=Delays due to massive script writing on new comic and revamping of the website. Eh. I wonder if I should consider writing a disclaimer at some point, I don't think I've done it in over a year now.=
Gilded Chocolate
-Part Two... (with eggs, toast, and sausage muffins on rye) Insomnia.-
***
"What do you mean, it's Makino?" Shizuka called back from the kitchen.
"It's a post card from Makino," Rui clarified, waving the letter to the side so she could see it.
"Oh! Read it, I want to know how she and Tsukasa are doing on their little trip!" Rui nodded and sat back in the chair, glancing at the card's cover photo. He blinked at the image of a small, plastic hula dancer, the head seemingly detached from the body and a blur indicated it wobbling wildly. Curious, he turned it over and began to read.
"Dear Rui," he said out loud, raising one eyebrow. What happened to 'Hanazawa Rui'? He assumed that she had finally taken what he said about only using his first name seriously.
"After much haggling, I finally got your address in France. We took port in Hawaii yesterday." Rui glanced at the top of the card for the post date and noted that the card had been sent two weeks before. "I hope you don't mind that I retrieved your address from Doumyouji's address book, he didn't think you would.
"You are all a bunch of underhanded dogs. I thank you for it. Hawaii is a beautiful place. I sent one of these 'hula dancers' to Shigeru-san, but I knew you would find it amusing as well.
"Pass my regards on to Mimasaka-san and Nishikado-san if you see them. Makino Tsukushi." Taking one more look at the plastic dancer, Rui let out a chuckle and set the card down on the table.
"She really thinks highly of you, doesn't she?" Shizuka said with amusement as she walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. She lifted the card and laughed at the photo. "She really is something."
Rui nodded. "Isn't she?"
***
"Makino!" Tsukasa called, peering through the doorway. When he received no response, he opened the door and stepped inside her room, surveying the area for the fugitive.
He had gone for a run at the track on the bottom floor just before he had arranged to meet Tsukushi for lunch. He had arrived in the dining hall at exactly noon, but when he didn't see her, he had waited for over an hour before deciding to take a look around.
By this time he was frustrated, tired and hungry. He had searched each floor including the deck, pestering other vacationers and barely restraining himself from demanding her whereabouts from the captain. If she found out he had bothered that many people to find her, he knew she would be furious.
Tsukasa growled, walking around the spacious bedroom. He paused momentarily at her dresser, noting that it was completely clean and all the various makeup and girly bits he expected her to have were nowhere to be seen. Though he knew Tsukushi never wore any kind of cover-up, he at least expected her to have a hairbrush or nail polish lying about. He felt his aggravation give way to curiosity as he walked past her mirror and into the large, white-tiled bathroom.
He saw nothing besides a comb, a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, floss, a bottle of shampoo, and a bar of soap in the entire extravagant bathing room. Certain that someone had paid for all the extras, Tsukasa opened one of the drawers and his eyes flew wide.
He held back a laugh at the mass of perfume bottles, body washes, curlers, and other various items mashed carelessly into the compartment. Upon opening the rest of the drawers and cupboards he discovered that everything but the towels was stuffed away, besides an extra hairbrush and a few bath items.
Tsukasa finally made his way back into her room, deciding that he was done with whatever game Tsukushi was playing and resolving to find her using the intercom system. As he moved to leave, he noticed a movement coming from the bed. One eyebrow raised he walked toward it, noting a lump that he had been unable to see earlier due to a canopy hanging low on one side.
Tsukushi took in long, peaceful breaths, her puffs of air blowing her bangs away from her face in a slow rhythm. She had slight bags under her eyes and she seemed exhausted, curled beneath the blankets with a quilt held tightly in her hand. Tsukasa sighed and sat down on the bed beside her.
"You tired yourself out so much you took your only free time to sleep? Silly girl," he mumbled, brushing her hair away from her face. He paused and lightly stroked her cheek with two fingers. "You're used to a different kind of activity." Tsukasa let out a short, quiet laugh and stood up, stretching.
"Well, you need to eat sometime," he scolded the sleeping girl. "Makino, wake up."
Tsukushi let out a sigh and released the quilt, burying her hands under her pillow. Tsukasa almost felt remorse in rousing her from her peaceful slumber. "Makino. Makino!"
