AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you guys haven't figured it out already; //--// implies thoughts. Just making sure. Thanks for all the feedback/comments! Keep them going! Enjoy!
CHAP 6 : TO DISCOVER
CHAP 6 RATING : PG
It was practically two in the morning when Keisuke opened the front door. Ryousuke had entirely lost track of time while working on his laptop. He could hear Keisuke's wearied footsteps intruding the stairs and into the quiet hallway. Ryousuke rotated his leather chair facing the doorway, knowing very well that his brother would barge in the door any second. His hypothesis was proved positive when--"Yo Bro!"--Keisuke threw open the entrance and took note of his brother's gaze at him. "Oh yeah huh, kinda home early tonight, eh? I went to the nightclub with the guys, I felt drowsy so came home." He flashed a tired grin at the foiled Ryousuke, "I think I'm getting sick, bro, I have these weird things screwing on me..."
"What weird things?" Ryousuke switched off his laptop and returned his questioning stare at Keisuke, who had plopped himself down comfortably on the bed.
"Uh...I feel nervous and exhausted, for no reason." Keisuke closed his eyes, with an arm across his forehead and continued, "Probably explains my over dosage on my wasted smokes." Ryousuke raised an eyebrow, arms folded. "Which reminds me, where do you buy your cigarettes, bro?" Ryousuke's arched eyebrow deepened as his face turned into a confused expression. //What kind of other stupid questions can Keisuke ask? Did he have an alcoholic beverage?//
"First off, my suggestion to you is to correspond yourself to more sleep. As I've told you many times before, overdoses on cigarettes are not healthy." Ryousuke swiveled his seat so that Keisuke's forehead was within reach, he gently replaced Keisuke's slung arm with his left hand. "You also have a slight fever, " he removed his hand, "You should also limit yourself when it comes to alcohol. It could damage your nervous system. I'm going downstairs to make you some warm organic coffee."
"Ew, coffee. I hate coffee, bro!" Keisuke was behaving like a spoiled youngster. Ryousuke sighed deeply, closed his eyes and reopened them. This night is going to be long...
"I see you drink it sometimes, so I thought--"
"Hey! That one time was different! We were in public during a headline interview for a magazine, I wanted to look...older. I also dumped enough sugar in that damn cup so I couldn't taste the coffee at all." Keisuke pouted. Ryousuke groaned. It was almost two thirty in the morning and his twenty-one-year old brother was acting...not quite his age. He had also set aside his hospital documents ever since Keisuke's phone call reported the victory gained by the new team in town; he was determined to increase his knowledge on this unfamilar team. His sleeping schedule last night wasn't all that great either, he went to bed around eleven and was awakened by an emergency phone call informing him to come into the hospital at two in the morning for a patient in critical condition. To top that all off, he had skipped his evening shower. Then, as if a divine act was cast on Keisuke, he opened his eyes to study the irritated facial expression on his slumberous older brother.
"Actually, just make me some Green Jasmine tea, that's the extent of my sophisticated drinking tastes. Make me any other tea flavors and this sickness of mine will start puking all over the house...and you will have to help me wipe it up!" Ryousuke sighed heavily and got up from his chair and headed downstairs, turning on all the lights. After all, who knew if Keisuke had misplaced anything sharp on the floor? Ryousuke shook his head as he thought about his disorganized brother. He was looking for the teabags when he came upon a fancy colored ramen noodle cup. It was probably Keisuke's. The designs on the container made it look exquisitely attractive. Just then, as if a mere coincidence had happened, his stomach growled. He had also forgotten to eat ever since last night.
"Arugh." Ryousuke was waiting for the tea to get done as he turned back to analyze the ramen noodles. His body had been running on coffee for energy and the caffeine was enough to make him feel irrational hamster on steroids. He tore open the package without further thought and poured in the leftover boiling water. He lifted the teapot lid to examine the tea. Not even close to being dark. He shrugged slightly and reached for a pair of chopsticks to begin his meal.
The noodles had a fresh chewy texture and the soup base smelled chunky and full of flavor. But just as he was taking his second savor out of his newfound treasure, his tongue incorporated jalapeño spices. He paused halfway between his chopsticks' acknowledgment into his mouth and did something totally unlike his original calm, cool, leader-of-Project-D- self. He widened his eyes and squealed slighty into the steaming container. The squeal wasn't loud enough for upstairs to hear, or at least he hoped not. He quickly placed away his burdened cup of noodles into the toaster oven and dashed over to the refrigerator to locate some cold water.
"Finally. Jeez, bro. What took so long?" Keisuke still had his eyes closed, resting on his bed, with a facial expression comparable to a dog who was experiencing intoxication. He peered open his eyelids, "Holy freaking shit! What happened to your face?! It's freaking red! And oh! Your lips! They look like you got punched! Did you just take your FC out and dove into a gangster fight? Bro!" Ryousuke couldn't help but roll his eyes. This was seriously enough to be considered a night. He glanced at his clock. Three thirty. His body had made it through the day consisting of; three hours of sleep, countless cups of coffee and a moderate dab of ramen noodles.
