THEN AND NOW
By: Miguel Artadi
Disclaimer: I don't own GTO and any of the characters in it. I'd be rich if I did.
[ ] = Kikuchi's thoughts
( ) = Kanzaki's thoughts
[( )] = Collective thoughts
Chapter III - Foreplay: Irresistible Force, Immovable Object
"Mmm... good stuff. I miss the food here. Simple yet delicious, good bang for your buck." Kanzaki said as she twirled the last of her pasta.
"Things seldom turn out the way you think they would've huh?" she added thoughtfully.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Kikuchi asked.
"It's just funny how things go back full circle. Who would've thought that even after a decade or so, we'd find both ourselves here where it all began: Tokyo. Having lunch at the old neighborhood even."
"You know the saying: There's no place like home."
"Don't play smart with me dork.. You know what I'm trying to say."
"Just teasing, Kanzaki. So what've you been up to?
(Teasing? Him? I guess hanging with Onizuka all this time loosened him up.)
"I already told you last night. I've been working for Kanzaki Enterprises for the last couple years."
"Pssh. That can't be all of it. Come now, we barely heard from you. Only Onizuka got word from you on a regular basis. And when we did ask him about how you were, all he'd say was that the little brown and blue-eyed genius from hell had her shit together and was doing fine."
Urumi made a sour look.
"Okay fine, Mister I-want-all-the-nasty-little-details. I went straight to MIT after graduating. Figured I just wanted to get it over with, not that it was that hard mind you."
"'Course not."
"Shut up."
[Heh. Hot-blooded as ever.]
"Anyway, after MIT I took a year off just to see the rest of the world. I traveled anywhere and everywhere I could."
She started ticking off her fingers.
"I started off by checking out the rest of the American continent: Went around Canada and most of the South American countries. Then backpacked through France, Spain, Italy, England... basically a sizeable chunk of the 'Old World.' Then over to the Pacific; Australia and the rest of East and Southeast Asia."
"Nice. Who bankrolled it?"
Urumi grinned.
"The company of course. I said that if they wanted me to work for them, they pretty damn sure make it worth my while. I also convinced them that my having a more global market perspective would do them good in the long run; even though we both know I didn't exactly need it. Besides, God knows how much I've already made for them since I was a kid."
Kikuchi grinned back.
"True I guess. So when did the travel bug bite you? I don't recall you having a particular taste for it."
"To be honest... something that Onizuka told me back here in Tokyo. He said that people who thought that they understood everything intellectually annoyed him. It was a pretty simple statement, and I'm sure he didn't mean any more than that, but I kept thinking about it. All these years it stuck with me, and eventually hardened into some resolve where I no longer merely would KNOW facts about something, but actually appreciate and comprehend it first-hand."
[She HAS matured.]
"You mean things like the Gundam universe?" Yoshito asked lightheartedly.
Urumi narrowed her eyes.
(Oooohhh. You're gonna pay for that.)
"That's... not... funny."
[It is from where I'm sitting dear.]
"Seriously now, I get what you're trying to say I think. Correct me if I'm wrong, okay?" he added.
"Go ahead. Take your best shot, computer nerd." Kanzaki rolled her eyes and waved her hand, feigning boredom.
Kikuchi wore an amused expression on his face, readjusted his glasses and smirked inwardly.
[Hahaha. Picking a fight? Now you're gonna get it, sweetheart.] He decided to ignore that particular cheap shot.
"The way you were back in Seirin - the little genius from hell - as Onizuka puts it, you made a point to unnerve everyone with your mental capacity for facts and numbers. In hindsight, it was all pedantry; brilliant pedantry mind you, but it was still quite effective in terrorizing pretty much the entire teaching faculty, not to mention letting everyone else know that you weren't to be trifled with."
(Bah. Weak stuff.)
"Thank you for the history lesson. And your point is...?"
"Yes, well let me finish. Like I said, you lived up exactly to what your IQ score labeled you as: a genius extraordinaire. But what is genius anyway? Knowing hard facts and numbers about anything and everything isn't the be-all end-all of it. Look at Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel; that simple, indescribable awe that simply washes over you when you gaze up at the frescoes. His genius could be felt through his work. And that Kanzaki, was something you knew you didn't have."
Urumi felt uncomfortable. She shifted her eyes elsewhere.
