This is a super good chapter!!! I cannot reveal why at this time. I feel the Setsuna vibe. Ehehehehe. I cannot say why. SOMEBODY MAKE ME SOME FOOD!!!! I'm so hungry. So be happy that I'd rather past out from no food then get away from this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
Warnings: I don't wanna give things away! Erm…lessee…cussing. Some mild violence. (I've got an expression similar to Shuichi's "It's A Secret" face.)
Second Chances: That's Karma Baby!
Chapter Twenty
"It's about time for a party at my house,
And it wouldn't be the same without you,
No not at all,
As I recall,
You got what I need."
-I'll laugh hysterically if you don't get it Teresa. (Song quote peoples!)
"Loser."
"That's loser with a girlfriend!"
"Loser."
"DAMMIT YATEN!"
"Hey you two!" Kakyuu stood between them immediately. "If you can't play nice than I'll separate you two."
"What's going on?" Hotaru asked them as she approached. "Let me guess, Yaten and Seiya are having a pointless argument involving lots of name calling?"
"Exactly, very good deductive reasoning Hotaru." Taiki nodded in obvious approval.
"Book dork." Yaten fired at the studious brown-haired Starlight.
"I'm going to pretend I cannot hear your childish retaliations to the fact that you are a emotionally dysfunctional and argument-seeking person." Taiki held on to his dignity and straightened up as he spoke.
"Shut up Taiki!" Yaten snapped.
"I think that when I speak truth it upsets you and therefore you throw insults at me in an attempt to hide that." Taiki once again stated as if lecturing everyone present.
"I'm going for a walk." Yaten muttered before stalking off in his normal fashion.
"He just needs to cool off." Taiki informed the others.
"Er, I'm going to class." Hotaru told them before rounding the corner and heading off straight after Yaten. "Hey Yaten!"
"Hotaru?" Yaten asked turning around and seeing her there.
"Hey, you looked a little angry." Hotaru told him. "Is something wrong or are you just in a bad mood?"
"Um…neither." Yaten spoke slowly as if thinking about something else. "Are you coming over after school today?"
"Of course I am!" Hotaru exclaimed with a bright smile. "Did you think I wouldn't?"
"No…I just…it's nothing." Yaten shook his head. "Better get back to the group huh?"
"Okay…" Hotaru trailed off suspiciously. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." Yaten assured her. Hotaru frowned slightly because she could tell something was up. He'd have to tell her eventually.
* * *
Hotaru waited at the corner for Yaten to come along for the bus to his apartment. He came up, looking a little tired. But as Hotaru examined his face for any tale tell signs that something was wrong, she didn't catch any.
They kissed in greeting and then after a little waiting caught the bus to Yaten's apartment.
"So, how has your day been?" Hotaru asked once they were finally at their destination and Yaten was unlocking the door, which, after they got inside he promptly locked again.
"It's been fine." Yaten threw his jacket on a chair and began to heat water up for tea. "Hotaru?"
"Yeah?" Hotaru sat down at the table with a curious look on her face.
"I wanted to tell you something." Yaten looked up at her. "I didn't want to make a big deal about so…"
"What is it?" Hotaru asked, the mystery starting to get to her.
"Today is my birthday." Yaten informed her. "It's kind of why I might have been a little weird today…see I've never really…"
"Oh, so that's what it was." Hotaru smiled at him. "Well that's no big deal right? But why didn't you say anything before? Do you know what this means?" Hotaru asked looking somewhat distraught.
"Um, what?" Yaten looked slightly perplexed.
"I couldn't get you a present!" Hotaru's eyes widened in worry. "Ah! You should have said something!"
"It's not that big of a deal." Yaten finished pouring the tea and setting it down in front of them as they sat across from each other.
"You wouldn't know." Hotaru crossed her arms. "I feel really bad now."
"Dork." Yaten snorted at her. Hotaru scrunched up her nose.
"Oh I'm the dork?" Hotaru asked him in a dangerous voice. "Well then, fine." Hotaru looked away and crossed her arms.
"Hey, don't be upset, I was just trying to get you to stop going on about a present…" Yaten trailed off as she didn't move. He couldn't see the smile that was making her mouth twitch as she suppressed it. "Hotaru?" Yaten moved towards her. "Are you really that upset?" Hotaru chose that moment to burst out laughing.
"You…you…" Hotaru was shaking with laughter. Yaten pounced on her and began tickling her.
"Faker!" He yelled teasingly as he kept tickling her.
