Sakuragi
He offered to take me out to dinner. I guess he feels sorry for me. I hate being pitied. Stupid stomach- couldn't you have shut up for once? Why do you always give me away?
We're waiting for the waiter to serve our food now. We're in some fancy restaurant. I can feel the other diners staring at us. I can understand why. Everyone's dressed so smartly while the two of us are clad in sports gear. And I haven't even showered yet. This is embarrassing. I'm stinking the whole place up.
The violinist has come over to our table. I stare at his violin with interest.
"Oi. D'aho."
"What is it kitsune?" I'm too distracted to argue with him right now.
"Do you want to play it?"
I stare at him. "Are you serious?"
He looks back at me steadily. Okay, so he is serious. "Um, can I?"
He snorts and with a slight movement of his head, the violinist thrusts the instrument into my hands.
I stare at it. It's beautifully crafted. The wood's solid and in a classy mahogany red. It's expertly stringed and made of the finest thread you can find. I trace the violin lovingly.
Rukawa
I never knew she liked violins. It wasn't in the files.
"Oi. D'aho. Play it," I tell her.
I'm curious. Can she play that complex instrument?
Sakuragi
When he tells me to play it, I don't hesitate to oblige. I haven't touched a violin in ages. Not since I was seven.
I pause for a moment to decide what I should play, then, closing my eyes, I pull the bow over the strings. And soon, the haunting melody fills the restaurant.
Rukawa
She can play the violin. What's that song she's playing? It's got a very sad tune to it, a very melancholic piece. I've never heard it before.
Everyone's turned to stare at us. At her, to be more exact. The restaurant's gone completely silent- all forms of conversation have died down.
I smile.
Sakuragi
As I end the final note, I'm rewarded with a burst of applause from the audience I didn't know I had. I blush and hurriedly thrust the instrument back at the violinist who is also clapping hard.
"That was lovely!" he tells me excitedly.
"A-arigatou." I sink lower in my chair.
What was I doing? I'm already attracting enough attention with my red hair and casual attire in this glitzy restaurant- what more when I started playing?
Damn it. This is so awkward.
Rukawa
The d'aho's turning as red as her hair. I guess she's embarrassed being in the limelight. I have to admit she played beautifully- she looked lost in her own world when she was playing the violin.
She looks up and I catch her eye.
A slow, tentative smile spreads over my features. I don't know why she has this effect on me. I smile more than I have in my entire life when I'm with her.
Her blush deepens and she lowers her eyes.
I stare. I never knew she was capable of that. I guess there are lots of things I don't know about her, even with all the records I have.
Sakuragi
The kitsune is actually smiling at me. His smile looks sincere, but I don't know if he's just teasing me. I don't understand why I feel uncomfortable under his gaze and why I have to blush when he looks at me.
This is stupid. I want to go home.
But....the food's not here yet.
Finally! The waiter arrives with the food! Yay! I tuck in happily.
Rukawa
I can see her eyes lighting up in childish excitement when the waiter served us our dishes.
"Itekimasu!" she says happily before tucking in.
Sakuragi
I can feel his gaze on me as I eat.
"Ano....." I look up to meet his eyes. "Is there something on my face?
He doesn't say a word.
"Ano....kitsune?"
He just stares at me. I feel my cheeks flaming up under his intense scrutiny.
"K-kitsune?" my voice comes out shrill and shaky.
He finally blinks. "Just eat d'aho."
"Aa....hai..."
I can still feel his eyes on me as I finish my meal. What's wrong with him?
"I'll walk you home."
"Nani? What did you say kitsune?" I ask, not trusting my ears. They have been known to deceive.
"D'aho. Let's just go."
I don't budge from my seat.
Sighing, he tugs at my wrist lightly. "Come on d'aho. It's really late you know."
I refuse to budge.
"D'aho." He tugs harder.
I still don't move. There's something weird about the kitsune today. I don't trust him right now.
He pulls harder and would have yanked me off the chair if he hadn't suddenly realized that it would only serve to topple the table, as well as the expensive china plates.
