(Chapter 7: Finding a Job)
When Rukawa woke up, sun was streaming through the living room window. For a moment, he didn't remember where he was or why he was sleeping on a couch. But sighting the baby grand in front of his eyes, memories of the last two days flooded back into his mind.
Kira…Kira! He jumped for the couch and raced for her bedroom. He threw the door open and stopped still.
"Good morning, Rukawa." Kira was already awake and sitting up in her bed, wearing a large white button-down shirt. Her face was weary while dark circles lined her eyes. Fatigue covered every inch of her. But her smile was as warm and sweet as honey as she reached out a hand toward him. He sat down by the side of her bed.
"My good, dear Rukawa." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him with love from every pore of her body. "You took care of me, didn't you?" She pulled back and her eyes skimmed his face. "I was so worried when I first realized something was wrong with me, but Char refused to let me out in the middle of the night. I suppose I passed out then, until you came."
Every word was spoken with tiredness, but the sound of her voice had never sounded better to Rukawa's ears. Moisture misted his eyes as he stared into the girl whose very life he had prayed for for the last two days. And he couldn't help but feel ashamed and contrite about what he had thought of her before he realized she was ill instead of being petty as he had thought. Not for one moment did she doubt him for dating Nakata, yet he had immediately gone to the conclusion that she was jealous.
Emotions flowed throughout his mind, his soul, his heart, his body. He couldn't speak, and when he finally spoke, he summed up all those feelings into four words.
"I'm glad you're alright."
"Thank you, Rukawa." Her dark eyes shone like a jewel, filled with unsaid gratitude. He was embarrassed and tried to hide it by saying gruffly, pulling the sheet up to her chin.
"Rest now."
She didn't need to be prodded a second time. Within seconds after her head fell against the pillow, she was sound asleep. The serenity on her face was captivating, and Rukawa couldn't turn away. He watched her and knew he was being rude, but he didn't care. He watched her sleep and he watched her breathe. The girl was magnificent. She was as beautiful as his mother, but there was a sad sort of quietude about her, a wistful look in her eyes sometimes, as if she wanted something which money could not buy. He searched for a flaw, hoping that if he found one, he would be able to get past his fascination with her.
Kira was up and about the next day, though Rukawa urged her to stay in bed. But she had never coddled herself and she wasn't about to start now. So on Thursday, she made a few calls at home, and on Saturday, when Rukawa brought Buster over to her house, he was in a for a surprise.
As usual, the door was unlocked for him to enter at his own leisure. With Buster's leash in his hands, he trouped into the house and went into the living room.
"Kira, I'm here!" He called half-heartedly, hoping she wasn't up to anything dangerous or stupid. Stretching out on the leather sofa, he closed his eyes and proceeded to take a short nap. A sound came from the kitchen, and he stirred slightly, putting no mind into it.
It came again, and this time, the seven-teen year old's eyes flew open, as he twisted his head just a bit. Then jumped up from his sleeping position.
A kid, no, an infant was crawling towards him on the white carpet. The baby looked up and gave him a wide, toothless smile grin, then continued slowly on his hands and knees toward Rukawa. At the step between them, the baby pitched forward, and toppled down the step, somersaulting several times. Rukawa braced himself for the loud wailing that was sure to come.
It didn't come. Instead, the tot clapped his hand and laughed. Rukawa pushed back from the couch, and slowly knelt down before the happy infant.
A baby at Kira's house…this infant…can it be…?
Wordlessly, he picked him up and held him at an arm's length, peeking into his face. Well, he looked nothing like Kira, that's for sure. The shock of blond, wispy hair that topped the baby's head and the hazel eyes resembled nothing from Kira. But still—
"Hey, Rukawa!" Kira appeared at the door, a kitchen towel in her hands. He looked up, expressionless, though all sorts of thoughts and emotions raged in his mind.
