Forgotten Love-Part 5
Disclaimer: I own only Keiko, you wanna use her, then that's fine, just ask beforehand ^_^ Just don't mangle her ~ ~ ~
Artificial sunlight will never be the same as the real thing and that was the thought Keiko woke up with the next day. She wanted to feel the true warmth of their solar systems' star when she realized that is was fake light that had woken her. This day was much brighter than yesterday and warmer too. There wouldn't be any rain today, only heat.
Groggily she rolled over, noticed the clock read 9:17, and thanked God that she worked at home. She pulled the covers over her head and tried to go back to sleep because she still felt so lifeless. She must have dozed off because when she woke again it was to the smell of burning food. Not just burnt, charred.
She sat bolt upright as the reek invaded her nose, slipped on her semi- transparent blue robe over her nightdress and hurried downstairs, where the air was even worse.
Wufei and Duo were side by side and slung out the kitchen window trying to breathe while Quatre, Trowa, and Heero threw open more windows and turned on the ceiling fans.
"What the hell is wrong with your stove onna?!" Wufei choked, noticing Keiko.
"Ugh, I should have warned you guys not to mess with it," she groaned, opening up the back door which lead to the porch. " That thing is evil, I'm going to replace it as soon as I can."
" It's not able to be fixed?" Duo asked, sticking his head in.
She shook her head. "No, the thing's ancient. I wouldn't be surprised if it just fell apart while we were standing here.."
Everyone simultaneously cast a glance at the oven. It sat there, motionless. Definitely notdisintegrating before them.
"So, erm, what exactly were you trying to cook? Those black disks on the counter there can't really be identified," Keiko said.
Wufei fell back inside, nose wrinkling from the light remaining smell. "Those," he stated pointing to one pile, " were supposed to be hash browns, and those are the remains of pancakes."
"Compliments of Warrior Man trying to cook here," Duo nodded towards Wufei. " A note of caution; don't eat or drink anything he gives you. You might end up in the hospital with food poisoning..or just find yourself conveniently in a dead sleep for a few hours." He finished with a cocky grin.
"You told me that he never figured out about that!" Quatre exclaimed.
Wufei was flabbergasted and attempted to speak, his face turning from dull rose to full out tomato red when he realized Duo had insulted his cooking. "Why..you...Maxwell...GAH!" Duo scrambled to move as Wufei launched himself at him. The next moment, they were wrestling around on the floor; pulling hair, scratching and punching. Keiko made a move to stop them but Heero took her arm and kept her still.
"Shouldn't we...?"
Heero shook his head. " They have one of theses scuffles usually every two months. Best to get it out of their system now." A high pitched, girlish shriek interrupted him, luckily it couldn't be distinguished from the two.
"Whoa."
"Yeah, you get used to those outbursts after a while..."
Duo squirmed, covering his face with his hands, then screamed out a lewd comment. Wufei froze, gasped and clutched his nose. The other lay waiting for the blood to come so the boy would rush of to the bathroom in a tissy, but nothing happened. Duo tried again, yelling every obscenity he could think of; Wufei flinched with each saying, but his face remained blood free. Then he realized the lack of wetness on his face and touched his upper lip, felt nothing, and grinned. In one cat-like motion Wufei's curled fist slung directly at the mans face beneath him. Duo swore violently at the connection and rolled out from under his attacker. Once clear he shot to his feet and pounced back at him.
" How about we leave them alone to duke it out?" Trowa suggested casually, stepping over the two men struggling on the ground and moved to the doorway. " They won't break anything, they never do. Only themselves."
"Sure..why not?" Keiko replied absently. " We can go in the .....living room...." She cast a concerned look over her shoulder as Heero led her out of the kitchen. The living room was much more ordinary than the parlor. There was only a deep forest couch, a telephone beside a lamp, a small bookcase and a big screen television.
"Miss Yamikachi, you live rather close to the area that the serial killer has been acting in," Quatre stated sitting. " Aren't you ever frightened living in this big house by yourself?"
