Sorry for the looooong delay. :P Am tired, pale, overworked and suffering from exhaustion – all rolled into one. Heh heh. For someone who's not used to being exhausted, it's a pretty tough ordeal to go through. In April alone, I've got three huge competitions going on (with my teachers expecting us to go all the way to the national level) (she's crazy). I've been excused from classes for so long that when I finally came back into my class yesterday, I all but fainted at the number of new topics and new homework.
*shudder*
And so, since I'm going to be excused from even more classes to come, I'm going to miss a hell lot of lessons and will have to struggle to catch up after all the competitions are over. Then, of course, there's the dreaded mid-year examination where everything I've learned in the past two years will be crammed in, and I'm probably going to fail. ^_^ (and the fact that I've got friends who score well above 80% every single time doesn't help much) (waaaargh! Will not get depressed *chants* Will not get depressed. Will not get depressed…)
With this cheerful note, I implore you to read the chapter. ^_^ Smile and the world smiles with you. Hahaha!
Miracle: heh heh. This one took even longer, didn't it? No Kenny? Darn, now I'm confused exactly which school he's in. Sorry, I misspelled the MGS thing. It was supposed to be MBS. Methodist Boys School, not Methodist Girls School ^_^. Read on!
December Owl Morning: You're right! And I thought going out of the country's border was flawless! Wahahaha! Updated!
Unquestionable: He he! I was so happy when I was writing Akira's humiliation of a future wife down! Wahaha! I am so mean. Thanks for the good luck wish! God knows I need it very much. Hoyoo! Frozenfemale just told me you're a PTS too! Hurrah! *throws confetti*
Tiran: ha ha ha! Suki and Sendoh, sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.. *Tiran promptly closes ears, both at the lyrics and ntd's horrible voice*
Crazy4u: Hoi, I wasn't being a coward. Just taking an imaginary holiday. He he! How come you're always mentioning food when you review? First you barfed pizza and KFC on me. Now you choked on Doritos. Dun make me hungry lar… My monthly exams – to put it mildly – sucked. ^_^
Patty g: Ha ha! I can't recall the last time I had a cooking class! (probably because I did nothing but watch my group do their stuff) That's a nice thought there. Wonder what the boys would write on their 'About My Girlfriend' essay?
Frozenfemale: Hurrah! Are you PTS too? (if you are, HURRAH!). Wait till you see how I ended this chapter! Ha ha!
Fiery ice: Yeah, I can see the resemblance between you and the cabbage, only the cabbage is a whole lot prettier. Hahahahaha! Just joking! ;P Nope, me not offended! ^_^ I truly appreciate you commenting on that – it'll help bring me back to the right, non-soap-opera-ish path! *gives fiery ice a hug*
Mitchy: Ha ha! I'm starting to suspect you're actually forcing yourself to read all of my fics! Ha ha!
Angel leigh: Kaede would look as he always does – cuz he's naturally pale. He he. Only he'll be slightly whiter. Dead-like. Ghost-like… ^_^ Hey, Sendoh's really, very cool. ^_^ I shall strive to poison your mind with the fact that Sendoh is wonderful. *chants spells*
Iluvenis Telperien: Don't eat your lunch while reading this! (but breakfast, tea, supper, dinner and midnight snacks are allowed). ^_^
Reika Zelon: Yeah. *nods sadly* My brain is so fuddled with debate motions and essays and fractions that I barely remember what Rukawa looks like and will have to take out my little thumb-sized pin of him out. Ha ha! Thank you! I'm so glad you don't mind the obviously short length! *crosses fingers* hopefully, you won't mind this short chappie either…
Tensaispira: I must say Form 5 is probably my most stressful year ever. Haiyah! Feel like I want to die. Luckily, we had a motivation camp that got me singing 'FIKIRKAN BOLEH!' twenty fours a day. ^_^
Hana-lai: Thank you! I'm glad it brightened your mood up, even if only a little. ^_^ Updated!
Fer-chan: hey! Long time didn't hear from you! Where did you disappear off to? Did you go out of the country's borders like I did? Yep, caught that damnable disease. Save me! X
At the sound of the blood-curling scream, Mr. Hanashi quickly stood up. "Now Akima, I know it's a bit surprising for you –"
"Aaargh! Aaargh! Aaargh!" went on Akima, hands flapping as if she was trying to fly. Her pale face all but glowed white under the fluorescent light, her eyes wide and panicky and unfocused.
"I think she's having a fit," Akira announced, also leaping to his feet. "Somebody! The ambulance! Quick!"
"Oh dear, oh dear," Mrs. Rukawa got up too. "What's the number again??"
Chaos ensued as all adults fussed, encouraged by a similarly enthused Akira. "Mom, that's a cucumber! The phone's right behind you!" – "No, no! You've got it upside down!" – "Quick! Ambulance! Police! Fire fighters! Must get help!"
Then Akima sighed.
Everybody moving suddenly froze – Mrs. Hanashi still holding both cucumber and phone.
"I'm so sorry."
