Artemis*Obscure: Yeah… Unquestionable-san says that I write too much angst…. Hehehe *winks* Yeah, I might pair her up with Hanagata… but considering the way this story is taking course, I think she might not end up with anyone… though I might change my mind in the middle…. Well, thanks for reading!!
Ice Queen: Hehehe… I took an even longer time to upload this. Now I'm seriously not sure whether I should pair her up with anyone…. Maybe I won't… heheh. I'm indecisive.
Unquestionable: Was I suppose to understand your past review?.... well, as u can se, listening to Mr. Loh is sometimes helpful… hehehe… that is 4 my Terror ler… so listen to Kimia more often!
Teh Tarik: No… I took the long way round because I myself didn't know what was going on between them. Hehehe… yeah, that's the way I write. I have no idea what thye were talking about myself, and that's why I love writing. But now I have a rough idea…. Though I think you're going to have to wait till the next chapter to see it fully. *salaams* I'm sorry… but the chapter was already to long… nyahgahhahah… anyway, it's nice to torture u guys…
Miracle: Heheheh… I ended up taking a little TOO long to upload… I'm so sorry… I guess I don't really have to pair Meia up. Actually, now, I don't think it is all that a good idea anymore…
Sakura88: The nilais are crappy right?!! I mean we spent the last 3 years of our lives trying to hafal all the nilais and they just change it like that… eeeeee GERAM!!!! I'm the same age and form as you… are there many people there who enter school a year early? Never encountered such a thing over here in Seremban…
Chapter 7- Akane
'Hi-nii!' Hatina called out, breaking through that agonizing moment. Agonizing for Meia, that was.
'Ti-chan!' Koshino said in delight, pulling Sendo over to where the six of them stood. Koshino hugged his cousin as soon as he reached them. Sendo slapped Hatina on the back, fully aware of the pair of scared eyes trained on him.
'This is Fujima, Varoa, his sister, Mintei, Hanagata, and Meia,' Hatina introduced in a breath. She didn't pause at Meia's name, but her eyes were alight with curiosity all the same.
'Hey!' Sendo said, his eyes traveling from one to another, resting a while on Meia. She dropped her eyes immediately.
'Hey,' Fujima answered, not really noticing the way Sendo looked at Meia. Hanagata did see this, but he passed it off as nothing. Hatina was surveying everything with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
'Va-chan!' A voice suddenly called out from seemingly the other end of that huge house.
'Akane-chan?!' Varoa squealed in delight, still in the midst of tuning towards the source. In a flash, both Fujima(s) left the group. Meia stared as the pair of them rushed over to the long-haired girl who was waving frantically.
'I think she's their cousin or something,' Hanagata muttered. Something in his voice said that he didn't want to discuss it further, and Meia let it lie that way. Without their notice, Mintei clenched her fists.
There was a short awkward pause, as the other Ryonans met up with their own friends. Meia's heart sank as she saw that her brother and Koshino were planning to be around them for quite some time.
'Let's get a drink!' Hatina said, pulling her cousin to the drinks section,
'Yeah! Finally. I thought you'd never ask,' Sendo said brightly, a big grin crossing his face as he tailed the two of them. Mintei noted that Sendo was pretty much perfect in covering the fact that Meia is his sister as she watched him pass a drink to her. Then, before she knew it, he had pushed a drink into her hands.
'Man… can't you guys serve yourselves?'
Hatina knocked his spiky head.
'Be nice to girls. Some gentlemen you guys are nowadays. Completely hopeless!' She complained. Sendo automatically changed into another mode.
'Ah, Hatina-sama. I'm so glad and honored that you would actually take the…' Sendo went on yakking as a look of slight surprise came across Hatina's face. She was a little shock at his change of attitude. It wasn't from the "Man… can't you guys serve yourselves," to the "Ah, Hatina-sama…" but from the first day she met him to today. In a flash, she understood what her cousin meant by saying that Sendo went "crazy, crazy" in the midst of people.
Mintei, however, who had never seen Sendo alone with his close friend, could not help but be amused by his actions. This was the first time she had talked to him up close, and already, she liked him. His carefree way of living, his jabbering mouth and joker smile. A smile broke to surface on Mintei's features.
Opposite Mintei, Meia cast her eyes down, to the drink that her brother had given to her. with the other hand, she raked her hair back.
* * * * * * * *
'Hey, Va-chan, do you know that guy over there?' Akane asked, in a soft voice.
'Who? Sendo-san? I don't know him that well….' Varoa answered, her voice lowering. She literally felt her heart sinking when she saw that Akane had fixed her eyes intently on Sendo, and… Mintei, who seemed to be having a good time.
