Chapter Four- Arigato
Notes- Whee! ^^ I love writing this! And I'm so happy you all like it as much as I do! Please enjoy this chapter! I put it out fast too because I just felt glad about your reviews. Happy reading!
~*~
Houjun trudged through the town on what was now a familiar dirt path, staring sullenly at a bundle of something in his arms. He was dressed in his cleanest clothing; a shirt his mother had recently made for him and a pair of leggings she'd just washed yesterday. His hair, which was usually left alone, was now brushed.
Why all of this neatness?
The blue-haired boy started to grumble as he passed through the market. "Stupid dress, dumb Kouran girl, stupid, stupid..."
~*~ Flash back ~*~
"HOUJUN!"
The young boy winced as he cautiously peeked through the door into his and his mother's house. "Hai, Mama?" he asked meekly.
"Get in here NOW."
He winced again, knowing exactly what she was going to say. Then he lifted his hands to lick them just one more time to remind himself about how wonderful the honey cakes tasted before doing as his mother told him to. "Ah... konbanwa, Mama."
His mother was sitting on his cot, with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. And in her lap... was a familiar looking dress. Which was still utterly and completely covered in mud and dirt.
Houjun paled. How had she gotten hold of that?
"Now, Houjun. Explain why you ruined Kouran-chan's dress AND ran off without telling me for the entire day," Mai said.
The blue-haired boy stared down at the floor, scuffing his toe against the ground as he tried to think of how to get himself out of trouble. "Mama, Kouran made me... made me..." he blushed. How could he tell her about this? He'd never live it down...
"Made you... what?" the dangerous tone hadn't left her voice.
Dignity or play time? Dignity or play time? Finally, Houjun made a decision. "She made me wear that stupid dress an' then threw mud at me!" he blurted out. "An' then we got into a fight, an' we both got dirty, an' she blamed ME for it! An' then she says boys are dumb and we can't do nothin' right... Mama, it's all her fault! Honest!"
The glare had turned into a rather odd expression on his mother's face. "What did you just say?" she asked, incredulous. "She made you wear a dress, did she?"
He blushed even more. "Hai," he mumbled, staring at the floor.
There was a long silence, then Mai burst out laughing. "Oh, Houjun!"
The boy looked up, blinking.
Mai shook her head, and managed to stop laughing. She wiped a tear from one eye. "How on earth did she make you do such a thing?" she asked him.
"Ano... she said she'd tell on me an' she'd cry," he said.
"I see." His mother managed to resume a stern expression. "That still doesn't give you any right to destroy such a beautiful dress such as this."
"She's got plenty o' others," he protested. "Sides, like I said she made me!"
"I heard you the first time, dear. Don't repeat yourself or people won't think you're very bright." Mai sighed. "And then those cakes you and Hikou stole... how many did you take, Houjun?"
"I took three," he said, smiling at the memory. "Hikou got four, though," he added with a sigh. "Next time I'll beat him!"
"No you will not, young man." Mai stood up.
Houjun winced at that. "Mama, please don't be mad at me?" he asked.
A hand was put on his head, and he looked up at his mother to see that she was now smiling again. "I'm not mad at you, Houjun-kun. At least, not anymore. I was before, I admit, but... anyway, I'm just a little exasperated at you. Now... how do we get you to stop destroying little girl's things AND from stealing honey cakes?" she mused.
The blue-haired boy stared up at her with wide eyes, wondering what his fate was going to be. Please, oh please, don't let it be no play!
"I know!" Mai nodded. "You can wash this dress and tidy it up for me tomorrow morning, Houjun."
"But-"
"And then, you'll get dressed up very nicely. You'll go over to Kouran's house, give her back her dress, say you are sorry, and offer to let her come over and play soon."
"BUT MAMA!"
"No buts, Houjun. Now let's get you in a bath- you're filthy and I'll bet you have trouble keeping things from sticking to your hands."
Houjun pouted, but sighed in resignation when he realized his mother wasn't going to be swayed on the subject. "Hai, mama," he said, returning his gaze once more to the floor.
~*~ End Flashback ~*~
The blue-haired boy sighed again as he reached Kouran's house, staring at the door. Maybe he could just drop the dress there, knock on the door, make a run for it... then he wouldn't have to talk to Kouran, or even ask her over to play!
"I can't believe Mama's makin' me do this," he mumbled at the ground.
After a long debate (a whole five minutes), Houjun shook his head. "I gotta. Mama'll know if I don't do it," he said to the door in front of him. He hesitated, then reached out and knocked on it.
A moment later, Kouran opened the door. She was wearing a blue dress now, and her hair was loose instead of tied back in a braid like before. Her large eyes widened in shock at the sight of him, then narrowed. "Go away," she said, and prepared to shut the door.
"Chotto matte!" Houjun said, stepping in to block the door. "It ain't like I wanna do this!" he told her with a glare. "It's yer fault anyway."
