Author's Note: I'M BAAAAAAAACK...... *coughs*
And now we revert back to the USA..... which is *supposed* to be the main focus of the story, but ever since the last chapter I've gotten the idea you guys like the city life better than the country life.
And SOME of you *eyes archforge* don't like the accent I gave Takato. Deal with it, this is based off a real-life person who actually *talks* like that, believe it or not.
Okay enough half-angry rants...
I have to admit through all this I do like to write the city-based scenes like the ones in last chapter a bit more than the Jurato scenes in this story. Maybe it's because I'm putting myself in both the Rika and Suzy characters...... yeah probably that's it. I get uncomfortable writing about other people if I'm not in the scene for fear I'll screw something up. And since this story's about Keith and Sarah I could get hurt if I mess something up (especially since it's only a 20 minute drive from Sarah's house to mine.. *uneasy laughter*).
------
Jeri was completly clueless as to what any of the Matsuki's spoke of at the breakfast table, and she purposely lingered with her breakfast, taking small bites now and then. At first Mrs. Matsuki thought Jeri wasn't enjoying her breakfast, until the two male members of the house left to finish up the morning chores and Jeri immediatly devoured her food hungrily.
Mrs Matsuki stood washing the dishes, each white plate gently rinsed and set on the wooden rack next to the sink to dry. Jeri dug her fork into the fried eggs on the plate, and after a moment, swallowed them, looking up at Takato's mother.
"Mrs. Matsuki?" she started, then suddenly felt that stupid feeling crawl into her stomach.
"Yes?"
"What does Takato do around here for fun? No offense." she ended quickly, and the woman laughed merrily.
Another plate was set on the rack, and she turned slightly to look at the teenage girl at the table, now almost having completed the breakfast.
"Well Takato mostly has chores during the summer." she admitted, then shrugged. "But in the evening he goes off on the farm somewhere, not even me and his father know exactly where."
Jeri felt a slight sense of relief being able to understand the complete sentances Mrs. Matsuki spoke. She didn't have the southern accent like Takato and his father did, and it made it easier on her.
The girl made a mental note to ask Takato about that later.
"Right now he's out with Wildstorm."
"Who?" Jeri asked confused.
Takato stood in the middle of a small fenced-in area. The fence rose almost to Jeri's chin as she approached the area, and immediatly her eyes fell on the *other* beautiful creature in the fence.
Galloping circles around him was a large white stallion, calling out warnings to Takato every time he took a step towards him.
"So that's Wildstorm." Jeri said under her breath as Takato continued cooing at the horse. Whatever he was trying to do, it evidently wasn't working right. Takato's bright hazel eyes fell on her figure, and he smiled, running quickly to get out of the horse's territory. With a quick jump he was sitting on the top of the large post of the fence, grinning at her.
"Like 'im?" he asked cheerfully, although the dejected look on his face was clear.
"He's beautiful." Jeri breathed, watching the horse's coat shimmer in the late morning sun.
There was a moment of silence between the two as they watched the horse, seeming to be full of fire and spunk. He kicked wildly, seeming to yell out to everyone he would never be rode.
"So are you." Takato continued on Jeri's remark, and a flash of red went through her cheeks and she leaned both arms on the old wooden fence.
"You're sweet."
Another few moments of silence, and Jeri pulled herself up on the fence beside Takato, mentally glad she hadn't worn that leather skirt again that day.
"So what were you trying to do?" she asked, looking the boy's way, then back at the horse.
"Long story short, tryin' to get a saddle on 'im and break 'im. He's a wild one, as ya can see." Takato explained simply, and shrugged. "I was 'posed to ride him in the amateur competetion this weekend, but I can't get 'im to settle enough to get the saddle on 'im much less get myself up there."
"Competetion?"
"Yeah.. rodeo goin' down in Kittrell." Takato continued with a grin on his face, eyes containing a far-off look. "It's a sort'a festival ev'ry year. A big giant party."