"I didn't hear you come in." She continued. "But Buster came into the kitchen begging for a treat, so I figured you're probably lounging around here. And I was right!" She added triumphantly.
"Kira…" He held up the little boy. "I found him…here. He isn't… He looks nothing like you." The basketball player finished lamely. Kira gave him a strange look, before taking the baby into her arms.
"Of course he looks nothing like me. Yukki is the neighbor's child. I'm babysitting him for them. I'm looking for a job, and I suppose babysitting him is the first step." Holding Yukki against her large apron, Kira began crooning nonsense to the baby.
"Does Yukki want his bottle? I think it's time for Yukki to have him bottle. Come on, let's go to the kitchen to get Yukki's bottle." Rukawa was following the pair into the kitchen incredulously, when Kira suddenly stopped and gave an exclamation. Shoving the baby into Rukawa's arms, she ran for the pot where the sauce was boiling over.
Yukki and Rukawa stared at each other without blinking, then Rukawa said softly, so only him and the baby could hear each other, "Not much of a cook, is she?"
Too bad, Kira did hear. Turning around, she put up a stern face and with the hand holding the spoon planted on her hips, she demanded, "Who's a bad cook?"
With his face straight, Rukawa indicated toward Yukki. The baby only grinned as Kira made a face.
"This is only a temporary job anyway." She said as she turned back to the sauce. They watched as they added white wine, freshly cut cheese, and several other ingredients. "I found a job as a waitress in a dance lounge."
"Oh?"
"Yep." She stirred the sauce furiously. "I'll be working every Friday through Sunday night, from six to nine."
"Hmm." She turned.
"You don't sound too pleased."
"I didn't say anything."
Another queer look was cast toward Rukawa's direction before Kira went back to stirring the sauce to the fondue, which was to be supper.
"You mean at 'Mitsuya's Tokyo'?! The most popular dance club in all of Tokyo?" Yumi picked her jaws up from the ground as she flopped back on Kira's bed. "However did you manage?"
Kira shrugged, rubbing Char's furry head. "It's not such a big deal." She cocked her head, causing her long hair to curtain around her face. "They're short of waitresses."
"I should apply, too! And how much are they paying you? "
"Reasonable, I guess."
"You've got all the luck, Kira. Knowing Rukawa, having a wonderful house, getting a great job." Char barked and his ears perked up high. Yumi laughed. "And have such a smart doggie like Charmond." Yumi complimented Kira's living style often. She once told Kira that she couldn't believe she was so down-to-earth and not spoiled rotten. Kira was independent, kind, and sensitive, almost a crybaby sometimes. She cries over sad songs, wounded animals, unhappy people, and even some TV commercial. When she was little, Kira remembered crying over Fox and Hound, because the best friends were separated in the end.
Then Yumi grew serious. "Speaking of Rukawa Kaede, how are things going with him?"
"Very well, I suppose. He's down at the basketball court right now, playing basketball."
"Has he asked you out yet?" Kira looked up, her face shocked.
"No! Why on earth would he do something like that?"
"Well," Yumi didn't hasten to point out. "You two are together every day, why should he ask you out? I've never seen him so interested in a girl before, and I've gone to junior high with him. He's never so much as cast a gaze at any girl." Yumi gave her hair a flip and studied herself in Kira's mirror. "I really need to get my hair done, I'm getting split ends."
"He's not interested in going out with me." Kira was insisting. "And neither am I with him." She finished firmly. Yumi turned, her eyes skeptical.
"Why in the world not?!"
"I…he…we're not like that."
"Then what are you two like?!"
"We're…" The clock saved Kira from answering the dreadful question that even she doesn't have the answer to. "Look at the time! I have to get going! Today's my first day working at Mitsuya's Tokyo!"