She smiled in response. " No, I am not afraid. I have no reason to fear him. Please don't think of me as being naïve because I am well informed on all the incidents- the police chief and I are good friends. All those women who have been raped and killed were either prostitutes or coming back from the bar after wallowing in their own intoxication.." Her eyes deepened. " They made poor choices, doing what they did. Of course I feel remorse for the loss of their life, but I can't help but think that if they had only made wiser decisions it wouldn't have happened. If you keep a level head and think through things, you'll be alright, that's what I do."
" They were all raped then killed?" Trowa asked. " They never mentioned that on the news back home. Or the fact that the victims were prostitutes or intoxicated..."
Keiko frowned. "The media is messed up sometimes. How are people supposed to be educated on what's going on if they aren't informed? But it is awful isn't it? I can't imagine the fear that must have coursed through them..."
" How have they been killed?"
"The police chief didn't give me the exact method, he just said from blood loss so obviously they were stabbed or something similar." She leaned her head against Heero's shoulder, and closed her eyes. His scent..it was coming from his blue jacket. She felt herself sigh softly. She had always loved the smell of his cologne. It was slightly spicy, but still wonderful. I'm so content, happy, joyful, every positive word I can think of, she thought. All the negative feelings are gone, they were poured out into my book, but it still had a happy ending- how did I ever create one? It definitely wasn't like this, or was it? I think it was similar..but this isn't even the end yet. It's just the start. God, don't let it end. Never.
"Don't you ever get lonely here without anyone?" Heero questioned, wondering if she was asleep.
Without moving or opening her golden lashes she smiled softly, " No. My mother visits me all the time. And Rykoshi's friend comes over from time to time- Alex. Every now and then they both come over. I don't mind it so long as Alex asks beforehand. I think Rykoshi recognized his error though, he hasn't done a single thing to me since, and he can actually be pretty nice."
"No girl friends?" He felt her tighten up.
"I still don't get along well with other girls really. I only have Mia and Chikyuu."
"Still?" His arm went around her back.
"Unfortunately. I don't know why..." But she knew. She had always known. But she had never told Heero about it. During college and the end of high school she was beautiful enough to have gotten any guy she wanted. Every day brought a new admirer, and new enemies. It was ironic. She had never been popular as popularity itself is, but she had been known for her looks at that was it. She still recalled the hateful words the jealous girls had said.
Whore
Slut
Why the hell are all the guys interested in her? All she does is read and study- what a fucking nerd.
She's pretty, but I've never seen her do anything but work. And she hardly speaks..
I heard she had a boyfriend and that when the war started he went off to fight but he never came back. She probably wasn't cool enough to keep him interested. Heh, what a loser. Her lover ran off with someone else.
That was all the boys were interested in, they didn't want to become friends first, get to know her, or be interested in what she was. All they wanted was to bring her home to a silent house and a bed that pleaded for someone to sleep in it. Keiko denied every offer she had ever gotten; she had no interest in a liaison. During those years she spent most of her time on the Internet trying to come across any news about Heero and where he could be. She never found much except for a few feeble Gundam sitings, and one evening after a very stressful day at school, she sat down and poured all the sadness in her soul through a fountain pen onto a manuscript.
"That reminds me, she called me the other day and said she would be over for lunch tomorrow.."
"Mia?"
Keiko straightened, and tossed the remote to Trowa who was inconspicuously looking for it. "No, my mom."
"Lelita-san.."
Keiko smiled. " You, Alex and Mia are the only ones who call her that. Everyone else uses her first name- though I know she hates it, but she wants to be proper and all."
"TRUCE!" Duo bellowed from the kitchen. Trowa and Quatre perked up for a moment, then returned to the television.
"Right. Anyway, you know how yesterday I mentioned that we should go on a picnic?" she asked them all. "do you want to still go? I was thinking we could go the lake- that way we could swim and all that fun stuff."
Quatre glanced outside, made a cute little pondering face and nodded. " I would think the weather would be perfect for swimming. When do you want to go?"
