Chapter Eight: Incidents

Izumi ran in front of Kouji and whacked the ball out of her direction and it bounced onto the ground. Kouji stared in awe as Izumi just stood there for five seconds, and walked back to where she was sitting. Everyone resumed playing, except Junpei, who didn't pay much attention to where the ball was going again

"She must like Kouji," he thought with a sigh. Then the ball hit him on the head again. Junpei grabbed the ball while rubbing the spot where he got hit.

"What is with you? I'm not a target, you dummy!" Junpei yelled to Takuya.

Takuya rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "Sorry!"

Izumi chucked, and thought, "What a klutz." Kouji turned around, watching her from his standpoint. Izumi then looked at him, stared, then smiled. Kouji immediately turned right back around, blinking at the grass. Izumi's smile disappeared.

"So he doesn't…" she thought.

"Darn, I should have smiled back," Kouji thought.

The bell rang and everyone went to their classes. Izumi's mind was not where it was supposed to be. It was out the window, thinking of Kouji. Kouji's mind also was not where it was supposed to be. It was sitting on a tree, thinking of Izumi. The week progressed slowly. The both of them just wanted it to end, knowing that they both of them thought they didn't like each other. It hurt to pass each other in the hall. When it was a passing period to switch to the next class, they passed each other. Izumi dropped her book, she reached to get it, but someone else's hand got it. It was Kouji's. He handed it to her and walked away. "Wait!" Izumi yelled from the hall.

"Yes?" Kouji said, turning around, staring at the floor.

People were walking around them.

"Umm.. thanks Kouji." Izumi said, turning around and walking away.

There was an uncomfortable silence. She turned back around.

"How is your arm?" she asked, looking at her books.

Kouji looked down at it. "Oh, this? I forgot I had it," he said, smirking, although the damn cast had been irritating him everyday.

"That was a ridiculous thing to say," Kouji thought. Since there were many people around walking in the hall, in a hurry, a guy just walking into him, on his left side. Kouji fell on the floor, his facial expression looked like he was in excruciating pain. He clutched his shoulder with his right hand, but not a peep came from his mouth expressing agony. Izumi threw her books on the floor and ran to him. He sat in the floor, dripping in anguish.

"Why am I always getting hurt?" Kouji thought, his eyelids squinting.

"Kouji! Kouji, are you all right?" Izumi asked, in a fretting tone. Kouji opened his eyes, and stared at Izumi, and her face of caring. Izumi was more anxious than ever. "I don't want him to be hurt again," Izumi thought, and only thought of Kouji. Kouji stared at her some more. He literally forgot why he was on the floor, just staring at her. He even forgot his arm was hurting in the first place. Izumi just stared at him; noticing his facial expression was different. He didn't even look like it hurt at all, not anymore.

"Kouji, are you okay?" she asked, bending down on floor.

Kouji shook his head and stood up, blinking. "I'm fine, Orimoto. Thank you." He turned around to leave. The guy tried apologizing, but Kouji only rammed into the guy and didn't say anything and kept walking.

"But—" Izumi said, walking to him. "Does it hurt? Don't fake it, Kouji. The bones won't mend that way. If it hurts, just tell me," Izumi said in a calm tone, staring into his dark ocean blue eyes.

Kouji calmed his facial expression and smiled slightly without showing his teeth.

"I'm fine Orimoto, really," and walked to class.

Izumi walked to her class, still thinking whether or not Kouji was all right. Kouji walked to his class, gently gripping his shoulder. It did hurt. It was just very unlike Kouji to just have someone ram into him, especially in an area where he had been injured and needed to be careful. Kouji had good instincts, and he knew it. He knew how to defend himself and knew a bit of fencing. But why couldn't he do it this time? When Orimoto stared at him with the emerald eyes, he didn't feel pain, but he didn't pay attention to his surroundings. In a way, that seemed impossible, but it was workable. Kouji entered the class and put his books down, and resumed class. The week ended, and everyone was looking forward to the weekend. Kouji and Izumi did not talk to each other at all for the remainder of the week, they were too afraid they might blurt something embarrassing to each other. They still thought that no feelings were returned back to each other, even until now. But neither of them knew. Kouji somehow wanted to just get over his feelings for Izumi, but they didn't leave. Izumi wished her feelings would just leave, but they still lingered in her heart.

The week ended shortly.

The next sunny weekend morning, Izumi walked to the breakfast table. Her mother and father seemed fine. Just then, her mother told her get ready in the evening, because they'd be going to a social party dinner with her father's co-workers, and they wanted Izumi to come along and not be home by herself. Izumi really didn't want to go.