"Stop! Stop! I surrender!" Hotaru shouted over through her laughter. Yaten stopped tickling her and Hotaru took the break to get back at him and started tickling him.
"N-no fair!" Yaten sputtered, in between laughing spurts. "I'll get you for this!" Hotaru shrieked and leapt up and ran away through the apartment, Yaten chasing right after her. She ran into his room and was about to close the door when Yaten ran through, closing the door behind him.
"Hehe, I surrender." Hotaru backed away from him, still grinning from ear to ear.
"Now that I've got you cornered you give up." Yaten shook his head. "Well I'll accept your surrender."
"Surprise Attack!" Hotaru went straight for him and the tickling started up again. Yaten and her wrestled their way over and ended up falling over on his bed. They stopped for a few moments as the giggles from Hotaru subsided. Yaten was looking into her eyes.
"Hotaru…" Yaten murmured under his breath. Hotaru felt herself go breathless and he leaned down and kissed her. The kiss ended and Hotaru giggled once more.
"I guess you win." Hotaru joked.
"I guess I do." Yaten agreed. "Do I get a prize?"
"A prize? Hmm…maybe." Hotaru teased him. They began kissing again and soon they were locked in a very intimate embrace. Hotaru savored the sweet kisses. Yaten moved his head and started to kiss along her jaw line, then proceeded to her throat.
* * *
"Oh crap! It's locked!" Seiya hissed at his companions as he tried the doorknob. "Why does he always lock the door when he's home?" Taiki and Kakyuu were standing next to him, Kakyuu looking very giddy with anticipation.
"He's going to be so surprised!" Kakyuu squealed. Seiya put his fingers to her lips and Kakyuu looked sheepish at being loud.
"Wait a moment." Taiki reached up towards the top of the doorframe. He swept his fingers along the top until his fingers swept off a silver key.
"How did you know it would be there?" Seiya asked looking at the brown-haired Starlight with an odd expression.
"Deductive reasoning." Taiki tapped his temple with his index finger.
"This is going to be so great!" Kakyuu whispered excitedly as they quietly crept into the apartment closing the door behind them. They made their way secretly and finally they got to the bedroom door.
"I think he's in here." Seiya told the others after pressing his ears against the door.
"Okay…one…two…three!" Kakyuu counted down and they all opened it up together.
* * *
"SURPRISE!"
Hotaru and Yaten must have jumped at least ten feet in the air as the loud shout completely frightened them out of their wits. They looked like two deer caught in the headlights, their eyes as round as they possibly could go and jaws dropped. The three intruders were staring back with the exact same expressions on their faces.
"Ho…Ho…Hotaru?" Kakyuu finally got out, her face twitching. "And…Ya…ten…" No one else said anything but then Yaten seemed to have recovered from his initial shock.
"HOW THE HELL DID YOU GUYS GET IN HERE?!" Yaten bellowed angrily. He leapt up from the bed and went to go check the front door. "I KNOW I LOCKED IT!" His angry yelling stopped but that didn't really help the situation. Hotaru was still trying to get her mouth to work and the other's looked in the same state. Finally Seiya broke the silence.
"Taiki…hit me." Seiya got out. The brown-haired boy slapped him upside the head the best he could do while still in a bewildered stupor. This knocked Seiya out of his. And the black haired Starlight could only do one thing at a moment like this.
Seiya was bent over double with laughter.
"O-oh my god, that w-was…should have s-seen your f-faces!" Seiya didn't seem like he was going to stop laughing at anytime soon.
"Shut up Star Dork!" Yaten came back in. "Stop laughing!" Seiya did stop miraculously. But only because he now had a weapon to use against Yaten.
"Well, looks like Yaten was already having a birthday party before we got here." Seiya smirked. "Sorry we interrupted you but we thought that we'd throw a surprise party."
"Ho…Hotaru…and…Ya…Yaten…" Kakyuu was still in shock. Taiki pinched her. Kakyuu shook herself. "Er, thanks Taiki, I needed that."
"I guess…I guess we should explain…" Hotaru spoke as if she were speaking to everyone but really she was looking directly at Yaten.
"No need to explain at all Hotaru." Seiya's grin could probably not have been wiped off his face for anything. "I mean, Yaten's always been saying that he wanted to lose his virginity on his birthday." Hotaru and Yaten's faces both went bright red.
"SHUT UP SEIYA!!!" Yaten yelled, completely flustered. Seiya felt like life was indeed good.
"So you two are together?" Kakyuu approached the subject much more tactfully.
