AN: I am SO VERY SORRY for the monumental delay on this fic! I was stuck for a loooooong while and it just seemed like I couldn't get my muses going. Believe me, it's been quite difficult for me, but I'm going to try and ease up on delaying. If you're all itching for more updates, you can always leave comments on my ficlog. The URL is posted up as part of my profile. You can SMS me here: +639273530734. Feel free to rant. ^^
And now...ON WITH THE FIC!
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Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order.
----Samuel Beckett
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"I called to say I was sorry."
Makiko was stunned. He was apologizing? "What?"
"You heard me the first time," Mitsui replied. "So, will you forgive me or not?"
A ball of fire rolled around in her gut. After what he did he expected her to just forgive him like that?! The nerve!
"The answer is NO, NEVER, IN A MILLION YEARS!" She yelled.
With that, she slammed down the receiver and yanked out the phone cord. There was no way in Hades that Mitsui Hisashi was calling her again! If he did, she'd find some way to beat the shit out of him even if he was bigger than her and a lot stronger.
Makiko sat at her desk, glaring at the phone until she felt she was going to melt the contraption completely before she stomped out of her room and headed down to the kitchen to make herself a sandwich. "I HATE YOU, YOU JERK! SO WHAT IF YOU WERE MVP IN JUNIOR HIGH?! SO WHAT IF YOU WERE ~ "
"Hija, why are you so upset?"
The young girl whirled around to see her mother standing at the kitchen entrance, a look of utter confusion on her face. "Weren't you speaking to Mitsui-kun just a while back? What did he do to make you so mad?" Hiroko asked, going over to her daughter and placing a hand on her shoulder.
Makiko looked away. "Nothing," she grumbled. "He didn't do anything, but he's still a jerk all the same. And I hate his guts and I really wish he would stop tormenting me the way he is now."
"Is that so?" Hiroko smiled and planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead before turning away and walking out of the kitchen. "Why don't you tell me all about it in the living room? I'm all ears..."
As her mother walked out of the kitchen, Makiko let out a small sigh before blowing away a few strands of hair that had come loose from her braid and had fallen in front of her eyes. Knowing her mother, she knew she'd have a lot of things to say about Mitsui - all of which contradicted what Makiko thought about the boy. Sandwich forgotten, she marched out of the kitchen.
~*~*~
Sure enough, her mother was already seated comfortably on the couch. As soon as she entered, her mother smiled up at her and patted the space beside her. "Really, Makiko-chan, I can't help but wonder why you have such a different perception about Mitsui-kun. Why, I bumped into him the other day and he was kind enough to help me with my groceries..." She paused and shook her head. "That was just about the kindest and sweetest thing he has ever done. Don't you agree that he's a sweet and adorable boy? Not to mention that he's grown to be quite handsome..."
Makiko looked aghast. "Nanay, there is NOTHING remotely adorable or sweet or kind about that...that...TURD! And how can you think him handsome? He's so full of himself that I swear, he's defying gravity with the amount of hot air in his head." She plopped down on the sofa and lay her head sideways on her mother's lap. "He's a jerk. Always was. Always will be," she muttered crossly, closing her eyes.
She spoke that declaration with such finality that Hiroko had to laugh. Gently, she unbraided her daughter's hair, her fingers easing out the knots and combing through the strands as she softly smiled. "Makiko-chan, why don't you give Mitsui-kun a chance? Don't you remember how he stood up for you in kindergarten?"
Brown eyes shot open as two delicate eyebrows met in a frown. Her mother DID have a point. However...
"Yeah, as well as every other time that he tormented me all throughout kindergarten, elementary, junior high, and now HIGH SCHOOL," Makiko snorted, looking up and meeting her mother's amused gaze. "Nanay, he's obnoxious and arrogant and he has never given me ANY peace of mind. The only chance of me getting that is if I go far, FAR away, like migrating to another continent." She waved her hands in the air for added emphasis.
"Hai, hai, I know," Hiroko patiently nodded as she continued to stroke her daughter's hair. "But then again, you've always let your temper get the better of you with regards to Mitsui-kun..."
She opened her mouth to protest, but her mother silenced her with a finger to her lips. "I've always known you to be a very patient girl, sweetie," she said before adding, "especially where your siblings are concerned, as well as your studies and ballet. You can't possibly let one boy affect you so badly, ne?"
"Nanaaaaay..." the eighteen-year-old girl groaned. "It's not as simple as that! I've tried, believe me. But it just doesn't seem to work with him!"
Actually, Makiko knew the reason why she just coudn't control her temper when Mitsui Hisashi was in the picture. She was afraid that it was getting too obvious though, so she tried to think of a way to change the topic. However, she forgot that it was her mother she was talking to and Hiroko easily saw through it and giggled.
"Ne, Makiko-chan...you like Mitsui-kun, don't you?"
"Eh? That JOCK? What makes you think that? How can I possibly like a guy like that?"
"Sweetie, I'm more than half your age and I've been there. Besides, you're turning pink." Her mother giggled again.
