(A/N: Sorry for the delay. Writer's block. ^^;;;;
Thankies for the reviews! ^O^ Aznfyri: Glad you liked and I will continue. ^^ Thankies for the review! cLaRa^Lei: Yup, Rei is getting naughty. ^^ Which can't be all so bad....=D Chocomallow: Glad you like it! ^O^ And now, on with the fic!)
Return To Summer
Chapter 4: First Threshing
The sun rose hot and high, a testament to the summer weather. A heavy mist hung over the land. It was only five to five when we were roused by Mari. "Boys! Breakfast!"
Rei was up in a flash and seconds later, he disappeared into the bathroom. Mari trudged upstairs and poked her head into the sunlit room. "Morning," she said brightly, smiling. "Where's Rei?"
"Bathroom," I said and she nodded, then left again.
Slowly, I hauled myself from the comfort of the sheets and started to get dressed.
~*
The hot noon sun burned down on my back and I wished I hadn't worn black. I was going to burn...
I paused, wiping sweat from my forehead. Ahead of me, Rei swung his scythe back and forth effortlessly, wheat stalks falling to the ground. I felt slightly pathetic. Rei had practiced this - his movements were graceful and easy. I, on the other hand, felt clumsy and heavy. I'd never actually done any physical work.
The swish of his scythe through the grain mocked me and I gritted my teeth. Sighing, I hefted the scythe and started at it again. My arms ached and burned with the motion. Rei paused and turned back, grinning. "Lunch time," he said, wipping sweat beads from his forehead.
I set down the scythe. "Tired?" he asked, eyes glinting with amusement.
I shook my head. "Good," he beamed. "'Cause we can't stop 'til the sun goes down."
I almost groaned. It would about eight or nine before it got dark! "I hate farm work," I muttered.
Rei clapped me on the shoulder. "It gets easier," he said reassuringly, then started back down the row we'd threshed. I trudged along behind him.
Just beyond the fields was a line of oak lushious oak trees, wavering in the summer breeze. Beneath them, the girls and children had set out lunch on a white table cloth. There were only a few people in from the fields.
"Are those all the threshers?" I asked, blinking.
Rei nodded. "I told you we were badly short-handed. The plague's got most of the able-bodied down and out."
"Oh," I said and decided not to pursue the issue.
We sat down to lunch with Li, Gaow and Kiki. Rei chattered with them in Chinese and I felt badly misplaced. I could understand bits and pieces of what they were saying, but not enough to understand the entire conversation. I wouldn't dare try saying anything.
Mao was near by, serving up food to the threshers. She was flirting with Rei - her actions were very obvious. I was slightly envious. She could display her affections for him in public. I couldn't, I wouldn't. What bothered me most about the whole situation was the fact that he was flirting back.
It was the worst twenty minutes of my life. My head was spinning - what the hell was Rei doing? His actions last night had been unmistakable and now, he was flirting with Mao. Did he not know what he wanted? I was angry and depressed all at once. I'd been sure...and now I wasn't and...It was too confusing. I stared up at the perfect blue sky, hoping the noon sun would blind me.
All at once, the chatter stopped and Rei stood up. "Well, back to the fields," he said cheerfully.
I wondered how he could be happy about that, but followed him nonetheless. Mao pecked him on the cheek as he walked by. It made be sick with jealously. I frowned and made up my mind at that instant. Rei was going to be mine.
~*
Five o'clock was approaching rapidly when I broached the subject. Rei was only a few paces ahead of me. I'd caught onto the motion quickly and my arms weren't burning as badly. Our backs were to each other. The only sounds were the late evening birds, our breath and the swish of the blade through the wheat.
I broke the silence. My tone was even and quiet, yet posionous and I was glad my back was turned so that Rei couldn't see my face. "So...you and Mao together?"
The duet of the scythes stopped and became a solo. I kept swinging the blade. I heard metal clatter to the ground and knew Rei had dropped his scythe. "How can you even think that?" he hissed.
I shrugged, my shoulders burning with the action. He hissed again. "She's like a sister to me!"
"You seemed to think more of her at lunch."
He was silent for a second. "Oh, oh! So, you think I like her?! You think I like her!"
He grabbed me by the shoulders and pun me around. "You're crazy! You- I-..."
I smirked. "So, you do like her."
He spat viciously on the ground. "Do not!"
