"Will you stop pacing already? You'll be fine and you're going to make me dizzy." Dull blue eyes watched from their sideways spot on her bed.
"I can't help it! I'm so nervous!! What happens if I spill food on myself?? I'll never be able to pay for the dry-cleaning for the clothes!"
Sam heaved a sigh and slapped hands over her face. "Then you shouldn't have agreed to wear whatever it is they're loaning you!
She paused and slapped the heels of her palms against her temples and pushed, relishing in the temporary pain that diverted her from the racing heartbeat and adrenaline.
She was a nervous wreck. Ever since last week, she was pressed to make a decision. The whole thing sounded like fun actually. As far as Inaki explained, they were going to have the neighborhood over for a grand feast and celebrate the first day of spring for their culture. Though she had classes tomorrow, she couldn't resist. What ELSE was she going to do except sit on her butt and study all night or make dinner for Sam?
It was amazing she got time off for this, but that just showed how flexible Charlie was. As long as she had someone to cover her shift, she was fine.
This was one of the few times since she'd been hired that she took time off for something. It probably surprised Charlie like none other, but that was most likely one of the reasons he let her go...she rarely asked for time off.
She gave a groan at it all and continued pacing, green spying a quick glance to her clock. Twenty minutes more to wait until he arrived... She mentally groaned - loudly. She was going to screw everything up! It was best she NOT wear that dress thingee Inaki was talking about on the phone...she'd just ruin it and then she'd feel worse for messing up something that sounded really pretty.
"Hello."
"Konnichi wa."
She smiled. "Hello Inaki. I assume you're calling for my answer?"
There was a breath of silence. "You DID remember what I wrote you to you! That's a first!"
She giggled. "Oh shut UP!" She retorted, leaning against the counter. "Don't sound so awed about it." He laughed. "Well I put some thought into it and the biggest thing for me to overcome was work. You know how much I need the money to pay back financial aide when I graduate... Plus I wasn't sure if Charlie - that's my boss - would allow me to have time off."
More silence. "Does that mean you're not going?"
She hated when he sounded so down like that and she didn't know why. Like somebody kicked his puppy or something.
A hand covered her eyes as she resisted the urge to roll them. "You didn't let me finish." She argued, smiling. "I asked Charlie if I could get time off and after he picked his jaw up off the floor he told me of course I could have time off. So I got Casey to work the rest of my night shift for me and I'm set."
"Sugee! Sorry - I mean cool! That's awesome! You'll have a lot of fun, I know it. The holiday isn't celebrated massively, but my family always tends to throw the parties around here. We get people to chip in for food and pickup so it evens out. We're all going to have a big dinner in the backyard and spend time together as a community. Later we do this really cool thing, but I won't tell you what it is cause then it'll spoil the look on your face when you find out."
She grinned. "Dork." She giggled.
He chuckled. "Oh I can't wait for that moment. I can't wait to see the look on your face..." He goaded, smirking.
She whined. "Not fair! Don't tease me like that!"
"Gah! No whining, that's as bad as puppy dog eyes!"
For effect, she made the full pathetic look and wobbled her lower lip. "Pllleasseee Inaki?" She simpered. "I'll be your friend."
"You already ARE." He retorted, rolling his eyes. "No can do - I don't bribe easily like that. You're just going to have to wait a few days okay?"
She heaved a sigh and pouted. "Fine...torture me."
"If you insist."
She growled and he snickered. "Satan incarnate."
"Not yet. Also - with holidays, my family dresses in traditional Japanese wear. Remember that so-called costume I wore for the Halloween party? I've got a trunk full of stuff like that I wear to the holidays. Everyone in the neighborhood has stuff for those days and my hiboso...ah - my great grandmother mentioned allowing you to borrow one so you'll fit right in."
Her lips pressed together. Part of her said why not for the fun of it, and the thoughtfulness of his family. If they were allowing her, why not take them up on her offer? That night was going to be so far out of her element, so she could at least blend in and stick out less. "I...SUPPOSE that's fine. What do the clothes look like?"
"I can't describe every bit to you because the colors everyone has are all arrayed. We like color in our ethnicity."
She smiled. "Then do you know of any that would look okay on me? Not to sound rude or anything..."
He hopped onto the counter and leaned against the cupboard. "I know of about three of nee-chan's furisode that would look good on you. One has sakura blossoms on it, another bamboo, and the other has threads weaving patterns."
They all sounded lovely and she didn't know really what to pick. The bamboo sounded strange, but she didn't want to discount that. "What're sakura petals?"
He grimaced at her American pronunciation. It made his ears bleed, but he shook his head and forced himself to get past it. He was going to have to teach her how to pronounce his language one of these days...perhaps tonight if she tried to respond to anything said in Japanese for fun.
"Japanese for cherry blossoms. They're rampant in Japan, though I've never seen them in person. I hear they're quite pretty, but I dunno."