"Kind of what we have back home." Jeri responded to his almost-mumbling, and he snapped out of his zone.
"Yeah." he said quietly.
Jeri bit her lip and watched him for a moment with sympothetic hazel eyes. "Aren't you happy here?" she said suddenly, and immediatly wished she could take the words back from the look across Takato's face.
"I love it here." he said almost rebellously, then turned his eyes to the horse sternly. "But I miss y'all real bad, I guess."
The silence filled the air again, and both turned full attention back to the horse.
"Let me try." Jeri said cheerfully, and Takato made a half-amused face.
"You?" he said smugly, looked her up and down, then back at the horse. "Sorry but I've been goin' long'a at this than you have, and I can't even get 'im---" but at his words the stubborn brunette girl slid down into the fenced-in area, and he immediatly sat up.
"Jeri ya could get hurt pretty bad in 'thar.."
Jeri seemed to not hear him as she stepped into the center of the horse's territory, and softly started calling it's name.
It galloped wildly, whinnying a responce or two at her and snorting.
Takato watched completly amused by Jeri's confidence, there was no way she could get the wildest horse this side of North Carolina to come to her, much less slow down.
Wait a minute--
"I won't hurt you, come here baby.." Jeri clicked her tounge and the white stallion started to slow it's pace, eyeing her nervously.
Takato couldn't believe his eyes. She probably had never been this close to an actual horse in her life, and here she was, hand extended towards the large white creature as it cautiously stepped towards her, snorting a premature warning at her.
"That'a boy.. I won't hurt you." Jeri cooed, and soon her hand was running through the stallion's mane.
Takato sat on the fence blinking in absolute shock just as his father stepped up behind him, eyebrow raised.
"She's something else, ain't she?" his father grinned, watching the zoned look on his son's face.
"Yeah." Takato's voice mumbled out the word slowly, and he stared longingly at the girl. "She's perfect."
---
"Absolutely not."
Suzy's eyes grew wide with both surprise and anger, and she placed two hands firmly on the small table, and stood up as best she could in the diner booth, catching her older brother's attention from his newspaper.
"And why the heck not?!" she asked in a demanding voice, causing other customers in the diner to turn to look at her, which quickly made her calm down and sit.
Henry waited a moment for her breathing to calm, then looked at her with wise gray eyes that immediatly made the long-magenta-haired girl stare down at her feet. "For one thing, Suzy, this is Kazu we're talking about. If he says you should do something, you more than likely shouldn't."
Henry folded the newspaper he was holding in half, then folded it in half again and laid it in the middle of the chrome-lined table.
"But-- I always wanted to be a popstar, Henry. You know that." Suzy argued in a soft voice, still staring at her feet.
Henry sighed deeply and blew a piece of deep blue hair out of his face, then laid his eyes on his baby sister again. "What makes you think you'd get that far in show business anyways?"
"Rika did." Suzy finally got the guts to look her brother in the face with determined eyes.
"Yes, but Rika's mother was already hooked up in the business, she had connections."
Suzy shrugged and took a sip of the chocolate milk that sat in front of her, then suddenly changed the subject, or it appeared to be changed to Henry.
"Have you asked her yet?"
Both looked up at a blond-haired waitress setting their food in front of them and smiling warmly. Henry returned the smile and caused the teenage waitress to giggle, blush, and quickly walk away.
Henry pulled the seperate plate of fries towards him, then looked slightly up at Suzy. "Asked who what?"
Suzy sighed impatiently, set her elbow on the table and leaned her chin against her hand. "Asked Rika to marry you."
Henry, in the middle of eating, made a quick choking sound and quickly swallowed his food, staring at her. "What!?"
"You -were- planning on asking her, weren't you?" Suzy raised an eyebrow at her older brother and stole one of the french fries off his plate as his mind was diverted.
