here now, Fuuko-san," Ken stepped beside me, giving me another pat on the shoulder.
"Ow! Damn it, Ken! You've been doing that ever since I got here!!! Have you forgotten about that wound your friend Omi here gave me last night?!? Or are you just trying to make me miserable?!?"
"Hey, take it easy, man, I'm sorry!" He grinned.
"I often come to this shop just to check out the flowers with Yanagi, and boy, is it always packed!" she told me, and then she turned to Ken. "Kenken, are you serious? Freezer Boy works here now?" Fuuko grinned evilly at him.
He flushed a light shade of pink. "Stop calling me that!"
"Kenken-chan!!!" the girls around him cheered.
"Oh great," he grumbled, burying his head into his hands. I watched him as he desperately tried to make the girls stop with the stupid pet name. But since the ladies thought he was "cuter" whenever he was embarrassed or mad, they didn't quit. Ken almost fainted on the spot.
He was almost pitiful.
Almost.
I was glad the girls gathering around me didn't call me by any nicknames like MikaMika-chan (gag me) or Mi-chan--how Fuuko called me most of the time when she wanted to piss me off--or anything stupid.
Well, if they ever would, then I'd just grab my Ensui and scare them all away. Then again, it was probably not that easy, since the Weiß team had been suffering this torture for quite a long time now, yet still they haven't gotten rid of these flirts. They've probably tried threatening them already, but to no avail.
Fuuko tugged on my shirt to get back my attention. I turned to look at her in irritation. "Nani???" I asked almost too harshly.
She didn't seem to notice. "Could I please have a moment with you, alone?" she jerked her head towards the giggling girls around me. They were looking at me questioningly, waiting for my answer, probably hoping I wouldn't agree.
Anything to get rid of these fools even for just a while, I considered.
I looked at Fuuko as sweetly (and reluctantly) as I could. "Absolutely, Fuuko-chan, let's go together," I winced at the incredibly cheesy and abhorrent words I never in my whole life used to people in public, but I ignored it and took her hand, pulling her out the store. Outside, I could hear some of the girls groaning. I immediately dropped Fuuko's hand and sighed in relief to myself. Good riddance.
"Aw, sheesh, Mi-chan! Are you out of your mind?!? What was with the 'chan' thing? And did you ever notice that you used the word 'together'?" Fuuko glared at me incredulously.
I winced again. "Don't remind me. And it's not like you should know," I turned away.
"Alright, alright! Don't get too grouchy on me, too!" she frowned, her eyes putting up that I'm-so-hurt-so-apologize-to-me-act.
I looked directly at her, trying for at least one minute not to give in to her foolish trick with the eyes thing.
Well, I failed.
"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry, alright?!?" I told her, sighing. "There! I said the "s" word! You happy now, Fuuko?!?"
"Ha! Apology accepted!" she said smugly. "Works every time."
"Don't get too cocky."
"Well, it's true, isn't it? I, Kirisawa Fuuko, made the touchy Mikagami Tokiya apologize!!!" she laughed like crazy.
"Shut up," I mumbled.
She piped down and did that stupid eye trick again.
"That's it!!! You're worse than the girls from the shop!!! I'm going back in there," I turned to get back inside.
"Wait, Freezer Boy!" she grasped my shoulder.
"Damn it!!! It hurts, don't you get it?!? Have you been taking lessons from Ken or something?!? And what's with the repulsive 'freezer' thing?!? Has it ever crossed your microscopic mind that I have a name, too???" I pulled my shoulder away, my irritation level rising up big time.
She stifled a giggle. "Gomen nasai…"
I folded my arms across my chest. That was when she saw the cut on my shoulder. I still didn't get how she saw it beneath the sleeve, but she did anyway. She looked all worried and she started fussing over the blasted thing.
"M-Mi-chan…what…what happened to that?" she pointed to it.
I looked away from her. "None of your damn business."
"But…Tokiya…it's a really big cut, and---"
"What the heck do you want to talk about, anyway?!?" I snapped, getting more annoyed by the minute.
Finally, her features turned serious. "It's about your job here in the flower shop."
"Well, what about it?!?" I prompted. "It's just my first day here, okay? So if you think I made any mista---"
"No, no, it's not that," she looked at the sidewalk. "It's just that, I've heard about these guys you work with. They're…they're assassins, if you don't know, and---"
"You know they're assassins? How did you find out?" I asked, surprised.
"I've heard about that, okay? But that's not my point," she said, still not looking at me.
"Well, what is?!?" I began to lose my patience.
"Mi-chan…" she said, this time facing me. "Just answer me this one question."
"Spill it, Fuuko. I don't have all day."
She didn't tear her eyes away. "Why do you want to leave Hokage?"
How'd she know I was joining Weiß? I blinked, uncertain of my reply. Why did I leave Hokage?
"Hn, that's not your concern. Besides, it doesn't really matter anyway," I responded.
