3. unburdening
He had begun to stand up, the only thoughts running through his head being 'Kirisawa, I'm sorry!', 'I. I have to make it up to her.' when a huge fist suddenly landed on his face and nearly knocked him out. He was caught completely off-guard for the first time in his life, and he saw distinctly how the cafeteria floor rushed up to meet him.
"How dare you make my true love cry!!!"
He would've found those words altogether comical, if not for the severity and the fury of the tone in which they were said. Ishijima Domon's loud voice reverberated inside his skull, giving him a little headache. He was quickly trying to get up now, still feeling a little uneven, and he was on his hands and knees when he heard a shout and felt a swift kick to his rib cage. He was barely able to roll with the impact, but still, timing it just right, he pushed off the floor with his right hand and was able to roll up into a half-kneeling position. He stood up a bit shakily, and then had to take a step back to get his balance. He shook his head a little to clear it, heard Recca's voice saying 'what the hell do you think you're doing?!' and Yanagi-san's warning 'Tokiya-sempai! Look OUT!' and saw Domon rushing towards him, face contorted with rage.
This was serious then.
He moved out of the way of Domon's straight forward punch at the last second, lithely, almost delicately, and from his new position on the side threw out a turning roundhouse kick which connected solidly with Domon's face, all before Ishijima could even retract his arm. Ishijima Domon staggered a few steps from the force of the kick, and he heard Mikagami's voice saying, "Now we're even. I have no reason to fight you, so just calm down and say what you have to say with your mouth, not with your fists."
Still trembling with his anger, Domon straightens up, but does not meet Mikagami's eyes.
"You are stupid." Ishijima tells him. The anger had subsided somewhat, and the voice that spoke was now cold. Very cold. "You never noticed how much she liked you, did you? From the beginning, from the first time she ever saw you, she had her eyes on you."
The ring of Saturn was now faintly shimmering. "I still find it hard to believe.", Ishijima continues. "What ever is it that she saw in you? I. I have never seen her look at anyone the way she had looked at you. and I have dreamed and longed for her to look at me like how I had seen her look at you."
He looks up suddenly, eyes blazing, "And you were so STUPID. You. Did. Not. SEE. ANYTHING!!!" He slams his fist on a nearby table in frustration, breaking it in half.
"Domon-kun." Yanagi-san says softly.
"Oi, oi. that's enough Domon." Hanabishi speaks up.
Both of them now realize just how deeply Ishijima's feelings for Fuuko run. Though his words are not enough to articulate all his emotions, they saw everything they needed to see on his face, his trembling clenched fists, and the look of burning jealousy he threw Mikagami. Yanagi had thought that the team Hokage had become a family after the Urabutosatsujin. But, everything they had built up since the first day they had come together seems to have been shattered in the space of a few seconds because of what had just happened here. She felt suddenly close to crying, and Recca puts an arm on her shoulder to comfort her. But he kept his eyes on Ishijima and Mikagami. He was afraid that if things get any worse, one, or both of them, might end up being seriously hurt.
"I am going out now to find her", speaks Tokiya to Domon, his tone subdued. "I never meant to hurt her, Ishijima. You are very right; I was very stupid not to see her. I must thank you for telling me this straight out." he bows as he speaks, and continues, ".and I promise then to do everything to set everything right."
His action, and his sincerity, heard clearly even in his words, and the fact that Team Hokage has indeed almost become a family, opens Domon's eyes as well. He bows back to Mikagami and answers, "I apologize for acting so harshly. Go now, 'cause if you don't I really will beat you up." They both look up, and everything looked like it was going to be all right. They had chosen to act like men, and they knew it. Perhaps the Urabutosatsujin had changed them in ways that had not yet become apparent.
"I think I know where she might have gone." Yanagi-san speaks up softly. She whispers this to Mikagami, and after thanking her he went quickly.
Moments later, somebody remarked, "Whoa. that was even better than the soaps I watch on TV."
That was when Recca, Yanagi, and Domon noticed that everyone was looking at them. With their faces bright red, they go back to their seats, Hanabishi constantly shooing off the stares and saying "All right, all right, show's over. there's nothing more to see. show's over."
********
The sakura tree where we watched the festival from. You know where it is. And I'm sure you remember that day too.
That was what Yanagi-san had told him. And he did remember it.
They were to enjoy the whole festival together, which finished only well into the early morning hours. Everyone was there. And they certainly did enjoy everything. They tried it all, played at every game, tasted every food. And the final part was the spectacular fireworks display. They had sat under a sakura tree in a clearing, where there was a beautiful view of the night sky.
He was watching the endlessly colored fire show when he felt a warm weight against his shoulder. He looked, and saw Fuuko asleep. There was an expression of such peace and contentment on her face that in a moment, he had forgotten everything else. For everything else was overshadowed by a single thought: She's beautiful.