That sounded interesting. The more he talked, the more excited she grew and wanted to go a little crazy instead of conservative.
Scary.
"What about the one with the blossoms? What colors does that have? That sounds nice."
He smiled. She sounded rather enthused and it made his heart pick up in anticipation for tonight. "The background is a greenish-gray, and it's kind of dark. But I think you'd like it. The petals are white and pink."
She smiled. Teeth bit on a thumb as she tried to imagine it. "I'll borrow that if I can. Your sister won't mind?"
He snorted. "Of course not. Nee-chan has PLENTY of clothes to wear. Almost more than I have, but that's cause she's an onna."
She blinked and decided not to ask for a translation. "Well anyway...do you want to set up a time for me to go up there or you pick me up?"
"I can pick you up. It's the least I can do. Plus you won't know where to go so it'll make it easier on you."
She nodded, though he couldn't see it. "Just give me a second to get to some paper and I'll write everything down." She jogged to her room and jotted everything down on a scratch piece in her notebook. "Got it. I'll see you then. The party is going to start that early...or is that a thing with the holiday?"
She could only describe the laugh that followed as evil and a brow rose. "The party will start a few hours later than that, but you need to put the furisode on first." A wicked grin crossed his face. "The one thing you'll learn about Japanese is clothing is not zip-up and button. The obi takes at least an hour to tie correctly and in any good shape for the evening."
Her jaw clenched, but she resolved not to back out. "I don't know how to put on Japanese clothes." She lamented, shoulders slumping. "I might have to forego that then."
"Naw...one of the women won't mind helping you. They can teach you. I can have nee-chan do it if you don't mind when she gets dressed. You have to be pretty patient for it though."
"If I get to wear something different, I think I can give it a try."
"Smart ass." They laughed. "Yosh...I'll pick you up exactly on time so be sure to be ready. If anything, I'll be early. More time for you to get dressed."
"What about YOU?"
He snorted. "I don't have it as bad as you do. See ya Tuesday."
"I'm going to trip and rip the fabric, I just know it!" She groaned, slumping to the floor.
"Will you get up here and sit down before I tie you to your desk chair?!" Sam blurted out, swinging her legs in the direction of the floor. She sat cross-legged and glared at her friend.
"Moving, moving." She muttered, crawling the short space and onto the mattress. Her legs went over the side of the frame and she stared upside-down to her friend. "I hope I don't make a complete idiot out of myself."
Sam sighed, but scooted forward and pulled her friend's head into her lap. "You WORRY too much! I'm sure Inaki won't leave your side for that to happen, or if he does he'll instruct you on what NOT to do. And if he doesn't, tell him to!"
"Mmm hmm..." She mumbled, eyes closing as Sam played with her hair. "Keep doing that - it'll calm me until he gets here."
Sam snorted. "At least SOMETHING will. You'd better learn to calm down on the drive up or you're going to be forced to sit it out until you do. You know every time you get this nervous you run away from the cause."
"Mmm hmm..."
Sam chuckled and shook her head. Light blue softened as they stared at her friend's peaceful face. Silence stretched out and actually became less tense as fingers combed through dark brown. It was nice because it was the first comfortable pause in three days.
And it lasted all of another ten minutes until the doorbell rang.
"AH! That's him! He's here!"
Sam quickly moved out of the way as legs swung in her general direction and almost hit her in the face. "Will you WATCH it?? Cool your jets turbo! You're not going a hop, skip, and a jump away you know!"
"Yea, yea." She called, already at the stairs. Hoping these clothes were good enough to meet the family in until she changed, she ran to the front door and quickly unlocked it. "Hi."
"Hey." An eye narrowed. "Are you out of breath?"
She blushed and looked away sheepishly. "Ah...no. I just came from upstairs."
"Yes she is Inaki, don't listen to her. Her heart's running a marathon right now because she gets to spend the evening with you."
Green widened to saucers and whipped to the stairs. "SAAAMMM!!" She screeched, face flaming. Hands went to her cheeks. "You SHUT UP! You don't even know what you're talking about!" Her face darkened as she went for the coat rack in the corner and snatched one off a hook. "I'm ready." She mumbled, bangs hiding her eyes.
Dark brown looked to Sam and gave a small wave before meeting his passenger. Could she look any more uncomfortable?
Hell no.
He gave a smile and jangled the keys to gain her attention. "Sure about that? Got everything you'll need for the next five or six hours? Cause I'm not stopping to come back by the time we're halfway there."
She gave him a dry look. "It'd only be twenty minutes. But yes I'm SURE I'm ready."
"Good. Shall we?" He pushed the front door back and let her pass.
"Have fun you two! Go wild and crazy...as much as you can!"
Green speared a glare over her shoulder as a hand snatched house keys off the table. "Moron." She muttered under her breath.
He grinned and in no time they were speeding north. It was easy to tell even from the corner of his eye that K was nervous. The fidgeting with her hands and constantly looking everywhere gave her away.