She suddenly sat up, registering his loud voice with a frightened gasp. "What? What is it?!" she cried, glancing around frantically for the reason Tsukasa was yelling her name. He laughed, drawing her attention to where he sat near her knees.
"You should have left a note at the restaurant if you weren't going to make it. I can dine by myself every so often," Tsukasa said, crossing his arms. Tsukushi blinked at him.
"What do you mean? It should only be eleven," she replied, glancing at the small clock beside the bed. She let out a cry of alarm. "It's two! I should have woken up three hours ago!" She stared at Tsukasa, who was regarding her with one raised eyebrow.
"You should have, but you didn't," he reminded her. Tsukushi blushed briefly, looking down at the ruffled bedcovers. "Come on and get up so we can get something to eat." She raised her eyes when he lightly patted her head.
Tsukasa stood up and left the room without another word. Feeling slightly puzzled Tsukushi pulled the blankets aside and slipped out of bed, her feet flinching at the cool floor. She frowned at the rumpled clothes she still wore, for her exhaustion had remained all through breakfast and she had carelessly gotten into bed as soon as she got back to her room. Sighing, she ran a hand over the wrinkles, attempting in vain to straighten them out.
After brushing her hair and trying once more to make herself look a bit more presentable, Tsukushi left her room and glanced down the hall for any sign of Tsukasa. Noting the lounge door was open, she paused briefly before looking inside.
"Ah, Makino. Ready to go eat?" he asked, taking his time rising from the couch's soft, pliable cushions. Tsukushi nodded, playing with the hem of her shorts as he came to join her in the hallway.
"Sorry about falling asleep," she said at last as they made their way down metal stairs to the dining hall. Tsukasa glanced at her, his lip twitching in a slight smile on one side.
"I looked all over for you," he admitted. "You really needed some extra rest." Tsukushi nodded her head.
"We've been doing so much every day I haven't gotten a chance to wind down," she admitted as the host gave them a familiar seat near the now silent piano.
"No, it's just that you're a weak little girl," Tsukasa said and crossed his arms over his chest, closing his eyes. He smiled when he heard her huff of indignation.
"You've lost in half the games we've played! You're just a wimp of a man," she shot back, her hair tussling about her face after the both metaphorical and literal ruffling of her feathers. Tsukasa narrowed his eyes.
"Wimp? You're a pipsqueak!"
"Wuss!"
"Stick!"
"Pardon me." The squabbling pair jumped in unison at the waiter's obtrusive voice. Tsukasa glared at the man and opened his mouth to rebuke him, but Tsukushi cut him off to avoid unneeded attention.
"Ah, sorry," she amended, earning a stern look from the man sitting across from her. She narrowed her eyes and he pressed his lips together.
"Here are your menus," the waiter continued, setting the fancy, gold thread-bound hard-covers in front of each of them. "Would you like to order drinks?"
They were silent after the man had left with their first orders, temporarily distracted from their arguments. The rest of the meal went much the same way--uneventfully and occupied only by a bit of off-hand bickering. By the time Tsukushi had finally stood up and stretched, admitting she could use a bit of exercise, the clock had long passed four in the afternoon.
"You could jog around the track," Tsukasa suggested as Tsukushi thanked the host and the pair left the rather large dining hall, making their way up toward the residential halls.
"I could," she said, "or I could not, and relax in the sitting room." She smiled briefly at the thought of curling up on the large, red, comfortable chair in the corner with one of her books. Tsukasa caught her expression and rolled his eyes.
"I guess we could take the rest of the day to lay back," he submitted. Tsukushi raised an eyebrow at him as they approached their own hallway. She paused at her doorway and, propping one hand on her hip, she nodded her head.
"Come on, join me for some reading or something," she urged, nodding toward the lounge room's slightly open door. Tsukasa raised his eyebrows in surprise, his curly hair bouncing slightly under the movement.
"Reading?" he asked incredulously. Tsukushi knew right away that she could never have expected him to be the pleasure reading type. But, never one to give up, she nodded her head and smiled.
"Yeah, you know, a novel or something, just for the fun of it." She braced herself for a laugh, scoff, or retort, she blinked when none came. Tsukasa touched his chin thoughtfully before nodding at her.
"Sure, I guess I could try."