Rukawa
Why won't the d'aho get up? What does she want me to do? Carry her?
Sakuragi
All right, all right. He's going to rip my arm off if I don't obey. Geez.
Rukawa
Finally the d'aho decides to move. Any later and I would have thrown her off the chair.
Still holding on to her wrist, I lead her out of the restaurant.
Sakuragi
He's really walking me home. All the way. He lives at the other end of town and he's walking me home.
"Ano.....kitsune, I can go home myself you know," I tell him.
"D'aho." His grip on my wrist tightens.
Oh. He hasn't let go of my hand yet. It feels odd, to have his hand on mine. We're not holding hands- he's just gripping my wrist.....to make sure I don't run away? That's not going to happen anytime soon if that's what he's worried about. I'm not going anywhere but home. I'm full and contented and all I want to do is go off into slumber land.
Anyways, he's still holding on to my hand. His grip is tight and it hurts.
"Ano, kitsune? You're hurting me."
He looks down at his hand in surprise. Apparently he hasn't realized he'd been squeezing my hand hard.
He lets go quickly and mumbles an unintelligible apology that I somehow figured out.
I massage my hand. This guy is scary. If he wanted to, he can break me easily.
We walk in uncomfortable silence for a while. At least, I feel it's uncomfortable. I don't know what he makes of it.
"Arigatou, kitsune. For the dinner," I say softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Hnn."
I blush for no reason and walk with my head down, not daring to glance sideways at him.
"Why." He says.
"Huh?" I ask, looking up.
"Why do you call me kitsune?" he prods.
I smile mischievously. "It's for me to know and for you to find out."
"D'aho."
We're at my door now. I feel....weird.
"Ano..." what do you say to someone who's walked you home? The only person who walks me home is Youhei. I rack my brains trying to find something proper to say.
Hold on a minute. It's only the kitsune. What's the big deal? Just say anything and send him on his way.
What do I say then?
"D'aho."
"Teme kitsune! Will you stop calling me that!"
"If you stop calling me that."
"But it becomes you!" I insist.
"Why?"
I blush. "I told you. Find it out yourself."
Rukawa stares at me..... as in, he's really staring at me. Not in his usual disinterested manner, nor his annoyed gaze. He's really staring. I don't know how to describe it.
"K-kitsune?" I ask meekly.
Rukawa
"K-kitsune?" she asks meekly.
Suddenly, her calling me kitsune doesn't seem too bad at all. In fact, it seems quite.....pleasant. I'm the only one she calls kitsune.
Who would have known that I'd fall for this redhead? On first impression, I'd thought her as cool and aloof as me, but as time progressed, she opened up and became more....temperamental? Is that right? Now, I see her as this fiery, vibrant ball of energy. Who would have thought she was hiding the sun beneath that cool layer of frost?
I sound so totally cheesy. Is this what happens when you're in love? Because that's what I think I'm feeling. I think I'm in love with the d'aho.
How that came about I can't explain. It just....happened.
She opened the door, hesitated awhile before deciding to invite me in. I guess she thought it only polite to let me in after I walked her all the way.
"Kitsune? Do you want anything to drink?" she asks.
I nod distractedly. Her house is tiny but amazingly neat and nicely decorated. She's got simple yet stylish taste. Everything's so well coordinated. It's like a designer's studio.
She comes out of the kitchen holding two cups of water. I accept one from her and absently put it to my lips, not watching my step. I trip over something and splash the water on the floor, not to mention all over my shirt.
"Kitsune!" she exclaims, her voice sounding funny. I glance at her. She looks half amused and half exasperated.
"Hnn." I bent forward to pick the object that I tripped on.
It was a beautiful music box. I narrow my eyes to read the engraving on the wood.
'Sakuragi'
Someone must have given this to her then. Someone close to her, no doubt. The box looks costly.
"Ano......" she grabs it away from me quickly.
Fine. It must be really personal.