"Keisuke, here's your tea. I'm surprised you haven't fallen asleep yet. And no, for your information, your brother didn't drive his car out at three thirty in the morning to get into a gang fight." With that, Ryousuke held out a tall white glass of warm tea and silently motioned his brother to get out of his bedroom.
"Thanks." Keisuke rose up with the glass and soon in a standing position. He nodded to his brother and headed to his room. Ryousuke switched off the faint nightstand lights and didn't bother to change his clothes as he jumped--or almost hurdled himself--into the warm, silky, comfy blankets and slept like a child...with cherry-red lips.
---
"What the hell? Kakumi! Answer your damn door!" Mitsuko pounded on her friend's door some more until she heard footsteps from the other side of the door and then the entrance swung open to reveal a Kakumi in a white robe, rubbing her eyes. "It's already noon, girl."
"Oh? I'm still tired from last night. It feels as if I just slept for three hours. Heh heh." Kakumi's laugh sounded almost like plastic as she locked her door. She headed to the kitchen and brought back two glasses of orange juice.
"I think you're either getting really sick or your new engine is seriously messing with your brain." Kakumi laid her head down on the kitchen counter and snored in response. "Oh. My. Gosh. You sleepyhead..." Mitsuko reluctantly carried her friend to a nearby sofa and found a blanket to drape over her. She dialed Shinji's number. "Shinji? Mitsuko. I don't think Kakumi is going to Akagi. I guess it's just us. Ha ha ha, alright, I will. See you then. Bye."
Mitsuko wrote a note and stuck it onto the refrigerator with a frog magnet. She couldn't help but comment to herself about how neat the kitchen is. Not that the rest of Kakumi's apartment was extremely messy, she knew how lazy it could get when you move around so much with the amount of crap to unpack each time. She helped herself to Kakumi's refrigerator, knowing for a fact, there would be something unusually fancy in there to nibble on--if Kakumi was known for anything else, it would be cooking. Indeed, categorized by texture and colors, were classy Italian cakes, perfectly laid upon silver platters. "Holy cow." Muttered Mitsuko, as she helped herself to the sweet treats her friend had made. "So this is why that retard has been hanging around her kitchen." She grinned at the thought of Kakumi yelling for invading her "food privacy" without permission, again. Not that Kakumi would do such a thing, she could care less if random people came into her kitchen and started robbing food. That girl had a fond for sharing her cooked goods. Which is probably why the team doted on her so much for culinary ideas. Minutes after cleaning after herself, she locked the door and left.
---
CHAP 7 : MEET YOU THERE
CHAP 6 : TO DISCOVER
CHAP 6 RATING : PG
It was practically two in the morning when Keisuke opened the front door. Ryousuke had entirely lost track of time while working on his laptop. He could hear Keisuke's wearied footsteps intruding the stairs and into the quiet hallway. Ryousuke rotated his leather chair facing the doorway, knowing very well that his brother would barge in the door any second. His hypothesis was proved positive when--"Yo Bro!"--Keisuke threw open the entrance and took note of his brother's gaze at him. "Oh yeah huh, kinda home early tonight, eh? I went to the nightclub with the guys, I felt drowsy so came home." He flashed a tired grin at the foiled Ryousuke, "I think I'm getting sick, bro, I have these weird things screwing on me..."
"What weird things?" Ryousuke switched off his laptop and returned his questioning stare at Keisuke, who had plopped himself down comfortably on the bed.
"Uh...I feel nervous and exhausted, for no reason." Keisuke closed his eyes, with an arm across his forehead and continued, "Probably explains my over dosage on my wasted smokes." Ryousuke raised an eyebrow, arms folded. "Which reminds me, where do you buy your cigarettes, bro?" Ryousuke's arched eyebrow deepened as his face turned into a confused expression. //What kind of other stupid questions can Keisuke ask? Did he have an alcoholic beverage?//
"First off, my suggestion to you is to correspond yourself to more sleep. As I've told you many times before, overdoses on cigarettes are not healthy." Ryousuke swiveled his seat so that Keisuke's forehead was within reach, he gently replaced Keisuke's slung arm with his left hand. "You also have a slight fever, " he removed his hand, "You should also limit yourself when it comes to alcohol. It could damage your nervous system. I'm going downstairs to make you some warm organic coffee."
"Ew, coffee. I hate coffee, bro!" Keisuke was behaving like a spoiled youngster. Ryousuke sighed deeply, closed his eyes and reopened them. This night is going to be long...
"I see you drink it sometimes, so I thought--"
"Hey! That one time was different! We were in public during a headline interview for a magazine, I wanted to look...older. I also dumped enough sugar in that damn cup so I couldn't taste the coffee at all." Keisuke pouted. Ryousuke groaned. It was almost two thirty in the morning and his twenty-one-year old brother was acting...not quite his age. He had also set aside his hospital documents ever since Keisuke's phone call reported the victory gained by the new team in town; he was determined to increase his knowledge on this unfamilar team. His sleeping schedule last night wasn't all that great either, he went to bed around eleven and was awakened by an emergency phone call informing him to come into the hospital at two in the morning for a patient in critical condition. To top that all off, he had skipped his evening shower. Then, as if a divine act was cast on Keisuke, he opened his eyes to study the irritated facial expression on his slumberous older brother.