"What is?"
"Me getting in trouble," he said.
She giggled. "Haha, you're in trouble? I ain't!" she boasted.
"That's cause yer a girl. Girls can't take being in trouble. They just cry about it," Houjun said.
She stopped laughing to glare back at him. "That was mean," she accused.
"It's true though. I brought your stupid dress."
"What dress?"
"The dress you made me wear."
"Oh. That dress. Keep it."
Houjun blinked at her. "NANI!? I can't keep a dress! It's too girly, and what'd Hikou think?"
"Do I care?" she sniffed, turning her nose up at him.
"I washed it and everything," he said, thrusting it out at her. "So... um... it ain't got no cooties or nothin', if ya believe in that stupid stuff. It's all clean. Mama made me wash it all day..."
"You washed it all day? For me?" she asked, looking up at him.
Her eyes were suddenly wide again, and sparkling. Her whole face seemed to light up at the thought of him doing something for her. Houjun, surprised at this sudden change in behavior, blinked again and blushed. "Ano, well... daaaa..."
She giggled again. "Arigato, Houjun. I'll take it back after all." She took the dress. "It's all lumpy though," she said, looking at it in distaste. "Boys can't fold anything, can they?"
He frowned. "Hey, I brought you yer dumb dress. Oh..."
She looked up from her dress. "Oh, what?" she asked.
Again, he found himself blushing as he scratched the back of his head. "I haveta," he mumbled. Then he looked up at her. "If ya wanna come over an' play sometime... well, girls are allowed an' all. I'm not sayin' that cause I wanna be great friends, just to be nice," he added hurriedly.
She laughed again. The girl seemed to laugh often. Then she gave him a little smile, and turned her nose up again. "Huh. Maybe I will come over. I woulda anyway. I do what I wanna do, after all. An' no boys can stop me!"
"Whatever," Houjun muttered.
"Houjun-chan..."
He looked up.
The smile had become sweet, almost shy. "Arigato again."
"A-ah... bye!" He turned and quickly left.
Kouran watched him go, said, "Stupid boys," with a wicked smile on her face, then headed back into the house. It was time to have her mother read to her.
Meanwhile, Houjun was running down the path to his house, as though he expected her to chase after him or something. All the while, the young boy was mumbling, "Stupid girls, stupid, stupid, mean girl, Kouran is stupid!"
~*~
Well, maybe they'll get along now... or is Kouran up to something again already? You'll have to wait to find out, won't you? ^^
Notes- Whee! ^^ I love writing this! And I'm so happy you all like it as much as I do! Please enjoy this chapter! I put it out fast too because I just felt glad about your reviews. Happy reading!
~*~
Houjun trudged through the town on what was now a familiar dirt path, staring sullenly at a bundle of something in his arms. He was dressed in his cleanest clothing; a shirt his mother had recently made for him and a pair of leggings she'd just washed yesterday. His hair, which was usually left alone, was now brushed.
Why all of this neatness?
The blue-haired boy started to grumble as he passed through the market. "Stupid dress, dumb Kouran girl, stupid, stupid..."
~*~ Flash back ~*~
"HOUJUN!"
The young boy winced as he cautiously peeked through the door into his and his mother's house. "Hai, Mama?" he asked meekly.
"Get in here NOW."
He winced again, knowing exactly what she was going to say. Then he lifted his hands to lick them just one more time to remind himself about how wonderful the honey cakes tasted before doing as his mother told him to. "Ah... konbanwa, Mama."
His mother was sitting on his cot, with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. And in her lap... was a familiar looking dress. Which was still utterly and completely covered in mud and dirt.
Houjun paled. How had she gotten hold of that?
"Now, Houjun. Explain why you ruined Kouran-chan's dress AND ran off without telling me for the entire day," Mai said.
The blue-haired boy stared down at the floor, scuffing his toe against the ground as he tried to think of how to get himself out of trouble. "Mama, Kouran made me... made me..." he blushed. How could he tell her about this? He'd never live it down...
"Made you... what?" the dangerous tone hadn't left her voice.
Dignity or play time? Dignity or play time? Finally, Houjun made a decision. "She made me wear that stupid dress an' then threw mud at me!" he blurted out. "An' then we got into a fight, an' we both got dirty, an' she blamed ME for it! An' then she says boys are dumb and we can't do nothin' right... Mama, it's all her fault! Honest!"
The glare had turned into a rather odd expression on his mother's face. "What did you just say?" she asked, incredulous. "She made you wear a dress, did she?"
He blushed even more. "Hai," he mumbled, staring at the floor.
There was a long silence, then Mai burst out laughing. "Oh, Houjun!"
The boy looked up, blinking.
Mai shook her head, and managed to stop laughing. She wiped a tear from one eye. "How on earth did she make you do such a thing?" she asked him.
"Ano... she said she'd tell on me an' she'd cry," he said.