They stirred. "Nah, it's okay, Akima," Akira began. "You don't have to apologise. People like you go crazy every once in a while." Mrs. Hanashi said: "Darling, you don't have to be sorry. It's our fault." Mr. Hanashi went: "Yes, you've nothing to apologise for." Mrs. Rukawa cooed: "No harm in getting spells now and then."
Akima looked at them strangely. "No, not you people." With shoulders slumped, she went over to the static Kaede, knelt down humbly in front of him and sighed one more time. "I'm so sorry. I knew all along, but I didn't want to tell you. I was afraid. I didn't want you to know because I thought you'd be angry. You're not angry, are you?"
She peered up through her lashes warily, anticipating the dreaded cold, furious eyes and unforgiving press of the lips she'd seen enough times to fear.
Kaede was rubbing his eyelids in slow motion.
Then - "I wasn't listening. What did you say, Mr. Hanashi?"
They were alone in the eerily quiet living room.
After the anti-climax response from a very befuddled and sleepy Kaede, their parents had somehow gotten the drift and had successfully managed to make themselves disappear (including Akira, which was very impressive). Now, it was just the two of them – and the table in between as a place for Akima to crawl under should things get out of hand.
"What's all the fuss?" he started after releasing a huge yawn.
Akima wondered if it was okay to start a discussion with someone as mentally unawake as he was. "Don't take this too hard," she began nervously. He blinked at her. "Understand that this isn't my choice. I did not ask for it. This is the divine hand interfering. This is –" his eyes were half-closed. "Damn it, Kaede. I'm talking."
"Get straight to the point."
She hissed irritably. "This is not easy for me, okay?" Blowing a breath, she regained her composure again. "Okay. This is it. We're moving to Spain."
"Huh? Why would we want to move to Spain?"
"No, you're not included. 'We' as in me and my family."
He yawned. "Hmm. Enjoy yourself."
Akima stared at him, mouth open. "It's not a vacation, Kaede. We're staying there."
He was slowly swaying from side to side in search of places to land on and ascend to Dreamland. "Hmm. Spain's okay. Spain's a nice place. Spain's… hmm."
She had to shake his face to get his eyes to open again. "Far. That's what Spain is."
"Plane." He muttered. "Go on a plane. Not –" another big yawn, " – far."
This was not the confrontation she had been expecting and preparing for. Thrown off by his less than emotional reaction, she clasped her hands. Didn't this block of wood care at all? He was supposed to be in love with her, wasn't he? "So it's okay? It's okay that I go? You don't mind?"
"Arghuuuu…."
It wasn't going at all the way she thought it'd be. Insulted, and slightly more heartbroken than she'd admit, Akima drew in a sharp intake of breath, wondering what she'd deemed so special about the scoundrel sitting in front of her. Jerk. Jerk, jerk, JERK. "Fine." She said defiantly, hands gripped tight till her knuckles turned white. "Not a big deal to you, is it? You've got plenty of girl-stock to worry about losing me, haven't you? Fine."
He kindly lifted one eyelid. "Huh?"
"Oh, don't you dare give me that clueless look and think I'm going to fall for it just because it looks convincing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go up and start packing, even though we're not due to leave till the end of this month. And if you're awake, you'll know this is your cue to get your ugly bum out of here."
Groggily, he lifted the other eyelid. "What? What are you talking about?"
"NOTHING." She glared at him. "Can't you even at least pretend you're sad?"
"Why?" Blurry eyes loaded with sleep looked dazedly at her.
She stared at him, furious. "Because I'm leaving! On a plane! To Spain!"
He stifled another yawn, unsure of what she was boiling about. "Yeah. So?"
"So? SO???" she stood up. "You're the jerkiest, wimpiest, meanest goat of a boyfriend, you know that?" She tossed her head with vehemence, burned the tears threatening to fall out at his obvious lack of sensitivity. "I'll answer your 'so'. So I go to Spain. So I stay there. So we're far apart. So we don't see each other. So you marry Miss Muppet. So I die an old maid. So, the end." She thought of stomping out of the room, making sure she squashed his feet in the process.
"What's this about not seeing each other and marrying Miss Muppet?" He muttered then, sighing.
She decided his entire body needed to be squashed. "If sleep makes humans this stupid, then it should be banned for all mankind. Spain is far, isn't it?"
He nodded half-heartedly, willing himself to actually listen.
"If I go there, I'd be far away from you, won't I?"
He nodded, brain clicking back into function.
"I won't be able to see you anymore, will I? So it's sayonara for good." Finally, she saw the awareness slip into his brain; saw the flicker of understanding in his eyes. Aggravatingly pleased and annoyingly bitter, she huffed a breath. "Now that we've both acknowledged that it's no big deal, I'm going to go up and digest my dinner." And trash my bedroom. And cry myself to death. And bomb the house up as soon as I get my allowance.
"Hold it."
His tone alone stopped her. Glancing back, she saw that unlike previously, he was sitting upright, like a soldier. His face was alert, his eyes clear.
And cold.
And frosty.
And angry.
Akima gulped.
He was fully awake now. 100%.
She suspected things would go downwind as expected from this point onwards.
God have mercy on me.
Short one. Sorry! That's all the time (and mood) that I have! But will try better! Honest!