Masquerades and The Lack of a Tentative Agenda
Early spring drifted into late, and the cherry blossoms hung and blew in the air like whisperings of cheerful confetti. The heavy coats were put into attic closets, and lighter jackets were being slung upon the wearer's arm, or held over their shoulder, to flag across their back.
Haku walked alone through a city garden plentiful with the aforementioned sights. His midnight hair had grown just a touch, his face was as clean shaven as he had always kept it, and his wise eyes glanced here and there without really seeing anything.
He carried bags in each hand, where breads and vegetables peeped over the top to greet the lovely early afternoon, and his mouth held a pleasant, if unnoticed smirk.
The hematite earring still glinted at his ear, the color near to match the one of his eyes, and his sharp, dark brows were quick to furrow or lift at the sights around him.
It had been nearly two months since his discussion with Yenshi. Neither had mentioned it since then, and nothing had changed. Chihiro's smile still held power over him, but she noticed it not and her actions assured him she did not desire those smiles whose feelings beneath held affection for her.
He had grown comfortable with his life, his daily routines pleasant to him, and though his heart still ached for her, his life continued without drowning angst that he might not function at what he wished to.
Yenshi and Chihiro had discussed a summer trip to Hong Kong, and to see some of the sights of China, and only when they blatantly pointed out they had meant to include him, did he truly consider whether he wanted to go or not. He was still considering.
Chihiro one evening had discussed with him how he had changed. He looked to her in confusion, and she shared with him her thoughts.
"You used to be so proud, so earnest, so strong." She had smiled. "Not that you are no longer any of these, but you have changed. You are more thoughtful, more mellow. You have less of a temper." She smirked at him. "But you have not changed so much that I wouldn't recognize you. No matter what, you are still Haku, no matter how your temperament has changed."
Had she mentioned his under confidence near her? How much he had learned to guard his words and actions? There were many things driving him to react differently to things than he would have a decade ago, but he only smiled, laughing it off.
He had become the cook of the apartment. His food was favored among all of them, and since he enjoyed it so much, the kitchen had been declared his own. Also a chair by the window, where he might look into the busy streets below and read the books on culture he had begun to swim in. He never wished to not understand something beyond the apartment walls, in the world, among the people, and so he began to know more than one who had even grown up in this world, like Chihiro, or Yenshi.
Haku's feet jogged up the garden steps that led to the busy intersection, and he turned the corner.
"Haku!" He stopped, glancing around for the caller of his name, but saw no one. "Hakuuuu!" He glanced again, this time across the street. A young woman bounced on her toes, her hand raised high. Her pink and white flowered skirt was rippling in the afternoon breeze, and her long dark hair slapped her shoulders as she continued to bounce.
When the light turned, she shouldered through the crowd as she crossed the street to him, and Chihiro greeted Haku with pink cheeks and bright eyes.
"What were the chances?" She grinned, and he returned it with excitement. "I'm guessing you're going home?" She then questioned as she fell into step beside him, and he nodded. "Oh, good! So what's for dinner?" She glanced to the bags, caught his smile as he attempted to move them out of her sight.
"It's a surprise. You need to get better at that. You don't even like not being told just beforehand!" She chuckled.
"I don't like surprises," She admitted after a moment. "It's irritating. I'd rather someone tell me something wrong and then be surprised than to actually be surprised traditionally." She made a proud face, hiding her strange and somewhat confusing explanation with lifted-chin dignity.
"OK, fine then," He relented. "We're having Ramen." She scrunched her nose, showing her distaste. "I'm only attempting to put your scenario that you prefer to use!" He defended, and she rolled her eyes.
"For some reason I'm not amused." He laughed to himself as they continued on.
"We're home!" Chihiro's cheery voice echoed down the hallway and into the kitchen where Yenshi sat at the island, flipping through a magazine. She glanced up at them both as they entered, and Haku set the grocery bags down next to her magazine.
"Did you hear about the masquerade?" Yenshi asked her, and Chihiro furrowed her brows and Haku turned and looked at Yenshi.
"What masquerade?" Chihiro asked, and she looked to Haku, then back to Yenshi who grabbed a flyer that was sitting nearby and showed it to them.
"The university is having one for end-of-term," Yenshi began to explain. "Like a grand costume ball." Chihiro held an expression of peaked interest, and even Haku had paused in the process of putting away the groceries.
"That should be amazing." Chihiro, just like a girl, had stars in her eyes at the thought. "Oh, what should I go as?" She then began happily. "Perhaps something grand like a princess or something? Or maybe something clever, like a play on words, or something?"
"You better take a shower." Yenshi commented, toneless. "So you'll be all washed up for your presentation tonight." Haku chuckled, and in turn was whapped in the stomach with a stalk of celery.
"Fine, sure." She said, relenting to the suggestion. "I'll see ya'll in a minute." And she flopped the celery stalk she had just used next to Haku before making her way to her room.
"Dinner will be done soon—just about when you get out!" He called after her.
"You're going to go with her, aren't you?" Yenshi commented, and he turned around to meet her gaze. "To the dance, right?"
"What do you mean?" His dark brows were slightly furrowed.
"Her date! Are you going to go as her escort, as her date to the dance? The masquerade?" He shrugged.
"Oh, that." And he made no move to comment further.
"What do you mean, 'oh, that'?" She blew out a sigh, frustrated with him.