"Kitsune...you're dripping water all over..." She points out.
I look down and realize she's right.
Sighing softly, she gets a towel from the kitchen, takes the cup away from me, wipes the floor and stares at my wet shirt.
"Take it off. Go change now. You'll catch a cold."
"No." I say stubbornly.
"Come on. I've got a spare shirt."
"No."
She pulls me to her room and digs into her cupboard to find a shirt. While she's doing that, I take in her room layout.
It was as tastefully decorated as the hall and the kitchen. There were several portraits hanging on the wall and some frames on her dresser. Her books were placed neatly on her table and there was a shelf-full of encyclopedias and literary works. What caught my attention was her bed.
It was large. King-sized I think. Mine's the same size. Unlike mine though, she had numerous pillows heaped on her bed and some soft toys.
I wonder how she sleeps. The pillows occupy more space than her.
"Here kitsune! This should fit you!" she hands me a men's polo tee.
Whose shirt is that?
As if reading my mind, she answered my unspoken question.
"It belonged to my tousaan. I bought it for his birthday....but..... he passed away before I could give it to him," she smiled sadly.
I accepted the shirt without any complaints.
"Go change all right? I'll just be in the kitchen."
She leaves me to change.
I take the opportunity to explore her room.
First I scrutinize the portraits.
There were two people in all three portraits- probably her parents. The man was tall and handsome with dark hair and brown eyes. The woman was a petite Caucasian and had the beautiful coppered curls that the d'aho had obviously inherited. She had exquisite features- not exactly stunning like the d'aho, but very proportionate. Like a doll. That's it. The d'aho's mother looked like an expensive doll.
And I noticed something else.
She didn't smile in any of the portraits. She had that stubborn look the d'aho has. I peered closely. Yes, when you look out for it, you'll realize that the d'aho's father was smiling a little too much. Maybe he was trying to smile for his wife as well.
I decide to move on.
What's this? The d'aho left the music box on the dresser. Curious, I open it.
And that soft haunting melody from before, came tinkling out.
"Kitsune?" her voice floated over from outside. "You done?"
I grunt in response. I don't know if she heard it but I suppose she did since she kept quiet.
I take off my wet shirt and am about to put on the black polo when I notice something stuck in a crevice in the box.
I pull it out gently and open it. It was a letter.
'Hanami-chan, this music box that you love so much belonged to your mother. I want you to have it.
Tousaan'
So the box wasn't the d'aho's. It was her mother's.
The door opened suddenly and the d'aho stepped in, obviously too impatient to wait.
"What are you doing taking so long to change? I'm sleepy already and I want to go to sleep! Your parents must be worried why you're still not- -" her words are cut short when she sees me in a state of undress.
"What are you doing? Does it take so long to put on a shirt?" she raises her voice at me. I can tell she's embarrassed. So am I actually.
I quickly pull the shirt over my head.
"Baka kitsune," she mumbles, a faint blush staining her cheeks. She notices the letter in my hands.
"Kitsune! How dare you pry into my affairs!" she tries to snatch the paper from my hand.
I twist around so she can't get to it.
"Give it back kitsune!"
I hold it up in the air so she can't reach it. Her eyes narrow and she backs away several feet......before launching herself at me.
I'm too surprised to react. Her momentum carries me forward and I close my eyes to brace the impact of the fall.
It's surprisingly soft.
I realize we've fallen onto her bed and the d'aho is on top of me, trying to pry my fingers off the paper.
"Give it back kitsune! It's none of your business!" she sounds genuinely angry and I'm a little surprised. I only wanted to tease her.
"Give it back! Stupid kitsune! You only trouble me!" the first tears start to fall.
I freeze and slowly let go of the paper. I expect her to grab it immediately but she lets it drift slowly to the floor. Her hands go to her face and she starts to sob violently.
I'm at a loss. Did I make the d'aho cry?