"Darn. There's no one I know at my dad's work. Why can't mom and dad just leave me at home? I won't set anything on fire. I'm not that stupid," she thought. But then, she was probably going to be bored at home anyway, so might as well go. Meanwhile, at the Minamoto household, Kouji woke up, walked downstairs, and glanced at his father's calendar. When something was scheduled on Mr. Minamoto's calendar, Kouji would most likely be dragged to go. He checked. There was something, but at least it was at night. It was a boring banquet with his dad's friends. "Dang. This isn't even work-related. I really don't feel like going. But I bet mom will make me, so might as well do what they say," he thought, and patted his dog on the head.

It was soon evening, the two with absolutely nothing to do. Izumi just got up and started getting ready for the dinner she reluctantly was going with her parents. She wore her hair down. It was too cold. She put on a long indigo dress containing a few diamond sparkles here and there, and a small slit on the right side of her leg. She put on a black coat and brushed her hair, then slipped into black heels. She swiped her purse, which was a shade of blue and threw in her cell phone and some tissue. She didn't like make-up, so she didn't put any on. She walked downstairs and sat on the couch, waiting for her parents to finish dressing up. She stared at her dress. The color reminded her way too much of Kouji. "Why did I choose this color? It's too dark and sad," she thought. Her parents finally came down the stairs, looking refined and headed for the car.

Meanwhile, Kouji still was disabled of only one arm, so his father put his black tie on for him. He wore a long-sleeved gray shirt, along with black pants and a black belt. Since his cast was still on, he wore a black sling so it would not stand out as much. He wore a black dinner jacket because his mother always wanted him to look presentable.

"Mom can you put this on?" Kouji asked, handing his mother the bandanna.

"Kouji, you don't wear things like this at social gatherings, you know that," Mrs. Minamoto said, putting the bandanna aside.

Kouji grabbed the bandanna and stuffed it in his pocket. "Damn," he thought. "Now I have to go brush my hair if I can't have my bandanna on." Unfortunately, he couldn't do it himself, so his mother did it. He didn't like it because she kept yanking his hair. "I feel like such a girly-girl," he thought, while his mother tied it at the back of his head. Kouji went to feed his dog and walked out the door with his parents.

"Kouji, tuck your shirt in!" Mrs. Minamoto coaxed.

"Yes mom," Kouji grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Mr. Minamoto started the car and they drove off. Kouji sat in the back, staring out the window, two strands of black hair cowering on his face.

Izumi finally reached the place. It was a large gathering banquet hall, and there were many seats and dining tables. Izumi's parents signed and looked for where they were sitting. She sat down, not doing anything while her parents chatted away with other guests and co-workers. She hung her black jacket on the chair and looked around the table. There was a while tablecloth and a smaller rectangular red cloth on top of it. There was a rose centerpiece in the middle of the table with mint boxes for everyone. She reached for one and started eating the mints. Then she began to play with her phone. Everything seemed so boring. "I should have brought my homework," Izumi thought.

Kouji's parents finally reached the gathering hall, after his parents fretted about where to park for ten minutes. He walked in, with his hand in his pockets. When his parents asked for where they were to be seated, and walked into the grand hall, he stared. There was a familiar head poking in the crowd. It was a familiar head with golden, long hair. He stared. "Is that…" he thought, then was interrupted.

"Kouji, hurry up!" Mr. Minamoto called, walking to their table.

Kouji walked to the table, taking a seat. He turned around. "Was that really Orimoto?" he thought, as he could only see the back of her head. "It could be some other girl. Maybe I've grown to like her so much I think all the girls I see are her," he said, shaking his head, and standing up.

Izumi was so bored at her table. Her parents were too busy chatting, so she stood up and walked outside of the hall.

Kouji turned around and noticed the girl who looked like Izumi was not in her seat. He stood up.

"Where are you going?" his mother asked.

"To the restroom," Kouji said, walking off. He looked around. The blonde-haired person was nowhere to be found. "Oh well, it probably wasn't Orimoto anyway," he thought, walking.

Izumi walked in the hall, not looking where she was going. All she could think of was Kouji and how her feelings were not returned at all from him. Who was she kidding? This was Kouji she was taking about. Kouji may have grown out of his introvertness, but he didn't look like he cared. "Maybe he does?" Izumi anticipated… and accidentally entered the men's restroom. Izumi wasn't stupid, but her mind was elsewhere while thinking, and she didn't read the door.

Kouji walked in the hall, staring at the carpet, with his one free hand in his pocket. He just wanted his infatuation for Orimoto to just get away from him. Now he was all conscious wherever he went. "Maybe I really… do… like Orimoto…" he thought in his head, and headed for the restroom.

Izumi stood at the sink and thought, "Since when does the girl's room smell bad?" She took her cell phone from her bag. No messages or missed calls. She set it down on the sink, about to fix her hair. Just then, the door swung open….

End Chapter Eight: Incidents

Onto Chapter Nine.