Flying around, Kira gathered her clothing, nylons, her heels, and ran for the bathroom. She came out twenty-minutes later wearing black silk camisole with an unbuttoned filmy white blouse, knotted into a large trailing bowknot at her midsection. Showing beneath the ankle-long flowing black skirt was a charming black pair of x-strap heels that she'd bought. Kira squealed with delight and fell out of bed when she saw her friend in the exquisite and stylish getup.
"You look entirely too precious! Entirely gorgeous!" She gasped, before demanding. "Didn't you say you worked at a dance club?"
"Yes, but the reason why it's popular is because they have different soft of dances every night. Not hip-hop or jazz, but waltzes, tangos, salsas, slow dancing, blues, flamenco, you know." The air of classy elegance surrounded Kira as she piled her hair on top of her head when the door below opened and presently, a voice was heard announcing his entrance.
"Speaking of the devil." Looking into her vanity mirror for a last moment touch, Kira headed toward the door. "It's just Rukawa."
"The Rukawa? Rukawa Kaede?!" Apparently, Yumi also had some unsaid feelings for the legendary basketball player, for she turned quite pink and began fussing with her hair.
"I'm up here, Rukawa." Kira leaned down the banisters and called down, unconsciously making a pretty little picture of herself with her honest face shining and both hands out, saying in a hearty tone, which was a welcome itself. "Buster's outside, digging in my roses. You're going to have to fix them for me later."
Footsteps grew louder as the owner of them climbed up the curved staircase. But it soon stopped as Rukawa's quiet voice could be heard asking,
"Is that what you're going to wear to the club tonight?"
"It's a lounge, Rukawa. And yes. This is what they've assigned for me to wear."
"It's modest." He states simply, as if he couldn't believe she wasn't dressed in a mini-skirt, leather boots, and a halter-top so short half of her upper body was viewable.
"Yet sexy." Yumi chimed in. Rukawa, noticing for the first time he wasn't the only one in the house, looked over and studied the redhead standing in front of her.
"…And who are you?" He finally asked with a blank look.
Noticing the crushed look on her friend's face, Kira quickly introduced. "Rukawa, this is Yumi. Yumi, this is Rukawa. He lives right next door and she's my close friend."
Rukawa didn't say anything. That is, until Kira jabbed her elbow sharply into his side, then he said emotionlessly, "Hi."
Kira sighed, realizing this was why Rukawa's never had a girlfriend. They've had that conversation plenty of times, of how he needs to get more girls into his life besides just her. The other girls would gladly cooperate, but Rukawa refuses to acknowledge any girl that he doesn't care for—which was every girl.
"Be nice." She finally said through gritted teeth to Rukawa, who looked at her strangely.
"Why?" He whispered back.
"Because she's my friend!" He stared at her, then shrugged.
"I'm going to work now."
"Be careful." They walked down the stairs and he helped her into her coat. That's when the shocking thing happened.
"You have your coat all wrong." Rukawa said impatiently, reaching out to flip out her collar and straighten the shoulders.
"No, I don't." Kira wiggled and struggled with the disobedient piece of clothing.
"Now you've twisted the whole thing, turn it backwards." Her friend ordered in an authoritative manner. She rolled her eyes and poked her arm out.
"There." She made a face at him. "Happy now." She picked up her handbag and reached for the doorknob.
"Very." He gave her hair one last pat as she turned around. He leaned down automatically and she rose to her toes. Dream-like movements as if acting on impulse, Rukawa's lips met Kira's forehead. Yumi, watching from above, gawked.
"Have a good time, and be careful." Rukawa was saying as she turned the doorknob and stepped out.
"I won't. Drat, it's raining!"
Rukawa and Kira had separated and Kira was out the door, before they seemed to realize what had happened. She turned back slowly, a hint of blush on her cheeks. Rukawa looked as stunned her as he realized what he had done.
Yumi gaped.
Kira blushed.
Rukawa paled.
Char merely panted and looked back and forth between his mistress and the tall basketball player. His tail wagged violently and grinned, knowing that their goal was becoming closer and closer.