Fraudulences Of Words
An Executive Committee Fanfiction By enervate
A/N : Chapter re-edited on 4th of October, 2003, on grammar and organization of paragraphs.
Dedicated To : [The winners of the 'Guess The Song' mini contest from Chapter 7a.] labrynth, Ashura Akuma, lituska_silvermoon, kimie, Shinjitsu, Ka-Li and Kurama Barton.
Part 7b : Evanescence
It felt like being revived after a long time of suffering, maybe of sickness, maybe of illness, maybe of some disease unknown. The sensation was somehow like plunging into a pool of cold, icy water; exhilarating, invigorating, fresh. Maybe the feeling was akin to a bird caged behind gold bars, watching and bearing witness to the surreal cerulean heavens, gifted with the ability to soar so free and yet, those feet were bounded to barren earth. Finally, to set the avian free; the sensation was surreal.
It felt so different from the prison of his emotions. He felt so nice, so perfect, so normal, being altogether in the way he usually belonged. Looking back at the times, he was truly surprised. It was only two days since I left him. Two days, only. And yet I felt like it was two weeks, no, amend it, two months. Or even worse, two years. Two decades. Whatever. It could be a whole damn fucking eternity for what I care. In fact, really. What do I care? It is somewhat amazing. Two fucking days away and its driving me insane. I wonder what will happen if this goes on.
Come on, Tokitoh. You're not that weak, are you? Surely you felt that way. Everything is new to you. Sooner or later everything will turn out fine when you're accustomed to the new way of life you've chosen. His mind reasoned with a seemingly convincing tone. Tokitoh sighed. Yeah, admittedly he was enjoying the way he chose. He felt much more unattached to anything. No obligations. No rules. No nothing. Simple and pure. It is the definition of living based on the moment. Living in the present, not dwelling in the past, nor the future.
It was a somewhat miraculous feat to actually dance on a Dance Dance Revolution machine as your mind cogitated on many, many things. Tokitoh himself marveled at that fact as his mind wandered off somewhere, his body swaying and gyrating to the infectious rhythm of the loud music blasting forth from the speakers beside him. His feet moved left, right, up, down, center, left, right, jump, jump, left, right, up, up, down, down in synchronization with the liquid display on the huge screen in front of him. Feeling just so right, his hands moved in co-ordination with his feet. As his feet stomped on the neon-colored arrows on the dance platform, the crowd gave a loud cheer. Modestly, Tokitoh and his other partner in that dance routine, a handsome 16-year-old guy clad in a red t-shirt underneath an army-green vest and baggy, oversized cargo pants named Toro Sakaguchi took a bow. Nearby, two of their friends, Hotaru and another girl, a cosplayer-and-talent-quest-contestant Michie Kino who dressed up as the pretty heroine of Final Fantasy X-2, Yuna, cheered for the twosome.
"You two were great!" cheered Hotaru enthusiastically. Tokitoh gave her a hearty grin. "Wait till you see we go on the Nonstop Mode!" Toro exclaimed, also grinning. "You're eating into OUR turn, Toro! You promised that we'll be up next!" Michie said, prodding Toro in his ribs. "Hey! Okay! Fine! Ouch, stop it!" Toro winced as Michie kept on poking him. Tokitoh laughed, his laughter sounded much more lighthearted than ever. He turned around, facing Hotaru. "Before you start poking me like Michie, ~ouch!~ I'm handing the machine to you ~ouch!~ Stop it, Hotaru!" Tokitoh jumped off the dance platform while parrying Hotaru's jabs with his hands. Hotaru giggled, still trying to get Tokitoh while her feet stepped lightly upon the arrows on the platform, choosing her song of choice for her round on the dance machine. "Well, wait till you two see us on the Nonstop Mode!" exclaimed Michie gleefully as she chose the Nonstop session for their game. Tokitoh and Toro laughed heartily. "Of course. We know you two are great players. Go on! Ganbatte! [Work harder!]" cheered Toro, mimicking the girls' earlier cheerleading efforts by waving his arms in the air like he had some imaginary pompoms in his hands.
Tokitoh laughed. Hanging out with them was fun. Although he was quite cynical at first, but he was proven wrong indeed. Just moments after he met Hotaru, he was introduced to many other wonderful people. There was Sayaka, Hotaru's friend who dyed her hair platinum to match those of Tamaki Nami of the Gundam Seed anime opening song 'Believe' fame. Just like the real Tamaki Nami, Sayaka's voice was rather deep. Even for her talent quest, she sang that particular song and drove the crowd into a frenzy. ["Now that's what I call fan power!" grinned Sayaka.] And then there was Michie, the girl who cosplayed Yuna FFX-2 for her performance later. Michie came with two other friends, Emiko and Masami who also dolled themselves up as Rikku and Paine from FFX-2 also, respectively. [Asked why the threesome came as the FFX-2 heroines, Emiko answered Tokitoh. "Oh? Well, that's a secret. You'll see later in the afternoon." Her answer was chorused by a round of giggles from the girls. Tokitoh couldn't fathom what they meant, so he just shrugged.]
And there was Toro, the guy who dressed up like a hip-hop maniac. Not surprisingly, he showcased his turntable talents during the talent show earlier on. And there was also Sora, the 14-year-old, youngest in their bunch, who was an angel in comparison to anyone there. He was indeed a prodigy in violin, he was a guest participant for the talent quest. Given his angelic and innocent facade, Tokitoh wondered why did he chose to follow them.
Sora blushed at the question. Toro pulled him over by the neck and snuggled him. "Of course he had to follow! He's mine." Toro playfully placed his arms around Sora and acted as though as he was protective of him. Everyone laughed.
