Chapter Nine- Anticipation
~*~
"...You're kidding," Hikou said.
"I ain't," Houjun declared, looking seriously at his friend. "My Mama's got a baby stuck in her stomach."
"How'd it get there?" his friend asked skeptically.
The blue-haired boy could only shrug. "I dunno, and when I asked my folks didn't tell me. It's some big secret grownups know or somethin'."
"Grownups," both sighed theatrically.
"Amen to that," added a third voice.
Houjun jumped and turned around to see someone familiar standing in Hikou's doorway. "Kouran?" he asked.
"What're YOU doing here?" Hikou asked.
"Hiya, Houjun-chan." Kouran cast him an innocent smile. Then the smile faded into a glare that she directed at Hikou. "My Mama sent me over to give some bread t' yer Mama. Don't be so mean. I'm leaving soon anyway," she sniffed. "I don't want nothin' to do with you BOYS."
"Good riddance," both muttered.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Kouran demanded.
"My, what's all this yelling?" Hikou's mother came out from her bedroom and peered at the three curiously. "Ah, Kouran-chan, how are you?"
Kouran was immediately all smiles again. "Hello, my Mama sent ya some bread," she said, offering up a loaf to the older woman.
"Why, arigato Kouran-chan, this smells lovely. I'm sure we'll have it for dinner, ne Hikou?"
Hikou mumbled something inaudible under his breath. While his mother took it as an affirmative and left for a moment, both Kouran and Houjun had a feeling that what he'd said was anything but complimentary. Thus Kouran felt it necessary to edge over and stomp on his foot, smiling all the while as though nothing was happening.
"ITAI!" Hikou cried. He hopped up and down while tears streamed down his face. "Kouran, you-!"
"Nani?" she asked innocently. She shrieked as he aimed a punch at her face. "HE'S GONNA HURT ME!" she howled.
Hikou's mother rushed in, eyes wide in shock. "Hikou!"
The dark-haired boy stopped in mid-punch, nearly falling over from his own momentum (not to mention shock at his mother's sudden appearance). He turned around to look at her incredulously. "Demo, she-"
"No excuses, Hikou. I didn't raise you to pick fights with young ladies. Apologize."
Hikou winced while Kouran continued to smile. To add insult to injury, she whistled a cheerful tune in his face. "C'mon, Hikou-chan, apologize," she sang.
The dark-haired boy growled, but Houjun put a hand on his friend's shoulder and shook his head. They both knew better than to get back at Kouran while a parent was in the room. Hikou's expression became pleading, but his mother remained stern. His shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"Nani? I can't hear you, Hikou-chan!" Kouran said with a cheerful smile.
"I said I was sorry!" he said, a little louder.
"Oh. Well..." She shrugged.
"Aren't you gonna ac- acc- take it?" he asked after a moment.
"It's accept," Kouran said helpfully.
"Whatever..." Hikou glared at her.
Houjun hung his head. He begged silently for Kouran to just accept it; there was no telling what an angry Hikou would do for revenge nowadays. Especially when it concerned Kouran!
Finally, the dark-haired girl smiled and nodded graciously. "I accept your apology, Hikou-chan," she said.
"Arigatou," he mumbled.
"Good, now that that's taken care of," Hikou's mother said, giving her son a stern look. "Why don't you all head outside and play a bit? It's warm enough. Suzaku knows why it's this warm at this time of the winter, but..." She wandered off again, muttering to herself.
The three waited for a long moment to return. When she didn't, Hikou turned to Houjun. Almost at the same time, the best friends nodded. Then they looked at Kouran.
She noticed their staring and took a nervous step back. "N-nani, why're you staring at me like that?" she asked. "Ain't anyone told you it's not nice to stare at people?"
They continued to stare at her.
Unnerved, the girl waved a hand, trying to get them to blink. Neither moved. "C'mon, this isn't funny... I'll tell on you!"