"Yes." Hotaru tried her best to ignore the small wrestling match her boyfriend and Seiya were getting into.
"Aren't you afraid of getting cooties? Maybe you've finally gone through puberty." Seiya fired at Yaten.
"Kakyuu…" Hotaru's eyes pleaded with the red haired princess. Kakyuu immediately took action.
"Both of you, STOP!" Kakyuu ordered and both boys on instinct separated and stood up pretty straight. "Now, it's Yaten's birthday and-"
"How did you guys know?" Yaten interrupted her.
"Dude, we've known you forever." Seiya pointed out. "Like we don't know your birthday."
"Let's start this party." Kakyuu held up the bags she was carrying. "We have food and presents! And Hotaru can join us, although we weren't expecting her to be here so…"
"Oh that's right! You know those really awesome bentos you love oh so much?" Seiya grinned at Yaten. "Well we got some, but we only got four…" Yaten mumbled something with his face getting a little red. Seiya cupped his ear with his hands. "I don't think I caught there, buddy, what was that?"
"I could share with Hotaru." Yaten said a little louder looking slightly grumpy.
"Awwwwwwww!" Seiya fake cooed. "That's so sweet!" Seiya faked a girly high pitched voice just for effect.
"Goodness! Let's go eat." Kakyuu turned to the doorway. "What are you writing Taiki?"
"I guess my study is almost complete." Taiki finished writing happily. "I'll have to keep observing though to see what happens."
"What was your study about?" Yaten asked him.
"Oh, it was about how you were in love and how you tried to let it show." Taiki explained as they walked out into the dining room where Yaten and Hotaru's tea was still sitting out on the table, much colder than it had been.
"Did you two have tea together?" Seiya asked innocently. "How cuuuuuuuuute." And he promptly proceeded to make more cooing noises.
"Shut your trap Dork Boy." Yaten muttered, crossing his arms as he sat down next to Hotaru.
"Let me see…" Taiki flipped a few pages back into his notebook. "You two most likely got together the time that Yaten saved Hotaru from Metallia, am I correct?"
"Yes." Hotaru nodded, they passed around the boxes and soon everyone was digging in.
"I did notice a remarkable change in Yaten's behavior. It was very subtle but there." Taiki nodded his head. "I think you'll be very good for him."
"I also noticed a change!" Seiya grinned once more. Kakyuu brandished her chopsticks threateningly.
"Don't finish your statement Seiya, or else." Kakyuu shot him a deadly look and he looked rather sheepish.
"Ha, at least I'm not on a leash." Yaten finally got back with a real comeback. Seiya didn't look distraught in the least.
"Ya-aten's got a girlfriend!" Seiya sang with teasing hand motions and Yaten blushed again but tried to cover it up.
"Are you two in first grade?" Taiki asked the two as Kakyuu shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"Hey! That's where we met! In first grade. But I think now that our little 'Ten-chan has all grown up he probably won't remember that." Seiya went to pinch Yaten's cheek and almost got stabbed by Yaten's chopsticks in the process.
"Of course I remember that, you moron." Yaten crossed his arms once more. Hotaru just patted his shoulder comfortingly.
Back In First Grade…
"Okay class, I'll split you into groups of three and then give you a box of crayons. You will share the crayons." The teacher tried to explain to a classroom full of children who weren't paying attention. She began to group them herself, giving each group a box of crayons as she went. Then she got to the next people. "Kou Seiya, Kou Taiki, and Kou Yaten, are you three related?"
"Huh?" Seiya smiled dopily at the teacher who could not resist smiling back. Yaten muttered something that sounded suspiciously like an insult.
"I don't think so ma'am." Taiki answered. Kou Taiki could read and write rather well and had actually been up for skipping grades but his parents firmly believed that he should be with his own age group.
"Oh well, here are your crayons." The teacher handed them to Taiki who was probably the most responsible anyway. The three went to work away from everyone else.
"Hey! No fair! I was going to use the green one!" Seiya protested loudly as Yaten took the green crayon before him.
"Don't fight." Taiki told them promptly as he colored with a purple crayon.
"Dork Head." Yaten shot at the brown-haired boy.
"Shortie!" Seiya said to Yaten in defense of Taiki.
"Dork Head." Yaten now directed it towards Seiya.
"I'm rubber and your glue so whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you." Seiya announced smugly.
"Shhh…we shouldn't fight. Here," Taiki took the green crayon from Yaten before breaking it in half. "Now you can both have the green crayon."