Makiko rolled her eyes. "It's just a bit hot, Nanay," she replied, turning away so her mother wouldn't see her face turning redder.
Hiroko just smiled knowingly.
~*~*~
Mitsui stared at the dead phone for a full minute before he glowered. 'I can NOT believe it! I tell her that I'm sorry and that I'd want us to start as friends again and she hangs up on me like that! What the fuck is her problem anyway?'
He had all the good intentions of trying to patch things up with her and apologize to her and he was hoping she'd understand and forgive him, but all she did was kill his eardrums. That was the problem with women, he decided. They were all fickle. Half of the time, you didn't know what went on in their heads or what exactly were they driving at. "Nothing" meant "something", "probably" meant "yes", sometimes "no" actually meant "yes", "you're right" actually meant "you're wrong because you don't agree with me" and so on and so forth...
Sighing, he placed the phone back in its cradle and trudged upstairs to his room, plunking himself on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. He knew he shouldn't let just one girl affect him. What did it matter to him anyway? He had had so many girls in the last two years he spent on the streets that he had simply stopped counting. Makiko was nothing special. She was just the little girl he used to tease back when they were kids...
'Only she's not so much of a kid anymore, eh, Mitsui?' A voice snerked in his head.
Mitsui groaned. If he didn't know better, that voice sounded like Tetsuo's. And when Tetsuo started councelling, it got PLENTY scary. The image of a muscular and mean-looking gangster acting as a peer councellor flitted through Mitsui's train of thought and he shuddered.
"No..." he said slowly, voicing his thoughts aloud.
He could feel his cheeks burn up when he remembered how her body felt against his, how she had felt in his arms when he had carried her. 'Definitely not a kid anymore.' For someone as thin as she was, Makiko actually had curves in the right places. He swallowed, suddenly feeling his throat going dry. As much as he hated to admit it, he hadn't wanted to let her go at that time. Part of him suddenly ached to just hold her close...to just feel her against him...
Her eyes always sparkled with life, the kind that could easily draw you in. If she wasn't angry at him, he'd see her laughing with her friends, a thousand things conveyed to the world in her liquid brown eyes. A lot of people would say that brown was a pretty boring eye color but that time he had actually gotten a good look at them, he was surprised to find them flecked with a bright gold that made her eyes flash.
And then there were her lips...thin but tinged with a rosy pink and incredibly inviting...
'And so near at that time that if you hadn't spoiled it, you would have gotten your chance,' the voice said again, taunting him.
He growled and reached over to turn off the bedside lamp. "Just shut up and let me go to sleep and forget about that witch, okay? She's nothing special to me and she never will be..."
'Liar...'
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to be continued
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And now...ON WITH THE FIC!
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order.
----Samuel Beckett
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
"I called to say I was sorry."
Makiko was stunned. He was apologizing? "What?"
"You heard me the first time," Mitsui replied. "So, will you forgive me or not?"
A ball of fire rolled around in her gut. After what he did he expected her to just forgive him like that?! The nerve!
"The answer is NO, NEVER, IN A MILLION YEARS!" She yelled.
With that, she slammed down the receiver and yanked out the phone cord. There was no way in Hades that Mitsui Hisashi was calling her again! If he did, she'd find some way to beat the shit out of him even if he was bigger than her and a lot stronger.
Makiko sat at her desk, glaring at the phone until she felt she was going to melt the contraption completely before she stomped out of her room and headed down to the kitchen to make herself a sandwich. "I HATE YOU, YOU JERK! SO WHAT IF YOU WERE MVP IN JUNIOR HIGH?! SO WHAT IF YOU WERE ~ "
"Hija, why are you so upset?"
The young girl whirled around to see her mother standing at the kitchen entrance, a look of utter confusion on her face. "Weren't you speaking to Mitsui-kun just a while back? What did he do to make you so mad?" Hiroko asked, going over to her daughter and placing a hand on her shoulder.
Makiko looked away. "Nothing," she grumbled. "He didn't do anything, but he's still a jerk all the same. And I hate his guts and I really wish he would stop tormenting me the way he is now."
"Is that so?" Hiroko smiled and planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead before turning away and walking out of the kitchen. "Why don't you tell me all about it in the living room? I'm all ears..."
As her mother walked out of the kitchen, Makiko let out a small sigh before blowing away a few strands of hair that had come loose from her braid and had fallen in front of her eyes. Knowing her mother, she knew she'd have a lot of things to say about Mitsui - all of which contradicted what Makiko thought about the boy. Sandwich forgotten, she marched out of the kitchen.
~*~*~
Sure enough, her mother was already seated comfortably on the couch. As soon as she entered, her mother smiled up at her and patted the space beside her. "Really, Makiko-chan, I can't help but wonder why you have such a different perception about Mitsui-kun. Why, I bumped into him the other day and he was kind enough to help me with my groceries..." She paused and shook her head. "That was just about the kindest and sweetest thing he has ever done. Don't you agree that he's a sweet and adorable boy? Not to mention that he's grown to be quite handsome..."