Then she frowned at her own words. She couldn't tell, because they weren't doing anything. As sweet as the adults found her, she didn't want to push it by tattling. What could she say, after all? That the boys were staring at her? Her mom would only say it was a compliment...
"Will you stop it?!" she finally asked, glaring back.
The two continued to stare.
With an annoyed shriek she turned and stormed out of the house.
The instant she did, both boys sighed in relief, blinked the moisture back into their eyes, and did a high five. "That's two points fer us, seeing as there's two of us," Hikou said.
"Hai, hai!" Houjun replied with a grin.
"She was so mean," Hikou said. "I didn't do nothin', and she got me in trouble! Mama'll believe anything she hears from a little girl!"
Houjun put a hand on his friend's shoulder again. "Aw, cheer up, Hikou-kun. Tell ya what, we can go t' my house and play there for a while." At his friend's dubious look he added, "Mama's been real nice lately. She just bought a whole bunch of honey cakes..."
He knew he'd said the magic words when he found himself being dragged back to his house by a very eager Hikou. "Why didn't ya say so? Let's go, Houjun-kun!"
"Itai no da..."
~*~
"They're just so mean," Kouran groused. "I wish I coulda hit 'em, but not in front of Hikou's Mama, you know?"
A girl her age, Akemi, nodded at this. "Ya did the right thing, Kouran-chan," she assured her friend. "Sides, ya could get them back next time!"
"How, though? They're so creepy when they stare at ya an' don't blink an' don't move and... ugh! Stupid boys!"
Akemi grinned. "Well, fer Hikou ya could carry 'round a honey cake, or jus' mention 'em. He won't care WHO ya were then, he'd just wanna know where the cakes were."
"True... yer a smart friend, Akemi-chan. Demo... what about Houjun?"
"I dunno." Akemi tapped her chin thoughtfully, staring into space. "But he's usually a bit nicer, ne?"
"Hai, but when he's around his stupid friend he's mean," Kouran replied.
"Well... make fun of his hair!" Akemi suggested.
"Eh?"
"He's got the brightest hair in the village, ya know? The rest of us, sides his folks anyway, got dark hair."
"Yeah, but, that's kinda dis... dis... making fun of people cause they LOOK different."
"True."
The two girls sat beside the river, shivering in the cool mid-February air and trying to come up with something to get back at Houjun with.
~*~
Back in his house, Houjun sneezed twice.
"My, someone must be thinking about you, Houjun-kun," Mai said teasingly.
"My nose itches," was his reply, rubbing said part of his anatomy.
"Uh-huh. Another honey cake, Hikou dear?"
"Hai, kudasai!" Hikou said, starry-eyed. He held out his already-sticky hands for another one.
Mai laughed. "You certainly like to eat, don't you?"
"Jus' honey cakes," he said.
"Well, save it for after you've eaten something a bit more healthy, boys," Yen said, coming in. He had a fishing pole in one hand, a bucket of fish in the other.
"Dear! You went fishing out in that? It's cold outside!" Mai exclaimed.
"Not as cold as it has been. You won't believe it; it feels like spring already, love," Yen replied. He set the bucket down. "Anyway, we have dinner on our hands now. You want to join us, Hikou-kun?"
"Hai! Can I have honey cakes if I eat fish?" Hikou asked.
Both parents laughed.
Houjun sweat-dropped. "Da, Hikou-kun, you've had five already," he said.
"I know, five whole honey cakes..." Hikou went into his own little world for a while.
The blue-haired boy poked his friend in the arm once, twice, then gave up and returned to looking out the window.
"Well, there's an idea for you, dear," Mai said in the background. "If you caught fish and sold it at market you'd make a pretty nice profit."
"I'm not sure, Mai-chan. Fish stay fresh only for so long," Yen replied.
"That's true... or you could, say, just offer to go fishing for other people and ask them to pay a bit for you if you catch something for them."
"That's not a bad thought at all," Yen said. Houjun could almost see a smile on his father's face, and had to grin himself. "Ne, and Houjun could help me too. How about it, Houjun? Wanna learn fishing?"