'Oh… nah, he just reminded me of someone.' Akane's voice had that dangerous dreamy tone. Varoa turned her whole body to get a better look at Sendo, who had managed to make Mintei laugh till she seemed to be shivering. Hatina was talking to Koshino animatedly, not really interested in the scene that Sendo was making. Hanagata, on the other hand, looked bemused. He wasn't laughing the way Mintei was, but he was smiling. Meia was the only one who didn't seem to be enjoying the whole thing. Varoa's gaze focused hard on Mintei, not giving much thought to Meia. She was after all, pretty serious. She seldom laughed aloud.
'Yeah, he reminds me of someone too,' Varoa muttered her brows creasing, turning back to Akane, only to see a stray tear tracking it's way down her cheeks.
Ugh… this isn't good. This is not good, Varoa thought frantically, her eyes looking around wildly for her brother. She knew, there was perhaps, only one person who could make Akane cry this way. She was not just crying. Her eyes had that blank look, the look of someone who had suffered for a long time. And… and, Akane wasn't exactly the girl who cried. It was not an easy task, making Akane cry.
Varoa did the only thing that came into her mind. She patted Akane on the back. Akane looked up at her, tears threatening to spill from those large emerald orbs. Varoa gave her an encouraging smile. Akane closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to stabilize her emotions.
'I want to talk to him,' Akane whispered. Varoa sighed softly. Her voice held certain authority. Once Akane decided with something, sinking in the Dead Sea was easier compared to trying to make her change her mind. She had known that this would happen. She just knew it.
Damn.
'Okay, Akane. Just promise me one thing. Please don't pick a fight with Mintei, okay?' Akane didn't answer.
'Akane?' There was a short pause. After a few seconds, she finally nodded, slightly. Varoa wasn't convinced, but she knew it was too late to turn back. The dreaded time had come. Mintei had to face Akane.
The only person who could make Mintei smile, the only person who could make Akane cry…oh Sendo, why did you come?
'Right, let's go.'
* * * * * * * *
Hatina was the first one to realize that Varoa and Akane was walking over to them. Akane had a terrifying glare decorating her face.
'Uh, oh… damn,' she muttered.
'Hatina? You okay?' Koshino asked, concerned. Hatina looked at him.
'I knew this would happen… well, I suspected it would. I mean, Sendo was almost a reflection of him, but I didn't know similar they were. I didn't know he was so… as you said, crazy, crazy… if I knew, I would never have risked it. Damn! This isn't good!' Hatina rambled on and on, her eyes alarmingly unfocused.
'Hatina?! Hey, are you alright?' Koshino shook her slightly. Hatina's eyes snapped back to reality.
'Yeah… I'm okay… gimme a minute,' she said, walking over to Hanagata, a few paces in front of her.
'Hanagata…'
'Hmm…?' Hanagata was facing Hatina, his back to the oncoming pair of cousins, Varoa and Akane, and thus didn't know anything about them coming over.
'Akane's coming. With Varoa. And by the look of it, Mintei's in deep trouble. No! Don't turn now!' Hatina hissed as Hanagata made to turn around to check.
'Damn, I don't think that Varao's and Fujima's presence can pull them both out of a fight this time, if they start one. I mean you know both of them, right? And I'm sure they will start a fight today. Damn sure. Crap! I shouldn't have let Mintei meet Sendo. Shit!' Hatina kept babbling, hardly keeping track of what she was saying.
Meia was beside Hanagata, and she was staring at the pair of them, scared. She was scared not by the look on Hatina's face, but just scared. She was worried that her friends wouldn't accept her anymore, now that they had met her brother. She feared that she would lose the only friends who had seemed to care for her. And so, though she was confused, she didn't dare break in the conversation. She just stared at them. Hanagata, however, caught her looking at him, and a thought struck him.
'Meia,' he whispered, though still looking straight at Hatina. Meia was not sure whether he had mixed her name with Hatina's or was really calling her.
'Ia-chan!' His tone was urgent. They were drawing nearer. He felt it.
'What?' She whispered back.
'Pull Mintei away from here. Invite her to go to the toilet, for a walk anything. Please?... Now.' Meia's eyes widen. The very thought of breaking through her brother's conversation scared her like hell. Hatina detected her reluctance.
'Come on, please? We'll explain later. She needs this,' Hatina murmured.
'But…' Besides her worry, she also felt left out. She was the only one who was blur on the details. Always.
'No buts. Go,' Hanagata said, sounding very pushy and oppressive, and almost immediately, he regretted it. She looked a little hurt… but this was not the time. He had no time to console her, not now.