"Whenever you guys are all ready," she replied ^_^. "I'm not on a tight schedule- any schedule actu-"She swiveled in her seat when she heard a moan come from the hallway. Wufei (he had a bloody lip) leaned against the wall, supporting Duo against him, who was limply hung over like a rag doll, hair obscuring his face.
"Before you go anywhere," Wufei said sluggishly. " Baka here needs to be fixed up a bit..And I need to wrap my fingers, I punched him kinda hard..."
"Please," Duo groaned lifting up his head. " Please tell me you have ice."
Keiko's eyes widened at the heart shaped purple bruise that was already appearing on his cheekbone. Then she burst into laughter, Heero and Trowa both chuckled, and Quatre tried to look concerned without showing his amusement.
"What the fuck makes this so funny? Quit laughing you bastards! Oh! Ow! My face! Stoppit!" he cried, face twisting with rage and pain. It just made them laugh harder.
"You're going to have a heart on you face Duo!" Keiko gasped, clutching her stomach
* * *
" Cheer up Duo, it's not permanent," Trowa stated as they walked to the lakes edge; he pulled off his shirt and shoes. " That funky looking thing on your face will only last for a week....or two."
Duo's lip twitched in an attempted snarl, but he didn't manage to get all the way there before he clamped his hand over the spot and moaned.
" Smile Duo," Keiko coached sincerely. Her golden hair was now in two neat plaits and she wore a large off-white T-shirt over her turquoise one- piece swimsuit. He tried, but it looked more like a face disfigurement.
"For the love of God don't smile! You'll terrify the children!" Wufei teased.
Duo made a swipe at him but Wufei jumped back. He stuck his tongue out. " Shinigami's a little slow today! Ha!" he turned, ran to the wooden pier, and sat at its end. Duo looked down into the water and gently touched his marred face with his fingertips.
"Does it really look that gruesome?" he whispered, then continued to stroll along towards the pier.
Keiko caught up with him and lightly tugged his braid to get his attention. " It's not that bad Duo. Really it isn't. It's just a little puffy, but it's okay! The aspirin made the swelling go down. If you're that self-conscious about it, I can let you have some of my concealer when we get back home."
" You will?"
"Sure!"
"Aw man thank you so much!" he yelled and gave her such a huge hug that she was lifted off the ground.
"Ack! Okay, you're welcome..Duo, Keiko can't breathe..." she grunted in his arms.
He dropped her and a crafty look shimmered in his violet eyes. " Thanks Keiko, now, if you'll excuse me...I have some business that needs to be taken care of..hehehe." He turned, raced down the pier, and shoved Wufei into the water.
" Damn you Maxwell!," he screamed when he surfaced. "I was still in my fucking clothes- and my shoes!"
Duo cackled and did a little victory dance. "Consider it payback 'fie!" Wufei sunk down and muttered beneath the water, bubbles breaking when they reached the surface.
Keiko giggled and set her shoes down on the wood. As she turned, out of the corner of her eye she saw Heero barreling down on her wearing his blue swim trunks. She shrieked playfully as he collided with her in an attempt to push her in. " I'm not going down without you!" she laughed, latching onto his wrists and shifting her weight so she fell backwards. A smile that showed in his eyes graced Heero's face as they dropped, and only Keiko heard the laugh that escaped his lips an instance before the water surrounded them.
The water was cold and deep where they had toppled in, at least nine feet. She felt Heero embrace her as a storm of tiny, tickling bubbles migrated for the surface. He kissed her neck and a shiver went down her back, but she laughed anyway. Several bubbles came out instead, but Heero got what it meant by her smile. He moved in again, his long hair tracing her face, making her laugh once more; it was silenced by another kiss.
She drew back after what seemed like forever and swam up to the surface, lungs burning. As Keiko broke out of the water she was met with pairs of smug eyes.
"Oh la la," Trowa purred.
" That was so cute," Quatre said. " Finally you two showed some affection towards each other."
"Shouldn't have been so deep though, it was too hard to see," Duo finished.
"They were just fine where they were Duo! Don't give them any ideas!" Wufei screamed from the other side of the pier.
Heero laughed softly, swimming closer to Keiko. " Jeez Duo, a little deprived are we?"