So, within a matter of minutes, the pair sat on a broad, green-cushioned couch, a small bag of books in tow. Tsukushi had come to love the room in that it had perfect lighting for reading, just the right atmosphere for lying for hours in silence, and a large television against the wall opposite the majority of the furniture. Occasionally she would attempt to use the stereo in the far corner, resulting in a quick search for classical music and the subsequent flow of just the perfect accompaniment for relaxation. In the few moments that she had spent in the drawing room, she had found Bach to be her favorite. Not much of the other music available suited her interests anyway.
Tsukushi lifted the bag onto her lap, sifting through the contents while Tsukasa watched with interest. His eyes twinkled with amusement as she carefully picked through each novel, glancing at the covers before moving them aside. And then, Tsukushi found it.
"This one!" she said with enthusiasm, holding up an un-illustrated green book. Tsukasa raised one eyebrow and took it, turning it over in his hands as if it were a foreign object. "It's a translated book about gangs and things like that. I read some of it and really liked it."
Tsukasa raised his eyes, inspecting the bright, eager smile on her face and the slight flush of accomplishment on her cheeks. Unable to resist, he nodded and held the book firmly in his hands. "I'll try it," he said, earning himself a nod and a grin. When the moment struck, she really could be easy to please.
Settling in, they drifted into a comfortable silence. Tsukasa glanced up every so often to note that Tsukushi was enraptured by her book, and her eyes never once left the words written there. He had never liked reading, for to him, it seemed like a menial, academic task and he truly despised schoolwork. Despite his prejudices he opened the book and started to read, finding some of the descriptions of gutter life repulsive, yet infinitely fascinating. He wondered briefly if the conditions he read of were any similar to how Tsukushi lived on a day-to-day basis; he wouldn't be surprised.
And so, Tsukasa lost himself in the story, only coming back to the world around him when he felt something pressing against his shoulder. He glanced down and saw Tsukushi, her book dropped to the ground and her eyes closed, fast asleep against him. They had been sitting in rather close proximity of each other before, he had noted, so he wasn't surprised to see that her tilting in sleep had caused him to become her pillow.
Tsukasa sighed and set his own book on the small table beside the sofa's arm. He glanced at the clock, seeing that it was already dawning on eight o'clock in the evening, and he wasn't surprised that she had merely fallen over in exhaustion. In one swift, gentle movement--so as to not wake her--he gathered her in his arms and hefted her up easily against his chest. Grasping beneath her knees with one hand and behind her back with the other, he carried Tsukushi across the room and out into the hall, where he made his way to her own door and went inside.
Her room smelled just like her--of a purely female perfume, natural and faintly reminiscent of sunned flowers. Tsukasa took the moment to grant himself the pleasure of lowering his head, where he faintly inhaled the smell of her soft, brown hair. He had been born in a world of makeup, cover-ups, and artificial fragrances, and at times he had thought his senses shot by attending party after party of rich, perfume-marinated women. She was a breath of fresh air.
Tsukushi was his wildflower. She could bloom in any conditions, she refused to be coddled, and she always, always made it through the winter. 'Weed' was hardly the word to describe her; weeds weren't nearly as beautiful. Tsukasa chuckled at the thought. He would never admit it to her, of course.
In a few long strides he crossed the room and reached her bed, where he carefully laid her on the soft mattress. Lifting the blankets from beneath her he drew them up, quilt, sheets and all, over her and up to her chin. Tsukushi let out an incoherent mumble, a small smile crossing her lips as she curled into the cool bedcovers. Repressing his desire to crawl into bed beside her and hold her tightly to him, Tsukasa knew she would never take it lying down--he chuckled slightly at his own pun--and so he instead kissed her lightly on the forehead before turning to leave.
"Mmm... Doumyouji?" Tsukasa turned, raising his eyebrows as her lashes fluttered open slightly. "Doumyouji..."
"Yes, Makino?" he asked, his voice still booming despite his attempt to lower it. She smiled.
"Thank you..." Yawning, her mouth closed once more and he was reassured by the evening out of her breath.
"You're welcome," he replied, turning off the light and closing the door.