"How can I?" He returned. "She's not going to ask me, Yenshi, and I very well can't ask her to her own dance." He shrugged once more. "It's no big deal. I'm just not going." Yenshi let out another frustrated sigh, but there was nothing for her to comment, and she left without another word.
Life continued much as it had for the past couple of weeks. No real mention of the masquerade was brought up, and when Yenshi mentioned it to either Haku or Chihiro, both changed the subject.
Haku, because he would rather push away what was bothering him at present, and Chihiro because, Yenshi thought, she had a secret she wished not to divulge.
One night, when all of them were sitting around the living room, Yenshi began to voice suggestions for costumes, and Haku offered what advice he could.
"What about a geisha?" Yenshi asked, and Chihiro shook her head.
"Everyone will go as geisha's." She said simply, flipping through a magazine.
"What about--" But Chihiro shook her head, saying she just needed time to think.
The next night, Chihiro came home to find a note from Yenshi attached to the fridge. It said she was working late, that she had a key, and asked her to feed the cat. She smiled to herself as she dumped several scoops of cat food into their dish, and they trotted in expectantly and began eating without even a glance her way.
"Haku?" She called down the hallway, then made her way down there, listening for any sounds. His muffled reply came from the bathroom, and she heard the shower running.
She entered her bedroom, kicked off her shoes in the closet, and slipped off her jacket. She changed into a pair of track pants and a sweatshirt before going back into the kitchen.
She was standing in front of the fridge, staring into the open freezer when Haku walked in with pajama pants and a t-shirt, his wet towel slung over his shoulders and his hair dripping from his shower.
"There's nothing to eat." She said simply, in a bored tone.
He nodded, agreeing, and looked around for a moment before he said, "Want to go out?" She seemed to consider, then looked at her attire that she didn't want to change. "We could go somewhere fast, if you like." This she seemed to consider as well.
"Hang your towel in the bathroom and let's go." She said.
They entered the nearest McDonald's and ordered some delightfully greasy food and sat down in a pleather-upholstered booth.
Haku's hair was still wet as he bent over his tray of fast food, and she caught herself staring at the separated and waving strands before she forced her glance away.
"Is your food good?" He asked her, and she returned with, "Is it bad for me? Because if it is, you can bet I'm enjoying it. That is, except in the case of your cooking, which is too good for words," He grinned embarrassedly while she smiled, "and yet, for the most part, very good for me.
"You haven't been cooking very much lately." She noted.
"I've been sort of busy." She lifted a brow. "All right, perhaps more just lazy, I'll admit."
"You're allowed to be lazy." She flashed him a quick smile. "Busy though…well, if you're busy, you need to make time. Am I right?" She gestured with her silverware. "Hey, are you almost done?" She asked several moments later, organizing her trash on her tray. He nodded without a word.
"You've been pretty busy lately." He said conversationally, dumping the contents of his tray before taking hers and doing the same. She shrugged.
"I suppose I have," She held open the door, waiting for him to follow her out. Once on the sidewalk, she shoved her hands into her pockets against the breeze. This spring had been unusually chill.
"To be honest, I don't feel that busy, just like I always have something I need to be doing. Like something sitting on my shoulder constantly. It's just…tiring. You know?" She turned around, walking backwards so she could see him.
"What has been on your shoulder lately?" His tone was sincere, almost sweet, and she sighed, turning around to walk abreast with him.
"This semester's almost done. What am I going to do next semester? What will I do for the summer? It sounds pathetic, but that's been a bother. All the studying I need to be doing for next month, but it's next month and so I procrastinate, lying to myself by royally forfeiting thought towards homework." She sighed again.
"I'm listening," He said quietly, after a moment of silence.
"Haku…" He looked to her when she didn't finish, urging her to continue with a glance. "I don't feel I know where my life is going."
"Like," She continued, "I don't even have a major! I have no clue where I want to go, want to be, any goals in my life, and definite plans. Heck, I don't even have a tentative agenda!" She kicked at a stray can in her path aggressively.
Haku stopped walking. Standing there like a wise, exotic cat, he lifted his face in to the breeze. It kicked up the strands of his damp dark hair, nearly the same color as the hematite stone that shone in his ear, and he closed his eyes, and took in a quiet breath.
She stopped. She turned around, her brows furrowed at him, her hands stuffed in her pockets, her body tense.
"What does the wind tell you?" She took a tentative step towards him. He still had his eyes closed, his posture taking in his surroundings. "Where does it tell you to go?" She took another step towards him.
"You will find your path before your journey is through." He reached forward, grasping the tips of her fingers for just a moment. "I promise you." His eyes nearly glittered, but he gave her a smile and continued their walk home before anything else was said.
She trotted after him, and they jogged up the steps to their apartment together, laughing and joking, teasing and taunting each other about who would win their childish race to the door.
Yenshi still wasn't home. Chihiro tossed her keys on the entryway's dresser, and she and Haku made their way to their rooms.
"Haku?" She had left him when they had reached her room, but now she spun around and grasped the frame, leaning into the hall. Haku, already to his own door, turned to her, his hand barely grasping his door handle.
"Um, Haku? I was just wondering, um…" He arched a brow to her. "That is, I would really enjoy--really like you to, um…" He lifted his chin a touch to show he was listening. "Well, would you like to go to the masquerade with me?"
He grinned warmly, nodding.
"Of course." was all he said.