"It's like if the old you was asked to describe what love was, and assuming you wouldn't go off-tangent with your 'passing on the genes argument,' you'd probably mechanically quote a line from W.B. Yeats. But it would be empty, since you never truly experienced what romantic love was."
Silence.
[Bingo.]
(How can you see right through me? Have I always been this transparent to you?)
Kikuchi 1, Kanzaki 0
She wasn't used to people reading her so easily. That unnerved her.
(Quick, say something. Anything!)
"So how does this tie in with my traveling?"
"I think you figured that the first thing necessary in fulfilling your potential was, for lack of a better term, experience. Experience what other people all over the world did and thought not only by reading about them or watching them on TV, but to actually be with them, and get to know them as human beings with their own distinct way of life."
Kanzaki hadn't felt this vulnerable, this... naked in a long time. She mentally rolled up her sleeves, and decided to change the subject, so as to score some hits of her own.
(Get a hold of yourself! No way in hell I'm letting him get away with that kind of humiliation.)
Urumi looked down on her empty plate and tucked some loose hair behind an ear with her hand.
[Eh? What the hell is she doing?]
"You've always seen through me, haven't you Kikuchi? But I have a confession to make. Ever since junior high, when we started hanging out together a lot with Onizuka and the gang, there's something that a part of me has always wanted to let you know. It's quite absurd really... I mean I just can't get it out of my head. You're going to think that it's really silly I know, but there's something I have to come clean about."
[She's trying something. Don't fall for it.]
"What're you trying to tell me Kanzaki?"
(Now for added drama...)
She made eye contact and stared as intensely and as deeply as she could at him, and held it. He returned the gaze, but could slowly feel those twin blues chip away at his resolve; not to mention becoming aware of tiny beads of sweat starting to roll down his shirt.
[Blergh, stop looking at me like that.]
She reached across the table, grabbed his hands and spoke again, softer this time. Kikuchi was bordering on sensory overload.
"Kikuchi... Kikuchi Yoshito... you and me. We'll be perfect together. Think about it, we're both smart, yet we're still worlds apart. We can balance each other out... like yin and yang." her voice was pleading.
"Let's get married, let's start a family of our own."
And for a microsecond, Yoshito's brain shorted out; just his luck he was sipping his coffee. He choked and spat out what was in his mouth, felt some of it go up his nose, and managed to spill the rest of his cup all over himself. Urumi looked up just in time to see her friend imitate The 3 Stooges all by his lonesome. She started laughing hysterically.
(Whoohooo!! I am sooo good. And bonus points for the coffee stains.)
"Hahaha! Gotcha!! Just kidding!! You know that's the first time I've ever caught you off guard like that." She said inbetween laughs while putting on her 'innocent' look.
[@#*(#%&!!! Why you little...]
"Ahhh... that's hoooot. Goddamn coffee. My dick's on fire. Thank you so much for that." Yoshito smarted, painfully.
"Anytime, dear."
Kikuchi 1, Kanzaki 2
(Poor guy. Ah well, all's fair in love and war...!??!!)
And for another microsecond, it was Kanzaki's turn to be confused by her own thoughts. She quickly interrupted it before it could gain a foothold in her mind.
"Good thing my old house is just a block from here. I can get a change of clothes easy. Do you have anywhere else to go after this?" he added.
"Just a business meeting. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"So that's why you're wearing colored contacts. Makes sense I guess."
"You know folks here, still enamored by blonde hair and blue eyes."
[An opening.]
"True. You gotta do what you gotta do for that competitive advantage. Though personally, I prefer your eyes' natural colors. It gives you more... character."
(You do? I never thought... ACK!!! Stop it! He's doing it again!)
"Uh-huh. Well, thanks. I think." Taken by surprise with that compliment, Urumi unconsciously started twirling her hair in her finger.
[Ah, hair twirling. Slow and steady wins the game.]
(Why is he hitting on me? Is he serious?)
Kikuchi 1.5, Kanzaki 2
"You're welcome." Yoshito replied cooly, glancing at his watch.
"Hey... I have to split. I have to talk with the security techs of the last corporate system I broke into in half an hour. And seeing as how my clothes have coffee stains all over them, I'm gonna have to get dressed. Again." He added dryly.
"Heehee. Sorry for that." Urumi giggled.