Said boy turned around to look at his father. "Eh? Ya mean now?"
"Iie, when it's a bit warmer."
"Mmkay."
"Great! Now I'll have to get a fire started so we can cook this here fish..." Yen wandered off with the fish and a knife in hand, muttering to himself.
Meanwhile, something had caught Houjun's eye in the window. He peered out to see Kouran and another girl- Akemi? Yes, that was it- make their way down the dirt road to town. Both appeared to be laughing about something, and were making odd gestures with their hands.
Then Kouran noticed Houjun watching, because she paused and pointed at him, still laughing. Akemi pointed too.
Wondering what was going on, Houjun waved at them.
That seemed to send them into more hysterical laughter than before. They stopped pointing, however, and waved at him.
He cocked his head to one side, wondering what they found so funny about him. Had he said something before? He couldn't remember...
Finally, still smiling, both girls waved again, and walked off when he waved back.
Houjun lowered his hand, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Who's out there?" Hikou asked, coming up behind him.
"Jus' Kouran and Akemi."
"Then why're ya waving to THEM? C'mon, let's have more honey cakes..." Hikou grabbed his friend by the arm and dragged him back to where his mother was.
Why was he waving to them, indeed? Kouran had done something pretty mean to Hikou before. He figured he did it just to be polite. After all, one had to be polite even when they were mad at someone.
Deciding to dismiss the matter, Houjun obediently followed his friend back to his mother, wondering how he'd convince her that they should have at least one more cake before dinner.
~*~
I wonder what they're gonna come up with for Houjun? Or what they did come up with, by the way they were acting? ^^ We'll see, won't we? I hope you enjoyed this.
I want to thank you all for answering my question last chapter. However, I got a number of different preferences about what I should do. So here's how this is gonna work. I'll continue this story up until around the time everyone's about twelve. Then, if people still really enjoy this (myself included), then I'll write a sequel that'll last up until Houjun proposes. Deal?
Thank you again!
~*~
"...You're kidding," Hikou said.
"I ain't," Houjun declared, looking seriously at his friend. "My Mama's got a baby stuck in her stomach."
"How'd it get there?" his friend asked skeptically.
The blue-haired boy could only shrug. "I dunno, and when I asked my folks didn't tell me. It's some big secret grownups know or somethin'."
"Grownups," both sighed theatrically.
"Amen to that," added a third voice.
Houjun jumped and turned around to see someone familiar standing in Hikou's doorway. "Kouran?" he asked.
"What're YOU doing here?" Hikou asked.
"Hiya, Houjun-chan." Kouran cast him an innocent smile. Then the smile faded into a glare that she directed at Hikou. "My Mama sent me over to give some bread t' yer Mama. Don't be so mean. I'm leaving soon anyway," she sniffed. "I don't want nothin' to do with you BOYS."
"Good riddance," both muttered.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Kouran demanded.
"My, what's all this yelling?" Hikou's mother came out from her bedroom and peered at the three curiously. "Ah, Kouran-chan, how are you?"
Kouran was immediately all smiles again. "Hello, my Mama sent ya some bread," she said, offering up a loaf to the older woman.
"Why, arigato Kouran-chan, this smells lovely. I'm sure we'll have it for dinner, ne Hikou?"
Hikou mumbled something inaudible under his breath. While his mother took it as an affirmative and left for a moment, both Kouran and Houjun had a feeling that what he'd said was anything but complimentary. Thus Kouran felt it necessary to edge over and stomp on his foot, smiling all the while as though nothing was happening.
"ITAI!" Hikou cried. He hopped up and down while tears streamed down his face. "Kouran, you-!"
"Nani?" she asked innocently. She shrieked as he aimed a punch at her face. "HE'S GONNA HURT ME!" she howled.
Hikou's mother rushed in, eyes wide in shock. "Hikou!"
