Onegai, Megami-Sama!
Part 2-2: Well, That Explains Everything
Mizuho felt Kei flinch at the same time she did, and they pulled away from each other as quickly as they could. But she'd heard the scream, and she knew it was too late.
She saw Herikawa standing there, just at the edge of the light outside the bathrooms. Her eyes and mouth were both wide open, and she looked like she couldn't believe what she'd seen. She was pointing at them, and kept starting to say something, but she hadn't managed a complete word yet.
Maybe, Mizuho, thought, it'd be better if she said something first. "It's - it's not what you think," she said, though quietly, and took a step toward Herikawa. "It's--"
"Don't even say it!" Herikawa yelled. Her eyes narrowed, and she glared at Mizuho. "Don't you dare say it's a misunderstanding! I know what I saw!"
"Herikawa. . . ." Kei began, then paused when she turned to look at him.
"I don't want to hear it!" she yelled. "You . . . you said that there was someone else, but you never said - I never thought - I can't believe you!"
Mizuho looked down, feeling a little sorry, but only because she could see that Herikawa wasn't taking this well. But she couldn't have stayed away from Kei this entire trip. It was difficult enough, seeing him at school and having to pretend that he was just another student; being here with him all day and not being able to even take his hand had been almost too much. They'd both hoped they could catch a moment together, but she hadn't thought anyone would follow them.
Behind Herikawa, Mizuho heard the others running to join them. Most of them looked worried; they must have heard the scream and thought someone was being attacked. She glanced over at Kei, who looked very troubled and wasn't taking his eyes off his friends.
"What happened?" Keiichi asked. "Did someone--" He paused, then looked from Herikawa to Mizuho to Kei and back again. "Uh-oh."
"Uh-oh?" Herikawa snapped, whipping her head around to look at Keiichi. "You knew?"
"Knew what?" Hyosuke asked, leaning a little on Kaede and still obviously drunk. "Why'd you scream?"
"We thought someone was trying to hurt you," Kaede said quietly. She looked at Herikawa, and asked, "You're okay, right?"
"I'm not okay!" Herikawa pointed at Mizuho and Kei. "I saw--"
"Here it comes," Keiichi said quietly to Belldandy, who nodded.
"-them kissing!"
Mizuho swallowed hard, and waited for the inevitable. It wasn't quite what she'd imagined.
Ichigo didn't move, but simply smiled as she always did, like she'd known all along. Hyosuke just stared with his mouth hanging open. Mizuho wondered if he was too drunk to really think about it. Kaede put a hand to her mouth, but she looked more surprised than anything else. Belldandy and Keiichi looked sorry to see that this had happened, but Urd was smiling a little, as was Skuld. She didn't see Peorth or Matagu, and guessed that they'd stayed back at the fire.
"Kei," Hyosuke managed after a moment, "you . . . and Mizuho-sensei?"
Kei nodded, looking very sheepish. She could see the blush in his cheeks, and as cute as it was, she wished that they could both be somewhere else right now.
"How long?" Hyosuke asked. He pulled himself away from Kaede, and took a few shaky steps toward Kei. "How long you been keeping this a secret?"
"It's . . . umm. . . ." Kei scratched nervously at the back of his head, and he looked like he was trying to keep himself from running. "A long time, I guess, since before she started teaching here."
"What?" Herikawa asked, her eyes wide again. "Is that why you came here?" she asked, looking to Mizuho.
Mizuho nodded. It was a small lie, she thought, but it was true enough. She had come back for Kei. "We had to keep it a secret, the principal told us to," she said quietly.
Hyosuke stood in front of Kei, looking down at him, seeming kind of mad. "So all this time," he said, slurring his speech a little, "you've been keeping this a secret. From all of us. From your friends."
Kei, looking down at the sand, barely managed a nod. Mizuho wanted to hold him, but she knew she'd have to let this play out. Getting through this, right now, without anybody getting hurt, that had to be priority one.
"You bastard," Hyosuke said, then broke into a giant grin, wrapped his arm around Kei's neck, and promptly gave him a noogie. "You magnificent bastard! All this time I thought you were going around lonely, and you've been shacking up with the hottest teacher ever!"
"It's . . . it's not like that!" Mizuho said. "Hyosuke, please, let him go!"
"Oh, it's a lot like that, come on," Urd said. Mizuho looked over at her and frowned, but the silver-haired goddess was obviously enjoying herself. "Go on, tell them!"
"Urd, please," Belldandy said, somehow still calm. "Everyone . . . let's go back to the fire. Mizuho, Kusanagi-san . . . you should tell everyone, but it's only fair to tell your whole story. Please."