"Yes...sad isn't it?"
"Very," Keiko replied.
"Let's not keep the poor man waiting," Heero said, taking her face in his hands and kissing her deeply, but gently.
The three young men on the pier hollered and yelled, drowning out Wufei's scream of agony and he dunked himself under water.
* * *
There was a knock on her apartment later that week. Causally she set her book down and peered through the glass peephole of her and her mother's apartment.
"It's that boy," she murmured. "Heero." She wondered whether it was a good or bad thing that her mother wasn't home for his second visit. Her mom amazingly had liked Heero- it was a first for her to like any of Keiko's male acquaintances. She didn't under the chain but she opened the door with a smile. "Hello..."
Heero nodded. " 'Llo. I, um, came to return your scarf. And I wanted to thank you for the tea you gave me the other day... May I come in?"
She hesitated. After all, she had just met the man, and being bold out on the public streets was much different than being alone in the same house with him.
"I understand, you want me to come in because you're probably by yourself so I'll just give this too you then" He handed her a large brown paper bag and turned back to the stairs.
" Whoa, wait! Wait! You can come in, but only for a short while. At least warm up, it's another cold day. Come in, come in."
She took his damp navy jacket to the dryer and gave him a thick blanket to wrap up in while they sat in the kitchen waiting for the tea to brew. He managed to keep a much better conversation with her today that he had yesterday, and for this she was glad. There was nothing worse than having to deal with a dead silence. Finally the kettle whistled and she poured them each a mug of her tea.
She waited anxiously to see his reaction to the drink because most people spazzed at the first sip. Keiko was shocked when Heero sipped it, and didn't even have a reaction. Then he looked up, gave a tiny smile and said, " We both like our ginger tea strong. What a coincidence."
She was silenced by surprise, then she smiled. "Yeah, it's weird. No one else can stand it. You're the only other person besides my mother who can."
"Will you open the bag?" Heero asked softly.
"Huh? It just has my scarf in it does...Oh, well sure." She picked up the bag from the tabletop and looked in. Her scarf was on the bottom but she hardly noticed it because lying atop it were 6 blushing pink roses. "Oh..Heero, thank you so much. That's so nice of you." She looked up; he was standing by her side.
"I have to go now, but since I returned to you what's rightfully yours, and given you a gift, I want something in return," he said softly, his deep eyes giving no indication of his emotions.
Keiko's stomach dropped and the worst thought raced through her mind. "W-What?" she stammered quietly.
Heero lowered his head swiftly and gave her a soft chaste kiss on the corner of her mouth. "That, only that Keiko. I could never hurt you, know that." He was pulling on his jacket at the front door before Keiko reacted.
"Hold on!" she cried grabbing his arm to keep him from leaving. " You can't just kiss me and leave without me telling you anything."
His eyes lowered in shame. "It was nice Heero." His eyes flew up. "It was kind of you to give me the flowers. And your kiss wasn't bad at all...So thank you."
"You're welcome," he whispered. "I'll see you around Keiko."
"You will come see me again won't you? After all, I'm fifteen-perfectly able to handle a relationship and everything, you won't just give me my first kiss then leave for good wi-"
He spun back around and kissed her again, longer and sweeter, a little less chaste, but still a virtuous kiss. "I said, 'I'll see you around'," he reminded firmly. " I'm not leaving for good. I'll visit another time."
He smiled, hugged her, then was gone. Keiko back up against her sofa and used that for support because her legs were trembling too much to hold her up. She touched her mouth softly, then smiled. "My first and second kiss," she murmured. "It wasn't scary at all."
~ ~ ~
Yay! I got that chapter done. I made it longer- I think- to make up for missing February's update. And I have so much in my head right now that the next chapter SHOULD be up on schedule. Hopefully. No guarantees because schools getting evil right now, but I'll try. Luv, Vela-chan. P.s. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. They are the only thing that keeps me writing *hint hint * And can someone PLEASE tell me how to italicize stuff without it getting returned to normal font? Pleasepleasepleasepleeeaaaaaase????
