I'm not sure how much this part accomplishes, but I'm in the middle of
exams and don't have the time or energy to do anything more substantial.
Besides, I really need a chapter where I just get all my ducks in a row for
the rest of the story. I hope you'll still find it interesting! :)
Sorry, I also meant to reply to all your comments, but ran out of time. That'll have to wait until the next chapter.
DANCING LESSONS PART 4: TALKING TO NII-SAN
"It rocks to have the apartment to ourselves for once," Taichi said, leaning across to kiss Sora on the mouth. She tasted wonderful - strawberry lipgloss and cool mint. At first, the kiss was soft and sweet, their mouths just touching, but her lips soon parted beneath his and it deepened. He wrapped his arms around her, running his fingers through her silky hair and down her back. Her own hands traced the muscles of his shoulders and the ridge of his spine, as if trying to memorise every line of him. Warmth spread though him like sunshine.
At last, he reluctantly broke away from her and gave her a grin, "Yeah, it definitely rocks to have the apartment to ourselves."
Her brown eyes sparkling with amusement, she leaned forward to kiss the tip of his nose, "I wonder why."
"No mom, no dad, no Hikari," he said happily, sinking back into the sofa and putting his arm around Sora's shoulder. She snuggled closer to him with a contented sigh. She was very soft and warm, and smelt sweetly of strawberries, "Just you, me and an entire afternoon of Fushigi Yuugi Eikouden."
"Does Hikari know you've borrowed it?"
"And give her another opportunity to put on her Miaka voice and tease me about it? It's not like I can say I watch it for the hot chicks or anything," he made a face, "Besides, she'll never know. She's going to be at Takeru's place until tonigh. She's teaching him to dance for the thing that's happening at their school."
"I see," Sora replied, lifting her eyebrows significantly, "So, one of us is about to become very, very rich?"
Taichi laughed. His girlfriend had chosen this week in Mimi's "Kawaii Young Romance Pool," and wanted the extra money to buy the expensive, new tennis- racket that she had been coveting for months. He had been saving up his allowance to buy it for her for Christmas, but he doubted he would have enough money before Sora hit the veteran's circuit. She might have to be happy with another set of hairclips, he thought dubiously.
"It's a little more complicated than that," he said, "Hikari thinks Takeru likes someone else, so she's probably decided to do her usual noble, self- sacrificing thing and keep quiet about how she feels about him. And you know how Takeru sucks at letting people know about his own feelings, so he's not about to say anything."
"How unlike their brothers," Sora said wryly.
Taichi gave her a sheepish grin. For the long months that Sora had been dating Yamato, it had felt as if there were a hollow place in his chest where his heart should have been, but he had tried to carry on as if nothing was different; as if Sora had been just another of his group of friends. There had been nothing else that he could have done. Yamato was his best friend and he had not been about to make a play for his girlfriend, even if he had stood a chance against him. He was just lucky that they had found their way together in the end. He hoped his sister would have the same fortune with Takeru.
"Hikari's meant to be smarter than me," he said, only half-kidding, "And Takeru's . . . Argh. I sometimes want to shake that kid. He's about the only one in the whole of Japan who doesn't realise that he has feelings for Hikari. Even his senile, old grandmother probably knows that he's in love with her."
"You've never forgiven Takaishi-san for hanging up on you, have you?" Sora muttered to herself, then smiled at him, "Well, why don't we do something about it?"
"Like what? Lock them in a room until one of them spills their guts? Set them up on a romantic date? Make sure he catches a glimpse of her strawberry-patterned panties?" Taichi laughed, "Sora, this is real life. Things don't work like that." (1)
Folding her arms across her chest a little sulkily, "At least I -"
Whatever Sora might have said next remained unspoken as the apartment door slammed open and a sobbing Hikari ran through to the bedroom. She was wearing a crumpled, pink sundress, and only had socks on her feet. It looked as if she had run the entire way back from the Takaishi's apartment too. Her hair was plastered to her forehead, and her skin glistened with sweat.
