Chapter 8

Absolute Beginner

All through out the drive to Kenji's beach house Kira remained silent while staring out at the nightly sky through the passenger's window, Bruce sat at the back passenger sit, her thoughts dwelled on what she left off with Rei back at Hikaru and at the tracks "you alright Kira?" Kenji asked after being tired of seeing Kira sitting in complete silence "yes I'm fine" she responded without looking at him. Kenji knew she was troubled by something and he felt it might have been wrong to talk her into coming away with him but he knew that her presences soothed him very much "Kira if you want me to take you back I'd be more then willing to grant you that" he said with his eyes on the dark rode, Kira looked at him with a small smile on her face "no I can't go back right now" she said as she brought her knees up to her chest. Kenji gave a quick glance to her direction as he made a turn to a road that was up hill "are we almost there?" Kira asked as she looked out the window again "no, we are here" he answered as he pointed at a house that was absolutely bigger then Takayuki Kashino's house "wow it's huge" Kira complimented as she stared at the mansion in complete awe "thank you" he said.

Kenji carried Kira's heaviest bags up to her room which was on the second floor off to the west wing, Kira was astonished by how long the hallways were, Kenji lead her into a big room with wide windows that viewed of the ocean, the bed made room for three instead of two. Kira was amazed at the sizes of the bed, Kenji noticed her face "incase you want Bruce to sleep near you" Kenji explained as he placed the bags on the side of the bed "thank you very much" she said and bowed to him in gratitude. "No, don't bow" he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder to bring her head back up "I just hope you find the commendation satisfying" he added, Kira did what he insisted, she noticed that she didn't flinch when Kenji touched her shoulder "what's wrong?" he asked as he removed his hand and stepped back from her "nothing, I just have never been alone in a house with another guy other then Tatsuya or Rei" Kira said but then her facial expression changed the moment she mentioned Rei's name. Kenji noticed her change of face and tried to think of something to say that would help Kira "well I'll let you have some time to settle in, mean while I'll get dinner ready" Kenji said as he bowed his head to her "I'll call you down when it's ready" he added as he was about to exist the room Kira called him out "wait you can cook?" she asked in a stunned voice along with her face changing to a stunned expression as well, which Kenji found to be very adorable "yes doesn't everybody?" he answered and asked at the same time. Kenji suddenly chuckled at the sight of her face "I am sorry Kira, it's just that you have such cute face" he explained, Kira's cheeks turned pink "oh stop that!" Kira said as she gently smacked Kenji's arm but Kenji could not help himself, he reached out and grabbed her hand that was smacking him. Kenji and Kira stood in silence, staring at one another while he held her hand close to his chest with both of his hands "um, I better call my mother" Kira said in a nervous tone of voice as she pulled her hand out from his grip, Kenji understood that he was making her uncomfortable "a-alright then I'll send Bruce up to you" he said then turned to the door. Kira rushed to the phone near her bed and began dialing for her mother, she sat on the edge of the bed as she heard the phone rang twice until finally Miya answered "hello?".

"Mom it's me"

"Kira!, where are you?"

"I'm with Kenji at his beach house outside of the city it's off the coast of the Tsunami"

"Oh then you and Rei did talk then have you?" "Yes and he insisted that I leave with Kenji, I guess he is already fed up with me" Kira said in a very melodramatic voice while she stared down at the door, Miya could hear her daughter saddens over the phone "Kira are you sure you're okay staying at a house with another guy?" she asked in a concern voice for her daughter and the thought of her daughter with another guy alone especially with given to her past.




Kira heard Bruce's caller going ding ding ding "don't worry mom I'm alright and I have my own room" Kira said as she saw Bruce panting while he rushed into the room and hoped on her bed "okay Kira" Miya said. Kenji walked in with one last bag of Kira's "I'll be down stairs if you need anything" he said as he gently shut the door behind him, "oh and mom? tell Rei that I'm okay" Kira said but not in a very happy voice, after she hung up the phone Kira got up from where she was sitting and walked around the huge room "I have Bruce in the same room with me, but why do I still feel lonely in this room?" she thought to herself.