"It is my concern and it does matter!" her eyes were a pool of emotion. And this time, it was no eye trick.
"Don't you notice how many times Hanabishi and I fight nowadays? It never stops! Hanabishi is just a pure, damn jerk. And to him, I'm a jerk, too. Well, I'm cool with that. But just think about how it will be. Every time we need to defeat someone, he would get in my way and I'd get in his way. We won't get along. You said it yourself yesterday. We'd just lose just like how we almost did with Neon back in the tournament. So I figured it was for the best to---"
"No, it's not for the best! That must be how you are with Recca, but how about with Domon? With Koganei? With Yanagi? With…with me?" she reasoned softly.
I stood there, looking at her, taken aback. I was being asked the same question over and over again to myself. I couldn't bring myself to reply.
She sighed in depression. "I'll miss you in the team, Freezer Boy," she tried to smile. "I'll drop by often here at the shop, to see how you're doing. And we can still talk and everything…" she trailed off.
I guess I hadn't thought about it much…
I shook my head. "Don't be silly, Fuuko," I said, trying to show her that this matter didn't bother me much. "It's not the end of the world, you know."
"Hey, you two," Omi walked out of the shop and approached us. "The guys were kind of wondering where you both disappeared to all of a sudden. We even thought you both sneaked out on a date already! Yoji was kind of upset. He kept peeking out the window practically every second."
"You've lost your marbles, Omi," I remarked, glaring at him.
"Hey, it was possible," he shrugged.
"I have to go now, Mi-chan," Fuuko said to me. Then her expression changed as she turned to Omi. "Tell Yoji, absolutely no more dates. I gave him a chance once and the food was a hundred percent pathway to BarfLand! Ugh…I don't even like dating. You have no idea how Yanagi forced me to go through with it," she shook her head, giggling, and walked away.
"Considering it was Yoji, I'm not surprised Fuuko-san was so disgusted," Omi grinned and turned to me. "C'mon, Mikagami-san," and he got back inside.
I stayed there for a while, watching Fuuko disappear around the corner, a sinking feeling deep within me, something I couldn't portray.
Snap out of it, Tokiya, I shook my head and started for the shop's entrance.
Aw, shoot; I was starting to get too sentimental.
BotanHmmm, 9:15 am? It is still a bit early…could Kurama-kun possibly be awake now?
Of course he is, silly. He's not the type who'd wake up as late as he could.
I closed the door to my room as soon as I got outside. Ever so lightly, I closed it so as not to let Kurama hear me leaving next door. Because if he found out that I was going out into the busy city on my own, he'd freak out about my safety and would send someone to accompany me, if not himself. He's that caring and sweet. Too bad he's that caring and sweet to everybody, not just particularly to me.
I tiptoed down the hallway, passing his room, heading for the stairs( I'd use the--what had Kurama called it last night? The elevator?--if only I knew how).
Yes! I rejoiced inwardly. I got past his room! Now I can finally go and check out the Ningenkai cities fully!!! I can also--
"Just where are you planning to head for, Botan-san?"
I froze at the sweet, calm, and soft voice from behind me. Oh no….
I turned around and put on my biggest, pleading smile. Kurama was leaning against his door, arms folded, a warm smile upon his face. A warm smile that somehow, I knew, was only meant for me. For me, and no one else. "Kurama-kun! I was just, uh…"
He shifted from his position and stepped closer to me. "You're not going anywhere without me, are you?" he said softly.
"O-of course not," I said, stunned. What had that meant?
"Well, then why didn't you inform me about where you were going?" he continued in that soft, melting voice that he'd never used on me before. In fact, I think he's never used it on anyone before.
"Well, I-I…um…" I stammered, still not believing that Kurama was showing even just a small hint of interest, in me.
"Next time, do tell me where you are going, I don't want you to leave," he said, stepping even closer to me that we were only inches apart.
I just nodded while staring into his emerald eyes. I could not bring myself to speak. I had lost my voice. His nearness had taken it away.
"Good," his voice softened even more, touching my cheek, his face leaning closer and closer until his soft lips were on mine.
I couldn't believe it!!! It was a pure dream come true!!!
Wait, it was a dream, only, it wasn't true.
I was snapped awake by the sudden break of the bus I was in. So, it had all been just a dream. A dream of exactly what had happened that morning, only, from the part where Kurama had found out I was leaving until the end of the dream, wasn't true. Kurama hadn't even cracked his door open. Maybe he hadn't noticed my departure. Or maybe he was still asleep. Because, after all, I really didn't know Kurama that well yet, anyway.
I paid my fare and got off the bus. It was already noon, and I had already checked out about half of the city. So far, I was in pretty good shape; the gang would be really proud of me when I get home in one piece, without a single injury. That'll prove to them that I could survive on my own, too. But now, I was really starving. If I didn't get some food soon, then I could kiss coming home in one piece goodbye. And in addition to the major hunger I was having, the sun's cruel strikes of noon heat on my back and on my head were gradually melting me down.