Mizuho nearly fainted at that, but she knew what Belldandy meant. She wouldn't tell everyone where she was really from, she couldn't, but . . . as for everything else, it looked like it was time to come clean. She reached for Kei, and he took her hand in his, looking up at her. He was worried, that much she could tell, and she couldn't find it in herself to reassure him.
Herikawa shot them both one last glare, then turned and walked back to the fire, alone. Hyosuke flashed Kei a thumbs up, then put his arm around Kaede's shoulders as they headed back. Mizuho sighed, then joined the others.
"I'm sorry, Mizuho," Belldandy said, looking like she meant it. "But there was nothing else we could do, and it would only be worse if you tried to lie."
"I know," Mizuho said with a sigh. "I'd just hoped that we could keep it a secret a little longer."
"Not much chance of that," Urd said, and took a swig from her saké bottle. "I don't know who said it, but I've heard that the only way three people can keep a secret is if two of them are dead."
"That's not very comforting, Urd," Kei said nervously. Mizuho had to agree.
She heard Herikawa yell again from up ahead, but it sounded more like she was angry at something than surprised. When the group of them arrived, Matagu looked embarrassed and Peorth looked put out; Mizuho guessed that Herikawa's return had interrupted whatever they'd been doing. She had to admit, it was a little funny, but she didn't feel like laughing.
Once everyone had sat down again, Kei held her hand in his lap and started talking. "I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you all," he said, "but it's really complicated."
"Just tell them what you told me," Keiichi said. "About how you two met at your old school, and how you had to transfer after, y'know, everything happened."
"Right," Kei said.
Mizuho silently thanked Keiichi for giving him the prompt; Kei was so worried he might have blurted out the truth. Then again, she thought, she might have done the same.
Kei took a deep breath. "I met Mizuho at my old school, near where Keiichi and Belldandy live. She was one of my teachers, but we . . . we became close pretty quickly." His voice was still shaking, Mizuho thought.
"Sounds like it!" Hyosuke said, still grinning. Kaede giggled, but hushed him.
"And then . . . I was sick," Kei continued, "I was sick for a really long time. I had to stay out of school, but. . . ." He trailed off, and looked over at her for the first time since he'd started talking. "Mizuho was always there. She helped me through it. I . . . I only got better because of her."
Mizuho felt her cheeks growing warm, and leaned a little closer to Kei. It was close to the truth, in a way. She hated having to lie to everyone, but if they could have some of the truth in there, it would be all right.
"When I had to go back to school, I wanted to go to a different one, because of . . . because of everything that had happened," Kei managed. "It took a long time, because Mizuho's contract was still for my old school, so I had to stay with my uncle until she got here."
"Wait," Herikawa said. She was sitting with her knees pulled up under her chin, and she didn't look so angry anymore, Mizuho noticed. Sad, maybe, and confused, but not angry. "How long were you sick?"
Kei looked at Mizuho again, and she nodded. Best to get it all out, she thought.
"Three years," Kei said quietly. "I'm nineteen."
Everyone fell silent at that. Even Matagu and Peorth, who'd known about the marriage since all the strange things that had happened that brought the two of them together, looked surprised. Mizuho guessed that Kei had never told them about that part.
"So," Hyosuke said slowly after a quiet moment had passed, "you couldn't go back to your old place because you'd spent three years dating your teacher?"
"That was part of it, yeah," Kei said, sounding nervous again. "Some of it was also that I didn't want to go back when I'd just disappeared for so long. It was like . . . it was like everything had moved on without me. I wanted to go somewhere new."
"But that's not all of it," Ichigo said. If she'd been surprised by any of this, Mizuho thought, she didn't show it.
"Right, that's not," Kei said. He was still holding Mizuho's hand in his lap, and he turned her wedding ring so the small diamond faced up and caught the light of the fire. "Before Mizuho came here, I did a lot of thinking, and when she finally started teaching, I . . . I asked her to marry me."
There was a cry of "What?!" from Hyosuke, Kaede, and Herikawa. The two girls looked the most surprised; Hyosuke still looked a little drunk. They were all looking at Kei, though Mizuho saw Herikawa glance over at her. She gave Herikawa an apologetic look; she knew that the girl had harbored feelings for Kei and Mizuho hated to hurt her.
Hyosuke, still staring, suddenly blinked and pointed at the two of them. "So you're the one that everyone said they saw going into the love hotel with Kei!"
Mizuho winced at that, as did Kei, but they both nodded. That, she thought, was something she didn't mind lying about. Some things just didn't need to be explained. And besides, even if they hadn't gone into the hotel together, they'd definitely. . . .