And for the rest of the fireworks display he had instead, watched only her.
********
She was still crying.
She was sitting down hugging her knees, eyes closed.
The sakura blossoms were falling in a gentle rain around her.
I. I knew he didn't feel anything for me. but. but t-to hear him say it so bluntly. I. I guess it really hurts. knowing for sure that your feelings can never, never. be. reciprocated.
With her heart aching so badly, she had not noticed his approach.
"Fuuko." he whispers gently, right beside her.
Surprised, she looks up to see him kneeling in front of her holding a crystalline rose, sculpted from the Ensui's ice.
"Tokiya."
"I have a confession to make." he begins. "R-Remember the festival where we all went together? I. You. you fell asleep and." His voice trembled the tiniest bit, from the depth of the emotions he suddenly saw he had been holding back all these time. "I saw, as you were sleeping. the thought that crossed my mind was. I thought you were so beautiful."
She was stunned. She could not believe the words that she was hearing. Only one thought broke through the haze that was clouding over everything. Her heart thudding, her mind blank, she speaks.
"W-why. Why are you only telling me this now?"
He looked at her and said the first thing that came. "I didn't know. I. just didn't know."
Bewildered, she could not reply.
"It's because. I've never. wanted to feel anything for anyone. But you. you so effortlessly made me break that promise. Seeing you, you. you make it seem as if everything would be all right. that everything's fine and one can forget all the bad things that had happened. Your smile. is just so beautiful. I was afraid to let my heart love again because I don't think I can live through the pain of losing someone again! I CAN'T!!! Especially. if it'll be you."
She went to him, and embraced him in her arms. He was cold, and trembling, his emotional coldness completely shattered. She understood how hard it was for him to tell her those things after all the years he had shut out his heart.
So she held him until he felt better and he finally, embraced her too.
"Yes, there is always the chance that we'll lose someone that we love. But isn't the chance to let someone in to your heart worth that risk? Isn't it?"
She looked into the beautiful blue orbs of his eyes, and saw they were seeing her, really seeing her. The same way she had always looked at him, exactly the same way.
And then he smiled. "Yes, it is."
And right there, everything, everything burst forth. All that she had long kept hidden in her heart she released, and next she knew she was kissing him fully in the lips. a kiss of infinite passion. of infinite desire. of infinite love.
And that was when the bedside alarm clock sounded the start of a new day, pulling Mikagami back into waking reality.
He had begun to stand up, the only thoughts running through his head being 'Kirisawa, I'm sorry!', 'I. I have to make it up to her.' when a huge fist suddenly landed on his face and nearly knocked him out. He was caught completely off-guard for the first time in his life, and he saw distinctly how the cafeteria floor rushed up to meet him.
"How dare you make my true love cry!!!"
He would've found those words altogether comical, if not for the severity and the fury of the tone in which they were said. Ishijima Domon's loud voice reverberated inside his skull, giving him a little headache. He was quickly trying to get up now, still feeling a little uneven, and he was on his hands and knees when he heard a shout and felt a swift kick to his rib cage. He was barely able to roll with the impact, but still, timing it just right, he pushed off the floor with his right hand and was able to roll up into a half-kneeling position. He stood up a bit shakily, and then had to take a step back to get his balance. He shook his head a little to clear it, heard Recca's voice saying 'what the hell do you think you're doing?!' and Yanagi-san's warning 'Tokiya-sempai! Look OUT!' and saw Domon rushing towards him, face contorted with rage.
This was serious then.
He moved out of the way of Domon's straight forward punch at the last second, lithely, almost delicately, and from his new position on the side threw out a turning roundhouse kick which connected solidly with Domon's face, all before Ishijima could even retract his arm. Ishijima Domon staggered a few steps from the force of the kick, and he heard Mikagami's voice saying, "Now we're even. I have no reason to fight you, so just calm down and say what you have to say with your mouth, not with your fists."
Still trembling with his anger, Domon straightens up, but does not meet Mikagami's eyes.
"You are stupid." Ishijima tells him. The anger had subsided somewhat, and the voice that spoke was now cold. Very cold. "You never noticed how much she liked you, did you? From the beginning, from the first time she ever saw you, she had her eyes on you."
The ring of Saturn was now faintly shimmering. "I still find it hard to believe.", Ishijima continues. "What ever is it that she saw in you? I. I have never seen her look at anyone the way she had looked at you. and I have dreamed and longed for her to look at me like how I had seen her look at you."
He looks up suddenly, eyes blazing, "And you were so STUPID. You. Did. Not. SEE. ANYTHING!!!" He slams his fist on a nearby table in frustration, breaking it in half.
"Domon-kun." Yanagi-san says softly.
"Oi, oi. that's enough Domon." Hanabishi speaks up.