They went towards the arcade as soon as everyone gathered. No one was a stranger, in their opinion. Although all of them met on that day itself, their ties were close-knitted. Tokitoh smiled. He had never knew anyone in the society with such openness. Either way, he wasn't a major in 'sociology', nor he was a sociable person either. Rather, he was someone who stick to his old buddies. But now,... where are the 'buddies' when you need them?
The first round of the talent quest ended approximately at noon, allowing all of them to have lunch together. The whole bunch was loud, talking and yelling most of the time in the newly opened fast-food restaurant. Tokitoh grinned. Just what he liked. A loud, talkative, hyperactive bunch of friends that don't care about where you came from, who you are, what was your background or whatsoever. They cared about having fun, about going out, about hanging out together. About togetherness, about friendship, about being the best party-people around. Their definition of 'party' is universal; everywhere, every time, everything is a party. Life is a party. Life is enjoyment. Life is to be fulfilled to the maximum, to be the best out of the best!
When they reached the arcade, there was another problem arising. Not everyone wanted to play the same game. And thus this created a real temporary dispute amongst them.
"I don't care. I'm going to play Time Crisis 3." Sayaka announced. She pointed to the stairs, and towards a row of machines on the 1st floor. "Find me up there when you're done." Tokitoh was rather shocked when she just proclaimed her choice and walked off with Emiko trailing behind her. Emiko had the courtesy to wave before she followed, though. But others ignored Sayaka's behavior and continued debating on where to go. "Look, I want to go on the DDR machine!" protested Toro. "Me too!" Hotaru puts up her hand. "No! Why that? Its lame! I think at least Initial D is way better." Masami remarked. Sora only nodded slightly.
"I guess we could split up for the moment, and then we'll just gather somewhere later, okay? We do have each other's numbers in our cellular phone, right?" reasoned Tokitoh. Hotaru nodded vigorously in agreement. "Yeah. I had Sayaka's, Michie's and Masami's numbers. I think its sufficient." "Okay, see you in about an hour or a half?" Masami bade farewell. "Yeah. Enjoy!" Hotaru quipped as Masami and Sora headed towards the other side of the arcade. Toro didn't look too pleased. ["How could he (Sora) just walk away without telling me?" Toro muttered under his breath, audible enough to be heard by Tokitoh.] Tokitoh suppressed a laughter that was forming within his stomach.
And there they were after the agreement. Tokitoh, Toro, Hotaru and Michie went towards the dance machine area. There were many people, some queuing up for tokens, some watching the players, some waiting for their turns. The newest machines such as the latest versions of Para Para Paradise and Dancemania was packed and there was a waiting list. The foursome decided to take the older machines so that they wouldn't need to wait so long. Finally, after browsing, they settled upon the DDR Max 2 machine.
"I still can't believe Sora left me." Toro muttered indignantly. He was tapping his feet to the rhythm of the music. Tokitoh placed a hand reassuringly on Toro's shoulders. "Hey, he just wanted to play something else, right? Its not like he's leaving you forever." Toro scowled. "You don't know him, Tokitoh. He's the one who loves to play hide-and-seek with me at school."
Tokitoh couldn't help but to laugh. Well, at least he did not run away from you permanently, he added mentally. Thinking about the twosome, he smiled as he was reminded of his hypothetical relationship with Kubota. "So, who's the 'seme'? Sora?" Tokitoh asked cheekily. Toro scowled even deeper. "No. Obviously I am." Toro grimaced. "Life is hard."
"Why?" Tokitoh asked, curious at Toro's unlikely statement. Toro continued staring at Hotaru and Michie's dance. The girls were giggling and laughing as they progressed in the game, into the second song of the Nonstop Mode. "Well, sometimes I wonder if I am just too ... you know,... playful? Or rather, flirty. Sora doesn't like it that much. I just couldn't help it. It might have made him insecure though." Toro paused to cogitate. "Sometimes I don't mean it. Its just my nature. We had a big argument once, all just because of some stupid misunderstanding. The whole thing was ugly."
Tokitoh sighed. "So, what happened then?"
"Well,... the whole fight lasted for a month. We got back finally. Admittedly I was wrong. I was too stubborn to admit that I am wrong. He was depressed and everything over the fight. I felt really sorry in the end, and apologized. Well, at least we are back together now... just that I'm trying not to flirt with anyone in front of him. He even gets jealous if I flirt with a girl! Hell, even if the person is way older, he doesn't like it." Toro exclaimed in what that Tokitoh identified as an exasperated tone. "But, I really cared for him." Toro added in the end, his voice echoed with a sense of pride. Tokitoh smiled.
"At least both of you ended up together." Tokitoh said. Toro chuckled. "Why,... your voice sounded distant. Missing someone?"
"No!" Tokitoh scowled. It was enough to tell Hotaru everything a few hour ago. To tell and repeat the same whole damn story again to someone else really taxed his patience. Nonetheless the ambience of an arcade spelled 'fun' to him. An arcade was not a place for counseling nor little petty heart-to-heart talks. And he didn't expect Toro to sing 'Final Distance' either. Wait,.. I don't even want to hear that song again. Sheesh, I had enough of those songs!
"Nah, you're lying though your teeth." Toro grinned. "Its so obvious with the way you are when I spoke of Sora just now." Tokitoh blinked. "Oh, really?" He retorted. "Well, I'm nothing. There's no missing whosoever or whatsoever, as far as I am fucking concerned." His voice were strangely a pitch higher when he said 'no missing whosoever'. The frequency change gave way to Toro for a smirk to slowly form on his face.
