Enjoy!!
Maemi: True. I don't agree with society's perceptions as well. Ah well. Enjoy this chap!
Rae-chan: Should I get them back together, or should I pair Akima with someone else? *ponders*
Unchained: *quickly makes sure doors and windows are locked* hey, relax… don't do juvenile stuff!!
Miracle: Thank you!
Tensaispira: That's okay, *says it one more time* Rukawa to the rescue! Or maybe not…
Fiery-ice: Waahh, very good with flattering words, aren't you? *tries hard to hide the blush* Darn it! *pulls hood over head* Thanks for waiting!
Frozenfemale: He he he! *sees frozenfemale hopping mad* YAY! PTS!!! I don't meet that many, so it's AWFULLY COOL when I do!! I live in KL. You?
Tiran: Kaede will be coming soon… relax… he's still alive… ^_^
Krappkarmin: Two words for you: THANK YOU! Write a fic on EVERYBODY in SD? You kidding??
Reika Zelon: Thank you! I liked it when Akima told Suki off too! I was full of energy when I wrote that scene!! Ha ha!
Kka: What's hmk??
Sen battousai: *backs away fearfully* Please, don't mistake me for one of your dummies…
Fer-chan: I dunno! Ha ha!
Patty g: You can bash anyone you like. Dun worry. ^_^ Enjoy this chappie!
Silhouette Panther: I hope so too. ^_^
"No?" Akima all but yelled. She grabbed Rudi by the collar. "What do you mean no??"
"No," Rudi repeated calmly, pushing her hands away and placing the glass tubes in his hand meticulously on the table. "No, I will not go and talk to Kaede and make a fool out of myself. Why should I, right after what you did to me?"
Akima's fists itched all of a sudden. "Why?" she said between gritted teeth. "Because you caused all this, that's why. And I'll remind you I did nothing to you. Actually, it was the other way round."
Rudi ignored her.
"This is the least you can do, Rudi."
He sighed and looked at her. "When you're in a car race," he started seriously, "you don't exactly offer to fix your opponent's engines and stand back to watch while he gets the trophy."
Akima's eyes tightened. "This is not a car race," she said viciously. "And I'm not a damn trophy."
He turned back to the experiment on hand. "Those are metaphors."
"And a big mistake."
He resolutely turned his back to her in pretence of looking for sodium carbohydrate. Akima watched him silently for a moment, and then looked out the window. "Kaede doesn't treat me like I'm an object," she murmured wistfully.
Rudi froze.
"When he looks at me, he sees an equal human being who feels what he feels and needs what he needs. He's been there for me so many times that I've lost count, even when there was no reward for him in the end. More likely," Akima added with a slight smile, "I made it a living Hell for him. But he helped me nonetheless. You know why?" She turned back to Rudi.
He didn't reply.
"Because he genuinely cares about me, even if he might wish otherwise. People say he's cold and empty, and he is, at times, but at least he doesn't step back and watch while I struggle for a solid ground to stand on." She looked directly at him. "You do. And I thought you said you cared about me."
Rudi determinedly stared at the wooden table in front of him.
"It's obvious, isn't it? You don't feel anything for me, Rudi. This is just a passing, stupid, temporary infatuation. In the next few weeks, you will laugh at yourself for thinking you liked me. For all I know, you'll even laugh at me when you see just how flawed I am." She waited for that to sink in. "But Kaede's different. My feelings for him go beyond a passing, stupid, temporary infatuation – though I used to think that it was just that. Now I've lost him – with your generous help." She blew a breath. "All I'm asking is that you help me make him understand the situation, so that at the very least, he won't hate me the way he does now."
Rudi remained quiet for a moment. Then he started to pour the sodium carbohydrate carefully into the tubes with a tiny spatula.
Akima took in the unspoken reply with a tightening of her eyes and with a stiff face, excused herself to the girl's restroom. As soon as she reached there, she turned the tap to full blast and splashed water over her face. It stopped the tears and kept her head cool.