On his way back to his own room, Tsukasa paused in the hallway, lightly resting his back against the wall and letting his chin tip down in thought. He rarely stopped to truly think about things, but moments like these made him want to thoroughly ponder before he continued down the road he was going. Before Tsukushi, things had been so simple for him: he acted on every last one of his emotions, which were generally anger, followed by violence. But she demanded new emotions and actions from him, most of which he freely gave, others which he was only beginning to comprehend.
He didn't deserve her. That was always what it boiled down to for him, so he enjoyed every last moment that he had with her, even ones where they bickered constantly or argued over some petty difference. It was moments like these that he wondered what he really had to offer her; Tsukasa was a billion-yen man, handsome, famous, and strong, but he could never give her the things she really deserved. A quiet life out of the spotlight with home-made meals, a close family, and a kind, caring, and compassionate husband--that was what he knew she wanted, but he could never, with all the money in the world, ever give her.
With a resigned sigh Tsukasa turned and walked back the way he came, stepping into the stairwell toward the dining hall. He wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon, and he was hungry for a late evening snack.
Tsukushi opened her eyes some hours later, blinking rapidly in the blackness of her room. It was still night outside, and glancing at the clock beside the bed, groaned. It was nearly midnight, and she suddenly felt wide awake.
Sliding out of bed she noticed she still wore her clothes from that day. With a sigh Tsukushi walked into the closet and changed them, slipping into something resembling pajamas that were still comfortable and appropriate to wear outside her room. Wondering if anything would be open at this time of night, she stepped out of the door, wearing a pair of indoor slippers she had found in the closet, and glanced about the cold, dark hallway. The lounge room's door was still open, but there was no light on inside. The same went for Tsukasa's room, the door of which was locked closed. It was ridiculous to hope that he would be awake.
Tsukushi made her way down the stairs and into one of the main foyers, where she noticed that the place still seemed barely alive. Familiar music wafted from the open door of the dining hall, so she decided to stop in and listen until she felt ready to sleep once more. Naps were really not a good idea, she noted.
Upon walking into the hall, she noticed it to be mostly empty beside two or three patrons at the bar and a few more sitting at tables, most with the same mind as she.
"Would you like a table, miss?" the host asked her, taking a menu from his podium. Tsukushi pondered for a moment before nodding.
"One by the piano, please." The host nodded and turned, walking off towards the familiar far corner of the room. She balked, seeing someone already sitting at the table so often occupied by she and Tsukasa. She sighed as the host sat her beside the man lounging at her table. He wasn't even eating!
He turned, and Tsukushi gasped. "Doumyouji!" Tsukasa raised his eyebrows, blinking at her.
"What are you doing down here, Makino?" he asked, wondering how the girl who had been sleeping so fitfully before had found her way to the dining hall at midnight. He was surprised that even he was still there.
"The same reason as everyone else, I suppose," she replied, getting up and taking her menu with her so she could sit down opposite from him. Tsukushi tilted her head. "You can't sleep?"
Tsukasa laughed and shook his head. "No, just got lost thinking, I suppose," he replied, immediately regretting his words at the glint in her eye.
"Must have been painful, no wonder you can't sleep," she joked, winking at him from across the table. Tsukasa narrowed his eyes and made a sound resembling a 'hmph.' Tsukushi watched his pose for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"What is it?" Tsukasa growled in annoyance, his response only causing her amusement to double. He waited for her giggles to subside before he leaned toward her, furrowing his brows. She let out one last snicker.
"You look so funny when you do that... thing." Tsukasa's lip tilted down on one side. "You know, the one where you lift your nose, you look like a French king when you do that." Looking at him more seriously, Tsukushi could hardly stop another brief giggle.
"Yeah? Well, you... you look like an urchin!" Tsukasa shot back, earning himself a half-giggle, half-biting retort.
"Don't even start with me on urchins, caterpillar-head!" Opening his mouth to respond, Tsukasa paused when he saw her giggles start anew. She almost always got involved in their arguments, letting herself get taken in the moment and her anger to get the best of her. When she could only laugh--something she did not do nearly enough--Tsukasa wondered if there was something wrong with her.
"Are you all right, Makino?" he asked, his voice edging on concerned. Tsukushi only shook her head, finally stopping her laughter long enough to look at him and speak normally.