*-*-*-*
*huggles* to all my fantastic reviewers out there! 3 3 3
------ next up: how does Rukawa handle a crying Sakuragi? ^^\/
He offered to take me out to dinner. I guess he feels sorry for me. I hate being pitied. Stupid stomach- couldn't you have shut up for once? Why do you always give me away?
We're waiting for the waiter to serve our food now. We're in some fancy restaurant. I can feel the other diners staring at us. I can understand why. Everyone's dressed so smartly while the two of us are clad in sports gear. And I haven't even showered yet. This is embarrassing. I'm stinking the whole place up.
The violinist has come over to our table. I stare at his violin with interest.
"Oi. D'aho."
"What is it kitsune?" I'm too distracted to argue with him right now.
"Do you want to play it?"
I stare at him. "Are you serious?"
He looks back at me steadily. Okay, so he is serious. "Um, can I?"
He snorts and with a slight movement of his head, the violinist thrusts the instrument into my hands.
I stare at it. It's beautifully crafted. The wood's solid and in a classy mahogany red. It's expertly stringed and made of the finest thread you can find. I trace the violin lovingly.
Rukawa
I never knew she liked violins. It wasn't in the files.
"Oi. D'aho. Play it," I tell her.
I'm curious. Can she play that complex instrument?
Sakuragi
When he tells me to play it, I don't hesitate to oblige. I haven't touched a violin in ages. Not since I was seven.
I pause for a moment to decide what I should play, then, closing my eyes, I pull the bow over the strings. And soon, the haunting melody fills the restaurant.
Rukawa
She can play the violin. What's that song she's playing? It's got a very sad tune to it, a very melancholic piece. I've never heard it before.
Everyone's turned to stare at us. At her, to be more exact. The restaurant's gone completely silent- all forms of conversation have died down.
I smile.
Sakuragi
As I end the final note, I'm rewarded with a burst of applause from the audience I didn't know I had. I blush and hurriedly thrust the instrument back at the violinist who is also clapping hard.
"That was lovely!" he tells me excitedly.
"A-arigatou." I sink lower in my chair.
What was I doing? I'm already attracting enough attention with my red hair and casual attire in this glitzy restaurant- what more when I started playing?
Damn it. This is so awkward.
Rukawa
The d'aho's turning as red as her hair. I guess she's embarrassed being in the limelight. I have to admit she played beautifully- she looked lost in her own world when she was playing the violin.
She looks up and I catch her eye.
A slow, tentative smile spreads over my features. I don't know why she has this effect on me. I smile more than I have in my entire life when I'm with her.
Her blush deepens and she lowers her eyes.
I stare. I never knew she was capable of that. I guess there are lots of things I don't know about her, even with all the records I have.
Sakuragi
The kitsune is actually smiling at me. His smile looks sincere, but I don't know if he's just teasing me. I don't understand why I feel uncomfortable under his gaze and why I have to blush when he looks at me.
This is stupid. I want to go home.
But....the food's not here yet.
Finally! The waiter arrives with the food! Yay! I tuck in happily.
Rukawa
I can see her eyes lighting up in childish excitement when the waiter served us our dishes.
"Itekimasu!" she says happily before tucking in.
Sakuragi
I can feel his gaze on me as I eat.
"Ano....." I look up to meet his eyes. "Is there something on my face?
He doesn't say a word.
"Ano....kitsune?"
He just stares at me. I feel my cheeks flaming up under his intense scrutiny.
"K-kitsune?" my voice comes out shrill and shaky.
He finally blinks. "Just eat d'aho."
"Aa....hai..."
I can still feel his eyes on me as I finish my meal. What's wrong with him?
"I'll walk you home."
"Nani? What did you say kitsune?" I ask, not trusting my ears. They have been known to deceive.
"D'aho. Let's just go."
I don't budge from my seat.
Sighing, he tugs at my wrist lightly. "Come on d'aho. It's really late you know."
I refuse to budge.
"D'aho." He tugs harder.
I still don't move. There's something weird about the kitsune today. I don't trust him right now.
He pulls harder and would have yanked me off the chair if he hadn't suddenly realized that it would only serve to topple the table, as well as the expensive china plates.