Disclaimer: I own only Keiko, you wanna use her, then that's fine, just ask beforehand ^_^ Just don't mangle her ~ ~ ~
Artificial sunlight will never be the same as the real thing and that was the thought Keiko woke up with the next day. She wanted to feel the true warmth of their solar systems' star when she realized that is was fake light that had woken her. This day was much brighter than yesterday and warmer too. There wouldn't be any rain today, only heat.
Groggily she rolled over, noticed the clock read 9:17, and thanked God that she worked at home. She pulled the covers over her head and tried to go back to sleep because she still felt so lifeless. She must have dozed off because when she woke again it was to the smell of burning food. Not just burnt, charred.
She sat bolt upright as the reek invaded her nose, slipped on her semi- transparent blue robe over her nightdress and hurried downstairs, where the air was even worse.
Wufei and Duo were side by side and slung out the kitchen window trying to breathe while Quatre, Trowa, and Heero threw open more windows and turned on the ceiling fans.
"What the hell is wrong with your stove onna?!" Wufei choked, noticing Keiko.
"Ugh, I should have warned you guys not to mess with it," she groaned, opening up the back door which lead to the porch. " That thing is evil, I'm going to replace it as soon as I can."
" It's not able to be fixed?" Duo asked, sticking his head in.
She shook her head. "No, the thing's ancient. I wouldn't be surprised if it just fell apart while we were standing here.."
Everyone simultaneously cast a glance at the oven. It sat there, motionless. Definitely notdisintegrating before them.
"So, erm, what exactly were you trying to cook? Those black disks on the counter there can't really be identified," Keiko said.
Wufei fell back inside, nose wrinkling from the light remaining smell. "Those," he stated pointing to one pile, " were supposed to be hash browns, and those are the remains of pancakes."
"Compliments of Warrior Man trying to cook here," Duo nodded towards Wufei. " A note of caution; don't eat or drink anything he gives you. You might end up in the hospital with food poisoning..or just find yourself conveniently in a dead sleep for a few hours." He finished with a cocky grin.
"You told me that he never figured out about that!" Quatre exclaimed.
Wufei was flabbergasted and attempted to speak, his face turning from dull rose to full out tomato red when he realized Duo had insulted his cooking. "Why..you...Maxwell...GAH!" Duo scrambled to move as Wufei launched himself at him. The next moment, they were wrestling around on the floor; pulling hair, scratching and punching. Keiko made a move to stop them but Heero took her arm and kept her still.
"Shouldn't we...?"
Heero shook his head. " They have one of theses scuffles usually every two months. Best to get it out of their system now." A high pitched, girlish shriek interrupted him, luckily it couldn't be distinguished from the two.
"Whoa."
"Yeah, you get used to those outbursts after a while..."
Duo squirmed, covering his face with his hands, then screamed out a lewd comment. Wufei froze, gasped and clutched his nose. The other lay waiting for the blood to come so the boy would rush of to the bathroom in a tissy, but nothing happened. Duo tried again, yelling every obscenity he could think of; Wufei flinched with each saying, but his face remained blood free. Then he realized the lack of wetness on his face and touched his upper lip, felt nothing, and grinned. In one cat-like motion Wufei's curled fist slung directly at the mans face beneath him. Duo swore violently at the connection and rolled out from under his attacker. Once clear he shot to his feet and pounced back at him.
" How about we leave them alone to duke it out?" Trowa suggested casually, stepping over the two men struggling on the ground and moved to the doorway. " They won't break anything, they never do. Only themselves."
"Sure..why not?" Keiko replied absently. " We can go in the .....living room...." She cast a concerned look over her shoulder as Heero led her out of the kitchen. The living room was much more ordinary than the parlor. There was only a deep forest couch, a telephone beside a lamp, a small bookcase and a big screen television.
"Miss Yamikachi, you live rather close to the area that the serial killer has been acting in," Quatre stated sitting. " Aren't you ever frightened living in this big house by yourself?"