She stared at her face in the mirror. It wasn't any different than it had been before. She wondered exactly how much she'd changed in the short period of time.
Hints of fatigue and worry were obvious – the bags under her eyes, the slightly sunken cheeks. Akima wondered if she was trying far too hard for something that wasn't entirely hers in the first place.
She smiled dryly. "You're trying too hard," she told herself. "Too hard."
Maybe she should just accept it. Just like how she accepted the thief accusations. Just like how she accepted her previous economical state, her parents' separation, her mother's death.
Accepting's a lot more easier, isn't it?
She'd had lots of practice.
Akima's eyes widened with a start when she realised she was seeing her old self in the mirror. So much had happened in the past year, and yet, deep inside, she was still the same cowardly girl who curled up in defence when the rug was pulled from under her feet.
She hadn't changed at all.
"No." She shook her head. "I have changed." She squared her shoulders. "I'll hang myself if I take this with my head bowed." Some things were worth the trouble and hurt. And Kaede was worth more than all those things combined.
She stared at herself with fierce determination. "And I'll be damned if I let him go without a fight."
"That's the spirit," someone congratulated her.
Akima turned in surprise. "Akira!" she exclaimed. Then – "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE IN THE GIRL'S RESTROOM??"
Akima paused a few steps away from her shoe locker. Suki was waiting nervously by it, hands clasped together anxiously, her fingers tapping the arms of her wheelchair in some unknown beat. Now she looked at Akima hopefully, though a little apprehensively.
Akima 's nose turned red as she struggled to control her temper. "I seem to recall warning you not to show your face at me."
Suki lowered her head.
"You didn't take me seriously, did you?" Akima continued. "You didn't think I'd actually break your face, did you?" The breath hissed from between her gritted teeth. "Well, you're right. Come to think of it, I don't even want to touch you."
Suki whimpered. "I'm sorry, Akima."
"So you said several times." Akima jerked her shoes out.
"Is that all you can say??"
Akima straightened with a cold look on her face. "What did you expect?" she demanded. "'Oh, it's okay, Suki. I forgive you. We both know it was no big deal. Now let's be friends again and go fly to the moon together'?"
"I'll do anything to fix it." Suki declared.
"Anything?" Akima pretended to think about it. "Well then, you can just STAY OUT OF MY WAY." She dropped her shoes on the floor with a loud 'thud'.
"I mean it, Akima!" Suki insisted, wringing her hands even more. "I really do want to correct what mistakes I've done!"
Akima took a deep breath. "You didn't do any mistake, Suki," she said slowly. "I did. And my mistake was you." She pulled her shoes on, keeping her eyes to the floor. "Now please don't come around and talk to me." She raised her face. "Because every time I see you, I'm reminded of the few good times we've had together. I'm reminded of what you did, and what it cost me, and I'm reminded of the fact that I can no longer trust any word that comes out of your mouth." She stood up. "And it hurts."
Suki didn't say anything.
Akima looked at her. "Say hello to Ika for me." She requested. "And then tell her to hang herself." Taking hold of her bag, she started off.
Suki clenched her fist. "I don't have anything to do with Ika anymore!" she shouted. "And I think you're heartless! I've apologised, haven't I?? I've offered to fix things, haven't I?? What do you want me to do??"
Akima ignored her.
"I won't apologise again!" Suki screamed again. "I won't waste my efforts on someone who doesn't know how to forgive others!" She hastily turned her wheelchair around even as tears poured down her cheeks and bumped into something solid.
She looked up to see Akira Sendoh looking down at her.
"Hello, Suki," he said, tone wavering between accustomed friendliness and current dislike. "I think it's time you and I have a little talk with each other."
Akima stood outside the public basketball court, where she and Kaede usually met. She'd been coming around quite a number of times every single day, in fervent hope that he would miraculously be there practicing and waiting for her.
That, of course, never happened.
She stared for a few minutes at the empty court. Then, sighing, she shifted her bag over her shoulder and started to walk home. She was passing by a small supermarket when someone familiar stepped out.