Exchanging a worried glance with Sora, Taichi went to find out what was wrong. He couldn't believe that Takeru would hurt his sister, any more than he would allow someone else to do so. If he had, he thought grimly, he would have to teach him never to do it again.
When he entered the room, he found Hikari lying on her bed, her head buried in the pillow and her thin shoulders shaking. Her sobs were muffled by the fabric, but sounded no less violent or painful for that. Taichi sat next to her, rubbing her back, letting her calm down before he spoke. After a long while, her weeping began to quieten and her breathing slowed to normal
"Hey, what's wrong? What happened to you? Is it something to do with Takeru?"
Rolling onto her side, Hikari pulled a tissue out of the box next to her bed and blew her nose noisily. Taichi handed her another one, and she wiped her eyes with it. When she finally spoke, her voice was thick with tears: "H-he's in love w-with Miyako, Nii-san. I-I found a l-letter to her on his d-desk and he c-caught me reading it and n-now he hates me."
Fresh tears welled up in Hikari's eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Taking another tissue from the box, Taichi wiped her face clean, as if she still were the little child that he had looked after for their mother. Then, her biggest problem had been losing her whistle or not being able to tie her own shoes. He wished he could solve these new problems as easily for her.
"It's all going to be okay, Hikari," Taichi said gently, "I'm sure Takeru doesn't hate you. He's probably beating himself up right now for getting mad at you over the letter. And how sure are you that he likes Miyako? I mean, they've never struck me as being more than friends."
"I-I'm sure. H-he said so in the letter," she sniffed, "I don't know what I'm g-going to do. Miyako's my friend and Takeru's my b-best friend and . . . Everything's such a h-horrible mess now."
"Do you think Miyako will say 'yes' to him, if he asks her out on a date?"
"I-I don't know. She knows I-I like him and I h-hope not, b-but . . . ." she lifted her head to look at him, "Nii-san, it's M-Miyako. You know her. S-she would love to have s-someone like Takeru as a b-boyfriend, even if she doesn't love him h-himself."
Taichi nodded his agreement. Miyako was a sweet girl, but she would do just about anything to be popular. He remembered the shock that he had gotten when he had seen her on her first day of middle school. Her lilac hair had been cut into a sleek and stylish bob, while she had swopped her glasses for a pair of contact lenses that showed off her beautiful, brown eyes. She had been wearing the slightest hint of make-up too, and it had made her look years older. However, what had really given him pause was the way she had worn their uniform - the short skirt, the carelessly undone buttons of her blouse, everything had been calculated to show the maximum skin possible without seeming cheap. There was no doubt about it. Miyako craved popularity in the same way that a drug-addict might crave a fix, and dating Takaishi Takeru would be an easy way to achieve it.
He wasn't surprised that his younger friend was the most popular boy in the school. After all, by most kids' shallow standards, Takeru had everything going for him. He had the same blue-golden, good looks of Yamato, but was going to be even more handsome than his brother if Mimi was to be believed. He was good at sports, slipping easily into the position of basketball captain when the old one had graduated. However, what set Takeru apart from the rest of the popular crowd was that he was absolutely unaware of being a part of it. He had no ego at all from what Taichi could tell. He hung out with his old friends; wore what he wanted to wear; spoke his mind without fear of the consequences; was equally nice to everyone. He was a genuinely sweet guy, and Taichi could see why his sister loved him so much. (2)
"Nii-san, what am I g-going to do?" Hikari said quietly.
"It might take some time, but things will work out the way they are supposed to," he said at last, "Takeru might end up dating Miyako for a while, he might even believe he loves her, but he'll soon realise that you're the one he wants to be with."
"W-what if I'm not?"
"You are," Taichi smiled at her, "Trust Nii-san. Everything's going to be all right."
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TO BE CONTINUED
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(1) The strawberry-patterned panties is a reference to a manga called Ichigo 100%. I haven't read it myself, but it's about a boy who catches a glimpse of a girl's strawberry-patterned panties and realises that she's his soul-mate. How deep and meaningful. O.o;
(2) Looking again at the adult Chosen, I still think that Takeru turned out hotter than his brother. Very yummy. ^.~
Sorry, I also meant to reply to all your comments, but ran out of time. That'll have to wait until the next chapter.