"You're blushing, sensei," Ichigo said, flat and calm as always.
"I - I suppose I am," Mizuho said, turning away slightly. These were still her students, and while she was glad that she could spend time with Belldandy and the others, this was getting more than a little awkward.
"Please," Kei said, looking around at his friends, "don't tell anyone else at the school. We're supposed to be keeping this a secret, and the principal would be upset if we told everyone."
"But so many people think you're having an affair, why not tell them?" Hyosuke asked. He was still grinning, and Mizuho guessed he was still drunk. She'd have to tell Urd to keep him away from her saké for the rest of the trip.
"We can't!" Kei exclaimed, making Kaede jump. "We just can't," he said. "It'd cause problems."
"Kusanagi-san is right," Belldandy said quietly. Mizuho looked over at her, and to her surprise, the other woman looked kind of sad. "It's never easy to keep love a secret, especially from your friends, from the others you love. But Mizuho and Kusanagi-san have been through so much, and I know how much they want to be together. Please, keep the secret for their sakes."
There was a quiet moment as the others looked back and forth at each other, and eventually, everyone nodded. Mizuho let her breath out, relaxing a bit. She felt more than a little relieved. Some part of her, she realized, had always wanted to tell more people about her marriage to Kei-kun, as that would mean that they didn't have to keep hiding, and it would just make everything easier. Maybe now it could be that way; maybe now she and Kei-kun could worry less. She felt a little foolish to hope so much, but she knew that Kei's friends were good people, and she didn't think they'd do anything out of spite.
"You should have told us," Herikawa said, a hint of an edge in her voice. "When you came here, you should have told us."
"Told you what, that he was married?" Skuld asked. "That'd be weird no matter what."
"She's got a point," Urd said. "Would you want to be the only kid in your school with a wife? Or, in your case, a husband?" She gestured with at Herikawa her saké bottle, then took a quick drink. "Really, what would you say to that?"
"We've seen stranger things at the school," Ichigo said, then glanced over her shoulder. "Peorth showed up from nowhere, and nobody asked questions about her."
"Oh, I'm sure there were many questions asked," Peorth said, smirking. "I was asked quite a few myself, though I can't say I care to repeat many of them." She nudged Matagu. "You remember some of those poor boys, don't you, Matagu-kun?"
"I think so," Matagu said with a small chuckle, "but. . . ." He shrugged. "I think we'd still be your friends, Kei, even if you'd told us you were married right from the start."
"Yeah!" Hyosuke gestured wildly, then added, "And every guy in the school would have been jealous once Mizuho showed up!"
"Hyosuke!" Kaede said, leaning on him and looking upset.
Hyosuke hung his head. "Sorry," he mumbled.
Kei did his best to keep from looking too relieved when they started packing up to head back to the hotel. He really hadn't wanted to spend the first night of his vacation like this . . . being grilled by his friends about the past, having to lie about a lot of it, and seeing Herikawa look at him with daggers in her eyes all through it. He hated having to hurt her, he'd never wanted that, but he couldn't lie to himself for her. How much she remembered of that, he wasn't sure, but he knew it hadn't worked.
He sighed, and picked up some rolled-up towels. This was looking like it was going to be less of a real vacation, at least as far as time with his friends was concerned. But at least he didn't have to hide anymore. There was comfort in that.
"Hey, Kei," Urd said as she walked up behind him. "You need a hand with those?"
He glanced over at the silver-haired goddess, and managed a smile. "I'm all right," he said. Sure, she wasn't carrying anything other than her saké, but knowing her, she had some other way to keep things around.
"Good," Urd said with a nod. "C'mon, walk with me, we should talk."
Kei gave her a surprised look, but realized that he didn't have much choice when Urd slung her arm around his shoulders and started leaning against him like she was drunk. She stumbled a little in the direction of the hotel, and Kei had to start walking to keep from getting pulled over.
"Trust me, kid, it's easier this way," she said. "You gonna be all right?"
Kei looked down at the ground, watching the sand as he kicked it up. "I guess so," he said after a moment. "I've wanted to tell someone for a while, and I was really glad when Matagu found out, because then someone besides my uncle and his wife knew. And Matagu's with Peorth, so he understands what it's like to have to keep secrets from friends."
"Eh, people recognize a goddess, just not like that," Urd said, then laughed. "You should see what it's like at Keiichi's school. I swear, Bell and I show up, every guy on campus starts drooling, even if they can't see us yet." She laughed out loud again, and Kei wondered just how drunk a goddess could really get.