Makiko looked aghast. "Nanay, there is NOTHING remotely adorable or sweet or kind about that...that...TURD! And how can you think him handsome? He's so full of himself that I swear, he's defying gravity with the amount of hot air in his head." She plopped down on the sofa and lay her head sideways on her mother's lap. "He's a jerk. Always was. Always will be," she muttered crossly, closing her eyes.
She spoke that declaration with such finality that Hiroko had to laugh. Gently, she unbraided her daughter's hair, her fingers easing out the knots and combing through the strands as she softly smiled. "Makiko-chan, why don't you give Mitsui-kun a chance? Don't you remember how he stood up for you in kindergarten?"
Brown eyes shot open as two delicate eyebrows met in a frown. Her mother DID have a point. However...
"Yeah, as well as every other time that he tormented me all throughout kindergarten, elementary, junior high, and now HIGH SCHOOL," Makiko snorted, looking up and meeting her mother's amused gaze. "Nanay, he's obnoxious and arrogant and he has never given me ANY peace of mind. The only chance of me getting that is if I go far, FAR away, like migrating to another continent." She waved her hands in the air for added emphasis.
"Hai, hai, I know," Hiroko patiently nodded as she continued to stroke her daughter's hair. "But then again, you've always let your temper get the better of you with regards to Mitsui-kun..."
She opened her mouth to protest, but her mother silenced her with a finger to her lips. "I've always known you to be a very patient girl, sweetie," she said before adding, "especially where your siblings are concerned, as well as your studies and ballet. You can't possibly let one boy affect you so badly, ne?"
"Nanaaaaay..." the eighteen-year-old girl groaned. "It's not as simple as that! I've tried, believe me. But it just doesn't seem to work with him!"
Actually, Makiko knew the reason why she just coudn't control her temper when Mitsui Hisashi was in the picture. She was afraid that it was getting too obvious though, so she tried to think of a way to change the topic. However, she forgot that it was her mother she was talking to and Hiroko easily saw through it and giggled.
"Ne, Makiko-chan...you like Mitsui-kun, don't you?"
"Eh? That JOCK? What makes you think that? How can I possibly like a guy like that?"
"Sweetie, I'm more than half your age and I've been there. Besides, you're turning pink." Her mother giggled again.
Makiko rolled her eyes. "It's just a bit hot, Nanay," she replied, turning away so her mother wouldn't see her face turning redder.
Hiroko just smiled knowingly.
~*~*~
Mitsui stared at the dead phone for a full minute before he glowered. 'I can NOT believe it! I tell her that I'm sorry and that I'd want us to start as friends again and she hangs up on me like that! What the fuck is her problem anyway?'
He had all the good intentions of trying to patch things up with her and apologize to her and he was hoping she'd understand and forgive him, but all she did was kill his eardrums. That was the problem with women, he decided. They were all fickle. Half of the time, you didn't know what went on in their heads or what exactly were they driving at. "Nothing" meant "something", "probably" meant "yes", sometimes "no" actually meant "yes", "you're right" actually meant "you're wrong because you don't agree with me" and so on and so forth...
Sighing, he placed the phone back in its cradle and trudged upstairs to his room, plunking himself on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. He knew he shouldn't let just one girl affect him. What did it matter to him anyway? He had had so many girls in the last two years he spent on the streets that he had simply stopped counting. Makiko was nothing special. She was just the little girl he used to tease back when they were kids...
'Only she's not so much of a kid anymore, eh, Mitsui?' A voice snerked in his head.
Mitsui groaned. If he didn't know better, that voice sounded like Tetsuo's. And when Tetsuo started councelling, it got PLENTY scary. The image of a muscular and mean-looking gangster acting as a peer councellor flitted through Mitsui's train of thought and he shuddered.
"No..." he said slowly, voicing his thoughts aloud.
He could feel his cheeks burn up when he remembered how her body felt against his, how she had felt in his arms when he had carried her. 'Definitely not a kid anymore.' For someone as thin as she was, Makiko actually had curves in the right places. He swallowed, suddenly feeling his throat going dry. As much as he hated to admit it, he hadn't wanted to let her go at that time. Part of him suddenly ached to just hold her close...to just feel her against him...
Her eyes always sparkled with life, the kind that could easily draw you in. If she wasn't angry at him, he'd see her laughing with her friends, a thousand things conveyed to the world in her liquid brown eyes. A lot of people would say that brown was a pretty boring eye color but that time he had actually gotten a good look at them, he was surprised to find them flecked with a bright gold that made her eyes flash.
And then there were her lips...thin but tinged with a rosy pink and incredibly inviting...
'And so near at that time that if you hadn't spoiled it, you would have gotten your chance,' the voice said again, taunting him.
He growled and reached over to turn off the bedside lamp. "Just shut up and let me go to sleep and forget about that witch, okay? She's nothing special to me and she never will be..."
'Liar...'
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to be continued
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