DANCING LESSONS PART 4: TALKING TO NII-SAN
"It rocks to have the apartment to ourselves for once," Taichi said, leaning across to kiss Sora on the mouth. She tasted wonderful - strawberry lipgloss and cool mint. At first, the kiss was soft and sweet, their mouths just touching, but her lips soon parted beneath his and it deepened. He wrapped his arms around her, running his fingers through her silky hair and down her back. Her own hands traced the muscles of his shoulders and the ridge of his spine, as if trying to memorise every line of him. Warmth spread though him like sunshine.
At last, he reluctantly broke away from her and gave her a grin, "Yeah, it definitely rocks to have the apartment to ourselves."
Her brown eyes sparkling with amusement, she leaned forward to kiss the tip of his nose, "I wonder why."
"No mom, no dad, no Hikari," he said happily, sinking back into the sofa and putting his arm around Sora's shoulder. She snuggled closer to him with a contented sigh. She was very soft and warm, and smelt sweetly of strawberries, "Just you, me and an entire afternoon of Fushigi Yuugi Eikouden."
"Does Hikari know you've borrowed it?"
"And give her another opportunity to put on her Miaka voice and tease me about it? It's not like I can say I watch it for the hot chicks or anything," he made a face, "Besides, she'll never know. She's going to be at Takeru's place until tonigh. She's teaching him to dance for the thing that's happening at their school."
"I see," Sora replied, lifting her eyebrows significantly, "So, one of us is about to become very, very rich?"
Taichi laughed. His girlfriend had chosen this week in Mimi's "Kawaii Young Romance Pool," and wanted the extra money to buy the expensive, new tennis- racket that she had been coveting for months. He had been saving up his allowance to buy it for her for Christmas, but he doubted he would have enough money before Sora hit the veteran's circuit. She might have to be happy with another set of hairclips, he thought dubiously.
"It's a little more complicated than that," he said, "Hikari thinks Takeru likes someone else, so she's probably decided to do her usual noble, self- sacrificing thing and keep quiet about how she feels about him. And you know how Takeru sucks at letting people know about his own feelings, so he's not about to say anything."
"How unlike their brothers," Sora said wryly.
Taichi gave her a sheepish grin. For the long months that Sora had been dating Yamato, it had felt as if there were a hollow place in his chest where his heart should have been, but he had tried to carry on as if nothing was different; as if Sora had been just another of his group of friends. There had been nothing else that he could have done. Yamato was his best friend and he had not been about to make a play for his girlfriend, even if he had stood a chance against him. He was just lucky that they had found their way together in the end. He hoped his sister would have the same fortune with Takeru.
"Hikari's meant to be smarter than me," he said, only half-kidding, "And Takeru's . . . Argh. I sometimes want to shake that kid. He's about the only one in the whole of Japan who doesn't realise that he has feelings for Hikari. Even his senile, old grandmother probably knows that he's in love with her."
"You've never forgiven Takaishi-san for hanging up on you, have you?" Sora muttered to herself, then smiled at him, "Well, why don't we do something about it?"
"Like what? Lock them in a room until one of them spills their guts? Set them up on a romantic date? Make sure he catches a glimpse of her strawberry-patterned panties?" Taichi laughed, "Sora, this is real life. Things don't work like that." (1)
Folding her arms across her chest a little sulkily, "At least I -"
Whatever Sora might have said next remained unspoken as the apartment door slammed open and a sobbing Hikari ran through to the bedroom. She was wearing a crumpled, pink sundress, and only had socks on her feet. It looked as if she had run the entire way back from the Takaishi's apartment too. Her hair was plastered to her forehead, and her skin glistened with sweat.
Exchanging a worried glance with Sora, Taichi went to find out what was wrong. He couldn't believe that Takeru would hurt his sister, any more than he would allow someone else to do so. If he had, he thought grimly, he would have to teach him never to do it again.