"Tsk. Touchy touchy, aren't we?" Toro winked. He slapped Tokitoh heartily on the shoulder. "Of course I believe you,... not." Tokitoh's scowl deepened. As Tokitoh opened his mouth to reply, a shrill scream of glee made him turn. Hotaru and Michie were hugging each other, squealing. "What happened to you two?" Toro asked, taken aback. Tokitoh stared at them, wide-eyed. Hotaru pointed at the large screen, still giggling madly. "We got into the high score! Oh my god!" Michie squealed happily.
Tokitoh shook his head. "Girls..." he muttered. Toro was commenting something about the girls' behavior, but he didn't pay much attention. He was too caught up within his thoughts; everything around him blurred and were drowned underneath a veil of haze. No missing whosoever... not at all.
I felt so nice, so caught up in the others,... Tokitoh wanted to scream in glee too, just like the girls, but instead, a huge smile plastered upon his face.
Its time for a new beginning.
"C'mon, let both Toro and I break your records!" Tokitoh exclaimed, chorused by cheers from Toro, Hotaru and Michie. Life seems marvelous, all of a sudden.
* * *
Sayaka fired aggressively at the screen, her fingers tightly clenching the heavy gun. With expertise she switched weapons on-screen, from machine gun to a shotgun, sending all the opponents to the depths of seven hells, or maybe, the hells that a computer AI could offer. Beside her, a much calmer and steady sharpshooter Emiko aimed at the attacking enemies, firing them one-by-one but never losing her balance. While Emiko managed to complete the stage, Sayaka's luck wasn't too good. She was 'killed' just right before the final frame in that stage. "Tsk. Bummer." Sayaka sighed, watching Emiko proceeding on the next stage. How she wished that she had extra tokens! She should have changed for more. To walk away to get more will just waste her time. After all, they were on the 1st floor of the arcade where all the latest game machines were placed. Sayaka prodded the coin slot glumly. "Do you have another token, Emi-san?"
"I'm sorry. This is my last one." Emiko answered good-naturedly, her attention still fixed on the wide screen that flashed images of men clad in army and militant uniforms hiding behind some barrels and wooden crates. The screen brightened in a fusion of reds and oranges as an explosion occurred when Emiko threw a grenade towards the hiding men. Sayaka sighed. Usually she wasn't so bad in that game. She poked at the slot absent-mindedly, wishing that she had just another token with her...
"Allow me."
Sayaka looked up. Puzzled, she stared at the tall guy in front of her. "Uh,..." Somehow the guy was vaguely familiar. Sayaka taped her chin. "Wait,... I know that we've met before... where was it..." Sayaka pondered, frowning in deep thought. Emiko's gaze adverted from the screen to their direction from time to time, trying to keep up with the conversation between Sayaka and that new guy who appeared out of nowhere. Emiko surveyed the guy while dodging flying bullets from the enemies. She fired again, but missed.
"... ah! I remembered. You're one of the Executive Committee members in Araiso, right? The place where I was the temporary counselor. Kubota, if I am not mistaken..." Sayaka said, grinning. The guy, Kubota, nodded. "Hey, long time no see! How's life doing you?" Sayaka questioned, smiling. "Life is just as usual, Miss Lecturer Sayaka. My hands are so full of events and other things." Kubota said, returning her smile.
"Still on the Executive Committee, eh?" Sayaka queried as she stepped aside to allow him to have his turn on the Time Crisis 3 machine. Kubota picked up the gun in his hand, his focus were on the screen while conversing with Sayaka. "Yes. Still inside there with the ones you knew from last year. Ainoura, Murota, Matsubara... the old team,... as well as new members."
"Well, they'll need you old faces inside. It is hard to keep discipline at bay." Sayaka said, staring at the two giant screens. Emiko had only one more chance, which means that they could leave there soon and rejoin the others below. Meanwhile, Kubota started on his game, firing his way through the first stage. Sayaka looked at Kubota. The tall, slender guy was in his usual garb; hard-collared white shirt, black trousers, shoulder-length hair tied up in an elastic band, those lips pursed around an unmistakable cigarette, grey eyes fixed with a nonchalant gaze upon the flat-panel screen through those glasses. But something looked amiss in the portrait of this young man Sayaka knew from her last year's experience as a temporary counselor at the much problematic all-boys school Araiso Private High. She was posted there as part of her training to be a school counselor, and just months before Araiso turned into a co-ed education institute, she graduated and now worked as a counselor in another school. Sayaka was grateful for Kubota's assistance during her period of training at Araiso as he helped her to get familiar with the ropes in Araiso.
"You seem a little different from the Kubota I used to know." Sayaka commented after a pregnant moment of silence. Kubota raised an eyebrow, still shooting at the enemies that appeared non-stop. From the corner of her eye, Sayaka watched with glee as Emiko's life bar reached to the end, the screen flashing "Game Over or Continue" with its solid countdown timer ticking the time away from 30 seconds, threatening to end the game altogether if she doesn't feed the machine with another silver token. "Curses." Emiko muttered as she pouted. "Here, take this one and continue." Kubota handed Emiko a token. "What~? Oh,... thanks!" Emiko was taken by surprise when Kubota handed her a token, his other hand still gripping the pistol tightly. Grinning triumphantly towards Sayaka's direction, she flashed the silver coin and sent it directly into the machine's stomach, allowing herself to another helping of the infectious game. Sayaka shook her head in disbelief. "Kubota! You should have give me a token when I wanted to continue the game just now! And now you're helping her when she's just an unknown stranger?"
"So? You are the one who's preaching about discipline, unity and togetherness 24/7 in Araiso." Kubota answered, his eyes twinkling. "By the way, there's something about your sentence before this. Me,... different? Now, what was that supposed to mean?"