[You know, she's adorable when she laughs like that. It almost makes the prank worth it. ALMOST.] Kikuchi thought as he tried to clean himself up with napkins.
"No you're not." He retorted.
"Huh? I'm not what?"
"Sorry for making me spill coffee all over myself."
She laughed again.
"True. I had to see if I could catch you off-balance. It was a mighty interesting spectacle mind you. One worth remembering owing to its rarity." She said in a matter-of-fact tone while holding her index finger up.
"Bah. Anyway... I have to take my leave of you Kanzaki Urumi. It's been real nice talking with you; we should do this again." Yoshito grinningly replied while getting up from his end of the booth.
"We definitely should Kikuchi Yoshito." Urumi replied, getting up herself.
"It was great seeing you." She added while stepping forward and giving him a hug. And while not really knowing why... a quick peck on the cheek.
Kikuchi leaned in awkwardly to respond to his old friend's embrace and kiss, and then found himself holding her longer than he should.
[(Whoa...)]
They let go of each other, slightly blushing and embarrassed. Kikuchi fished in his pocket for a business card, scribbled his personal celfone number on it, and handed it to Urumi. She did the same.
"I'll call you."
(You better.)
"Okay, I'll hold you to that y'hear?"
"Hey now, when did I ever let you down? Oh and Kanzaki..." Kikuchi added before walking away.
"Yeah?"
"You know what they say about jokes right?"
(Psh, that's old. I saw that coming a mile away.)
"What about them? That they're all half-meant?"
"You got it. But you still made one knowing this." He countered before giving her one last grin and heading off.
(Damn it.)
Kikuchi 2, Kanzaki 2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Again, thanks to those who took the time out to review the fic: Ninja Gaijin, Chareon, Allence of the Weed, GreatLight432, Reika, Aeris, Riyuji.Raicho, Anime Goddess, Scarlet, Seth7, and especially Luna Stop Swearing for the major props.
I had a harder time with this one than with the last two; I've lost count how many times I've watched and re-watched GTO to make sure the characters weren't OOC. Heh. =P
'Till the next chapter! =)
****
6 April 2004: Chapter 3 updated for typos.
By: Miguel Artadi
Disclaimer: I don't own GTO and any of the characters in it. I'd be rich if I did.
[ ] = Kikuchi's thoughts
( ) = Kanzaki's thoughts
[( )] = Collective thoughts
Chapter III - Foreplay: Irresistible Force, Immovable Object
"Mmm... good stuff. I miss the food here. Simple yet delicious, good bang for your buck." Kanzaki said as she twirled the last of her pasta.
"Things seldom turn out the way you think they would've huh?" she added thoughtfully.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Kikuchi asked.
"It's just funny how things go back full circle. Who would've thought that even after a decade or so, we'd find both ourselves here where it all began: Tokyo. Having lunch at the old neighborhood even."
"You know the saying: There's no place like home."
"Don't play smart with me dork.. You know what I'm trying to say."
"Just teasing, Kanzaki. So what've you been up to?
(Teasing? Him? I guess hanging with Onizuka all this time loosened him up.)
"I already told you last night. I've been working for Kanzaki Enterprises for the last couple years."
"Pssh. That can't be all of it. Come now, we barely heard from you. Only Onizuka got word from you on a regular basis. And when we did ask him about how you were, all he'd say was that the little brown and blue-eyed genius from hell had her shit together and was doing fine."
Urumi made a sour look.
"Okay fine, Mister I-want-all-the-nasty-little-details. I went straight to MIT after graduating. Figured I just wanted to get it over with, not that it was that hard mind you."
"'Course not."
"Shut up."
[Heh. Hot-blooded as ever.]
"Anyway, after MIT I took a year off just to see the rest of the world. I traveled anywhere and everywhere I could."
She started ticking off her fingers.
"I started off by checking out the rest of the American continent: Went around Canada and most of the South American countries. Then backpacked through France, Spain, Italy, England... basically a sizeable chunk of the 'Old World.' Then over to the Pacific; Australia and the rest of East and Southeast Asia."
"Nice. Who bankrolled it?"
Urumi grinned.
"The company of course. I said that if they wanted me to work for them, they pretty damn sure make it worth my while. I also convinced them that my having a more global market perspective would do them good in the long run; even though we both know I didn't exactly need it. Besides, God knows how much I've already made for them since I was a kid."