Both of them now realize just how deeply Ishijima's feelings for Fuuko run. Though his words are not enough to articulate all his emotions, they saw everything they needed to see on his face, his trembling clenched fists, and the look of burning jealousy he threw Mikagami. Yanagi had thought that the team Hokage had become a family after the Urabutosatsujin. But, everything they had built up since the first day they had come together seems to have been shattered in the space of a few seconds because of what had just happened here. She felt suddenly close to crying, and Recca puts an arm on her shoulder to comfort her. But he kept his eyes on Ishijima and Mikagami. He was afraid that if things get any worse, one, or both of them, might end up being seriously hurt.
"I am going out now to find her", speaks Tokiya to Domon, his tone subdued. "I never meant to hurt her, Ishijima. You are very right; I was very stupid not to see her. I must thank you for telling me this straight out." he bows as he speaks, and continues, ".and I promise then to do everything to set everything right."
His action, and his sincerity, heard clearly even in his words, and the fact that Team Hokage has indeed almost become a family, opens Domon's eyes as well. He bows back to Mikagami and answers, "I apologize for acting so harshly. Go now, 'cause if you don't I really will beat you up." They both look up, and everything looked like it was going to be all right. They had chosen to act like men, and they knew it. Perhaps the Urabutosatsujin had changed them in ways that had not yet become apparent.
"I think I know where she might have gone." Yanagi-san speaks up softly. She whispers this to Mikagami, and after thanking her he went quickly.
Moments later, somebody remarked, "Whoa. that was even better than the soaps I watch on TV."
That was when Recca, Yanagi, and Domon noticed that everyone was looking at them. With their faces bright red, they go back to their seats, Hanabishi constantly shooing off the stares and saying "All right, all right, show's over. there's nothing more to see. show's over."
********
The sakura tree where we watched the festival from. You know where it is. And I'm sure you remember that day too.
That was what Yanagi-san had told him. And he did remember it.
They were to enjoy the whole festival together, which finished only well into the early morning hours. Everyone was there. And they certainly did enjoy everything. They tried it all, played at every game, tasted every food. And the final part was the spectacular fireworks display. They had sat under a sakura tree in a clearing, where there was a beautiful view of the night sky.
He was watching the endlessly colored fire show when he felt a warm weight against his shoulder. He looked, and saw Fuuko asleep. There was an expression of such peace and contentment on her face that in a moment, he had forgotten everything else. For everything else was overshadowed by a single thought: She's beautiful.
And for the rest of the fireworks display he had instead, watched only her.
********
She was still crying.
She was sitting down hugging her knees, eyes closed.
The sakura blossoms were falling in a gentle rain around her.
I. I knew he didn't feel anything for me. but. but t-to hear him say it so bluntly. I. I guess it really hurts. knowing for sure that your feelings can never, never. be. reciprocated.
With her heart aching so badly, she had not noticed his approach.
"Fuuko." he whispers gently, right beside her.
Surprised, she looks up to see him kneeling in front of her holding a crystalline rose, sculpted from the Ensui's ice.
"Tokiya."
"I have a confession to make." he begins. "R-Remember the festival where we all went together? I. You. you fell asleep and." His voice trembled the tiniest bit, from the depth of the emotions he suddenly saw he had been holding back all these time. "I saw, as you were sleeping. the thought that crossed my mind was. I thought you were so beautiful."
She was stunned. She could not believe the words that she was hearing. Only one thought broke through the haze that was clouding over everything. Her heart thudding, her mind blank, she speaks.
"W-why. Why are you only telling me this now?"
He looked at her and said the first thing that came. "I didn't know. I. just didn't know."
Bewildered, she could not reply.
"It's because. I've never. wanted to feel anything for anyone. But you. you so effortlessly made me break that promise. Seeing you, you. you make it seem as if everything would be all right. that everything's fine and one can forget all the bad things that had happened. Your smile. is just so beautiful. I was afraid to let my heart love again because I don't think I can live through the pain of losing someone again! I CAN'T!!! Especially. if it'll be you."
She went to him, and embraced him in her arms. He was cold, and trembling, his emotional coldness completely shattered. She understood how hard it was for him to tell her those things after all the years he had shut out his heart.
So she held him until he felt better and he finally, embraced her too.
"Yes, there is always the chance that we'll lose someone that we love. But isn't the chance to let someone in to your heart worth that risk? Isn't it?"
She looked into the beautiful blue orbs of his eyes, and saw they were seeing her, really seeing her. The same way she had always looked at him, exactly the same way.
And then he smiled. "Yes, it is."
And right there, everything, everything burst forth. All that she had long kept hidden in her heart she released, and next she knew she was kissing him fully in the lips. a kiss of infinite passion. of infinite desire. of infinite love.
And that was when the bedside alarm clock sounded the start of a new day, pulling Mikagami back into waking reality.