"I just don't know. You seem to have something in your head. You're rather,..." Sayaka paused to find the right word to phrase her thoughts. "... distracted. Yeah, distracted. You seem to have lost that really sharp gaze of yours. Somehow, you gave me the impression of being in some deep shit or some really bad situation. I mean,..." Sayaka hesitated as Kubota cast her an inquiring look.
"Hmm, but I think I am always like that. Without much care about the world. Isn't that the way I am?" Kubota asked, smiling. His fingers deftly pulled the trigger, knocking down several enemies. The screen flashed "Stage Cleared". Kubota let the second stage story roll on by as he turned around, facing Sayaka. "Yeah, that is indeed you. You acted like you don't give even a fuck about the world. But usually your gaze were sharp and piercing, alert. Unlike today. Your eyes were rather clouded, unfocused. I couldn't help but to think you're much troubled or something." Sayaka deduced finally. Kubota nodded.
"Bingo. No wonder you're such a good counselor for the notorious Araiso company. Did I ever tell you that Ootsuka had a crush on you?" Kubota remarked wryly. It was Sayaka's turn to arch her eyebrow. "Really? He was one of the worst person I've ever counseled! But he is not that bad..." Seeing Kubota's wide grin, Sayaka added hastily. "...after all, he did reform a little after those counseling sessions!" Sayaka placed her hands on her hips firmly. "But you haven't tell me yet, Kubota. What happened? What is weighing down your heart?"
"Some internal problems." Kubota sighed, his face grim. He pulled the trigger again, once, twice, thrice, embarking on his quest to finish the second stage. "Tell me then. I'll like to hear a problem now." Sayaka grinned widely. "My, my. What a workaholic you are. Playing counselor even on holidays?" Kubota said, his words laced in irony. Sayaka wagged her index finger at him. "You know what are the consequences if someone refuses a counseling session by me."
"What can you do if I refuse? Send me to the principal? Make me endure some 'forbidden treatment' by Igarashi-sensei? I'm unfazed. Nonetheless I'm in the mood of telling, anyway." Kubota said, smiling. "Well, remember those whole ordeal about having couples in school?" Sayaka slapped her forehead. "How could I forget? Those were the silliest cases I've ever solved." Kubota was referring to the many cases Sayaka solved before in Araiso that involves love problems between two students of the same school, or in layman's terms, adolescence homosexual relationships which is indeed commonplace in a same-gender school. Everyone seems to take Sayaka as a love counselor rather than a discipline counselor when she worked at Araiso.
"Wait... don't tell me..." Sayaka looked at Kubota, eyes wide opened. "Don't tell me you and... Matsumoto... hooked up?"
"No." Kubota's face contorted into a deep frown. "Obviously not. It was someone else. A much,... delightful person." added Kubota, smiling. "Ah,... so tell me then." Sayaka noted. Beneath the loud sounds of firearms and explosions from the speakers, Kubota's voice was slightly drowned by it. Nonetheless, he continued to talk.
"Well, that person is a new guy. Same grade, same class. New member of EC too. Both of us happen to stay together in my apartment. Well, let's just say that the both of us got intimate and soon were lovers." Sayaka noted the 'were' word in the sentence. "Then, one very fine day,..." Kubota's voice dripped with sarcasm on the word 'very fine', leaving his sentence trailing mid-air. Sayaka raised her eyebrow. "Lover's quarrel, eh?"
"Yes." Kubota nodded. "So, how are you and that person?" Sayaka queried. "Negative. He's not even around." Kubota remarked bitterly. "WHAT?" Sayaka gasped. "What happened to him???"
"No,... not what you think. He's still alive,... of course, but he is not here with me. That's all. We're still in the middle of quarrelling. Nothing much." Kubota grinned. "And you are here, doing nothing to get him back?" Sayaka said in disbelief. "What are you expecting him to do, crawling back to you when you did nothing to make him come back to you?"
"Oh no. I tried to fish him back, of course." retorted Kubota good-naturedly. Sayaka grimaced at the terminology Kubota used. He sounded like some angler trying to fish up some fish from the river or pond or whatever. "So, any progress?" Sayaka asked, quite amazed at what she saw on Kubota's side of the screen. He passed through half of the second stage with ease albeit talking to her while playing. Meanwhile, Emiko lost altogether. She leaned against the machine, watching Kubota play and listening aptly to their conversation.
"Coming soon, I guess." Kubota said. Sayaka pursed her lips. "Hmm,... what's so attractive about that guy anyway? And how does he looks like, anyway?" She looked at Kubota curiously. Kubota smiled sideways. "He? Talkative. Impulsive. Brash. Loud-mouthed. Short. And beautiful. To me, anyway. Any normal human who thinks he's beautiful must have something wrong in his or her brains. Well, I guess I had something wrong in my mind, to begin with." He shrugged. "I guess the thing that attracted me to him is the fact that we understood each other perfectly. Well,... maybe that was the main factor in our bonding." He shrugged again.
Emiko giggled suddenly. Both Sayaka and Kubota gave her inquiring looks, perplexed at her sudden outburst. "Oops." Emiko said, blushing. "No... why are you laughing?" Sayaka asked. Emiko smiled, grinning slightly. "Nothing... its just that the description of Kubota-san's 'lover' reminded me of someone."
"Who?"
"The new guy we knew through Hotaru-san,... you know? The guy with the navy blue hair... what's his name..." Emiko scratched her head. "Oh, you mean Tokitoh, right?" Sayaka said. "Yeah. Him." Emiko nodded happily. "He is the only one I knew that is talkative, brash, loud-mouthed, impulsive and short. But beautiful is not the word to describe him. I think he's rather handsome, though." The two girls turned to look at Kubota, trying to see his reaction, but it wasn't of what either one of them had expected.