She smiled in response. " No, I am not afraid. I have no reason to fear him. Please don't think of me as being naïve because I am well informed on all the incidents- the police chief and I are good friends. All those women who have been raped and killed were either prostitutes or coming back from the bar after wallowing in their own intoxication.." Her eyes deepened. " They made poor choices, doing what they did. Of course I feel remorse for the loss of their life, but I can't help but think that if they had only made wiser decisions it wouldn't have happened. If you keep a level head and think through things, you'll be alright, that's what I do."
" They were all raped then killed?" Trowa asked. " They never mentioned that on the news back home. Or the fact that the victims were prostitutes or intoxicated..."
Keiko frowned. "The media is messed up sometimes. How are people supposed to be educated on what's going on if they aren't informed? But it is awful isn't it? I can't imagine the fear that must have coursed through them..."
" How have they been killed?"
"The police chief didn't give me the exact method, he just said from blood loss so obviously they were stabbed or something similar." She leaned her head against Heero's shoulder, and closed her eyes. His scent..it was coming from his blue jacket. She felt herself sigh softly. She had always loved the smell of his cologne. It was slightly spicy, but still wonderful. I'm so content, happy, joyful, every positive word I can think of, she thought. All the negative feelings are gone, they were poured out into my book, but it still had a happy ending- how did I ever create one? It definitely wasn't like this, or was it? I think it was similar..but this isn't even the end yet. It's just the start. God, don't let it end. Never.
"Don't you ever get lonely here without anyone?" Heero questioned, wondering if she was asleep.
Without moving or opening her golden lashes she smiled softly, " No. My mother visits me all the time. And Rykoshi's friend comes over from time to time- Alex. Every now and then they both come over. I don't mind it so long as Alex asks beforehand. I think Rykoshi recognized his error though, he hasn't done a single thing to me since, and he can actually be pretty nice."
"No girl friends?" He felt her tighten up.
"I still don't get along well with other girls really. I only have Mia and Chikyuu."
"Still?" His arm went around her back.
"Unfortunately. I don't know why..." But she knew. She had always known. But she had never told Heero about it. During college and the end of high school she was beautiful enough to have gotten any guy she wanted. Every day brought a new admirer, and new enemies. It was ironic. She had never been popular as popularity itself is, but she had been known for her looks at that was it. She still recalled the hateful words the jealous girls had said.
Whore
Slut
Why the hell are all the guys interested in her? All she does is read and study- what a fucking nerd.
She's pretty, but I've never seen her do anything but work. And she hardly speaks..
I heard she had a boyfriend and that when the war started he went off to fight but he never came back. She probably wasn't cool enough to keep him interested. Heh, what a loser. Her lover ran off with someone else.
That was all the boys were interested in, they didn't want to become friends first, get to know her, or be interested in what she was. All they wanted was to bring her home to a silent house and a bed that pleaded for someone to sleep in it. Keiko denied every offer she had ever gotten; she had no interest in a liaison. During those years she spent most of her time on the Internet trying to come across any news about Heero and where he could be. She never found much except for a few feeble Gundam sitings, and one evening after a very stressful day at school, she sat down and poured all the sadness in her soul through a fountain pen onto a manuscript.
"That reminds me, she called me the other day and said she would be over for lunch tomorrow.."
"Mia?"
Keiko straightened, and tossed the remote to Trowa who was inconspicuously looking for it. "No, my mom."
"Lelita-san.."
Keiko smiled. " You, Alex and Mia are the only ones who call her that. Everyone else uses her first name- though I know she hates it, but she wants to be proper and all."
"TRUCE!" Duo bellowed from the kitchen. Trowa and Quatre perked up for a moment, then returned to the television.
"Right. Anyway, you know how yesterday I mentioned that we should go on a picnic?" she asked them all. "do you want to still go? I was thinking we could go the lake- that way we could swim and all that fun stuff."
Quatre glanced outside, made a cute little pondering face and nodded. " I would think the weather would be perfect for swimming. When do you want to go?"
