Disclaimer: Standard applies.

Chapter 6: Moving on: Izumi's new household

(Izumi's p.o.v.)

Kouji was waiting in the car while I went inside Takuya's house, the housewhich had given me a place to call home for a bit. I stepped inthe room I stayed in and grabbed a bunch of clothes. With them, I placed toiletries, my diary, and makeup into one duffle bag. Everything else could be left here until I had enough money to rent an apartment. The last thing I needed to do was write a note explaining where I'd be for Takuya.

Dear Takuya,

I'm going to stay at Kouji's house for a while until I can find a good apartment. I'm sorry for leaving but it would be too awkward to remain here. Thank you for letting me live with you these past months. Oh yeah, don't beat yourself up about, you know. I forgive you so don't worry. We'll both be fine.

Your friend,

Izumi-chan

I taped it to the door on my way out. For some reason a tear trickled silently down onto the pavement as I walked away. Kouji saw me coming and opened the trunk. He took myduffle bag and crammed them into the surprisingly messy space. "I thought you were organized." I said trying to lighten the mood.

He blushed slightly and replied, "My job is demanding and school is always taking up my time." We shrugged it off and drove away.

"So this is it. I never thought I would be living with you," I said as we pulled into the driveway. Kouji looked to the side and got out. I followed him to the back. He lowered his arm to reachthe duffle bag at the same time I did. Ourhands touched but only for a few seconds.

"I'll get that. You just go on and wait at the front door," he said.

"It's okay. I can carry this." Kouji grunted and let go of the bag. We walked up to the door and entered his house.

"Where should we put this?" I asked. He looked around, trying to hide the embarassment over his untidy living space.

"Leave them here for now. There's a guest room but I need to clear stuff out of it. That means I'm taking the couch tonight."

"What? Why?"

He stared at me in a strange way. "We can't sleep in the same bed You're going to take mine until the other room is ready." I blushed again, feeling stupid for not realizing it.

"Kouji," I said as he turned to the stairway, "I'll sleep on the couch." It'd be weird to get his bed.

"No. You've gone through a lot today so you'd better just take my room," he replied.

"But, I didn't come here to be a bother, Kouji. Either I sleep on the couch or... Or if you really wantto sleepsomewhere else you can just lay out a sleeping bag next to your bed," I said, my determination flaring. He opened his mouth but couldn't argue.

"I'm going to wash up, if you don't mind," I added.

"Okay, the bathroom's on the-"

I cut him off, "I know, second door on the left. Trust me, I could never forget that time when Takuya spent an hour in there after eating that expired salsa. Remember? We were all here for your last birthday." He looked upwards as if reminiscing of that day.During thattime I had taken a wash cloth from my bag and swiftly brushed past him. He followed behind and walked into his room to tidy things up. It was the first on the left.

After wiping my face with cold water, I removed my sweater. Underneath was a white tank top. I kept my regular pants on since it seemed comfortable enough to sleep in. I looked intently at the mirror. There I was with my golden hair flowing straight, ending in little curls, my eyes were barely puffy, and my face glowing after chilling it up. I stuffed my sweater into mybag downstairs and then ran up again. Kouji was waiting at the doorway and stepped in when he saw me coming.

I rested my arm atop the bed post on the opposite side of where Kouji's make-shift bed was. He was already laying down but still wide awake. I decided to lay down too. When he felt the bed wiggle gently he clasped his hands. Was he praying? The lights flickered off leaving only the moonlight and a small plug-in to keep the room from going completely dark. I stuck my head over the edge to face him. He looked up at me. "Thanks for letting me stay here. I'm glad I could count on you."

"Yeah, well goodnight." he replied in a sweet way.

"Goodnight." In only a few seconds I was drifting off to sleep. 'I really am tired.' I thought. My last thought was of Kouji.

(Kouji's p.o.v.)

Izumi was sleeping calmly. She looked... serene. It made me think about how my mom looked in that one picture. 'Mom.' I said in my mind. Unwillingly I kept staring at Izumi. Her hair was laid out perfectly and her delicate, little frame lay unwavering. Even asleep she still had a cheery air surrounding her. 'What the... Stop thinking about her.' I thought but then ignored it. 'What the heck. I rarely get to see her so I should just enjoy our time together. I guess I'll live in the moment, like what Kouichi always advises. 'Kouichi...' I trailed off into a deep slumber.

In the middle of the night I was woken up by the feeling of someone's hand on my shoulder. Apparently that deep slumber changed to a light one. It was Izumi's hand. She was just about to fall off the edge in that position. It looked like that. Her arm was dangling down. I had shivers down my spine. She faintly whispered, "Kouji..." I felt paralyzed. What was happening to me and why did she say my name?

I pushed her towards the middle of the bed and went back to sleep, trying to forget what just happened.

End of chapter 6

AznGurl: Sparks fly! At last, some chemistry. See? I told you this would be a Kozumi fic. Now how should I end this? I know! But you won't- until you read the next chapter. Review, review, review please! Ciao!

7/19/05: Edited this chapter a bit. Each chapter I edit will have the title in bold.