He let go of me and crossed his arms and tried to look indignant. I shrugged and went back to threshing. "Denial gets you no where, Rei."
"Denial?!" he screeched. "I'm not in denial!"
I rolled my eyes, even if he couldn't see. "Sure, you're not..."
He stomped his foot. "I am not in denial, Kai!"
I didn't reply, just smirked and kept swinging my scythe.
Rei 'hmph'ed and picked up his scythe. He swung the blade through the wheat with such force now that the swish was more like a zing sound. He was angry and it showed. I smirked and kept threshing. This was going to be easier than I thought...
Rei was about sixty paces ahead of me now, and still threshing furiously. I looked at his face. His fangs were bared, his eyes were slitted and his eyebrows were knitted together in anger. I looked at the threshing job he'd done. Some of the stalks had the heads still attached to them, hanging on by a mere thread. "Hey!" I called to him.
He looked back, still furious. "Looks like you missed some!"
He went red with rage. "Shut up!" he shouted back, then turned back to the wheat.
I sniggered. Oh, this was going to be fun.....
~*
Rei didn't speak to me when we left the fields. He didn't say a word to me all evening.
I was more than glad when the sun disappeared over the horizon, signalling "quitting time." We headed in from the fields, past the line of oaks, back into the village.
From there, the threshers went their separate ways, each to his own home.
Mari was drying dishes when we came in. She smiled warmly at us, saying, "There's some dinner on the counter."
And then, she caught sight of Rei's face and frowned. "I'm going to bed," he said almost angrily, then stormed upstairs.
Mari looked at me and I shrugged.
After dinner, I went upstairs, fully prepared for a good night's sleep. I crept into the room, assuming Rei had already gone to bed and was alseep. The room was dark and eeriely silent. I shut the door behind me. As soon as the door was shut, was pinned to the wall by something that moved as quick as light. Something warm and wet pressed against my mouth and I realized it was somebody's mouth. Rei's mouth to be exact. I slid my arm about his waist, feeling his body press up against mine.
He pulled away and smirked. "I don't like Mariah," he said.
And then, he went to his bed and went to sleep.
~*~*~*~*
[A/N: Good, bad, like, dislike? R&R and tell me what you think. ^^]
Thankies for the reviews! ^O^ Aznfyri: Glad you liked and I will continue. ^^ Thankies for the review! cLaRa^Lei: Yup, Rei is getting naughty. ^^ Which can't be all so bad....=D Chocomallow: Glad you like it! ^O^ And now, on with the fic!)
Return To Summer
Chapter 4: First Threshing
The sun rose hot and high, a testament to the summer weather. A heavy mist hung over the land. It was only five to five when we were roused by Mari. "Boys! Breakfast!"
Rei was up in a flash and seconds later, he disappeared into the bathroom. Mari trudged upstairs and poked her head into the sunlit room. "Morning," she said brightly, smiling. "Where's Rei?"
"Bathroom," I said and she nodded, then left again.
Slowly, I hauled myself from the comfort of the sheets and started to get dressed.
~*
The hot noon sun burned down on my back and I wished I hadn't worn black. I was going to burn...
I paused, wiping sweat from my forehead. Ahead of me, Rei swung his scythe back and forth effortlessly, wheat stalks falling to the ground. I felt slightly pathetic. Rei had practiced this - his movements were graceful and easy. I, on the other hand, felt clumsy and heavy. I'd never actually done any physical work.
The swish of his scythe through the grain mocked me and I gritted my teeth. Sighing, I hefted the scythe and started at it again. My arms ached and burned with the motion. Rei paused and turned back, grinning. "Lunch time," he said, wipping sweat beads from his forehead.
I set down the scythe. "Tired?" he asked, eyes glinting with amusement.
I shook my head. "Good," he beamed. "'Cause we can't stop 'til the sun goes down."
I almost groaned. It would about eight or nine before it got dark! "I hate farm work," I muttered.
Rei clapped me on the shoulder. "It gets easier," he said reassuringly, then started back down the row we'd threshed. I trudged along behind him.
Just beyond the fields was a line of oak lushious oak trees, wavering in the summer breeze. Beneath them, the girls and children had set out lunch on a white table cloth. There were only a few people in from the fields.
"Are those all the threshers?" I asked, blinking.
Rei nodded. "I told you we were badly short-handed. The plague's got most of the able-bodied down and out."