'Go Meia, please.' Meia gave him a glare, and he was taken aback at the amount of hate and disgust that her face held. Maybe he had gone a little too far this time. An apology trembled at the tip of his tongue, but by now, he could hear Varoa's footsteps over the din… and anyway, he consoled himself, that look of disappointment had left her face. Just as Varoa tapped him on the back, Meia left them.
'Oh, hey Va-chan. Um… hi, Akane-san.' Hatina greeted. As Hanagata turned to greet them as well, he caught Meia's eyes again, and saw that look of hatred in them, again. And before he had managed to fully turn away from her, he saw that look being replaced with a blank hurt look, again.
'Hey!' Hanagata said brightly. Akane nodded to both of them.
'Mi-chan, could you accompany me? I want to go for a walk. Oh, Sendo-san, would you like to come as well?' Meia's voice floated over to where they were, and Akane's eyes widened dangerously. Hatina knew that Meia's voice was a little too fake to fool Akane, and she saw that knowledge registering itself in Akane's mind. But at the same time, she was stunned. She had begged Meia to do it with no real conviction, truth be told, that she would actually do it. She wasn't the only one shock. A sharp, involuntary intake of breath from Sendo too obviously told that he was surprised.
Mintei was more than shocked. She raised her eyes to Meia questioningly, but politely. Her politeness, however, ended when her eyes slipped pass Meia, finding themselves locked on a pair of big emerald eyes. Comprehension seeped into her eyes.
'Oh, but Meia… I don't really feel…'
'Aww, come on, Mintei. It would be fun, I'm sure,' Sendo cut in. Koshino smiled a little… it wasn't a happy smile. Sendo loved his sister a lot, though, of course, not many, and he would say, including Meia herself, knows that. These little things seem to always slip her… but on her side, he understood how it felt. Sendo seemed to excel in everything. He was hell of an athletic, he got good grades, he made friends damn quickly… and goodness knows what else. He didn't blame her for overlooking these small things. After all, they did seem small compared to what he did to her feelings without even doing anything bad to her. But sometimes, he felt sorry for Sendo…. Take now for instance, Meia was looking up to him with a smile on her face. A smile halfway between mild shock – shock that he would actually help her – and gratitude. But there was something about her eyes that the smile of gratitude didn't reach.
Mintei looked up at Sendo, who gave her a look of pure innocence. Meia was pretty good at hiding her worry about mixing around, her fear that everyone would diss her behind her back, but she wasn't the only one. Sendo was as good as hiding all the tumultuous and raging feelings in him… maybe a little better. He had a strange feeling that Mintei was very good at reading people's feelings, and had already broken through Meia's façade. Mintei, on the other hand, could not perceive through his simple show, and thus, didn't know the thoughts that were racing through his mind. Deep in her, she didn't want to actually in a way, "go against" Sendo. She liked him… but she couldn't just walk away from Akane… could she? She had caught the look on Varoa's face a moment ago. It was the look of a person walking into a terrible fight. Their perceptions were already set. She shouldn't change what people think. Akane actually coming over to them was as good as her picking a fight. After all, they had promised distance. That was why Akane had always called Fujima and Varoa from a distance…
'Yeah, let's go,' Koshino muttered from beside Sendo.
'And who invited you?' Sendo asked mischievously.
'Meia-san did,' Koshino answered, looking expectantly at her. Meia started at being called by her brother's best friend.
'There you are,' Koshino said, smiling, turning back to Sendo.
'I didn't hear any "yes",' Sendo muttered back, his eyes twinkling.
'Well, I heard it, and that settles it, doesn't it, Meia?' Again she didn't answer. She was at a lost for words.
'There, I told you it does. Okay, let's go,' Koshino said. Mintei, now overruled, merely followed along. Her eyes darted one last time towards Akane and caught her eyes. Both pair of eyes were filled with unspeakable loathing.
All of them walked out the door.
* * * * * * * *
I've had enough of being the one always pushed around. Why? Is it just because I can't fight back and stand up and say "No"? Than, it ain't fair. Just because I'm nice, people take advantage of it… Hanagata… I thought… I thought he was something like nii-san before… before it all happened. But… but that was just the surface. They're all the same inside. They never bother, never care. There's nothing deeper in there, only ego.
* * * * * * * *
A tear escaped her eyes. Meia Sendo hugged herself tightly.
A/N: At the end, in italics… those were Meia's thoughts, kay? Was it a little too long? I wanted to explain a little more, but once I get started, I can never stop, and the chapter will be extremely long. I promise to try to upload a little quicker, ne? well, thanks for the support, and do tell me what you think… how was it… bye!!!