Rukawa
Why won't the d'aho get up? What does she want me to do? Carry her?
Sakuragi
All right, all right. He's going to rip my arm off if I don't obey. Geez.
Rukawa
Finally the d'aho decides to move. Any later and I would have thrown her off the chair.
Still holding on to her wrist, I lead her out of the restaurant.
Sakuragi
He's really walking me home. All the way. He lives at the other end of town and he's walking me home.
"Ano.....kitsune, I can go home myself you know," I tell him.
"D'aho." His grip on my wrist tightens.
Oh. He hasn't let go of my hand yet. It feels odd, to have his hand on mine. We're not holding hands- he's just gripping my wrist.....to make sure I don't run away? That's not going to happen anytime soon if that's what he's worried about. I'm not going anywhere but home. I'm full and contented and all I want to do is go off into slumber land.
Anyways, he's still holding on to my hand. His grip is tight and it hurts.
"Ano, kitsune? You're hurting me."
He looks down at his hand in surprise. Apparently he hasn't realized he'd been squeezing my hand hard.
He lets go quickly and mumbles an unintelligible apology that I somehow figured out.
I massage my hand. This guy is scary. If he wanted to, he can break me easily.
We walk in uncomfortable silence for a while. At least, I feel it's uncomfortable. I don't know what he makes of it.
"Arigatou, kitsune. For the dinner," I say softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Hnn."
I blush for no reason and walk with my head down, not daring to glance sideways at him.
"Why." He says.
"Huh?" I ask, looking up.
"Why do you call me kitsune?" he prods.
I smile mischievously. "It's for me to know and for you to find out."
"D'aho."
We're at my door now. I feel....weird.
"Ano..." what do you say to someone who's walked you home? The only person who walks me home is Youhei. I rack my brains trying to find something proper to say.
Hold on a minute. It's only the kitsune. What's the big deal? Just say anything and send him on his way.
What do I say then?
"D'aho."
"Teme kitsune! Will you stop calling me that!"
"If you stop calling me that."
"But it becomes you!" I insist.
"Why?"
I blush. "I told you. Find it out yourself."
Rukawa stares at me..... as in, he's really staring at me. Not in his usual disinterested manner, nor his annoyed gaze. He's really staring. I don't know how to describe it.
"K-kitsune?" I ask meekly.
Rukawa
"K-kitsune?" she asks meekly.
Suddenly, her calling me kitsune doesn't seem too bad at all. In fact, it seems quite.....pleasant. I'm the only one she calls kitsune.
Who would have known that I'd fall for this redhead? On first impression, I'd thought her as cool and aloof as me, but as time progressed, she opened up and became more....temperamental? Is that right? Now, I see her as this fiery, vibrant ball of energy. Who would have thought she was hiding the sun beneath that cool layer of frost?
I sound so totally cheesy. Is this what happens when you're in love? Because that's what I think I'm feeling. I think I'm in love with the d'aho.
How that came about I can't explain. It just....happened.
She opened the door, hesitated awhile before deciding to invite me in. I guess she thought it only polite to let me in after I walked her all the way.
"Kitsune? Do you want anything to drink?" she asks.
I nod distractedly. Her house is tiny but amazingly neat and nicely decorated. She's got simple yet stylish taste. Everything's so well coordinated. It's like a designer's studio.
She comes out of the kitchen holding two cups of water. I accept one from her and absently put it to my lips, not watching my step. I trip over something and splash the water on the floor, not to mention all over my shirt.
"Kitsune!" she exclaims, her voice sounding funny. I glance at her. She looks half amused and half exasperated.
"Hnn." I bent forward to pick the object that I tripped on.
It was a beautiful music box. I narrow my eyes to read the engraving on the wood.
'Sakuragi'
Someone must have given this to her then. Someone close to her, no doubt. The box looks costly.
"Ano......" she grabs it away from me quickly.
Fine. It must be really personal.
"Kitsune...you're dripping water all over..." She points out.
