Title: All You Need to Know (About Friendship)
Chapter: Centripetal Force (3/?)
Author: Lycthem
Disclaimer: See Part One.
Warnings: Liberal use of foul language. Mutilated words. Abundance of fragments. Teenage crap.
All You Need to Know (About Friendship)
03. -Centripetal Force-
"Damnit, I'm out of buy thingies. Can't I borrow one of yours?"
We spent the whole night playing Telefunque, and I was out of the little buying tokens you use to get a card you want from the discard pile. It's irritating because you get ten at the beginning of the game and they have to last you through the whole game. I think that's unfair, you have about five or six rounds to play and every time you want to pick up a card from the discard pile you have to give up one of the tokens and take two from the taking pile.
Anyway, it was the second to last round, I was out of tokens, and it was my hand. That means that if I don't get the cards I need to lower my hand to the table, then the points are multiplied by three. And yes, I was worried.
It's an old woman game, I know, and up to about three months ago it was right up there with bingo and every other game you're not supposed to tell people you play because they'll think you're weird. And it wasn't even my idea to show myself the game; I'm not that innovative, not all the time anyway. Koushirou was the one to show this game to Mimi, who in turn showed it to Sora, who then taught Yamato, who I'm sure you're already aware taught me. And it's addictive as hell!
So we spent the whole night playing the game and went to sleep very late in the night, or very early in the morning, depends on you, I guess. I know most people would find more entertaining ways to spend a night out, probably go to the movies or something, but after damaging the Nintendo (I wanted to try this thing my cousin had told me to try, where you put a little water in the console and it's supposed to damage the chip enough so that the game is passed and all) we had to do something. Besides, I like it; it's fun.
"Oh no." Yamato laughed. He did this in a very evil worthy way, except he thinks it's a great laugh and it's not that much. "You were the one who wanted to buy everything in the last hand, lose like a man."
I frowned at him, "But I don't want to lose!" I picked up another from the normal pile, ten of diamonds. I kept it in my hand and discarded the ace of hearts. Better to get rid of all the high cards if the end is near.
In the next turn, I picked up a joker (Which normally is great 'cause it can be any card you want, but since I couldn't do anything else and Yamato finished his game it meant an extra twenty-five points).
"I win." Yamato said clearly. He placed the winning cards on the table and discarded the last one he didn't need. I looked at him for a few seconds with lowered lids.
"Really, Yama. You couldn't' wait one more turn, couldn't you?"
He placed his hands behind his head and shrugged. It was awkward but somehow he managed it. After that we went to sleep. It was late and he was gloating all the time.
I left earlier than usual the next morning, most of the time I stay to sleep there I leave late in the afternoon, sometimes stay for more than one night, but that day I was barely through with breakfast and I was already out the door.
I made my way home quick enough and lasted there just so I could get my football and change into something more comfortable. I left a note to my mother, she's very strict about knowing where her kids are, and headed to the park to train a bit.
I have no problems with playing or training by myself. People think I loved being surrounded by everyone, that I always need an audience, and it's true most of the time. I like telling the jokes and causing the laughs, being the center of attention. But I'm sure everyone appreciates his or her alone time, and I'm not immune to that fact.
Relaxation comes easily to me when I'm training, there's something about the easiness of football, I don't know, it just flows through me with such ease I can think about everything but the game and it doesn't matter. Whoever it was that said a guy couldn't multitask was severely mistaken. When I'm training I can do anything.
The fair was in my mind a lot in those days, so it was no wonder that I started to think about it as soon as my mind became blank enough. Well, not so much the fair as why Yamato was so against going to it now that Kiira was coming to visit. It wasn't as if the girl wouldn't enjoy it, she was only a year older than us, and somehow I don't think that by being eighteen somehow fairs are above you. Maybe he didn't want to go and was blaming it on her being there?
I did nothing more that day. After training a bit more I went home and there I did what I do most days I'm stuck there. I locked myself in my room and started listening to music, sometimes even playing video games until I bored myself. There was always food around, but that's a given when you're talking about me, but then that was all I did.
Before leaving Yamato's house he's asked if I wanted to go with him to pick Kiira up. I said no. I wasn't very happy with him after canceling our plans and for all my negative thinking about that girl; I didn't want her to hate me at first sight. And if I met her at the airport I was sure her first impression of me was not bound to be a good one.
Her flight was arriving at midday the next day. Yamato called again to see if I was sure about not going. I was. Sora called to see why I hadn't talked to her that day. I didn't know. I turned on the radio and started listening to the music. And it was in that haze, the heat of the room, and the strums of an imaginary guitar and low voices that I fell asleep.
I don't remember my dreams, I don't know if I did dream anything that day. All I know is that I woke up at eleven the next day feeling as if I'd run a marathon and had suddenly stopped. My heart was pounding and not two seconds had passed when the phone began to ring.
It was my mother.
Hikari had been in an accident.