When he entered the room, he found Hikari lying on her bed, her head buried in the pillow and her thin shoulders shaking. Her sobs were muffled by the fabric, but sounded no less violent or painful for that. Taichi sat next to her, rubbing her back, letting her calm down before he spoke. After a long while, her weeping began to quieten and her breathing slowed to normal
"Hey, what's wrong? What happened to you? Is it something to do with Takeru?"
Rolling onto her side, Hikari pulled a tissue out of the box next to her bed and blew her nose noisily. Taichi handed her another one, and she wiped her eyes with it. When she finally spoke, her voice was thick with tears: "H-he's in love w-with Miyako, Nii-san. I-I found a l-letter to her on his d-desk and he c-caught me reading it and n-now he hates me."
Fresh tears welled up in Hikari's eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Taking another tissue from the box, Taichi wiped her face clean, as if she still were the little child that he had looked after for their mother. Then, her biggest problem had been losing her whistle or not being able to tie her own shoes. He wished he could solve these new problems as easily for her.
"It's all going to be okay, Hikari," Taichi said gently, "I'm sure Takeru doesn't hate you. He's probably beating himself up right now for getting mad at you over the letter. And how sure are you that he likes Miyako? I mean, they've never struck me as being more than friends."
"I-I'm sure. H-he said so in the letter," she sniffed, "I don't know what I'm g-going to do. Miyako's my friend and Takeru's my b-best friend and . . . Everything's such a h-horrible mess now."
"Do you think Miyako will say 'yes' to him, if he asks her out on a date?"
"I-I don't know. She knows I-I like him and I h-hope not, b-but . . . ." she lifted her head to look at him, "Nii-san, it's M-Miyako. You know her. S-she would love to have s-someone like Takeru as a b-boyfriend, even if she doesn't love him h-himself."
Taichi nodded his agreement. Miyako was a sweet girl, but she would do just about anything to be popular. He remembered the shock that he had gotten when he had seen her on her first day of middle school. Her lilac hair had been cut into a sleek and stylish bob, while she had swopped her glasses for a pair of contact lenses that showed off her beautiful, brown eyes. She had been wearing the slightest hint of make-up too, and it had made her look years older. However, what had really given him pause was the way she had worn their uniform - the short skirt, the carelessly undone buttons of her blouse, everything had been calculated to show the maximum skin possible without seeming cheap. There was no doubt about it. Miyako craved popularity in the same way that a drug-addict might crave a fix, and dating Takaishi Takeru would be an easy way to achieve it.
He wasn't surprised that his younger friend was the most popular boy in the school. After all, by most kids' shallow standards, Takeru had everything going for him. He had the same blue-golden, good looks of Yamato, but was going to be even more handsome than his brother if Mimi was to be believed. He was good at sports, slipping easily into the position of basketball captain when the old one had graduated. However, what set Takeru apart from the rest of the popular crowd was that he was absolutely unaware of being a part of it. He had no ego at all from what Taichi could tell. He hung out with his old friends; wore what he wanted to wear; spoke his mind without fear of the consequences; was equally nice to everyone. He was a genuinely sweet guy, and Taichi could see why his sister loved him so much. (2)
"Nii-san, what am I g-going to do?" Hikari said quietly.
"It might take some time, but things will work out the way they are supposed to," he said at last, "Takeru might end up dating Miyako for a while, he might even believe he loves her, but he'll soon realise that you're the one he wants to be with."
"W-what if I'm not?"
"You are," Taichi smiled at her, "Trust Nii-san. Everything's going to be all right."
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TO BE CONTINUED
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(1) The strawberry-patterned panties is a reference to a manga called Ichigo 100%. I haven't read it myself, but it's about a boy who catches a glimpse of a girl's strawberry-patterned panties and realises that she's his soul-mate. How deep and meaningful. O.o;
(2) Looking again at the adult Chosen, I still think that Takeru turned out hotter than his brother. Very yummy. ^.~