"Akima!" Mrs. Rukawa called smilingly, placing down her groceries and waving Akima over enthusiastically. "Haven't been seeing you lately. How come you're not coming around our house anymore?"
Well, you see, your son thinks I'm a slut, and he hasn't been inviting me over for the past few days. I bet if I came around a metre around your house, he'll set his dog loose on me. "I've been busy."
"And exactly what is a schoolgirl busy with?"
Akima couldn't stop the smile. "School." At the warm way Kaede's mother was looking at her, she couldn't help but feel slightly comforted. One less angry and distrustful face was what she badly needed.
"Have you been quarrelling with Kaede?"
Akima almost choked on her saliva. Oh God, does she know too?? "No," she said quickly, looking at the ground. "It – it wasn't exactly a quarrel." Heck, we barely exchanged more than twenty words before he went off.
"Kaede doesn't sit with abrupt changes very well," Mrs. Rukawa said sympathetically. "I'm sure he'll be fine once he realises it's not what either of you asked for."
Akima's brows furrowed in confusion. "Um, I guess so."
"When we moved here, Kaede was absolutely furious. He was only three years old then, but I tell you, the boy could throw a tantrum if he wanted to. He locked himself in his nursery and refused to talk to us unless we complied to him and moved back to where we were before."
The image of a chubby Kaede pouting brought a smile to Akima's face. However, she did not see where Mrs. Rukawa was heading with the conversation. "How did you persuade him to stay?"
Mrs. Rukawa laughed. "Oh, he only managed to stay in his nursery for two hours. Then he got hungry and came out for food. He used to like tofu – for some reason – and we had a tofu-selling restaurant really near to the house and managed to make it seem as if it was the only tofu-selling place in the world and how convenient it was for us to stay." She chuckled. "He was only three after all, and he believed us."
Akima's smile turned slightly gloomy. "Pan's Eatery."
Mrs. Rukawa looked surprised. "Why, yes, that's the name of the restaurant. How did you know?"
"I worked there. Served tofu practically a thousand times every day." She remembered, out of the blue, the time Kaede had waltzed in and caught her in the waitress uniform – and then bullied her into having dinner. Tears started to blur her vision.
Mrs. Rukawa watched quietly, quite unsure of what was going on in Akima's brain. "You'll work it out with Kaede," she assured then, assuming that was what that bothered the girl the most. "He's probably just a bit shocked, even though I'm sure you broke the news to him gently enough. He was rather furious when you moved to Ryonan, so obviously he would feel worse now that you're moving away again to Spain."
Akima blinked. "Spain? I'm not moving to Spain."
Mrs. Rukawa blinked right back. "You're not? Why, but I just met your father this afternoon – I was trying to get him to sponsor this charity gala with me – and he told me –" she paused. "Oh, he hasn't told you yet."
Akima stared blankly at her.
"I'm sorry," Mrs. Rukawa apologised. "I totally misunderstood the situation. I thought for certain that this move was what caused the rift between you and my son, but it seems…" she trailed off. "You look pale, Akima. Would you like a ride home?"
Akima nodded quickly. "Yes, yes please. I think – I think I need to talk to my dad as soon as possible."
Akima gaped, her mouth wide open. "Mrs. Rukawa," she said in a nervous tone. "When you said 'would you like a ride home', were you talking about my home, or your home?" They had just entered the Rukawa residence.
Mrs. Rukawa shrugged. "I just wanted to take something," she said easily, stepping out of the car. "It's a surprise present for your stepmother. Why don't you come in with me while I get it? We'll be off to your house in no time."
Akima's first thought was: Is he here??
However, a survey around the area revealed the absence of Kaede's bike – and dog. Unsure if she was disappointed or relieved, she followed Mrs. Rukawa in a little timidly. There seemed to be nobody else in the house.
"Wander around, why don't you?" Mrs. Rukawa urged her, checking her watch. "I won't be long." Then she disappeared up the stairs, her home slippers trudging softly over the shining floor.