***
You know those few minutes after you've woken up, those minutes where it seems everything that happens is not part of the real world? That everything that's happening seems to be part of your dreams? Well, most of the times I can't remember my dreams, but as I turned on my mother's car and made my way to the hospital I could only hope that this was a nightmare and that I still hadn't woken up.
But those minutes passed by, the fogginess and the dreamlike quality faded and things turned sharp. I was awake, this wasn't a dream and Hikari was really in the hospital.
She was at a party the night before, and since she was going with a group of friends all the girls would stay over and sleep at one of the girl's house. I parked the car and made my way into the hospital as quickly as I could. In no time I was taken to Hikari's empty room, my mom and dad were there. They were giving her, a few stitches, nothing mayor had happened, broken arm, she'll be fine.
I thanked the heavens she was okay as I hugged my mother. She was crying so much it scared me, my dad looked so shocked he couldn't even move. And I was left there, confused as to why this had happened to us. No, confused as to why this had happened to Hikari. While we waited for her to be taken back to the room, we had asked for a private one, my baby sister was the only thing in my mind.
Most of the times I've been most scared in my life can be directly or indirectly attributed to something that happened to Kari. Look at that, attributed, as if it were some kind of experiment. But it's true. I'm very protective of her. I'm not sure if I'm making myself clear, sometimes I tend to ramble in a different way when I'm telling something that's very emotional or whatever. I don't express things correctly, I think.
I was at the hospital with Hikari when Yamato was looking for Kiira at the airport. Sora was also at the hospital, and so was Takeru.
We were all in the small room, the doctors half wanted to take everyone out, they didn't like it that there were so many people, but you try to fight with us, and it's a losing battle. When we're together, we're invincible.
And Kari has had more than one close brush with death, and that's more than one time too many. She's like, the gravitational pull, Hikari is. Without gravity, without that pull, all the planets and everything would just go wherever they wanted. But the sun's pull keeps them where they should be. Yeah, I think the world of my sister, just don't tell her that.
"Come on, you guys, you shouldn't be here. Isn't the fair here yet? Go there!" the little rascal of a sister of mine said from the bed. She had this pink cast that was quite ugly on her right arm and the weirdest band-aid on her cheek.
"It doesn't start till tomorrow." TK said quickly. "Besides we want to be here."
During the pass of time more people dropped by to talk to Kari and be there. I don't know, it's weird, you're at this bed in the hospital, but you're fine, except not really cause some part of you is broken, and people come and see you to wish you well. I find that weird.
"Oh, well." Kari half-smiled and nodded.
We were mostly silent, there was nothing to talk about and I was reminded of those awkward gaps that people put in movies, except this one was not one of those. We just weren't talking about anything. Then the door opened and this girl came in.
No, I'm kidding. This girl didn't come in, this goddess did. I think I drooled a little too. Sora had to shove her elbow into my stomach to make me react. She was fucking -- she was... she was. I just looked at her and wanted to sigh and go like, oh yeah, except I knew that would be freaky and. yeah.
"Kiira!" TK said and went to greet her. "Nice to see you."
She smiled and they hugged and the door opened again. It was another gorgeous creature, and by the looks of him he was related to the first one.
"Seiyo!"
Seiyo? Yamato never mentioned his cousin was coming. Yamato never mentioned they were hot. They introduced us, we said hello and then Yamato came in. While the others were talking about the flight and about Kari, I looked at my best friend with a face that was supposed to transmit the message of 'how could you not tell me that these beautiful creatures existed'? But I don't think it worked all that well.
He looked angry and had his arms crossed and was kind of glaring at Seiyo. I looked at where Yamato was looking then back at him and winked to show he what I was thinking. I think he frowned even more. God knows what was going on in his head, but he didn't talk much at all.
At the end of the day I had suggested that we go to the fair. Everyone seemed to think it was a good idea and that it would be a great thing to do to. Everyone except Kari and TK, who regrettably were going to stay inside because of Kari's condition, and Yamato.
But I was happy; the sexy people were going to be at the fair.
And I had brilliantly coerced Yamato into going.
Go me!
***
Note: Heh, this one's pretty messed up. I find this chapter incredibly hard to understand, and it was hard enough writing it. I had to do it like a million times. I wanted it to come out in a way that most thought patterns occur, all mixed up and you really don't know what's happening. You tell it as you remember it, but you don't completely remember it. But if you didn't understand, please tell me, so I can write with at least 100% more coherency, ok? Or at least something like it.
The La/=/er (I'm so happy you're liking it and found it the last chapt. amusing, that makes my days. Really. And my brother actually did the half shaving of the eyebrow things, so that's were I got it from. It's great to have a steady update schedule, I'd love for my fave author's to have one, but I understand that sometimes you can't. :D) CrimsonBobble (I'm trying with the updating thing. Tryyying, but so far so good.. I think. And yeah, this'll be an Alternate Universe. It wasn't going to, originally, but I don't think I can handle everybody. Not with this nice leash I've put around my neck.. It's great you're liking this story, I've no idea why personally, but it's fantastic. :P)
~Charlie