"Well, I, uh... um... I don't quite, uh, know right, uh, now... I, um--"
"Oh come on you two are so made for one another!!" Suzy said in a half-squeal, and sat up straight, grinning.
"That may be, but we're not going to rush anything.." Henry said simply, and picked the large hamburger up off his other plate and went to take a bite out of it.
"Henry?"
Henry sighed and lowered it a bit. "Yes?"
"How old are you?"
Henry blinked at his sister a few times and lowered the hamburger even more. "I turned eighteen a few days ago, Suzy.. you know that."
"Mmm hmm, and eighteen is the legal marrying age too, you know that." Suzy said in an exact replica of Henry's voice, and picked up her fork.
Henry stared blankly at his sister, then cleared his throat loudly. "I don't think I'm ready." and he quickly bit into his burger, diverting his eyes to the window beside them.
Suzy thrust her fork into her salad and glared at her older brother. "You two have been living together for -how- long now?" Suzy continued on, making sure Henry couldn't get out an arguement before she came to her real point. "And don't give me that 'Oh, we were just like brother and sister' crap because trust me, in the years I spent living with you and being your sister you never kissed me like that."
An amused look crossed Henry's face and he continued listening as a rock song started playing over the sound system of the diner.
Suzy pushed a piece of her long hair behind her ear, revealing one of her large gold hoop earrings.
"-Anyways-, Rika's ready to get married to you a-sap. Told me herself." Suzy shoved a mouthfull of dressing-covered lettuce into her mouth and watched her brother's reaction change from almost-annoyed to utterly-confused.
"W-what?"
"Yeah, she says she loves you so much if you asked her to marry you in a sewer system listening to that Weird Al music, she'd still say yes."
Henry made a slight face, then cracked a smile. "Weird Al I can do, but I don't think I'll propose in a sewer system.."
Suzy let off a higher-pitched laugh then normal, then grinned at her brother. "So you are gonna propose to her?"
A thoughtful look crossed Henry's face and he laid both his arms across the top of the red leather seat, and he looked off into his own little world. "I just might..."
And now we revert back to the USA..... which is *supposed* to be the main focus of the story, but ever since the last chapter I've gotten the idea you guys like the city life better than the country life.
And SOME of you *eyes archforge* don't like the accent I gave Takato. Deal with it, this is based off a real-life person who actually *talks* like that, believe it or not.
Okay enough half-angry rants...
I have to admit through all this I do like to write the city-based scenes like the ones in last chapter a bit more than the Jurato scenes in this story. Maybe it's because I'm putting myself in both the Rika and Suzy characters...... yeah probably that's it. I get uncomfortable writing about other people if I'm not in the scene for fear I'll screw something up. And since this story's about Keith and Sarah I could get hurt if I mess something up (especially since it's only a 20 minute drive from Sarah's house to mine.. *uneasy laughter*).
------
Jeri was completly clueless as to what any of the Matsuki's spoke of at the breakfast table, and she purposely lingered with her breakfast, taking small bites now and then. At first Mrs. Matsuki thought Jeri wasn't enjoying her breakfast, until the two male members of the house left to finish up the morning chores and Jeri immediatly devoured her food hungrily.
Mrs Matsuki stood washing the dishes, each white plate gently rinsed and set on the wooden rack next to the sink to dry. Jeri dug her fork into the fried eggs on the plate, and after a moment, swallowed them, looking up at Takato's mother.
"Mrs. Matsuki?" she started, then suddenly felt that stupid feeling crawl into her stomach.
"Yes?"
"What does Takato do around here for fun? No offense." she ended quickly, and the woman laughed merrily.
Another plate was set on the rack, and she turned slightly to look at the teenage girl at the table, now almost having completed the breakfast.
"Well Takato mostly has chores during the summer." she admitted, then shrugged. "But in the evening he goes off on the farm somewhere, not even me and his father know exactly where."
Jeri felt a slight sense of relief being able to understand the complete sentances Mrs. Matsuki spoke. She didn't have the southern accent like Takato and his father did, and it made it easier on her.