"I'm fine, actually. I guess I'm just more tired than I thought," she responded. She tapped her chin thoughtfully, when she remembered the menu she still held in one hand. "Want to order something? I'm a bit hungry, myself."
"Missing dinner does that to you," Tsukasa admonished lightly as he took the menu. She huffed.
"I was about to look at that," she growled, snatching it back from him. Tsukasa shrugged.
"Fine."
There was a brief silence before Tsukushi raised her eyes, peering at him over the top of the menu. Tsukasa lounged back against his chair, his body completely relaxed and his eyes watching the piano with mild interest. Every so often, she mused to herself, everyone needs to be a bit laid back. With that last thought in mind, she turned to finding a dish that had a name not written in French so she could understand exactly what she was ordering.
By the time Tsukushi finished her small a la carte meal, Tsukasa was still sipping on a drink of sparkling water and lemon. Tsukushi was amazed at how even the simple act of drinking could look so regal. Tsukasa raised his eyebrows, just noticing that she was staring intently at him.
"Yes?" he asked, snickering when her face flushed slightly and she quickly looked away. "We should really be going to bed, or we won't wake up until much too late tomorrow."
Tsukushi nodded her head in agreement and stood up, stretching and mentally waving goodbye to the soft piano still being played nearby. As they got up to leave, Tsukasa paused and turned to her purposefully.
"In two days we'll be docking in L.A., California. It's your choice if you want to come off the boat, we won't be staying long," he informed her, keeping his voice passive. Tsukushi slowly nodded her head, and they resumed walking.
"I'd like to see it. I've never been to America," she replied, placing a finger on her chin in thought. "I wonder what L.A.'s like, I hear its full of American celebrities..."
"It's really nothing all that special," Tsukasa replied gruffly. Tsukushi raised her eyebrows, and he could only look at her and shake his head. "You really haven't traveled at all, have you?"
Tsukushi glared at him, narrowing her eyes as she shot back, "Well, I haven't had the same privilege, time, or money as some people."
"This is your chance, then," he replied, unwilling to rise to the challenge. It was much too late in the night to be arguing, so when they arrived at Tsukushi's door, he opened his mouth to bid her goodnight.
"You're not getting away that easily," she said suddenly, and Tsukasa found himself suddenly with his lips against hers, one of her hands having yanked him down by the collar of his shirt. Of course, Tsukushi had very little practice in the art of initiation, so he quickly took her face in his hands and applied pressure to the somewhat lacking kiss.
He held her there for mere moments before releasing her chin, drawing his head back, despite the restricting hand she still had gripping his shirt. Tsukasa raised one eyebrow and his lip tilted in a half-smile.
"Goodnight, Makino," he said in a low voice, watching with amusement as she quickly snapped out of the glazed look that had come over her.
"Goodnight," she replied, opening her door and stepping inside. Exhaling suddenly Tsukushi walked to her bed, barely registering her slippers coming off before she crawled into bed. She wondered what had come over her, for she never, ever initiated anything, and she never did it in the fashion that she had. She yawned, chalking it up to the fact she usually became much sillier when she was extremely tired. And, besides, it had felt good to see the happily surprised look on Tsukasa's face. With her stomach full and her thoughts uncluttered, she quickly fell into a peaceful slumber.
Tsukasa went into his own room, pondering the night as he put on a pair of pajama pants before sitting down on his mattress. That particular goodnight kiss had been greatly unexpected on his part, but it was certainly a pleasant surprise. He felt that he had learned more about Tsukushi in the past week than in most of the time that he had known her; there really were moments in her life where she seemed to be less spastic and more willing to leap into their relationship the way he so often did.
Tsukasa sighed, falling back onto his quilts with a puff of air, his body sinking into the soft, pillowy surface. His thoughts constantly wandered to his own state of affairs, and how he would deal with the issues he had been running away from once they got home. There was his mother, the company, and of course, Tsukushi. He had slowly come to realize that slowly but surely, she was leading him towards something, some pinnacle, and he knew that he had to be ready to meet it when the time came.
He had five months to find himself, but he realized harshly that it was barely enough time to fully comprehend how he should approach his life upon returning to Japan.
Things had been so simple before Tsukushi walked into his life, but now, he wouldn't have it any other way. He just had to figure out how to keep her there and walk up the mountain toward whatever was waiting for them there.