His hands shifted on the wheel enough so he could sneak one over and plop on the top of her ever-movable head. "You're making ME nervous...will you stop that?"
A blush sprouted as her head ducked with a sheepish smile to remove his hand. "Sorry... I'm just worried I'll ruin whatever it is I'm going to wear. Not to mention I'm a little out of my depth."
He chuckled at her sarcasm, but gave a brief pat to silky hair before putting it back in his space. "You'll be fine. Like I'm going to bring you and throw you to the wolves. Don't worry."
Green blinked. "Sorry...I've never been to one of these things."
"It shows." He quipped, moving back when she gave him a light slug in the arm.
"Don't mock me!" She playfully retorted, trying not to smile. "Everyone makes fun of me! I see how it is!" She whined.
He grinned. He resisted the urge to reach a hand over and touch her with the invite to calm her down. Unconsciously, his eyes softened. "Don't worry...I'll stick to you like glue. Yakusoku."
Green blinked and cast a blank look his way. She didn't know what that word meant, but had a clue it dealt with what he talked about so she dropped it and didn't ask for a translation.
With a deep sigh, forcing herself to calm herself, she focused on lowering her heart rate the rest of the trip. She managed to be a little less agitated, and excitement at a new area drew her interest as they edged into the city.
There was a lot of forest and it seemed Inaki was taking the slower route than his normal fast speed driving to get up here. She smiled at his thought and felt like her head was twisting in a tennis match as it turned so much to try and gain as much detail as possible.
There was a distinction between businesses and residential the closer they got from it. She could tell almost instantly as the land noticeably spread out. That and the concrete fences were a dead give away.
"Cool." She muttered, face all but plastered against the window.
He grinned, sneaking more than a few looks since they arrived, and was pleased with her enthusiasm. She loved his city as much as he did – at least deep down. "Nice huh? The land patterns are very similar and the design is taken off of about a century to a century and a half ago to resemble Japan's houses and yards. I'll give you a full tour when we get inside. I have a feeling you'll like it."
She turned and gave a split second grin in anticipation before looking at the neighborhood again. How thoughtful, considering what he said about needing a lot of time to get dressed.
The second he turned off the car after pulling into the driveway, the first thing he wanted to do was laugh at the expression of shock that littered her face. She was leaning against the dashboard to look through the windshield and take in as much of his house as possible, and it was still too funny.
He let loose a small chuckle before going for his seatbelt. "How bout you get out before you give yourself neck strain?"
She jumped when a hand casually patted her on the shoulder and resisted the urge to blush again. She jerked back and quickly undid her belt, almost jumping from the car for a better look. "WOW..."
He grinned and locked the car. "Neat ne? Like I said, this place holds eight people, so it's going to be big."
"This place is HUGE!" She rounded the car and checked out the front yard. The stone marker was pretty close to the garage, but it stretched past the other end – which she wondered about.
There were a few trees that barely reached the tip of the ground floor and of course they would be bare for winter. There were skeletons of bushes lining the end of the opposite side of the house where the windows didn't touch, also lining the concrete fence as far as she could see.
The front porch was pretty small, but it was wide. Stone steps in the ground led from the garage door to the porch. She startled when Inaki made his way across them and hurried to follow.
Green avidly looked at the siding of the house, finding it rather plain. It was just white with dark brown siding and a matching roof. There was your basic screen door with a nice stain-glassed interior she wanted to look at...if Inaki hadn't gripped an arm to tug her inside to keep the cold out.
Green widened to saucers as she took in the ingenuity that made up what she could see so far. She openly gaped and dimly registered heavenly smells coming from ahead.
The place was AWESOME! To her immediate right lay some kind of furniture stand she couldn't name – though she would ask about it later. On her left was a closet - presumably - and directly underfoot was red tile with white trim. She was curious why it was only a few dozen tiles, but would ask on that too.
She turned and looked at what she assumed was a living room. The interesting thing about it was it was sunk in by a few feet and there was an actual metal fence on either side of the steps! There was a single couch and chair with a few jet-black end tables...which made sense by the large, jet-black china hutch – or maybe a curio cabinet? –practically lining the wall opposite the windows.
The best thing about that cabinet – besides the interesting things inside – was the intricate mother of pearl design of what she assumed was Japanese descent.
Her vision swung ahead and blinked at the floor. WHAT the...
She went to take a step, but an arm suddenly presented itself and she cast an odd look to Inaki.
He only smiled and removed it. "Sorry. I should've mentioned before we came in that no shoes are allowed past the genkan."
She blinked and looked to her feet. Was that what the tiles were called? Were they made differently and that was the reason for the odd word? And why was she not allowed to wear her shoes inside? They were clean...
Not wanting to offend on her first trip, and in such an important time of first impressions and a holiday, she did as told and quickly slipped out of them. She stepped onto faded lime green carpet – not really preferring the color – and turned...seeing Inaki lining their shoes up against the wall. Her head tilted. Strange how he never did that at her house.