His face was grim, eyebrows tightly knitted on the top. "It couldn't be..." Kubota muttered. Sayaka noticed a wave of change washed over Kubota as he missed several opponents. His focus was wavering. "Emiko-san, can you hold this game for me?" Emiko nodded, surprised as Kubota handled her the gun. She took control over the game immediately. Kubota thanked her.
"Sayaka, who is that Tokitoh person you and Emiko are talking about?" Kubota's unusually distant look were replaced by a sharp stare as he bore into Sayaka's eyes. Sayaka paused, taken aback by the sudden change in the tall and lanky guy. "Well, he was some guy that we knew just a few hours ago. All of us were just new friends. After all, the talent quest really brought us strangers together." Kubota nodded thoughtfully, still staring at her with intense eyes. "Can you show me who is he?"
Sayaka walked towards the railings nearby. The first floor of the arcade only comprises half of the ground floor area. The top floor overlooked the lower floor from one corner. The placing of the Time Crisis machines were strategic enough as they were located on the edge of the top floor. She surveyed the lower floor, trying to think where will Hotaru, Tokitoh and the rest hang out. She spotted Sora and Masami in one corner, steering their way through the fast and furious lanes of Initial D Arcade Ver. 2 with ferocious velocity. It can't be... they must have split up altogether. So now they must have been somewhere else... Sayaka walked to the edge. "Where the hell..." she muttered. Kubota waited patiently.
Sayaka suddenly pumped her fist into the air. "Yeah! I found them!" Hotaru's brightly bleached blond hair stood out from the crowd. Even so, Toro's spiky hair set in dreadlocks could be easily recognized. She flashed Kubota a toothy grin and pointed to somewhere just down where they stood. Kubota smiled. "Figures... he should be there, all right." He well knew how much Tokitoh loved the DDR machines. How could he forget? It has been quite some time that he is away from me...
"There. That is Tokitoh." Sayaka pointed again specifically to the shorter guy that stood beside Toro, talking casually. "Is he the one?"
"Affirmative. I just couldn't believe what luck I had." Kubota commented, smiling sideways. Sayaka pursed her lips and placed her hands on her hips. "Oh well, so what are you to do about this?" Kubota shrugged. "Not sure. All I know is that I want him back. Soon."
"Well, you can't just stand here doing nothing." Sayaka remarked, folding her arms. "Yes, yes, Miss Love Counselor. I am moving. Now, loan me your cellular phone." Kubota motioned her to hand her phone over. Sayaka eyed him curiously, her eyebrows arched. Gingerly she held her phone between her thumb and index finger, and placed it on Kubota's palm. "Whatever it is going to be, I have a bad feeling." Sayaka said. Kubota gave her a reassuring smile. "I promise nothing will happen to your phone. I need it to call someone." With those words, he punched the buttons on the keypad with this finger.
"Why do I keep having some unlucky premonition about today?" Sayaka mouthed to Emiko. Emiko grinned, still enjoying her free turn on the machine. Beside her, a young guy arrived and started a new game on the machine. He smiled at Emiko. The young girl blushed, but grinned in return. Sayaka resisted the urge to fake puking in Emiko's direction. So, she prodded Kubota on the arm.
"Why can't you use your own cellular?" Sayaka pouted. Kubota sighed. "If you mind about me wasting your airtime credit, Sayaka-san, I'll just pay you later." Sayaka shook her head in denial. "No, I don't care about the money. I am just curious." "Will explain later... I'm on business here..." Kubota said, smiling. Sayaka rolled her eyes. Fine... just so fine...
* * *
Tokitoh was about to step onto the DDR platform when suddenly vibrations send unpleasant shivers down his spine. Deliberately cursing as he motioned to Hotaru to take his place, he fished out his cellular phone from his pocket, its icy blue screen blinked rapidly. The gadget vibrated strongly in his palms as he struggled to flip the cover. "What the hell..." The liquidized screen displayed an unknown number. Shrugging, he picked up the call. "Hello?"
"Tokitoh."
Tokitoh felt an ice cube slid down his throat, into the esophagus and down to his stomach. Just exactly what he doesn't need. The silky voice that used to generate delightful impulses spiraling downwards his spine. The alluring voice that belonged to the one who knew him so well. The enticing magnitude of that voice that used to drown him in waves of pleasure...
"What do you want?" Tokitoh found himself barking into the receiver, although he well knew that he didn't need to shout to make himself heard. Somehow, he was furious. What the fucking hell? Just because I felt so good with all the people I knew today, just because my mind forgot about worrying for a moment, just because I forgot all my sorrows, all my troubles when I had so much fun... does that mean I am subjected to more mental tortures? God, you're hell of a cruel.
"Just look up from where you stood."
"Why must I comply?" Tokitoh snapped. His sudden outrage brought Hotaru to attention. Even Michie and Toro exchanged nervous glances.
"Just,... look."
Tokitoh looked up hesitatingly. There, leaned against the railings, the slender profile of Makoto Kubota outlined so sharply from its background that Tokitoh felt so painful to place his eyes upon. Kubota gave him a smile; one that could melt the heart of ice, a smile that beckoned him, a smile that says "Come on.", a smile that was so magnetic that he felt his heart of steel drawn towards it, to surrender. Tokitoh snapped out of his reverie. "So what?" Tokitoh retorted, still glaring daggers towards Kubota. Kubota grinned.
"Just calling to say... hello. Nothing much."
"Yeah. Like I'll believe that." muttered Tokitoh, his eyes glowering. Like I'll ever believe in you anymore.
"How are you?"
"Better off without you. Thank you so much for your concern." Tokitoh replied, voice slightly wavering as he stressed on the phrase 'without you'. Nonetheless he kept his defiant look towards Kubota. He didn't want to lose. Furthermore, he felt no longer traumatized by the surge of loneliness within him. Instead, it gave him a new source of power that urged him to resist, to rebuke, to go against what and where he should be.