Kikuchi grinned back.
"True I guess. So when did the travel bug bite you? I don't recall you having a particular taste for it."
"To be honest... something that Onizuka told me back here in Tokyo. He said that people who thought that they understood everything intellectually annoyed him. It was a pretty simple statement, and I'm sure he didn't mean any more than that, but I kept thinking about it. All these years it stuck with me, and eventually hardened into some resolve where I no longer merely would KNOW facts about something, but actually appreciate and comprehend it first-hand."
[She HAS matured.]
"You mean things like the Gundam universe?" Yoshito asked lightheartedly.
Urumi narrowed her eyes.
(Oooohhh. You're gonna pay for that.)
"That's... not... funny."
[It is from where I'm sitting dear.]
"Seriously now, I get what you're trying to say I think. Correct me if I'm wrong, okay?" he added.
"Go ahead. Take your best shot, computer nerd." Kanzaki rolled her eyes and waved her hand, feigning boredom.
Kikuchi wore an amused expression on his face, readjusted his glasses and smirked inwardly.
[Hahaha. Picking a fight? Now you're gonna get it, sweetheart.] He decided to ignore that particular cheap shot.
"The way you were back in Seirin - the little genius from hell - as Onizuka puts it, you made a point to unnerve everyone with your mental capacity for facts and numbers. In hindsight, it was all pedantry; brilliant pedantry mind you, but it was still quite effective in terrorizing pretty much the entire teaching faculty, not to mention letting everyone else know that you weren't to be trifled with."
(Bah. Weak stuff.)
"Thank you for the history lesson. And your point is...?"
"Yes, well let me finish. Like I said, you lived up exactly to what your IQ score labeled you as: a genius extraordinaire. But what is genius anyway? Knowing hard facts and numbers about anything and everything isn't the be-all end-all of it. Look at Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel; that simple, indescribable awe that simply washes over you when you gaze up at the frescoes. His genius could be felt through his work. And that Kanzaki, was something you knew you didn't have."
Urumi felt uncomfortable. She shifted her eyes elsewhere.
"It's like if the old you was asked to describe what love was, and assuming you wouldn't go off-tangent with your 'passing on the genes argument,' you'd probably mechanically quote a line from W.B. Yeats. But it would be empty, since you never truly experienced what romantic love was."
Silence.
[Bingo.]
(How can you see right through me? Have I always been this transparent to you?)
Kikuchi 1, Kanzaki 0
She wasn't used to people reading her so easily. That unnerved her.
(Quick, say something. Anything!)
"So how does this tie in with my traveling?"
"I think you figured that the first thing necessary in fulfilling your potential was, for lack of a better term, experience. Experience what other people all over the world did and thought not only by reading about them or watching them on TV, but to actually be with them, and get to know them as human beings with their own distinct way of life."
Kanzaki hadn't felt this vulnerable, this... naked in a long time. She mentally rolled up her sleeves, and decided to change the subject, so as to score some hits of her own.
(Get a hold of yourself! No way in hell I'm letting him get away with that kind of humiliation.)
Urumi looked down on her empty plate and tucked some loose hair behind an ear with her hand.
[Eh? What the hell is she doing?]
"You've always seen through me, haven't you Kikuchi? But I have a confession to make. Ever since junior high, when we started hanging out together a lot with Onizuka and the gang, there's something that a part of me has always wanted to let you know. It's quite absurd really... I mean I just can't get it out of my head. You're going to think that it's really silly I know, but there's something I have to come clean about."
[She's trying something. Don't fall for it.]
"What're you trying to tell me Kanzaki?"
(Now for added drama...)
She made eye contact and stared as intensely and as deeply as she could at him, and held it. He returned the gaze, but could slowly feel those twin blues chip away at his resolve; not to mention becoming aware of tiny beads of sweat starting to roll down his shirt.
[Blergh, stop looking at me like that.]
She reached across the table, grabbed his hands and spoke again, softer this time. Kikuchi was bordering on sensory overload.
"Kikuchi... Kikuchi Yoshito... you and me. We'll be perfect together. Think about it, we're both smart, yet we're still worlds apart. We can balance each other out... like yin and yang." her voice was pleading.