She shrugged and turned to take in more of the room with such odd flooring. She paused at the edge of carpet and strange flooring, taking a good look to what looked like a kitchen and odd dining room.
A wide coffee table with big couch cushions – at least she THOUGHT they were couch cushions... – primly lined it in their own color. More red and white tile lined the kitchen area.
She smiled and took a step inside...casting a wide-eyed look at the feel she gained through sock. "What kind of...stuff IS this?" She pondered, kneeling to run her fingers over it.
He was having a hard time repressing the amusement at having her in his home. His head shook at such innocent behavior and he strode for the dining room. "It's tatami mat." He answered, walking around her. He made for his zabuton for a better view. "Straw basically."
She thoughtfully hummed and stood to look at the kitchen. A set of glass doors lay right in front of her, but she resisted the urge to look for now.
There weren't too many appliances, but of course she didn't know what to expect. There was a stove right next to an open arch to another room, a sink underneath a window, and the dishwasher right next to it. On the opposite wall was more counter space – what she wouldn't give for all this space when she prepared food – and the fridge. Everything was stainless steel and rather high-tech looking.
Curiosity at the room beyond gained her attention and socked feet padded over tile. There was more of that tatami stuff all over the floor. It was about the size of the kitchen – which looked bigger considering it was wide open – and there was nothing in it. Well...nothing except more of those couch cushions and some low-set tables...
"What do the doors go to?" She called, hearing her voice bounce off the walls. It was strange to have such a big room and nothing to put it in. Were the meager things all they intended on putting in it? "And why do you have part of a couch in here??"
"WHAT?!" He jumped to his feet, wondering why the family would put western furniture in a room they wanted to remain traditional. Striding in found nothing and he gave her a confused look. "There's no couch in here." Brown twisted behind him. "The hinged door leads to the garage, and the sliding shoji lead to the engawa."
Green blinked. "Then why do you have the cushions in here?" She continued. "How many couches did you take them off of?"
He gave a blank look before looking at the zabuton littering the wall and a smile started creeping up. It stopped when it split his face in half, but by then, he couldn't contain the laughter that bubbled up and rose in volume.
The echoing magnified everything and her arms crossed. "I don't see what's so funny." Her face burned, knowing she tactfully blundered multi-culturally.
'Next time I just point and ask what that is.'
It took an act of sheer will to stop laughing, mostly because he knew he was irritating her, but it SO funny! Couch cushions indeed...wait till he told the family that tomorrow! "Sorry...sorry..." He mumbled, putting a hand over his mouth. He was forced to literally bite his tongue. "They're not part of furniture...they're separate cushions specifically for the floor. They're called zabuton." He mused, his insides quaking.
She scowled and let him continue to laugh – as he seemed to have no qualms in doing – and left the room for the backyard area. She was steps away from getting the full view when a hand grasped her arm and halted her.
"Ah, wait." He mused...tugging her to the entry area. "That's for last. No peeking."
"I already saw SOME of it...why can't I get a good look?"
He smiled and dragged her into the lower area. "Cause then it won't be as much fun." He kidded, ignoring her playful growling. "This is kind of like the family room and study rolled into one."
Another of those black cabinets rested right next to the stairs. She gave herself a split second glimpse to appreciate the knickknacks before looking out the window on her right. She blinked and found that the level was actually part basement, as her gaze was practically level with the lawn.
She scanned the area and found four more large cabinets lining the walls across the way. They practically covered the whole two sides, but yet they were full of knickknacks. "How many people in your family collect trinkets??" She questioned, a little shocked at seeing them all.
He made for the L-couch and plopped over the top. "All the women do, plus my great grandfather has a few things from his parents in there." He stretched full out and stared at the ceiling, ears perked to her steps. Brown idly watched as she passed him and checked out the small entertainment system before rounding out of sight.
Her brows rose at the rather nice desks in what looked like an alcove to the massive room. She was jealous - they looked expensive and extensive. They looked cozy where they were with the cabinets behind to look at.
She cast a soft gaze to her host, hesitating at seeing his face peaceful with the look of sleep. She gave in to the urge to look...at least until his eyes popped open and his head tilted back to look her in the eye.
She promptly blushed and whipped to the open door closest, heading in to continue.
He gave a small smile, fingers entwining on his chest. He could feel her watching him, also by the fact that her steps paused. He had a good mental image of where she was from growing up here.
He wondered at the look on her face and pondered it until he heard a door timidly swing open, creaking a little. He sat up in a second, wondering if one of the family was spotted, and found K peering to the dark.
"Basement." He reported, getting her attention. His arms pushed him up and – with no one to give him crap – vaulted his legs over the back of the L-couch. A hand quickly flipped on the top light switch for the stairs and waved a hand ahead. "After you."
