=Actually... going places. Slight shock. Eh, I hate how simple the language is being--and how bad my sentence fluency is--but here's to not caring at all.=

Recompense for Treachery

Chapter 2, "My Treat."

"As you probably know well, Doumyouji has very, very strong emotions, and he acts on them without giving it a second thought. I've gone through the motions with him; at first I hated his impulsiveness, then I thought it attractive, then I loved it, for when I realized my feelings for him, most of the things I hated about him had died to nothing more than a slight smolder.

"Hanazawa Rui came back from France without Shizuka to meet us when we arrived in Japan. I had missed five months of school, and more distractions were almost more than I could take while trying to make up an entire semester. But Doumyouji doesn't know what it's like to struggle with school and get decent grades, he's never had to work for anything in his life. So, as I suppose is to be expected, none of the F4 could understand why I was avoiding them and focusing as intently on my work as I could. Having Rui around was more than I bargained for.

"Apparently, Shizuka had been previously engaged, so she couldn't come along with Rui to Japan. I had long considered him my friend, but I was surprised when I was the first he came to with his serious problem. Though the revival of his relationship with Shizuka had been wonderful for some time, despite what she said when she came back for him from France, she never did really need him. He knew that, but he took my advice and wouldn't merely run away like he had before. Instead, he said he wanted to get something off his chest. If that didn't make me worry, I don't know what could have.

"My relationship with Doumyouji was already rocky because of all the time I spent on my schoolwork. However, after our five months together, he seemed to be much more understanding toward my trials and took a step back until he thought he had the go-ahead. It really was rather gentle of him, I suppose. But Rui had decided that in France, somewhere along the line, he was really in love with me.

"I love them, I really do, but only like brothers. Doumyouji stuck it out with me for almost four years, through every kind of hell imaginable. My various mid-terms, finals, and even the college entrance exam. Though, being that I had attended Eitoku for high school, it seemed certain I would get into university there, I still had to work hard for it. But only one year after I had gotten in, his mother decided to advance back into our lives.

"I really don't know what to think of Doumyouji Kaede. She seemed to have finally accepted the relationship that Doumyouji and I had, when she decided that it wasn't quite enough for her. She wanted marriage, and she wanted it then. Stocks fell with the market drop, and even for the Doumyouji Corporation, things were getting tight. Shigeru plain refused--over and over--to marry him, so Doumyouji Kaede took it into her hands to find someone else.

"By my second year at university, we were doomed. I couldn't understand how I felt about Doumyouji anymore, and just as his fiery love for me died down, so did my resolve to stand up to his mother. So, I broke it off. We had had a few falling outs in the past, but somehow, I think he knew it was different. He left me alone.

"If he was going to marry someone, I at least hoped it would be someone who would love him back, so I encouraged Shigeru. I really don't know why or how, but I thought of it as a parting gift. Through everything Rui was there for me, even after I rejected his love and he flew back to France. Real love never lasts in the world of the rich, so he tells me. I saw him a year later outside the dango shop.

"He goes back to France every once in a while. He got into university as well, so he's finishing school with me there. I still speak to Mimasaka-san and Nishikado-san, how could I not? We share lunch and swap stories, almost like the good old days.

"Doumyouji doesn't go to school anymore. I haven't seen him, but Rui tells me he seems to have finally submitted to his mother's will. It hurts to think of it, but I can't imagine anything more beneficial for him. I guess eventually, we all had to gain some common sense."

Tsukushi finished her story with a sad sigh, resigning to lean back against the booth. Junpei watched her for a moment before speaking.

"Did it hurt?" he asked, his voice quiet. Tsukushi let her eyes rest on his face, her gaze seeming to probe him as she responded.

"No."

Junpei nodded, letting himself smile, even if only a small tip of one lip. "What are you studying at Eitoku?" he inquired, leaning forward to prop his chin on his hands.

Tsukushi then let a glint of excitement to brighten her somber brown eyes. "Business, actually," she said proudly, one eyebrow raising, and Junpei chuckled at the healthy flush of her cheeks.