The girl made a mental note to ask Takato about that later.
"Right now he's out with Wildstorm."
"Who?" Jeri asked confused.
Takato stood in the middle of a small fenced-in area. The fence rose almost to Jeri's chin as she approached the area, and immediatly her eyes fell on the *other* beautiful creature in the fence.
Galloping circles around him was a large white stallion, calling out warnings to Takato every time he took a step towards him.
"So that's Wildstorm." Jeri said under her breath as Takato continued cooing at the horse. Whatever he was trying to do, it evidently wasn't working right. Takato's bright hazel eyes fell on her figure, and he smiled, running quickly to get out of the horse's territory. With a quick jump he was sitting on the top of the large post of the fence, grinning at her.
"Like 'im?" he asked cheerfully, although the dejected look on his face was clear.
"He's beautiful." Jeri breathed, watching the horse's coat shimmer in the late morning sun.
There was a moment of silence between the two as they watched the horse, seeming to be full of fire and spunk. He kicked wildly, seeming to yell out to everyone he would never be rode.
"So are you." Takato continued on Jeri's remark, and a flash of red went through her cheeks and she leaned both arms on the old wooden fence.
"You're sweet."
Another few moments of silence, and Jeri pulled herself up on the fence beside Takato, mentally glad she hadn't worn that leather skirt again that day.
"So what were you trying to do?" she asked, looking the boy's way, then back at the horse.
"Long story short, tryin' to get a saddle on 'im and break 'im. He's a wild one, as ya can see." Takato explained simply, and shrugged. "I was 'posed to ride him in the amateur competetion this weekend, but I can't get 'im to settle enough to get the saddle on 'im much less get myself up there."
"Competetion?"
"Yeah.. rodeo goin' down in Kittrell." Takato continued with a grin on his face, eyes containing a far-off look. "It's a sort'a festival ev'ry year. A big giant party."
"Kind of what we have back home." Jeri responded to his almost-mumbling, and he snapped out of his zone.
"Yeah." he said quietly.
Jeri bit her lip and watched him for a moment with sympothetic hazel eyes. "Aren't you happy here?" she said suddenly, and immediatly wished she could take the words back from the look across Takato's face.
"I love it here." he said almost rebellously, then turned his eyes to the horse sternly. "But I miss y'all real bad, I guess."
The silence filled the air again, and both turned full attention back to the horse.
"Let me try." Jeri said cheerfully, and Takato made a half-amused face.
"You?" he said smugly, looked her up and down, then back at the horse. "Sorry but I've been goin' long'a at this than you have, and I can't even get 'im---" but at his words the stubborn brunette girl slid down into the fenced-in area, and he immediatly sat up.
"Jeri ya could get hurt pretty bad in 'thar.."
Jeri seemed to not hear him as she stepped into the center of the horse's territory, and softly started calling it's name.
It galloped wildly, whinnying a responce or two at her and snorting.
Takato watched completly amused by Jeri's confidence, there was no way she could get the wildest horse this side of North Carolina to come to her, much less slow down.
Wait a minute--
"I won't hurt you, come here baby.." Jeri clicked her tounge and the white stallion started to slow it's pace, eyeing her nervously.
Takato couldn't believe his eyes. She probably had never been this close to an actual horse in her life, and here she was, hand extended towards the large white creature as it cautiously stepped towards her, snorting a premature warning at her.
"That'a boy.. I won't hurt you." Jeri cooed, and soon her hand was running through the stallion's mane.
Takato sat on the fence blinking in absolute shock just as his father stepped up behind him, eyebrow raised.
"She's something else, ain't she?" his father grinned, watching the zoned look on his son's face.
"Yeah." Takato's voice mumbled out the word slowly, and he stared longingly at the girl. "She's perfect."
---
"Absolutely not."