"It's kind of like that for her," Kei said with a shrug. "But everyone knows she's with Matagu, so I guess it's not a big deal." He sighed again. "I'm worried about Herikawa, though. It seems like she's going to be upset for the rest of the trip, and I know she won't want me to say anything to her."
"Oh, don't worry about her," Urd said, then winked at Kei. He blushed, unable to help himself. "Bell's gonna have a chat with her, and if she can't help the girl, nobody can. But hey, tell me something - what's up with that short girl?"
"Who, Ichigo?" Kei asked.
"Yea, that's the one. The girl who looks like an enlarged grade-schooler." Urd swigged her saké again, then looked over at Kei. She was starting to lean a little more, he noticed. "Does she ever get happy? Or does she just kind of sit there and talk quietly?"
Kei paused, remembering. He'd seen Ichigo . . . at her worst, he supposed. He didn't think she'd 'stopped' anytime recently, though it had been a while since they'd last talked about it. He knew that she was more animated when she was just talking with one person; for some reason, she seemed to close up a little when in a group. "She does, sometimes," he said. "I think she's just kind of shy."
"Ah, that's no excuse," Urd said, grinning. "We're here for, what, two more days? I'm sure I can get her to open up."
Kei chuckled nervously. "I'm really not sure if that's a good idea, Urd," he said, though he wasn't sure if she'd even listen. He remembered Keiichi telling him what Urd was like when she was drunk, and Kei suddenly started to regret letting her pull him away from the rest of the group.
"You worry too much," Urd said. She blinked a few times, then leaned in closer, putting her face next to his. "Oh, Kei?"
"Y - yes?" Kei stammered, trying to pull back. She was giving him a rather intense look, and the last thing he needed tonight was another misunderstanding. . . .
"Your wife's got something planned for you tonight," she said, then hiccuped before bursting out laughing again.
Kei sighed. That was good news, he supposed, but he couldn't help thinking that Urd had more than a little to do with whatever Mizuho's plans were. This might be a very strange trip, he thought.
He glanced back over his shoulder to where the others were walking. Keiichi and Belldandy had gone ahead with Matagu and Peorth to get the keys for their rooms, so the group heading up to the hotel was smaller. Skuld and Ichigo looked to be chatting, though it was kind of hard to tell - from what he could see, Skuld seemed to be examining Ichigo's camera, and Kei guessed she was already thinking of some way or another to modify it. Hyosuke and Kaede had their arms around each other as they walked, and Kei smiled at them. He should have guessed that Hyosuke would have the easiest time dealing with his secret; Hyosuke had always been a good friend and Kei had a hard time picturing him truly angry about it. That left Mizuho and Herikawa. . . .
The two women were walking on opposite sides of the group. Herikawa was looking off toward the hills, and it looked like she didn't want to have anything to do with anyone else. Kei frowned at the look on her face. He didn't want to grow apart from her, as he still considered a friend, but he knew it'd be difficult. There was so much that had happened between them, and while Kei wasn't sure how much she remembered, he knew that there were some things she wouldn't forget. Just going back to this hotel must be difficult for her, he thought. This whole trip was going to be hard for her.
But where, he thought, did that leave he and Mizuho? They couldn't pretend anymore, and he knew that he didn't want to, it just wouldn't work anymore. As much as he hated the thought of hurting Herikawa, he hated to hurt Mizuho even more, and. . . . He couldn't do that.
"So," Urd said, her voice sounding a little slurred, "you like your wife's new swimsuit, eh?"
Kei turned back and looked at her, then swallowed hard at the look on her face. Please, he thought, let this just be the saké talking. "It's - it looks really good on her," he said. "I really like it."
"I know, I saw how you were looking at her," Urd said with a leer. "If you like that, you'll--" She hiccuped again. "You'll reeeeally like what she's got for tonight."
He glanced back to Mizuho again, and caught her eye. She gave him a shy smile, but he could almost see what she was thinking. Maybe, he thought, maybe they'd have the honeymoon suite again this time, and they could-
"Aah!" Urd stumbled, falling into him and sending them both into the sand.
Kei groaned as Urd elbowed him in the stomach, and he hoped that goddesses couldn't get drunk enough to throw up. He felt something wet on his leg, and worried for a second, then muttered to himself as he realized that Urd had spilled her saké on him.
There was a sudden flash, and Kei winced, then looked over to see the others standing there. Hyosuke and Kaede looked like they were about to laugh, while Herikawa was scowling, and Mizuho looked somewhere between amused and worried. He couldn't tell what Ichigo was thinking, but that was because her camera was covering most of her face.
Kei sighed and lay his head back on the sand, hoping that he would somehow survive the rest of this vacation.