"I see that you're having a good time." Pause. Silence. "Well, take care, Tokitoh. I'll be seeing you very soon. I know." Click. Beep. And that voice was gone through the cellular phone. Kubota lingered on there he stood for a while, still standing there with a sadistic smile plastered upon his face. Tokitoh gave a scowl. Very soon? Oh no,... I don't plan to meet you anytime soon, Kubo-chan. Wait. Amendment. I don't plan to meet you anytime soon, Kubota. I don't need your words. I don't need your promises.
The figure of Makoto Kubota turned around slowly, and disappeared into the crowd on the 1st floor. Tokitoh gave a final scathing look at that direction. Yeah, try that act again, Kubota. I'm unfazed... really. Tokitoh smiled to himself. It seems like he's finally adapting to the new ways. Sans Kubota. Without him. Tokitoh looked up only to face a gaping Hotaru, a puzzled Michie and an equally confused Toro. Another bout of silence. The only thing Tokitoh heard was the thumping beats of the music that blared out from the DDR machine speakers that were barely a foot away from him. "That's him? K, I mean." Hotaru questioned, breaking the unusual silence. Tokitoh nodded.
Hotaru tried to detect signs of breakdown on Tokitoh, but found none. "It seems like you're now much more confident." remarked Hotaru quietly. Tokitoh nodded. "I guess... I just can't believe that he tracked me down here... or whatever curious coincidence it was that led him here. Somehow, I am not going to let him spoil my mood. Furthermore, he deserves a piece of my mind. He is just playing me up for way too long." Tokitoh said, his voice subdued. The conclusion to everything was like unfitting puzzles in a jigsaw. His words didn't match the missing pieces, and yet they mimicked the empty space. The words stuck fast into the holes, although leaving it sealed improperly, somehow it was better off than before : empty.
"Its your decision and I respect it." Hotaru acknowledged, smiling. Michie shrugged. "I am not sure of what is going on, but well, either way, we're supporting you, Tokitoh!" She cheered, grinning. "Yeah. I'm not letting anything or anyone to spoil my mood when I'm having so much fun with you people." Tokitoh grinned widely.
"I'll be challenging anyone who dares to dance the Nonstop Mode with me!" Tokitoh shouted as he jumped onto the platform. "Let's get on with the fun!"
* * *
"If I call Tokitoh using my own cellular, he'll know its me and he'll probably reject my call." Kubota gave her a short but concise explanation that spoke volumes in conclusion as he closed the brief conversation he had with Tokitoh. Sayaka nodded knowingly.
"He seems unaffected with it." commented Emiko as she stood by the railings where Kubota stood just now. Kubota, who was leaning against the Time Crisis 3 machine, just gave her a smile. "I know. It will take a moment for everything to dawn on him. He might be all right now, but he'll feel the impact of the conversation later."
"You're such a sadist, Kubota." Sayaka said, running her fingers through her platinum hair. She twirled one loose strand with her finger, drawing curls and swirls with it. Kubota smiled. "Thank you for the compliment." Kubota returned her cellular phone to her. "I'll be seeing you sometime, I hope?"
"If you ever need any 'love advice' from your ex-counselor, that is." retorted Sayaka sarcastically. Emiko laughed. "Ignore her. She's always sarcastic."
"I know. That's what I like : a loud-mouthed, impulsive counselor that reminds me of the person I just called." Kubota remarked, pointing to the place where he spotted Tokitoh just now. Sayaka rolled her eyes. "Well, Mr. Kubota, during the farewell party that you EC people held for me when I was about to end my training at Araiso, you said the same thing. Yeah, like we ever keep in touch." Despite her acid words, Sayaka smiled. She knew somehow Kubota will keep his words this time. It has something to it. Something. Something about the special person that changed his life. Something about Tokitoh. She felt like it was such a curious and suspicious coincidence. Has Fate willed it to let her make friends with Tokitoh and to meet Kubota later?
"We did. I met you here. I will be seeing you some time soon. I know." Kubota winked. Then, he added. "I really mean it." Sayaka couldn't help but to grin. "Want to bet?" Deep down inside, she knew that he'll find her somehow. He wasn't the kind to leave a relationship turn sour if he could help it. And Sayaka knew that Kubota must have cared much for Tokitoh.
"Don't bet. You'll lose. Just,..." he paused, thinking, "... just be around when I need your help. That's all." There. His words confirmed her deductions.
"Sure. See you soon." Sayaka bid farewell to Kubota. Kubota smiled, but before he left, he put his hands into his pocket, and withdrew something. He took Emiko's hand and placed the thing in it. "Take it. My task is done,... I'm leaving." With those words, he departed, the two girls staring blankly at his turned back.
"What he gave you, by the way?" Sayaka asked Emiko curiously. Emiko was smiling widely, blushing slightly. "Hey, are you hearing?" Sayaka repeated, frowning. Emiko slowly revealed it. Sayaka screeched. "What?! That stupid, idiot guy! He gave you all his tokens! He doesn't even know you that well and..." Sayaka's voice trailed as Emiko laughed heartily, her hands clutching the silver coins as they caught the reflections of the lights, gleaming and winking teasingly.
* * *
"And so, we got into the high-score! But somehow, the guys challenged us but unfortunately, they didn't make their way in." Michie talked happily as all of them rejoined and walked together towards the floor where the talent quest was held. The second round was over and the results will be announced soon. Toro pretended to pout. "Oh no! It was all Michie's fault! She dared us to take on the Random set and we were so unlucky to get the tough songs! My legs hurt after dancing that stupid Paranoia Clean Mix song! Michie and Hotaru was lucky enough to get simple rookie songs like Dynamite Rave. That is not fair." Hotaru poked him at the ribs. "Hey, watch what you're saying! Its your own unlucky choice, not ours. And who was the one who bragged to us that he is a DDR maestro?"