"Kou Taiki! Do not break crayons!" The teacher reprimanded him sharply.
"I shouldn't have gotten in trouble for that." Taiki pointed out.
"Yeah, it could have messed up your perfect freaking record." Yaten muttered.
"As you can see Hotaru, so much has changed." Kakyuu said dryly. "Do you want to open presents Yaten? By the way, what did Hotaru get you?"
"She got him a-mmmmmmphhhhhhhh." Seiya's mouth was covered by Kakyuu's hand.
"I don't care." Yaten shrugged. Kakyuu brought out three brightly wrapped presents.
"Maybe I should have gone out and gotten Yaten a box of condoms." Seiya seized the opportunity to once more poke fun at his friend. Kakyuu promptly hit him on the back of the head.
"Seiya! That is not appropriate talk at all!" Kakyuu told him primly. "If you cannot control yourself then you can just leave."
"I'll stop, I'll stop." Seiya promised to her even though he looked far from finished. Yaten unwrapped his presents. Kakyuu had given him a gift card for an arts supplies store.
"Art supplies?" Hotaru asked curiously.
"Er, it's nothing." Yaten quickly put it down.
"Oh, see Yaten here is our little artist." Seiya reached over and ruffled Yaten's hair before quickly being batted away rather violently.
"You're an artist?" Hotaru questioned him.
"No, not really." Yaten looked over at Kakyuu. "How did you know that?"
"Past memories." Kakyuu cleared her throat. "You were always sketching something in the past life."
"Really? Do you still draw?" Hotaru was excited about this new found knowledge.
"No. I don't draw. That was last life." Yaten said a little too quickly and his face went a little pink.
"Ya-aten's blu-ushing!" Seiya began once more with the stupid sing song melody.
"Oh, so was it a bad gift?" Kakyuu looked worried.
"Its fine Kakyuu, don't worry about it." Yaten told the red haired princess. "And Seiya, if that annoying singing doesn't stop, I'm going to strangle you." With that Yaten unwrapped Seiya's gift which was actually The Complete Idiot's Guide to Meeting Girls. After some obnoxious remarks and some more death threats, Yaten just moved on to Taiki's present. Taiki bought him a stress ball.
"I thought it would be helpful." Taiki defended his present immediately.
"It's better then some dorks' presents." Yaten shot a look at Seiya. After this they sat around and talked for awhile before eventually they all left except for Hotaru.
"So…that wasn't so bad." Hotaru gave him a small reassuring smile. "I'm sure everyone in a twenty mile radius will know soon thanks to Seiya but other than that…"
"I guess." Yaten snorted. Obviously he didn't agree with Hotaru all that much at the moment.
* * *
I realize this chapter has little to do with the actual storyline but it's important in my opinion. Okay on with the Akugis before Teresa pees her pants while waiting!
Second Chances Akugis!
Take One!
Kakyuu: Oh, he'll be so surprised!
Seiya: Shhhh.
Kakyuu: Don't shush me Mister Pushy Pants! **cracks her whip**
Seiya: AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
Take Two!
Kakyuu, Seiya, and Taiki: SURPRISE!!!
(They see Hotaru and Yaten)
Taiki: You're cheating on me? **Runs out of the room crying**
Hotaru: You were with Taiki??? 0.O
Take Three!
Kakyuu, Seiya, and Taiki: SURPRISE!!!
(Sees Yaten and Usagi together.)
Usagi: I can…erm…explain?
(Mamoru runs on)
Mamoru: You were cheating on me with Yaten???
Seiya: You were cheating on Mamoru and it wasn't with me???
Take Four!
Kakyuu, Seiya, and Taiki: SURPRISE!!!
(Sees Michiru and Haruka together)
Haruka: Hey! Can't we get some damn privacy?
Seiya: What are you doing in Yaten's bedroom?
Michiru: Mind your own business!!!
Take Five!!!
(Yet Another Return To Hogwarts.)
Yan Weasley: It's Death Reborn REVOLUTION not Revolution. She's a dork!
(Hotarune runs by crying.)
Seiyo Malfoy: Ha! Now you're never going to get any!
Kakky Potter: Shut up Seiyo, do you want me to *make* you shut up?
Seiyo: EEP!
Kakky Potter: Well go apologize Yan.
Yan: Oh fine.
(Ten minutes later. Hotarune and Yan are holding hands.)
Kakky Potter: Now, it's time to deal with you. (Seiyo Malfoy almost wets himself.)