The dark-haired boy stopped in mid-punch, nearly falling over from his own momentum (not to mention shock at his mother's sudden appearance). He turned around to look at her incredulously. "Demo, she-"
"No excuses, Hikou. I didn't raise you to pick fights with young ladies. Apologize."
Hikou winced while Kouran continued to smile. To add insult to injury, she whistled a cheerful tune in his face. "C'mon, Hikou-chan, apologize," she sang.
The dark-haired boy growled, but Houjun put a hand on his friend's shoulder and shook his head. They both knew better than to get back at Kouran while a parent was in the room. Hikou's expression became pleading, but his mother remained stern. His shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"Nani? I can't hear you, Hikou-chan!" Kouran said with a cheerful smile.
"I said I was sorry!" he said, a little louder.
"Oh. Well..." She shrugged.
"Aren't you gonna ac- acc- take it?" he asked after a moment.
"It's accept," Kouran said helpfully.
"Whatever..." Hikou glared at her.
Houjun hung his head. He begged silently for Kouran to just accept it; there was no telling what an angry Hikou would do for revenge nowadays. Especially when it concerned Kouran!
Finally, the dark-haired girl smiled and nodded graciously. "I accept your apology, Hikou-chan," she said.
"Arigatou," he mumbled.
"Good, now that that's taken care of," Hikou's mother said, giving her son a stern look. "Why don't you all head outside and play a bit? It's warm enough. Suzaku knows why it's this warm at this time of the winter, but..." She wandered off again, muttering to herself.
The three waited for a long moment to return. When she didn't, Hikou turned to Houjun. Almost at the same time, the best friends nodded. Then they looked at Kouran.
She noticed their staring and took a nervous step back. "N-nani, why're you staring at me like that?" she asked. "Ain't anyone told you it's not nice to stare at people?"
They continued to stare at her.
Unnerved, the girl waved a hand, trying to get them to blink. Neither moved. "C'mon, this isn't funny... I'll tell on you!"
Then she frowned at her own words. She couldn't tell, because they weren't doing anything. As sweet as the adults found her, she didn't want to push it by tattling. What could she say, after all? That the boys were staring at her? Her mom would only say it was a compliment...
"Will you stop it?!" she finally asked, glaring back.
The two continued to stare.
With an annoyed shriek she turned and stormed out of the house.
The instant she did, both boys sighed in relief, blinked the moisture back into their eyes, and did a high five. "That's two points fer us, seeing as there's two of us," Hikou said.
"Hai, hai!" Houjun replied with a grin.
"She was so mean," Hikou said. "I didn't do nothin', and she got me in trouble! Mama'll believe anything she hears from a little girl!"
Houjun put a hand on his friend's shoulder again. "Aw, cheer up, Hikou-kun. Tell ya what, we can go t' my house and play there for a while." At his friend's dubious look he added, "Mama's been real nice lately. She just bought a whole bunch of honey cakes..."
He knew he'd said the magic words when he found himself being dragged back to his house by a very eager Hikou. "Why didn't ya say so? Let's go, Houjun-kun!"
"Itai no da..."
~*~
"They're just so mean," Kouran groused. "I wish I coulda hit 'em, but not in front of Hikou's Mama, you know?"
A girl her age, Akemi, nodded at this. "Ya did the right thing, Kouran-chan," she assured her friend. "Sides, ya could get them back next time!"
"How, though? They're so creepy when they stare at ya an' don't blink an' don't move and... ugh! Stupid boys!"
Akemi grinned. "Well, fer Hikou ya could carry 'round a honey cake, or jus' mention 'em. He won't care WHO ya were then, he'd just wanna know where the cakes were."
"True... yer a smart friend, Akemi-chan. Demo... what about Houjun?"
"I dunno." Akemi tapped her chin thoughtfully, staring into space. "But he's usually a bit nicer, ne?"
"Hai, but when he's around his stupid friend he's mean," Kouran replied.
"Well... make fun of his hair!" Akemi suggested.
"Eh?"