Sora smiled. "That's typical of Toro. Hey, they're announcing the results now." He pointed towards the stage. The announcer that was in-charge of the event took her place at the podium. Tokitoh and the rest tried to get a strategic spot in the midst of the crowd. A large number of people had gathered there earlier, everyone anticipating the result of the talent quest. There were excited chatters from every corner. Tokitoh practically had to shout to get himself heard by the others.
"Hey, it seems like its really packed." He commented. Sayaka nodded. "Everyone, let's split. We'll meet later after the results, okay? The crowd is too much... we can't just break in if we are in a group." reasoned Sayaka. Everyone agreed, and began moving away in pairs. Hotaru grabbed Tokitoh by the wrist, causing him to wince a little. "Chill! You're so tensed up!" Tokitoh grumbled as he let Hotaru dragged him through the growing crowd. Hotaru bit her lips. "Well, I did my best. At least I get something... hopefully. Either way, I don't count on winning big, either." Hotaru confessed, giggling. Tokitoh smiled and gave her an assuring pat on the shoulder. "I know you could. I never met a counselor that could sing 'Final Distance' while counseling. Maybe you should really display your singing-and-counseling talent next time."
"You're being sarcastic, aren't you?" Hotaru quipped, smiling. As Tokitoh was about to open his mouth to retort, the shrill cry of the microphone interrupted him. "Hello everybody!" The announcer chirped brightly, waving at the mass of crowd that gathered there in enthusiasm. Everyone cheered. "Welcome back! Now, I have the results to the talent quest competition. Please remember that all judges decision are final! Now, let's welcome~"
The crowd cheered wildly as some VIP came onstage. Mildly interested, Tokitoh turned his attention to Hotaru. She was somewhat cringing. "What happened to you?" Tokitoh asked, concerned. Hotaru shook her head. "I'm just nervous, that's all." "And you call yourself a counselor? C'mon, just counsel yourself to calm down." Tokitoh said, grinning. Hotaru pinched him hard on the elbow. "Can't you be a little sympathetic?"
"I could if I want to." Tokitoh replied evenly. He could hear the announcer reading the consolation prize winners. The whole concourse area erupted in applause as the winners went on-stage to receive their prizes. There were five places for that. Hotaru's name were nowhere to be found on that list. This could only mean that Hotaru made it,... or not.
"Toro Sakaguchi!" The announcer revealed the last consolation prizewinner's name. Toro's eyes were as wide as saucers, or in his terms, turntable disks. Toro went onstage, practically grinning his head off as he shook the VIP's hand heartily and waved his trophy wildly. In his enthusiasm he knocked over the girl who was holding the tray of trophies. Everyone laughed, even Toro who blushed but laughed along with the others.
"Oh man, I couldn't believe I knew him..." muttered Sayaka as she slapped her forehead at Toro's antics. Sora smiled, clearly dismissing her words as he was too happy for his partner.
The crowd held their breath as the announcer flipped her cards. "Well, its the time we've been waiting for! The top three places! Now, the second-runner-up goes to..." The announcer paused, and then announced chirpily. "Matsuri Sayaka!" Sayaka flipped her platinum hair and tossed it like a model before proceeding onto the stage. There were a fusion of wild applause and catcalls as she accepted trophy rather modestly. Toro and Sayaka exchanged high-fives.
"First-runner up... let's welcome... Imada Shigeko!" Tokitoh crinkled his nose as some unknown stranger went up to receive his trophy. Hotaru whispered to him. "Imada is from the second round..." Tokitoh mouthed an 'oh' and returned his attention on the announcements.
"And... ladies and gentlemen, this is the one we've all been waiting for..." The announcer paused, allowing the heightening anticipation of the crowd to soar into a frenzy. There was an odd silence as tension and anxiousness swept the crowd like a predatory creature. Finally, the announcer spoke up.
"Let's welcome... Sora Hideyuki!" The crowd was wild, cheering madly as a tomato-red Sora walked up on the stage, smiling bashfully. Several girls screamed "Sora-kun, ai shiteru! [I love you!]" maybe as part of a joke. Toro grabbed Sora by the waist and planted a kiss on his cheek, and pointed at the fangirls. "He's mine!" Sora tried to push him away. The whole crowd laughed.
Tokitoh was viewing the whole spectacle of Toro's antics with a bemused smile. Remembering Hotaru, he turned around. She looked a little disappointed, but seems happy all the same. "Hey, you all right?" Tokitoh asked. Hotaru nodded. "Its okay. As long as most of our friends win, I'm satisfied. Sora deserves the first prize. His playing of the violin was spectacular! He is really a true-born prodigy." Tokitoh looked at her wryly. "Really! I am not sad or whatsoever. I'm happy for everyone." Hotaru smiled. Tokitoh grinned. "Yeah,... come on! Let's celebrate the victors!" Together with the others, they ran onstage, hugging the winners of the talent quest.
* * *
"Oh man, I still can't believe he won over me!" Toro said for the umpteenth time as he pretended to pout. Sora shoved him on the chest. "Stop it. Its getting embarrassing!" Tokitoh and the rest laughed. It was past eight post meridian, and they had just exited a posh Japanese cuisine restaurant, all full from dinner. The evening was courtesy of Sora's generosity ["He ought to! He won, after all!" Michie said, giggling.]. Now, the whole group walked outside of the shopping complex, loitering and wasting their time away. Night was indeed young.