She smiled and avid eyes took in the area when it finally appeared. It was rather plain, and it was all concrete. Two of those mats set in the corner with a cushion on it. Something blue was folded against the wall, weapons hanging on a rack on the opposite side. A quick peek through the gap in the dividing wall found general electric equipment.
She headed back to the main area and stared at the weapons. She knew what a few were by movies, but not much else. "And this place is..."
"My indoor practice area." He answered. Wanting to show off, he stopped close behind her and grabbed a dull Sai from its stand. He stepped back and started twisting it with a finger. "I normally do Kempo a few times a week and I use this when it's cold. I have my own practice dojo outside for the nice days."
"Spoiled." She cracked, grinning.
The Sai slipped and clacked on the concrete. He grimaced and swiped it off the floor, giving a good-natured glare. "I am NOT! The family may be well off, but I don't get ANY special treatment around here. If you want confirmation, just ask nee-chan."
Before she could ask for a translation, he leaned close again and stuck the weapon back. It was only a split-second occurrence, but her heart seemed to skip a beat and the breath froze in her throat. She blinked when he took a few steps to the stairs, wondering if she imagined that. Confused eyes stared at nothing as a hand hovered over her heart.
What was that? Was she the only one that felt it?
"You coming?"
She jumped to and hurried after, fighting a blush. She was doing that too often around this man!
"Where to next?" She asked, backing away so he could shut the door.
"Upper level – you can see the rest and THEN I'll take you to the backyard." A hand waved for her to follow.
There was more of that ugly green carpeting, but from what she could see through open doors, there was also straw matting too. He started ahead and she followed, trying to take as much in as possible.
"On your immediate left is my great grandparents' bedroom. The first door up on your right is the bathroom and that's basically the same as the downstairs. The door after my great grandparents' is my grandparents'. The one after the bathroom is my parents'...and the final one is mine and nee-chan's."
"What is nee-chan?" She asked, peering over his shoulder when he stopped in the doorway.
He wouldn't have stopped, had he not cringed again at her vowel pronunciation. Hadn't he just pronounced it clearly so she wouldn't have problems with it? He was DEFINITELY going to have to teach her before the party!
"It's nee-chan." He clarified, heading in. "And it means my older sister. Her bed is the green spread, mine is the maroon." He went for the futon and flopped down on it, resting a foot on the trunk. "And this big clunker here," His foot tapped over wood, "is where the clothes I'll be wearing tonight are stored. They're all there, same as Jayden's. The trunks were a gift for that purpose, and the rest is in the closet."
She gave a dry look when his toes pointed behind her, but resisted the urge to smile. His laziness was endearing. Mentally shaking herself, she headed to the closed door and flipped on the switch next to it.
Green widened to saucers when she spied their 'closet'. 'Closet my ass! This thing is a whole other ROOM!' She stepped in and looked at the clothes lining both walls. 'This thing is wider than our storage closet and about as long!'
"You SUCK!" She whined, pouting. "You're a guy, what do you need all this room for??"
He grinned and momentarily pulled his head from the cushion of his arms and looked in her vicinity. "The right half is mine, the left is nee-chan's. Don't think I use ALL of that." He mused, going back to staring at the ceiling.
After a minute of pouting and gawking, she tsked and stepped out, returning the setting as it was. "Lucky. What I wouldn't give for closet space like that."
"Hey, I don't have an underwear drawer, so we're even."
She fidgeted and forced yet another blush down, wondering when she was going to stop that. She stopped in between their beds and leaned against the green spread, staring in his direction. "Yea...but you can still pack it away." She muttered.
There was a silence and she wanted to fidget or say something to break it, but he seemed perfectly content to let the silence hang. She resisted the urge to sigh and looked out the window over the nightstand.
Green blinked and she sat on Jayden's bed for a better view. They weren't that high off the ground, but there was the neighbors' houses and she remembered Inaki saying they were pretty similar to each other.
Serene brown finally looked over after a while, blinking at finding an almost matching look on his friend's. His gaze softened further at finding how well she adapted in such a short amount of time. That was good...because she had a lot more to do before the night was out.
But he was happy to know she didn't feel she couldn't fit in because of nationality issues. He didn't think about anything like that during his tour of their house, but it was kind of hard with Sam's background making it already multi-cultural. Her comfort was important to him, not only as a friend, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable in the slightest – at least not anymore.
His eyes turned thoughtful as they went back to the ceiling. He still hadn't reached a conclusion; though one would think he had by the few times he liberally touched her today in such a short amount of time. He didn't think that was anything big, but it wasn't like he made a habit of it in the past.
The emotions were taking advantage of being near K again. Thinking about it and seeing her were totally different things and he hadn't really considered that until he picked her up. It seemed like flirting with her was easier to do, and his incentive to keep doing it were those cute blushes she was always doing.