Akima stood where she was patiently. She had been inside a couple of times – invited in for tea and such – but the house felt alien to her now. Somehow, she felt she had no right to even be there. As if she was violating an unspoken law. Thou shalt not visit thy ex's home, or something like that.
Reminiscing slightly, she was caught off guard when a loud voice yelled out. "Five o'clock! Five o'clock!" it chirped. Then, in a high-pitched tone: "FIVE O'CLOCK, YOU IDIOT!"
It was Kaede's alarm clock.
"Five o'clock! Five o'clock! FIVE O'CLOCK, YOU IDIOT!"
Akima shook her head, amused. It wasn't the first time she'd heard that. She once pointedly told Kaede to get an alarm clock that didn't scream curses at you, but he simply shrugged and said he liked it – and that it surely woke him up.
Akima had come up with a theory then, regarding Kaede's obsessive mutterings of the word 'idiot' (do'aho). If that word was yelled to him every single morning when he woke up, then it was only natural that he'd repeat it during normal conversations.
She had slyly wondered what would happen if she'd exchanged the alarm clock for something that went sort of like: "Five o'clock! Five o'clock! LET'S MAKE A BABY, SEXPOT!" – but then quickly decided she wouldn't want Kaede to go around repeating that.
"Five o'clock! Five o'clock! FIVE O'CLOCK, YOU IDIOT!"
Slightly irritated now, Akima peeked around. Mrs. Rukawa didn't seem to be around to shut the thing off. Looked as if she had to do it by herself. Taking in a huge breath, Akima moved for the stairs, went up and paused by Kaede's room.
"Five o'clock! Five o'clock! FIVE O'CLOCK, YOU IDIOT!"
His door was wide open, almost invitingly. Akima had never really been inside. She'd passed through, peeked in and commented, but she'd never really stepped in. Somehow, the very thought of it embarrassed both her and Kaede as it triggered certain unwanted (but interesting) ideas, so they merely avoided the subject.
Akima hovered uncertainly by the open door.
"Five o'clock! Five o'clock! FIVE O'CLOCK, YOU IDIOT!"
"Oh, shut up already." Determined now, she stepped in, stomped over to the side of the surprisingly neat bed and picked the slightly battered alarm clock. Apparently, Kaede had been rough with it more than a few times. Akima didn't wonder why.
Frowning, she tried to find the knob to stop the chanting, but to her despair found at least ten different ones on various places. Absorbed with trying each one by one, she only heard the click of a door closing when it was already too late.
Alarmed, she whirled around.
The door was shut.
"Five o'clock! Five o'clock! FIVE O'CLOCK, YOU IDIOT!"
The wind, she calmed herself. Just the wind. That didn't discourage her from leaping like a tigress for the door though. Almost panicking, she grabbed the handle and twisted.
It didn't budge.
Oh, shit. Oh no.
She tried again – unsuccessfully. "Help!" she cried out, terrified. "I'm locked in! Mrs. Rukawa! Mrs. Rukawa! Help! Somebody! Anybody!" She all but wrenched the handle off the door. "I'm stuck!"
"Five o'clock! Five o'clock! FIVE O'CLOCK, YOU IDIOT!"
"HELP!"
Outside, Mrs. Rukawa calmly pocketed the master key.
Whatever the problem was between her son and his girlfriend, it surely wouldn't have been so serious, now that Mrs. Rukawa realised the mowing away news wasn't the issue. Kaede had been moping around like a wasted bag of rotten eggs, and as a mother, she had had enough. A half-an-hour between him and Akima should get things back on track.
Mission accomplished, she exulted to herself, heading down the stairs silently. She'd known the alarm-clock trap would work, knew it was set to five o'clock and that Akima's meticulous nature would compel her to do something. Now to wait for my dear son to come back before we start the soap opera.
Woo hoo! *quickly opens up kitsune-detector to find Rukawa-kun* *finally spots him and rushes off to get him* *finds him and drags him to his own house* Let the drama begin!