"So, Tokitoh, are you going home after this?" Sayaka asked. Tokith shook his head. "Belonged nowhere."
This answer raised everyone's eyebrow. "Eh? So where are you heading to after this?" Emiko queried, looking concerned. Tokitoh shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't know. Most probably will go to some hotel or inn or whatever lodging available." He felt somewhat uneasy underneath the prying eyes of seven people in front of him. Suddenly, everyone laughed.
"Join us then, Tokitoh. We are all not natives of Tokyo. We come from many many different places all over Japan, just for this talent quest, and of course, tomorrow's event." Michie winked towards Emiko and Masami's direction. The girls laughed. Tokitoh frowned. "I don't get it..."
"Well, let me simplify everything. We all happened to meet here a few days back, and were wondering where we could stay for the moment. Thankfully we met Hotaru, who generously lodged us at her boyfriend's hotel." Masami explained. Tokitoh's eyes were wide in astonishment. "Your boyfriend owns a hotel???" Hotaru blushed. "No! Not my boyfriend. His father owns it." She shrugged.
"Technically he does." Tokitoh said, grinning. "Yeah, and that's why she got us free rooms there! I guess we could take you in, too." Emiko said, smiling. "Can we, Hotaru?"
"Oh, definitely. You are most welcomed there, Tokitoh! Come on..." "Yeah! Join us!" "Please?" "C'mon, man!" "Pretty please?" "It'll be fun, together!" Everyone voiced out at once, trying to get Tokitoh to stay. At last, Tokitoh held his hands up exasperatedly. "Fine! I'll stay." Seven fists pumped up in the air in joy. "Alright! Let's get back, and prepare for tomorrow!" Tokitoh tried not to roll his eyes. "Can anyone tell me what's going on tomorrow?" "We will,... not." Michie said, laughing. Tokitoh frowned. "You people are sure weird..."
"That's what they call 'strange bedfellows', Tokitoh-kun." Emiko chirped. "You can't escape us now." Everyone laughed, including Tokitoh. "Oh well, I guess I have to wait for tomorrow, eh?" Tokitoh smiled.
* * *
The clock struck past twelve. Another day. The corridors outside were silent. As silent as a grave, as silent as a strange wavelength of clarity that resonated through the fabricated walls of the luxurious suite that he accommodated. He groaned inwardly as he turned around in the fluffy coverlets, contemplating. He debated silently whether he should kill the others for pestering him into following them to stay at the hotel.
Well, Hotaru was a gracious hostess, to begin with. She introduced him to her boyfriend immediately as they reached the hotel. Her boyfriend was a tall and slender guy with shoulder-length jet black hair, cut layered and resembling a model. In fact, Tokitoh would believe if he was told that the guy in front of him was indeed a model.
"Tokitoh, meet Koitsu Mochizuki, my boyfriend. Koitsu, this is Tokitoh Minoru." Hotaru introduced the young guy to her lover, and her lover to Tokitoh. They shook hands. "Hey, stay here if you want to, Tokitoh. Part of Hotaru's recruitment plans, eh?" Koitsu winked. Hotaru pinched Koitsu on the cheeks. "Hey! He's a friend I met during today's events!" To Tokitoh, she said, "Ignore Koitsu. He's jealous that he couldn't go for the talent quest. Anyway, Koitsu, you can be at tomorrow's event. You're free, right?" "Yeah, I am." Koitsu bent down to plant a brief kiss on Hotaru's lips.
They had a party at Michie's suite, playing poker and video games and snuggling each other [where applicable only]. They had karaoke sessions, then some snacks and beverages. It was a night like never before. "After all, we'll be departing tomorrow." Sayaka sighed as she downed another can of beer. Tokitoh stared at her face. She didn't show signs of drunkenness even after four cans of beer. "Can anyone tell me what's going on tomorrow?" Tokitoh asked in annoyance. But everyone pretended to ignore him.
The party ended when everyone got drunk [or some faking drunkenness]. Tokitoh trotted back to his own suite, tired, worn, but never more happy than ever. The whole day was exhausting, all right, but it was memorable.
Somehow, laying on the soft sensuous white-washed linens of the comfy bed made him even more restless than ever, despite his body screaming for rest after such a taxing day. Slowly, he forced himself to close his eyes. His eyelids were heavy, like thick crystal glass covers on a platter of dish. I just don't know why I couldn't sleep... its already 12 a.m. and I'm here staring at the ceilings like some fucking idiot.
His hands roamed over his pants and into the pockets. He fished out his cellular phone, and stared at the number that called him during the afternoon. The voice that haunted his two days worth of journey before this...
Kubota,... Tokitoh closed his eyes. The conversation they had replayed itself in his mind, unwillingly. "Just look up from where you stood." "Why must I comply?" "Just,... look." "So what?" "Just calling to say,... hello. Nothing much."
I wished you call to say something else instead. Wouldn't it be better if you apologize? Then we don't need to pretend to be whoever that we are not,... and return to the way we were... Images of their moments of togetherness flooded his cerebrum and were displayed, manifested and drawn upon his retinas. Tokitoh shook his head. But everything is over... just so over... over...
"Better off without you. Thank you so much for your concern." I almost regretted it again. Fucking words. Fuck everything. Maybe... just maybe, I am wrong this time.
Suddenly Tokitoh froze. A soft knock on the teak door woke him up from his reverie. "Who the hell is it?" Tokitoh wondered. Slowly, he got up from his bed, and walked towards the door, his footsteps echoed in silence behind him as his feet treaded upon carpeted floors. He cursed loudly as it was late night. "Who the hell could it be..." Tokitoh yawned lazily as he slid the key into the hole, and twisted the knob to the right.
End of Part 7b - Evanescence