He quickly sat up before he could dwell on that with the topic of his thoughts feet away. "I think you've had enough time to look around. How bout I let you check out the backyard?" He muttered, sliding off the futon.
Brown swished as her head turned and found a hand in her face. She blinked at it, wondering why he felt the need to help her off the futon. It wasn't entirely on the floor, as some kind of wood frame elevated it by about a foot. It was still nice of him and a hand extended to let him be a gentleman.
His heart increased tempo at the feel of her skin, even her hand. His adrenaline let him yank harder than he intended and he accidentally off-balanced her and almost knocked them backward to his futon. He saved them by steadying her and sticking a foot against the bed frame for stability.
Her breath halted at the feel of strong hands over her arms and felt one of the worst blushes she ever felt surface. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears and she tried to avoid looking at him. It lasted all of a few seconds.
There was a mixture of emotions on his face, shock one of the most prevalent. Guilt rested in his eyes, probably from nearly making her fall. And hidden in the depths...was that...no it couldn't be. She quickly cleared her throat and straightened, tugging at her shirt as if it was jostled in the past few minutes. "So why don't you show me this mysterious backyard that you won't let me look at."
He startled to attention and nodded, silently leading her back to the dining room area. A hand slid the door open and stepped onto the engawa, not caring that he hadn't grabbed anything for his socks.
His heart was still beating too fast, and it was a miracle he hadn't acted on some of the thoughts that pricked awareness in his mind. That would screw everything up if he did that, but he couldn't seem to get them from coming. He had to find Jayden and get her to dress K so he could use the solo time to calm down and shove it to the backburner again.
"Oi, musuko." His shoulder-length braid slapped him in the face when it whipped to the voice. He nodded to his otousan when the man stopped at the bottom of the engawa. "Kono hito wa..."
He jumped to attention and stepped closer to K. "Ah, gomen otousan. Otousan, kore wa Himmen Kalie-san, K this is Yamoi Omo."
"Last name first, first name last huh?" She teased, sending a tentative smile to the first relative. She didn't know how much respect they'd ask from a younger person, but now was the right time to draw the boundaries.
Both smiled, but Inaki chuckled. "Yup. Just call him Yamoi-san, Omo-san if you want to get him specifically."
Omo's head bowed. "Pleasure to meet you Himmen-san."
There was a LOT she was going to ask Inaki before the party, and this was one of the many things. "The pleasure is mine, Yamoi-san." Both openly cringed at her pronunciation and embarrassment reared its ugly head.
A hand touched her shoulder. "I'll help you out with a few things to get you more in tune." He placated, giving a pat. Brown swung to his father. "Where's nee-chan and okaasan at? I was going to ask if one of them would help get her dressed." A thumb jerked to her.
"Musume is in the shed, helping hahaue get the lanterns out. And Kristine-kun should be back from the store soon. She was getting a few things needed for final cooking."
"Then I'll have to take nee-chan off obaasan's hands." He cracked. "She'll have to get dressed a little early."
Omo gave a put out look. "You're going to make me help them more than I already have, aren't you?"
He cracked a grin. "Okyakusan o boku arimasu."
She was left utterly stumped as Omo walked to a small building and stepping inside. She assumed that was the shed, as a rather familiar-looking person stepped out. Green blinked and looked to Inaki, then back at the female. This was Jayden Yamoi?? They looked a LOT alike!
The two locked eyes and Inaki's female counterpart bowed. "Konnichi wa. I assume you are K-san."
She startled and nodded in what she hoped was a bow. "Hello. You are Jayden I assume."
Jayden smiled and stopped in front of the girl. Brown looked into green almost thoughtfully before casting Inaki a look. She could see his unease – wondering what kind of remark she might make – and smiled. "Ototo-chan tells me you want to wear my sakura furisode. I think it would look nice on you."
She looked away with a sheepish grin. She hoped this anxiety would fade after she met the family and was here for a few hours. "I feel a little unsure wearing it. I don't want to ruin it. It sounds really nice."
A slim hand patted her shoulder before it wrapped around her arm and tugged toward the doors. "I'll be the one to take responsibility, not you. After all, I let you wear it. Come now, you haven't even seen what it looks like yet."
Green cast a final look to Inaki, who gave her a smile and nod. "I'll see how you look later. I'll help the others set up for a bit."
With nothing left she could do, she awkwardly followed back to their room and watched as Jayden pulled out folded cloth. What she could see held very beautiful patterns for those that were decorated. Some were so intricate, even in the glimpse she caught, that she was second-guessing what she was going to wear. Not because of how she'd look, but she was afraid to walk outside and get the bottom dirty.
"Here we are."
She startled from her thoughts and blinked when presented with the back of fabric. Her face laxed at the general design she saw in history books and a few movies. But the pattern took her attention and she forgot to breathe.
It was like someone drew a hanging plant against a green screen! The green looked eerily similar to her eyes, but it blended well with the flowers. With Jayden holding the dress by the near floor-length sleeves, she could see a good portion of the design that way. There were two main strands of flowers falling down the back from the top near the neckline. There were a few smaller strands on the sleeves as well.