"He's got the brightest hair in the village, ya know? The rest of us, sides his folks anyway, got dark hair."
"Yeah, but, that's kinda dis... dis... making fun of people cause they LOOK different."
"True."
The two girls sat beside the river, shivering in the cool mid-February air and trying to come up with something to get back at Houjun with.
~*~
Back in his house, Houjun sneezed twice.
"My, someone must be thinking about you, Houjun-kun," Mai said teasingly.
"My nose itches," was his reply, rubbing said part of his anatomy.
"Uh-huh. Another honey cake, Hikou dear?"
"Hai, kudasai!" Hikou said, starry-eyed. He held out his already-sticky hands for another one.
Mai laughed. "You certainly like to eat, don't you?"
"Jus' honey cakes," he said.
"Well, save it for after you've eaten something a bit more healthy, boys," Yen said, coming in. He had a fishing pole in one hand, a bucket of fish in the other.
"Dear! You went fishing out in that? It's cold outside!" Mai exclaimed.
"Not as cold as it has been. You won't believe it; it feels like spring already, love," Yen replied. He set the bucket down. "Anyway, we have dinner on our hands now. You want to join us, Hikou-kun?"
"Hai! Can I have honey cakes if I eat fish?" Hikou asked.
Both parents laughed.
Houjun sweat-dropped. "Da, Hikou-kun, you've had five already," he said.
"I know, five whole honey cakes..." Hikou went into his own little world for a while.
The blue-haired boy poked his friend in the arm once, twice, then gave up and returned to looking out the window.
"Well, there's an idea for you, dear," Mai said in the background. "If you caught fish and sold it at market you'd make a pretty nice profit."
"I'm not sure, Mai-chan. Fish stay fresh only for so long," Yen replied.
"That's true... or you could, say, just offer to go fishing for other people and ask them to pay a bit for you if you catch something for them."
"That's not a bad thought at all," Yen said. Houjun could almost see a smile on his father's face, and had to grin himself. "Ne, and Houjun could help me too. How about it, Houjun? Wanna learn fishing?"
Said boy turned around to look at his father. "Eh? Ya mean now?"
"Iie, when it's a bit warmer."
"Mmkay."
"Great! Now I'll have to get a fire started so we can cook this here fish..." Yen wandered off with the fish and a knife in hand, muttering to himself.
Meanwhile, something had caught Houjun's eye in the window. He peered out to see Kouran and another girl- Akemi? Yes, that was it- make their way down the dirt road to town. Both appeared to be laughing about something, and were making odd gestures with their hands.
Then Kouran noticed Houjun watching, because she paused and pointed at him, still laughing. Akemi pointed too.
Wondering what was going on, Houjun waved at them.
That seemed to send them into more hysterical laughter than before. They stopped pointing, however, and waved at him.
He cocked his head to one side, wondering what they found so funny about him. Had he said something before? He couldn't remember...
Finally, still smiling, both girls waved again, and walked off when he waved back.
Houjun lowered his hand, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Who's out there?" Hikou asked, coming up behind him.
"Jus' Kouran and Akemi."
"Then why're ya waving to THEM? C'mon, let's have more honey cakes..." Hikou grabbed his friend by the arm and dragged him back to where his mother was.
Why was he waving to them, indeed? Kouran had done something pretty mean to Hikou before. He figured he did it just to be polite. After all, one had to be polite even when they were mad at someone.
Deciding to dismiss the matter, Houjun obediently followed his friend back to his mother, wondering how he'd convince her that they should have at least one more cake before dinner.
~*~
I wonder what they're gonna come up with for Houjun? Or what they did come up with, by the way they were acting? ^^ We'll see, won't we? I hope you enjoyed this.
I want to thank you all for answering my question last chapter. However, I got a number of different preferences about what I should do. So here's how this is gonna work. I'll continue this story up until around the time everyone's about twelve. Then, if people still really enjoy this (myself included), then I'll write a sequel that'll last up until Houjun proposes. Deal?
Thank you again!