"Whenever you guys are all ready," she replied ^_^. "I'm not on a tight schedule- any schedule actu-"She swiveled in her seat when she heard a moan come from the hallway. Wufei (he had a bloody lip) leaned against the wall, supporting Duo against him, who was limply hung over like a rag doll, hair obscuring his face.
"Before you go anywhere," Wufei said sluggishly. " Baka here needs to be fixed up a bit..And I need to wrap my fingers, I punched him kinda hard..."
"Please," Duo groaned lifting up his head. " Please tell me you have ice."
Keiko's eyes widened at the heart shaped purple bruise that was already appearing on his cheekbone. Then she burst into laughter, Heero and Trowa both chuckled, and Quatre tried to look concerned without showing his amusement.
"What the fuck makes this so funny? Quit laughing you bastards! Oh! Ow! My face! Stoppit!" he cried, face twisting with rage and pain. It just made them laugh harder.
"You're going to have a heart on you face Duo!" Keiko gasped, clutching her stomach
* * *
" Cheer up Duo, it's not permanent," Trowa stated as they walked to the lakes edge; he pulled off his shirt and shoes. " That funky looking thing on your face will only last for a week....or two."
Duo's lip twitched in an attempted snarl, but he didn't manage to get all the way there before he clamped his hand over the spot and moaned.
" Smile Duo," Keiko coached sincerely. Her golden hair was now in two neat plaits and she wore a large off-white T-shirt over her turquoise one- piece swimsuit. He tried, but it looked more like a face disfigurement.
"For the love of God don't smile! You'll terrify the children!" Wufei teased.
Duo made a swipe at him but Wufei jumped back. He stuck his tongue out. " Shinigami's a little slow today! Ha!" he turned, ran to the wooden pier, and sat at its end. Duo looked down into the water and gently touched his marred face with his fingertips.
"Does it really look that gruesome?" he whispered, then continued to stroll along towards the pier.
Keiko caught up with him and lightly tugged his braid to get his attention. " It's not that bad Duo. Really it isn't. It's just a little puffy, but it's okay! The aspirin made the swelling go down. If you're that self-conscious about it, I can let you have some of my concealer when we get back home."
" You will?"
"Sure!"
"Aw man thank you so much!" he yelled and gave her such a huge hug that she was lifted off the ground.
"Ack! Okay, you're welcome..Duo, Keiko can't breathe..." she grunted in his arms.
He dropped her and a crafty look shimmered in his violet eyes. " Thanks Keiko, now, if you'll excuse me...I have some business that needs to be taken care of..hehehe." He turned, raced down the pier, and shoved Wufei into the water.
" Damn you Maxwell!," he screamed when he surfaced. "I was still in my fucking clothes- and my shoes!"
Duo cackled and did a little victory dance. "Consider it payback 'fie!" Wufei sunk down and muttered beneath the water, bubbles breaking when they reached the surface.
Keiko giggled and set her shoes down on the wood. As she turned, out of the corner of her eye she saw Heero barreling down on her wearing his blue swim trunks. She shrieked playfully as he collided with her in an attempt to push her in. " I'm not going down without you!" she laughed, latching onto his wrists and shifting her weight so she fell backwards. A smile that showed in his eyes graced Heero's face as they dropped, and only Keiko heard the laugh that escaped his lips an instance before the water surrounded them.
The water was cold and deep where they had toppled in, at least nine feet. She felt Heero embrace her as a storm of tiny, tickling bubbles migrated for the surface. He kissed her neck and a shiver went down her back, but she laughed anyway. Several bubbles came out instead, but Heero got what it meant by her smile. He moved in again, his long hair tracing her face, making her laugh once more; it was silenced by another kiss.
She drew back after what seemed like forever and swam up to the surface, lungs burning. As Keiko broke out of the water she was met with pairs of smug eyes.
"Oh la la," Trowa purred.
" That was so cute," Quatre said. " Finally you two showed some affection towards each other."
"Shouldn't have been so deep though, it was too hard to see," Duo finished.
"They were just fine where they were Duo! Don't give them any ideas!" Wufei screamed from the other side of the pier.
Heero laughed softly, swimming closer to Keiko. " Jeez Duo, a little deprived are we?"