If this goes on, then I'll really kiss coming home in one piece goodbye. Maybe just the idea of being able to return would get kissed goodbye, too.
I trudged along the sidewalk, looking back and forth in search for a place to eat. I wished more than anything that Yusuke and Keiko's ramen shop was here right in front of me, which was really impossible since it was at the other side of town.
I rounded the corner in frustration, continuing my tiring search. My exhausted tummy was just about to give up, when at long last; I saw a noodle house across the street. I almost leaped up in overwhelming joy. Yatta!!!
I began to run across the street towards the store, rather unaware that the light was still on red and there were too many fast cars running along the street. Soon, naturally, a lot of car horns were honking at me, demanding that I get out of the way. And there was this car that was running too fast towards me; it kept honking but I guess my hunger had taken over the whole me that I didn't budge in fear. It was getting closer, and closer, and closer, until---
Strong arms swept me up my waist so fast that the next thing I knew, I was in the sidewalk, lying in the arms of someone I didn't quite recognize, and the car that almost hit me went speeding by, the driver really enraged.
"What were you thinking back there?" a male voice asked in concern.
I turned to the guy who saved me. Yes, he looked very familiar, long; bluish-silver hair tied up in a ponytail, firm, light turquoise eyes, bangs and ear tails exactly like Kurama's. Yes, I knew who he was.
"Mikagami-san?"
He put me back down and placed a hand on his waist.
"T-thanks," I managed to say.
He shugged. "Goshimpai naku. Just something in return for helping me out yesterday afternoon."
"Oh, hai. Shibaraku desu ne," I said, relieved that he was here. I was just about to say another thing, when my stomach grumbled, out loud.
His eyebrows shot up. "Haven't had your lunch yet, I suppose?"
I blushed in shame. "Well, yes, sort of…"
He nodded. "Yeah…I haven't either," he pointed to the noodle house. "Let's go, then."
"Hai," I agreed, and followed him inside. I didn't even consider the fact that I didn't know him that well, yet, and that he was a deadly person. It was just that I felt comfortable with him, like I've known him for a long time now. And I had full trust in him. Trust that he wouldn't do me any harm, and that he'd protect me. I didn't exactly know why I felt that way towards him, but, that was that.
"Oh wow!!!" I squealed at the food the waiter served and began to eat like crazy.
Tokiya was just looking at me absently, not even touching his food.
I stopped eating at looked at him. "Gomen nasai."
"No, no it's okay… I don't have much of an appetite, anyway," he replied reflectively and looked out the window.
"Tokiya-san, where…where do you live?" the words seemed to come out on its own. He turned back at me, a questioning look on his face. "Ah, I mean… it's just that this is the other side of town, and I was…um…"
He looked at me soulfully again, and slightly flinched, as if he suddenly remembered something terrible. Something he'd once lost. "You're so much like her…" he said almost inaudibly, then he looked out the window again, shaking his head. "I don't belong to Hokage anymore; I belong to Weiß, and live in their apartment now."
"But," I went on, taken aback, "what about your old home? Wouldn't your family be worried about you?"
"They would…if I had a family," he replied wistfully.
I gasped. I hadn't read about that in the Reikai files. I had no idea he was this sad. "I…I'm sorry…"
He turned to me and tried to assure me he was okay. "You know, I used to have a sister, and she was almost just like you. Full of hopes, dreams…" he looked down. "It's just too bad she wasn't able to fulfill them…"
"What…what happened to her?" I asked, wanting to know so that I could comfort him. He was silent for a while, and I realized my mistake. "Oh, I'm sorry…you probably don't want to talk about that anymore--"
"She was killed by my very own trainer," he looked back at me, trying hard to keep a perfectly emotionless face, but his eyes could not erase his sorrow. "I was young then, I didn't know much; I hadn't recognized who caused her death at first. Before she died, she gave me my Ensui, and I used it for revenge. I wanted to find out who killed her so badly so that I could avenge her death. Soon enough I found out that the one who ordered her to be killed was Meguri Kyoza-sama, my master. He had wanted to enhance my potential by arousing my hatred. So I guess… she was killed, because of…me."
I
was speechless. I hadn't expected this from the cold-hearted one from the Hokage team. Obviously, the Reikai files hadn't mentioned the reason for his coldness.
"Oh, gomen, Botan-san…no one wants to hear any of this, right? Sumimasen, please continue eating," he checked his watch. "My lunch break is due soon, I have to get back to the flower shop. I'm sorry I have to leave you on your own. Will you be okay?"
"Y-yes…but, what about you? You haven't eaten yet."
"Okage sama de, I'll be fine. I'm not very hungry anyway," he stood up and placed some bills on the table. "Consider this my treat. Until we meet again."
"W-wait…" I tried to protest, but he was already out the door before I could even say more.
I glanced back at the bills. Tokiya no baka, you didn't have to bother…
I smiled to myself. He was a really great guy.