Meanwhile back in the city, Rei rode on his cycle back to his apartment where he knew Miya would be there by herself but as he pulled his motorcycle to the ally that was next to his apartment building he noticed a familiar car parked in his parking spot "who the hell is visiting at 7:00 pm?" he thought to himself as he removed his helmet. After placing his cycle behind some garbage cans he headed to the apartment door with his helmet in one hand and his keys in the other "mom?" he called as he opened the door, Rei saw Miya sitting at the dinning room table with Kuga sitting across the table from her both of them had a coffee mugs in their hands "hi Rei" Miya greeted with a bright smile on her face "hi Rei, we were hoping you and Kira would have been home together by now" Kuga said as he watched Rei close the door behind himself. "Nope, I let Kira go with Kenji" he said as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a milk carton, Miya rose to er feet to meet with Rei "what?" she asked, Rei was about to drink from the carton but Miya quickly grabbed a glass "hey! use a glass" she ordered while holding it to his face. Knowing that she has been like a mother to him Rei could not disrespect her "yes ma'am" he said politely as he took the glass from her "have you two talked?" Miya asked while Rei poured some milk "Yeah we talked and I told her that she should go and figure out what she really wants" Rei explained then took a sip of his milk and sat in a chair next to Kuga. "I am sorry to hear about you and Kira" Kuga said from his sit "yeah well it was bound to happen anytime soon, especially with Kenji" Rei said as he slouched down in his sit, Miya walked back to the table "what do you mean?" she asked curiously.

Rei looked at his mother in law "Kira didn't tell you?" he asked, both Miya and Kuga were puzzled "Kenji is in love with Kira" Rei said bluntly then took another drink from his milk "oh boy" Kuga said in a surprised voice while Miya just sat back down in her a little surprised herself "Rei you can't give up on Kira just yet" she said as she reached out to Rei's hand on the table. "What am I suppose to do? she wanted to have a career in art and now she finally has that without me" Rei explained, Kuga placed a hand on Rei's shoulder "Miya was telling me all about you and Kira having problems" he said "did she want to leave with this Kenji Kamaji?" he asked. "I don't know" he responded in an arrogant voice "all I know is that she was really happy when her work was being sold and Kenji seems to have it all" Rei explained.

Miya suddenly felt a reminder of her past with her late husband while he was still alive "her father was like that" she said in concern voice, the two men didn't understand what she was saying "my late husband taught art at a college class and he too tried to sell his work but no one would by them, and we didn't really have much all we had were each other" she added in a sadden serious voice. Kuga reached out for Miya's hand to comfort her, Rei noticed that and he was surprised to see another guy treating his sergeant mother very kindly "I am sorry" Kuga said while holding her hand "it's alright Kira and her father were very close and when she was born he drew a lot of pictures f her in my arms" she explained. Rei was very curious about Miya's story "why didn't he use a camera?" he asked with his face leaning on his right hand "because we couldn't afford it so he drew everything moment of her after she was born" Miya explained in a cheerful voice along with a chuckle.




The two men laughed along at Miya cute story about Kira and her father "Rei, honey Kira had the courage to leave me and my exhusband to live with you but she also did it because she loved you" Miya said to Rei "I know that for a fact" she added, Rei remembered when he first met Miya he thought she didn't like because Rei reminded her of the drivers that killed her late husband but after hearing her trying to comfort him in her maternal way it made Rei's heart sore. He suddenly felt himself regret releasing Kira to Kenji he got up from his seat so fast as if someone threw something at his face "Rei what's wrong?" Kuga asked, the look on Rei's face told Miya that Rei has a lot more to say to Kira then what he said to her at Hikaru. "Mom where Kenji's beach house?" Rei asked bluntly after being silent for a moment "uh outside the city off the coast of Tsunami" Miya explained exactly like she remembered from her talk with Kira, Rei grabbed his keys from the coffee table, then he rushed back to his mother-in-law "I see you both later" Rei said as he planted a kiss on her cheek. "Hey where are you going?" Kuga asked in a fatherly demanding voice "I have to see her again" was all he said then headed towards the door "don't do anything I wouldn't do" he said looking at both Miya and Kuga with a vicious grin on his face "in fact you better behave yourselves" he added then closed the door behind him. Miya and Kuga looked at each other and wanted to laugh at the thought that Rei would think that anything could happen between them,..could it happen?