"Oh," I said and decided not to pursue the issue.
We sat down to lunch with Li, Gaow and Kiki. Rei chattered with them in Chinese and I felt badly misplaced. I could understand bits and pieces of what they were saying, but not enough to understand the entire conversation. I wouldn't dare try saying anything.
Mao was near by, serving up food to the threshers. She was flirting with Rei - her actions were very obvious. I was slightly envious. She could display her affections for him in public. I couldn't, I wouldn't. What bothered me most about the whole situation was the fact that he was flirting back.
It was the worst twenty minutes of my life. My head was spinning - what the hell was Rei doing? His actions last night had been unmistakable and now, he was flirting with Mao. Did he not know what he wanted? I was angry and depressed all at once. I'd been sure...and now I wasn't and...It was too confusing. I stared up at the perfect blue sky, hoping the noon sun would blind me.
All at once, the chatter stopped and Rei stood up. "Well, back to the fields," he said cheerfully.
I wondered how he could be happy about that, but followed him nonetheless. Mao pecked him on the cheek as he walked by. It made be sick with jealously. I frowned and made up my mind at that instant. Rei was going to be mine.
~*
Five o'clock was approaching rapidly when I broached the subject. Rei was only a few paces ahead of me. I'd caught onto the motion quickly and my arms weren't burning as badly. Our backs were to each other. The only sounds were the late evening birds, our breath and the swish of the blade through the wheat.
I broke the silence. My tone was even and quiet, yet posionous and I was glad my back was turned so that Rei couldn't see my face. "So...you and Mao together?"
The duet of the scythes stopped and became a solo. I kept swinging the blade. I heard metal clatter to the ground and knew Rei had dropped his scythe. "How can you even think that?" he hissed.
I shrugged, my shoulders burning with the action. He hissed again. "She's like a sister to me!"
"You seemed to think more of her at lunch."
He was silent for a second. "Oh, oh! So, you think I like her?! You think I like her!"
He grabbed me by the shoulders and pun me around. "You're crazy! You- I-..."
I smirked. "So, you do like her."
He spat viciously on the ground. "Do not!"
He let go of me and crossed his arms and tried to look indignant. I shrugged and went back to threshing. "Denial gets you no where, Rei."
"Denial?!" he screeched. "I'm not in denial!"
I rolled my eyes, even if he couldn't see. "Sure, you're not..."
He stomped his foot. "I am not in denial, Kai!"
I didn't reply, just smirked and kept swinging my scythe.
Rei 'hmph'ed and picked up his scythe. He swung the blade through the wheat with such force now that the swish was more like a zing sound. He was angry and it showed. I smirked and kept threshing. This was going to be easier than I thought...
Rei was about sixty paces ahead of me now, and still threshing furiously. I looked at his face. His fangs were bared, his eyes were slitted and his eyebrows were knitted together in anger. I looked at the threshing job he'd done. Some of the stalks had the heads still attached to them, hanging on by a mere thread. "Hey!" I called to him.
He looked back, still furious. "Looks like you missed some!"
He went red with rage. "Shut up!" he shouted back, then turned back to the wheat.
I sniggered. Oh, this was going to be fun.....
~*
Rei didn't speak to me when we left the fields. He didn't say a word to me all evening.
I was more than glad when the sun disappeared over the horizon, signalling "quitting time." We headed in from the fields, past the line of oaks, back into the village.
From there, the threshers went their separate ways, each to his own home.
Mari was drying dishes when we came in. She smiled warmly at us, saying, "There's some dinner on the counter."
And then, she caught sight of Rei's face and frowned. "I'm going to bed," he said almost angrily, then stormed upstairs.
Mari looked at me and I shrugged.
After dinner, I went upstairs, fully prepared for a good night's sleep. I crept into the room, assuming Rei had already gone to bed and was alseep. The room was dark and eeriely silent. I shut the door behind me. As soon as the door was shut, was pinned to the wall by something that moved as quick as light. Something warm and wet pressed against my mouth and I realized it was somebody's mouth. Rei's mouth to be exact. I slid my arm about his waist, feeling his body press up against mine.
He pulled away and smirked. "I don't like Mariah," he said.
And then, he went to his bed and went to sleep.
~*~*~*~*
[A/N: Good, bad, like, dislike? R&R and tell me what you think. ^^]