Jayden turned the dress and let her see the front, which also had small strands running next to the center hems. More ran down the front of the sleeves.
It was...it was – "It's...god...it's BEAUTIFUL." She breathed, a hand extending to touch it. Fingers ran over the petals and felt silk thread combine with silk stitching. "I get to wear THIS??"
Jayden smiled and lowered the furisode, eyes softening as they looked at the girl. "You're endearing K-san." The furisode was carefully set on the futon to keep from wrinkling it as Jayden went for a juban. "Yes you may wear that. But first you must put on this to keep the furisode from getting dirty – or as dirty as possible. Then you may put that on."
She blinked, but took the plain white robe. The sleeves reminded her of the bathrobe she had at home. "Why do I wear both? Is it a culture thing?"
"It's a cleanliness issue." Jayden corrected, smirking. She pulled another furisode from the chest and a juban for herself. "Silk is not easy to clean and if we put something as a cover between it and our bodies, it will remain cleaner a little longer...providing more wear before washing." Jayden stood and looked to the girl. "I will dress you because you don't know how, but you are not required to wear any of your modern clothes except your underwear. Bras are not necessary with these."
She blinked and felt her face heat. That didn't sound so bad, save for the implications of what she would have to go through. "Are you sure? I'd feel a little silly..."
A hand patted her shoulder. "Daijoubu K-san. We are both women, ne? None of the men will enter without knocking, so you are safe. I will not judge you."
She felt a little better for some strange reason and finally conceded to what Jayden needed. She felt like a doll as the inner robe was fixed and tied. Her arms were moved up and down at times, and she felt like she was trying to flap away in the baggy sleeves.
Jayden took a few minutes to put on the same robe, which definitely took the skilled woman less time, and let her examine herself in a nearby mirror. It was a quick second, but she looked so different she almost didn't recognize herself.
"Yosh. Now the next step."
She was made into a doll again as Jayden repeated a lot of the same steps. She was confused at the extra fabric that was folded over her lap, having never noticed that before. She guessed it was supposed to be that way, even if she thought a kimono was meant to be totally straight.
A relatively wide strip of striped cloth went over her middle and after it was tied, she figured she was finished. "Isn't...isn't that going to clash with the colors of this thing?" She tentatively queried, not wanting to seem ungrateful...but the pastel yellow, pink, blue, and green did not match!
Jayden was silent for a minute as she circled around to make sure there were no wrinkles anywhere so far. Pleased with the job, though not done, she went for the trunk. "Daijoubu K-san. No one will see that because there is still more for you to put on. You must put an obi and a few accessories on before you are ready." A wide and rather lengthy strip of thick cloth was draped over a shoulder and green looked to it. "Plus I have some extra things you have to wear for the outfit to work, and will also make you look even better in that."
Teeth bit her lip at the praise, a little uncomfortable at accepting it.
The final process Jayden mentioned was confusing and intricate. Her hands were needed to hold in spots and she was glad to oblige, feeling bad for putting the woman through all this. As Jayden was tying some silk cloth and stuffing it through the top of the obi, something struck her.
'Inaki wasn't kidding about this taking a while!'
Jayden suddenly stepped back and grinned. "Owarimashita!" Hands clasped together. "Kawaii!! You look so pretty K-san! Hora, hora!"
Unable to pick her mind up in that whirlwind, hands twisted her shoulders to the mirror and her eyes widened. What little she understood she had to agree to. She WAS pretty! She looked so exotic in this and it seemed to suit her rather well.
A beaming smile appeared as she twisted – hoping she didn't wrinkle or shift anything – and checked out the bump on her back. There was a very simple knot that looked like a box right over her lower back. She looked like some of the women in her history books.
A hand went through her head and her eyes instinctively closed at the feel, but she cast a confused look through the mirror to the woman behind her. "Wha –"
"I told you I had more things for you to wear that will go with the outfit. I have a kanzashi that will go with the sakura on the furisode."
Before being able to get a translation, a very pretty hair clip of silk pink and white flowers, a small string of pink and white beads, and pink down feathers was presented. She smiled and touched the fuzz. "Very pretty." Jayden ran a brush through her head and chunks of hair over her ears were pulled back and twisted to the crown of her head. She smiled when Jayden handed over a small mirror to let her see. "I think this is the most dressed up I've ever been since my birthday." She kidded. "Of any outfit."
"It's fun to dress up, but with outfits like these that take a while, time outweighs that sometimes." Jayden agreed, taking the mirror. She tossed it on the futon and grabbed a pair of white tabi. She handed them over with a simple instruction of how to put them on and grabbed a pair of short-blocked geta. She handed them over. "If you've worn flip-flops, you can wear these. The only thing is they're a lot heavier – as they are made from wood – but the silk thong is still comfortable."