"Yes...sad isn't it?"
"Very," Keiko replied.
"Let's not keep the poor man waiting," Heero said, taking her face in his hands and kissing her deeply, but gently.
The three young men on the pier hollered and yelled, drowning out Wufei's scream of agony and he dunked himself under water.
* * *
There was a knock on her apartment later that week. Causally she set her book down and peered through the glass peephole of her and her mother's apartment.
"It's that boy," she murmured. "Heero." She wondered whether it was a good or bad thing that her mother wasn't home for his second visit. Her mom amazingly had liked Heero- it was a first for her to like any of Keiko's male acquaintances. She didn't under the chain but she opened the door with a smile. "Hello..."
Heero nodded. " 'Llo. I, um, came to return your scarf. And I wanted to thank you for the tea you gave me the other day... May I come in?"
She hesitated. After all, she had just met the man, and being bold out on the public streets was much different than being alone in the same house with him.
"I understand, you want me to come in because you're probably by yourself so I'll just give this too you then" He handed her a large brown paper bag and turned back to the stairs.
" Whoa, wait! Wait! You can come in, but only for a short while. At least warm up, it's another cold day. Come in, come in."
She took his damp navy jacket to the dryer and gave him a thick blanket to wrap up in while they sat in the kitchen waiting for the tea to brew. He managed to keep a much better conversation with her today that he had yesterday, and for this she was glad. There was nothing worse than having to deal with a dead silence. Finally the kettle whistled and she poured them each a mug of her tea.
She waited anxiously to see his reaction to the drink because most people spazzed at the first sip. Keiko was shocked when Heero sipped it, and didn't even have a reaction. Then he looked up, gave a tiny smile and said, " We both like our ginger tea strong. What a coincidence."
She was silenced by surprise, then she smiled. "Yeah, it's weird. No one else can stand it. You're the only other person besides my mother who can."
"Will you open the bag?" Heero asked softly.
"Huh? It just has my scarf in it does...Oh, well sure." She picked up the bag from the tabletop and looked in. Her scarf was on the bottom but she hardly noticed it because lying atop it were 6 blushing pink roses. "Oh..Heero, thank you so much. That's so nice of you." She looked up; he was standing by her side.
"I have to go now, but since I returned to you what's rightfully yours, and given you a gift, I want something in return," he said softly, his deep eyes giving no indication of his emotions.
Keiko's stomach dropped and the worst thought raced through her mind. "W-What?" she stammered quietly.
Heero lowered his head swiftly and gave her a soft chaste kiss on the corner of her mouth. "That, only that Keiko. I could never hurt you, know that." He was pulling on his jacket at the front door before Keiko reacted.
"Hold on!" she cried grabbing his arm to keep him from leaving. " You can't just kiss me and leave without me telling you anything."
His eyes lowered in shame. "It was nice Heero." His eyes flew up. "It was kind of you to give me the flowers. And your kiss wasn't bad at all...So thank you."
"You're welcome," he whispered. "I'll see you around Keiko."
"You will come see me again won't you? After all, I'm fifteen-perfectly able to handle a relationship and everything, you won't just give me my first kiss then leave for good wi-"
He spun back around and kissed her again, longer and sweeter, a little less chaste, but still a virtuous kiss. "I said, 'I'll see you around'," he reminded firmly. " I'm not leaving for good. I'll visit another time."
He smiled, hugged her, then was gone. Keiko back up against her sofa and used that for support because her legs were trembling too much to hold her up. She touched her mouth softly, then smiled. "My first and second kiss," she murmured. "It wasn't scary at all."
~ ~ ~
Yay! I got that chapter done. I made it longer- I think- to make up for missing February's update. And I have so much in my head right now that the next chapter SHOULD be up on schedule. Hopefully. No guarantees because schools getting evil right now, but I'll try. Luv, Vela-chan. P.s. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. They are the only thing that keeps me writing *hint hint * And can someone PLEASE tell me how to italicize stuff without it getting returned to normal font? Pleasepleasepleasepleeeaaaaaase????