"I see." His mother managed to resume a stern expression. "That still doesn't give you any right to destroy such a beautiful dress such as this."
"She's got plenty o' others," he protested. "Sides, like I said she made me!"
"I heard you the first time, dear. Don't repeat yourself or people won't think you're very bright." Mai sighed. "And then those cakes you and Hikou stole... how many did you take, Houjun?"
"I took three," he said, smiling at the memory. "Hikou got four, though," he added with a sigh. "Next time I'll beat him!"
"No you will not, young man." Mai stood up.
Houjun winced at that. "Mama, please don't be mad at me?" he asked.
A hand was put on his head, and he looked up at his mother to see that she was now smiling again. "I'm not mad at you, Houjun-kun. At least, not anymore. I was before, I admit, but... anyway, I'm just a little exasperated at you. Now... how do we get you to stop destroying little girl's things AND from stealing honey cakes?" she mused.
The blue-haired boy stared up at her with wide eyes, wondering what his fate was going to be. Please, oh please, don't let it be no play!
"I know!" Mai nodded. "You can wash this dress and tidy it up for me tomorrow morning, Houjun."
"But-"
"And then, you'll get dressed up very nicely. You'll go over to Kouran's house, give her back her dress, say you are sorry, and offer to let her come over and play soon."
"BUT MAMA!"
"No buts, Houjun. Now let's get you in a bath- you're filthy and I'll bet you have trouble keeping things from sticking to your hands."
Houjun pouted, but sighed in resignation when he realized his mother wasn't going to be swayed on the subject. "Hai, mama," he said, returning his gaze once more to the floor.
~*~ End Flashback ~*~
The blue-haired boy sighed again as he reached Kouran's house, staring at the door. Maybe he could just drop the dress there, knock on the door, make a run for it... then he wouldn't have to talk to Kouran, or even ask her over to play!
"I can't believe Mama's makin' me do this," he mumbled at the ground.
After a long debate (a whole five minutes), Houjun shook his head. "I gotta. Mama'll know if I don't do it," he said to the door in front of him. He hesitated, then reached out and knocked on it.
A moment later, Kouran opened the door. She was wearing a blue dress now, and her hair was loose instead of tied back in a braid like before. Her large eyes widened in shock at the sight of him, then narrowed. "Go away," she said, and prepared to shut the door.
"Chotto matte!" Houjun said, stepping in to block the door. "It ain't like I wanna do this!" he told her with a glare. "It's yer fault anyway."
"What is?"
"Me getting in trouble," he said.
She giggled. "Haha, you're in trouble? I ain't!" she boasted.
"That's cause yer a girl. Girls can't take being in trouble. They just cry about it," Houjun said.
She stopped laughing to glare back at him. "That was mean," she accused.
"It's true though. I brought your stupid dress."
"What dress?"
"The dress you made me wear."
"Oh. That dress. Keep it."
Houjun blinked at her. "NANI!? I can't keep a dress! It's too girly, and what'd Hikou think?"
"Do I care?" she sniffed, turning her nose up at him.
"I washed it and everything," he said, thrusting it out at her. "So... um... it ain't got no cooties or nothin', if ya believe in that stupid stuff. It's all clean. Mama made me wash it all day..."
"You washed it all day? For me?" she asked, looking up at him.
Her eyes were suddenly wide again, and sparkling. Her whole face seemed to light up at the thought of him doing something for her. Houjun, surprised at this sudden change in behavior, blinked again and blushed. "Ano, well... daaaa..."
She giggled again. "Arigato, Houjun. I'll take it back after all." She took the dress. "It's all lumpy though," she said, looking at it in distaste. "Boys can't fold anything, can they?"
He frowned. "Hey, I brought you yer dumb dress. Oh..."
She looked up from her dress. "Oh, what?" she asked.
Again, he found himself blushing as he scratched the back of his head. "I haveta," he mumbled. Then he looked up at her. "If ya wanna come over an' play sometime... well, girls are allowed an' all. I'm not sayin' that cause I wanna be great friends, just to be nice," he added hurriedly.
She laughed again. The girl seemed to laugh often. Then she gave him a little smile, and turned her nose up again. "Huh. Maybe I will come over. I woulda anyway. I do what I wanna do, after all. An' no boys can stop me!"
"Whatever," Houjun muttered.
"Houjun-chan..."
He looked up.
The smile had become sweet, almost shy. "Arigato again."
"A-ah... bye!" He turned and quickly left.
Kouran watched him go, said, "Stupid boys," with a wicked smile on her face, then headed back into the house. It was time to have her mother read to her.
Meanwhile, Houjun was running down the path to his house, as though he expected her to chase after him or something. All the while, the young boy was mumbling, "Stupid girls, stupid, stupid, mean girl, Kouran is stupid!"
~*~
Well, maybe they'll get along now... or is Kouran up to something again already? You'll have to wait to find out, won't you? ^^