"It explains the socks anyway." She kidded, wriggling her toes. She turned the bottoms up to stare at two blocks spread evenly over the sandal. She was glad they were very short, as she was going to have a problem with walking in them, not to mention trying not to walk normally with so little room.
The second the edges of her toes touched the chord, teeth bit her lip. "I think I have two lefts." She timidly reported, taking them off.
Jayden resisted the urge to giggle. "Iie K-san...geta and zouri are made without right or left standards, unlike American shoes. You are wearing them correctly." She hesitantly slipped them back on and stood, feeling like she was going to slip out of them. She tried a few practice steps as Jayden went for the furisode and slipped her arms through the sleeves. "I would ask for your assistance K-san. It will go a little faster if I don't have keep tying koshihimo."
She was happy to help as payment for being dressed. She hadn't been dressed by someone else since she was a toddler and didn't even know how to tie her shoes!
Jayden's went a little faster - which was a given - and in no time two stood in similar dress. Jayden's outfit was an explosion of beauty, even more than hers. The front and sleeves were patterned with light pink peonies with stems and leaves to give it that garden feel. The background was a few different colors of pink with white added in - it was incredibly beautiful. The bulk on their lower back was the same, as Jayden said they were running out of time and needed to go help.
"You look very pretty." She murmured, smiling.
Jayden bowed with a smile. "Arigatou K-san. I just need to find a matching kanzashi – which I have somewhere in the chest – and I'll be ready."
Her head craned over the woman's shoulder, wondering how much stuff would fit in that thing without it being crammed in. It was pretty deep, with a few shelves lining one side.
She wanted one of those things for her schoolbooks!
A mesh pink flower with pink and white down was pulled out. Jayden twisted that long mane of hers into a bun and tied it. The ornament went just over the top and fingers felt around at her handiwork for corrections. "Yosh...a pair of tabi and geta and we're set." She announced, taking mere seconds to finish up. An arm pulled her into the mirror and she stood at Jayden's side. "We fit these very well...ne, K-san?"
She smiled and looked away. "Thank you for lending this to me. I swear I'll take the best care of it."
Jayden's arm wrapped around her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. "I have faith in you K-san. I know you won't disappoint me."
That just reared her already wariness a step higher. With so much on the line over such a piece of art and first meeting, she did NOT want to step outside in this! But she was curious about the party and didn't spend so much time to sit inside all night. Her anticipation about this was growing by the second.
"Alright then...let's go show you off to the public. Koishii should be here soon and I can introduce you to him also."
"Who's that?" She asked, slowly trodding to the door.
"His name is Chad. I've been dating him for three and a half years now." Green widened as Jayden opened the door. Quite a record! "Ah, I almost forgot. No shoes allowed inside. I lost my head in my excitement." Jayden turned with an apologetic smile. "You will be able to set them by the door and slip into them when you go outside. Don't worry about not knowing which are yours. Everyone has separate geta or zouri and they are not moved."
She nodded and watched how Jayden kneeled and copied, finding it a definite challenge. She tried not to muss anything and felt around to double-check. Shoes in hand, they exited into the hall. "Is Inaki going to be dressed by now?"
"He should be." Jayden answered. "He grabbed clothes from his chest before picking you up. If he's not dressed by now with it being so close to the party, okaasan or obaasan will get him to do so."
She nodded and paused at the top of the steps. Steps...in something with very little room to move in. She was just thankful there was a handrail!
She wondered what Inaki would be dressed in this time. Of course he would most likely be in the same style he was in for the Halloween party, but she was hoping he had different designs like Jayden.
Multiple footsteps sounded downstairs and a hum of voices. Smells floated up and made her mouth water, even if none of it smelled familiar. She was truly out of her element – whatever that could be – and was jumping into something so foreign, she might as well be in Japan. One voice she picked out made her heart speed up a little faster and teeth bit her lip. Her breath stopped and held in waiting as she descended the steps.
"Oi ototo-chan, come check out your little guest."
She harshly swallowed and resisted the urge to twiddle her fingers. Every nice word or good thought she had upstairs vanished with uncertainty. Adrenaline hit and she prayed with whoever was listening that Inaki didn't think she shouldn't be wearing this. 'Please don't let him, or the others, laugh.'
**I am a BEGINNER Japanese learner...so if these are not 100% correct...please let me know if you care to do so. I only have a web page to learn from, a dictionary, and a few months experience to work with.**
Translations: Yakusoku-(I) promise Kono hito wa...-This person is... Kore wa Himmen Kalie-san-This is (Miss) Kalie Himmen
Okyakusan o boku arimasu-I have a guest Owarimashita!-(I'm) Finished! Kawaii!-Cute/So cute/How cute/etc Kanzashi-Hair ornament
Koshihimo-Tied underneath kimono and prevent it from slipping while getting dressed (temporary ties) Koishii-Dearest