Suzy's eyes grew wide with both surprise and anger, and she placed two hands firmly on the small table, and stood up as best she could in the diner booth, catching her older brother's attention from his newspaper.
"And why the heck not?!" she asked in a demanding voice, causing other customers in the diner to turn to look at her, which quickly made her calm down and sit.
Henry waited a moment for her breathing to calm, then looked at her with wise gray eyes that immediatly made the long-magenta-haired girl stare down at her feet. "For one thing, Suzy, this is Kazu we're talking about. If he says you should do something, you more than likely shouldn't."
Henry folded the newspaper he was holding in half, then folded it in half again and laid it in the middle of the chrome-lined table.
"But-- I always wanted to be a popstar, Henry. You know that." Suzy argued in a soft voice, still staring at her feet.
Henry sighed deeply and blew a piece of deep blue hair out of his face, then laid his eyes on his baby sister again. "What makes you think you'd get that far in show business anyways?"
"Rika did." Suzy finally got the guts to look her brother in the face with determined eyes.
"Yes, but Rika's mother was already hooked up in the business, she had connections."
Suzy shrugged and took a sip of the chocolate milk that sat in front of her, then suddenly changed the subject, or it appeared to be changed to Henry.
"Have you asked her yet?"
Both looked up at a blond-haired waitress setting their food in front of them and smiling warmly. Henry returned the smile and caused the teenage waitress to giggle, blush, and quickly walk away.
Henry pulled the seperate plate of fries towards him, then looked slightly up at Suzy. "Asked who what?"
Suzy sighed impatiently, set her elbow on the table and leaned her chin against her hand. "Asked Rika to marry you."
Henry, in the middle of eating, made a quick choking sound and quickly swallowed his food, staring at her. "What!?"
"You -were- planning on asking her, weren't you?" Suzy raised an eyebrow at her older brother and stole one of the french fries off his plate as his mind was diverted.
"Well, I, uh... um... I don't quite, uh, know right, uh, now... I, um--"
"Oh come on you two are so made for one another!!" Suzy said in a half-squeal, and sat up straight, grinning.
"That may be, but we're not going to rush anything.." Henry said simply, and picked the large hamburger up off his other plate and went to take a bite out of it.
"Henry?"
Henry sighed and lowered it a bit. "Yes?"
"How old are you?"
Henry blinked at his sister a few times and lowered the hamburger even more. "I turned eighteen a few days ago, Suzy.. you know that."
"Mmm hmm, and eighteen is the legal marrying age too, you know that." Suzy said in an exact replica of Henry's voice, and picked up her fork.
Henry stared blankly at his sister, then cleared his throat loudly. "I don't think I'm ready." and he quickly bit into his burger, diverting his eyes to the window beside them.
Suzy thrust her fork into her salad and glared at her older brother. "You two have been living together for -how- long now?" Suzy continued on, making sure Henry couldn't get out an arguement before she came to her real point. "And don't give me that 'Oh, we were just like brother and sister' crap because trust me, in the years I spent living with you and being your sister you never kissed me like that."
An amused look crossed Henry's face and he continued listening as a rock song started playing over the sound system of the diner.
Suzy pushed a piece of her long hair behind her ear, revealing one of her large gold hoop earrings.
"-Anyways-, Rika's ready to get married to you a-sap. Told me herself." Suzy shoved a mouthfull of dressing-covered lettuce into her mouth and watched her brother's reaction change from almost-annoyed to utterly-confused.
"W-what?"
"Yeah, she says she loves you so much if you asked her to marry you in a sewer system listening to that Weird Al music, she'd still say yes."
Henry made a slight face, then cracked a smile. "Weird Al I can do, but I don't think I'll propose in a sewer system.."
Suzy let off a higher-pitched laugh then normal, then grinned at her brother. "So you are gonna propose to her?"
A thoughtful look crossed Henry's face and he laid both his arms across the top of the red leather seat, and he looked off into his own little world. "I just might..."