"Actually, just make me some Green Jasmine tea, that's the extent of my sophisticated drinking tastes. Make me any other tea flavors and this sickness of mine will start puking all over the house...and you will have to help me wipe it up!" Ryousuke sighed heavily and got up from his chair and headed downstairs, turning on all the lights. After all, who knew if Keisuke had misplaced anything sharp on the floor? Ryousuke shook his head as he thought about his disorganized brother. He was looking for the teabags when he came upon a fancy colored ramen noodle cup. It was probably Keisuke's. The designs on the container made it look exquisitely attractive. Just then, as if a mere coincidence had happened, his stomach growled. He had also forgotten to eat ever since last night.
"Arugh." Ryousuke was waiting for the tea to get done as he turned back to analyze the ramen noodles. His body had been running on coffee for energy and the caffeine was enough to make him feel irrational hamster on steroids. He tore open the package without further thought and poured in the leftover boiling water. He lifted the teapot lid to examine the tea. Not even close to being dark. He shrugged slightly and reached for a pair of chopsticks to begin his meal.
The noodles had a fresh chewy texture and the soup base smelled chunky and full of flavor. But just as he was taking his second savor out of his newfound treasure, his tongue incorporated jalapeño spices. He paused halfway between his chopsticks' acknowledgment into his mouth and did something totally unlike his original calm, cool, leader-of-Project-D- self. He widened his eyes and squealed slighty into the steaming container. The squeal wasn't loud enough for upstairs to hear, or at least he hoped not. He quickly placed away his burdened cup of noodles into the toaster oven and dashed over to the refrigerator to locate some cold water.
"Finally. Jeez, bro. What took so long?" Keisuke still had his eyes closed, resting on his bed, with a facial expression comparable to a dog who was experiencing intoxication. He peered open his eyelids, "Holy freaking shit! What happened to your face?! It's freaking red! And oh! Your lips! They look like you got punched! Did you just take your FC out and dove into a gangster fight? Bro!" Ryousuke couldn't help but roll his eyes. This was seriously enough to be considered a night. He glanced at his clock. Three thirty. His body had made it through the day consisting of; three hours of sleep, countless cups of coffee and a moderate dab of ramen noodles.
"Keisuke, here's your tea. I'm surprised you haven't fallen asleep yet. And no, for your information, your brother didn't drive his car out at three thirty in the morning to get into a gang fight." With that, Ryousuke held out a tall white glass of warm tea and silently motioned his brother to get out of his bedroom.
"Thanks." Keisuke rose up with the glass and soon in a standing position. He nodded to his brother and headed to his room. Ryousuke switched off the faint nightstand lights and didn't bother to change his clothes as he jumped--or almost hurdled himself--into the warm, silky, comfy blankets and slept like a child...with cherry-red lips.
---
"What the hell? Kakumi! Answer your damn door!" Mitsuko pounded on her friend's door some more until she heard footsteps from the other side of the door and then the entrance swung open to reveal a Kakumi in a white robe, rubbing her eyes. "It's already noon, girl."
"Oh? I'm still tired from last night. It feels as if I just slept for three hours. Heh heh." Kakumi's laugh sounded almost like plastic as she locked her door. She headed to the kitchen and brought back two glasses of orange juice.
"I think you're either getting really sick or your new engine is seriously messing with your brain." Kakumi laid her head down on the kitchen counter and snored in response. "Oh. My. Gosh. You sleepyhead..." Mitsuko reluctantly carried her friend to a nearby sofa and found a blanket to drape over her. She dialed Shinji's number. "Shinji? Mitsuko. I don't think Kakumi is going to Akagi. I guess it's just us. Ha ha ha, alright, I will. See you then. Bye."
Mitsuko wrote a note and stuck it onto the refrigerator with a frog magnet. She couldn't help but comment to herself about how neat the kitchen is. Not that the rest of Kakumi's apartment was extremely messy, she knew how lazy it could get when you move around so much with the amount of crap to unpack each time. She helped herself to Kakumi's refrigerator, knowing for a fact, there would be something unusually fancy in there to nibble on--if Kakumi was known for anything else, it would be cooking. Indeed, categorized by texture and colors, were classy Italian cakes, perfectly laid upon silver platters. "Holy cow." Muttered Mitsuko, as she helped herself to the sweet treats her friend had made. "So this is why that retard has been hanging around her kitchen." She grinned at the thought of Kakumi yelling for invading her "food privacy" without permission, again. Not that Kakumi would do such a thing, she could care less if random people came into her kitchen and started robbing food. That girl had a fond for sharing her cooked goods. Which is probably why the team doted on her so much for culinary ideas. Minutes after cleaning after herself, she locked the door and left.
---
CHAP 7 : MEET YOU THERE