"Let's get married, let's start a family of our own."
And for a microsecond, Yoshito's brain shorted out; just his luck he was sipping his coffee. He choked and spat out what was in his mouth, felt some of it go up his nose, and managed to spill the rest of his cup all over himself. Urumi looked up just in time to see her friend imitate The 3 Stooges all by his lonesome. She started laughing hysterically.
(Whoohooo!! I am sooo good. And bonus points for the coffee stains.)
"Hahaha! Gotcha!! Just kidding!! You know that's the first time I've ever caught you off guard like that." She said inbetween laughs while putting on her 'innocent' look.
[@#*(#%&!!! Why you little...]
"Ahhh... that's hoooot. Goddamn coffee. My dick's on fire. Thank you so much for that." Yoshito smarted, painfully.
"Anytime, dear."
Kikuchi 1, Kanzaki 2
(Poor guy. Ah well, all's fair in love and war...!??!!)
And for another microsecond, it was Kanzaki's turn to be confused by her own thoughts. She quickly interrupted it before it could gain a foothold in her mind.
"Good thing my old house is just a block from here. I can get a change of clothes easy. Do you have anywhere else to go after this?" he added.
"Just a business meeting. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"So that's why you're wearing colored contacts. Makes sense I guess."
"You know folks here, still enamored by blonde hair and blue eyes."
[An opening.]
"True. You gotta do what you gotta do for that competitive advantage. Though personally, I prefer your eyes' natural colors. It gives you more... character."
(You do? I never thought... ACK!!! Stop it! He's doing it again!)
"Uh-huh. Well, thanks. I think." Taken by surprise with that compliment, Urumi unconsciously started twirling her hair in her finger.
[Ah, hair twirling. Slow and steady wins the game.]
(Why is he hitting on me? Is he serious?)
Kikuchi 1.5, Kanzaki 2
"You're welcome." Yoshito replied cooly, glancing at his watch.
"Hey... I have to split. I have to talk with the security techs of the last corporate system I broke into in half an hour. And seeing as how my clothes have coffee stains all over them, I'm gonna have to get dressed. Again." He added dryly.
"Heehee. Sorry for that." Urumi giggled.
[You know, she's adorable when she laughs like that. It almost makes the prank worth it. ALMOST.] Kikuchi thought as he tried to clean himself up with napkins.
"No you're not." He retorted.
"Huh? I'm not what?"
"Sorry for making me spill coffee all over myself."
She laughed again.
"True. I had to see if I could catch you off-balance. It was a mighty interesting spectacle mind you. One worth remembering owing to its rarity." She said in a matter-of-fact tone while holding her index finger up.
"Bah. Anyway... I have to take my leave of you Kanzaki Urumi. It's been real nice talking with you; we should do this again." Yoshito grinningly replied while getting up from his end of the booth.
"We definitely should Kikuchi Yoshito." Urumi replied, getting up herself.
"It was great seeing you." She added while stepping forward and giving him a hug. And while not really knowing why... a quick peck on the cheek.
Kikuchi leaned in awkwardly to respond to his old friend's embrace and kiss, and then found himself holding her longer than he should.
[(Whoa...)]
They let go of each other, slightly blushing and embarrassed. Kikuchi fished in his pocket for a business card, scribbled his personal celfone number on it, and handed it to Urumi. She did the same.
"I'll call you."
(You better.)
"Okay, I'll hold you to that y'hear?"
"Hey now, when did I ever let you down? Oh and Kanzaki..." Kikuchi added before walking away.
"Yeah?"
"You know what they say about jokes right?"
(Psh, that's old. I saw that coming a mile away.)
"What about them? That they're all half-meant?"
"You got it. But you still made one knowing this." He countered before giving her one last grin and heading off.
(Damn it.)
Kikuchi 2, Kanzaki 2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Again, thanks to those who took the time out to review the fic: Ninja Gaijin, Chareon, Allence of the Weed, GreatLight432, Reika, Aeris, Riyuji.Raicho, Anime Goddess, Scarlet, Seth7, and especially Luna Stop Swearing for the major props.
I had a harder time with this one than with the last two; I've lost count how many times I've watched and re-watched GTO to make sure the characters weren't OOC. Heh. =P
'Till the next chapter! =)
****
6 April 2004: Chapter 3 updated for typos.