I look down and realize she's right.
Sighing softly, she gets a towel from the kitchen, takes the cup away from me, wipes the floor and stares at my wet shirt.
"Take it off. Go change now. You'll catch a cold."
"No." I say stubbornly.
"Come on. I've got a spare shirt."
"No."
She pulls me to her room and digs into her cupboard to find a shirt. While she's doing that, I take in her room layout.
It was as tastefully decorated as the hall and the kitchen. There were several portraits hanging on the wall and some frames on her dresser. Her books were placed neatly on her table and there was a shelf-full of encyclopedias and literary works. What caught my attention was her bed.
It was large. King-sized I think. Mine's the same size. Unlike mine though, she had numerous pillows heaped on her bed and some soft toys.
I wonder how she sleeps. The pillows occupy more space than her.
"Here kitsune! This should fit you!" she hands me a men's polo tee.
Whose shirt is that?
As if reading my mind, she answered my unspoken question.
"It belonged to my tousaan. I bought it for his birthday....but..... he passed away before I could give it to him," she smiled sadly.
I accepted the shirt without any complaints.
"Go change all right? I'll just be in the kitchen."
She leaves me to change.
I take the opportunity to explore her room.
First I scrutinize the portraits.
There were two people in all three portraits- probably her parents. The man was tall and handsome with dark hair and brown eyes. The woman was a petite Caucasian and had the beautiful coppered curls that the d'aho had obviously inherited. She had exquisite features- not exactly stunning like the d'aho, but very proportionate. Like a doll. That's it. The d'aho's mother looked like an expensive doll.
And I noticed something else.
She didn't smile in any of the portraits. She had that stubborn look the d'aho has. I peered closely. Yes, when you look out for it, you'll realize that the d'aho's father was smiling a little too much. Maybe he was trying to smile for his wife as well.
I decide to move on.
What's this? The d'aho left the music box on the dresser. Curious, I open it.
And that soft haunting melody from before, came tinkling out.
"Kitsune?" her voice floated over from outside. "You done?"
I grunt in response. I don't know if she heard it but I suppose she did since she kept quiet.
I take off my wet shirt and am about to put on the black polo when I notice something stuck in a crevice in the box.
I pull it out gently and open it. It was a letter.
'Hanami-chan, this music box that you love so much belonged to your mother. I want you to have it.
Tousaan'
So the box wasn't the d'aho's. It was her mother's.
The door opened suddenly and the d'aho stepped in, obviously too impatient to wait.
"What are you doing taking so long to change? I'm sleepy already and I want to go to sleep! Your parents must be worried why you're still not- -" her words are cut short when she sees me in a state of undress.
"What are you doing? Does it take so long to put on a shirt?" she raises her voice at me. I can tell she's embarrassed. So am I actually.
I quickly pull the shirt over my head.
"Baka kitsune," she mumbles, a faint blush staining her cheeks. She notices the letter in my hands.
"Kitsune! How dare you pry into my affairs!" she tries to snatch the paper from my hand.
I twist around so she can't get to it.
"Give it back kitsune!"
I hold it up in the air so she can't reach it. Her eyes narrow and she backs away several feet......before launching herself at me.
I'm too surprised to react. Her momentum carries me forward and I close my eyes to brace the impact of the fall.
It's surprisingly soft.
I realize we've fallen onto her bed and the d'aho is on top of me, trying to pry my fingers off the paper.
"Give it back kitsune! It's none of your business!" she sounds genuinely angry and I'm a little surprised. I only wanted to tease her.
"Give it back! Stupid kitsune! You only trouble me!" the first tears start to fall.
I freeze and slowly let go of the paper. I expect her to grab it immediately but she lets it drift slowly to the floor. Her hands go to her face and she starts to sob violently.
I'm at a loss. Did I make the d'aho cry?
*-*-*-*
*huggles* to all my fantastic reviewers out there! 3 3 3
------ next up: how does Rukawa handle a crying Sakuragi? ^^\/