"You want to be a businesswoman?" Tsukushi nodded, putting her hands on the edge of the table in an almost determined fashion.

"I want to someday own my own business, and make enough money to buy my parents a big house in the city and pay for my brother's tuition to Eitoku. He wants to transfer there," she announced. Before Junpei could reply, a waitress arrived at their table and, pad in hand, inquired of their food orders.

After the interruption, Junpei found himself silent, something he was rarely afflicted with for his generally quick, kind tongue and outgoing personality. He vaguely remembered thinking once, 'She doesn't need Doumyouji to look out for her, she seems to have that field covered just fine on her own.' And as it seemed, he was right. Despite all her trials and tribulations, Tsukushi still stood strong on her own, just like he expected.

"I always knew it," Junpei said suddenly, surprising Tsukushi, who had begun to wander into a nostalgic daze. "I always knew you didn't need anyone else to fly away."

Tsukushi smiled then, a real, genuine smile. She slowly nodded her head. "I suppose not," she replied, "I am a weed, after all. Weeds don't need spoiled, greenhouse flowers to make it in the world."

There was a moment of silence, not in the least uncomfortable, as both seemed to withdraw into their thoughts. It was then that Tsukushi spoke up.

"How about you? What have you been doing since Eitoku?"

Junpei smiled with a twinge of melancholy. "I transferred out a little while after... you know. I didn't want to have to face you again." Rather than the look of harsh recollection he expected, Tsukushi nodded her head, encouraging him to continue. "I went to a different school in Tokyo, with slightly less prestige. There's not much of a story to tell; I graduated, and went to university outside the city. I'm a second year there."

Their conversation was interrupted--not too soon for Junpei, he didn't want to expand on the fact his life was rather boring and uneventful compared to hers--by the arrival of their main meals. His eyes widened slightly when Tsukushi, not without proper manners for she was never the type to be rude even if she was starving, dove into her food and quickly devoured her meal. Junpei raised his eyebrows when she placed her chopsticks on her plate and he was only halfway through eating.

"How often do you eat?" he asked, regarding her satisfied expression with keen curiosity.

Tsukushi put a finger on her chin and furrowed her brow thoughtfully. "Well, I get off school just before work, and I usually can't get breakfast, but I either bring lunch or Rui shares his with me... I eat dinner at around this time," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "It doesn't really matter."

Tsukushi glanced up at Junpei, who was regarding her with a frown, a tense forehead and narrowed eyes. "You can't be serious." Junpei felt a mixture of shock and pity--no, not pity, she didn't like it when people pitied her. Mostly just shock, then. Tsukushi tilted her head, her eyebrows raising in surprise at his loud response.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Junpei let out a sigh. The girl really worked too hard for her own good; it was a miracle she hadn't fallen over sick yet. Or maybe she had, he really didn't know how she operated anymore.

"You skip breakfast, have a meager lunch, and then don't eat until eight at night?" His voice was incredulous. "How do you survive? It's not healthy!" Tsukushi smiled suddenly and nodded her head, her eyes sparkling slightly with mirth.

She pushed some of her brown hair from her face and replied, "I really am all right, I've been living this way for five years. And anyway, Rui comes by twice a week and I see Mimasaka and Nishikado every other Saturday. I'm not cut off from the world either, and I certainly won't be left to die or anything of the sort." As she finished speaking, a sharp beeping noise pierced the air, causing Junpei to jump slightly out of his seat and his chopsticks to fall to the floor. "Ah, sorry!" Tsukushi apologized, pulling up her sleeve to reveal a watch, which was emitting loud, high-pitched beeps. She quickly turned it off and glanced at the time, her eyes growing wide and her happy smile turning into an apologetic one.

"You have to go, don't you?" Junpei asked, his voice more tired than disappointed, earning him a slow nod from the woman sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"I have to set it to remind me that I actually have to sleep," Tsukushi informed him sheepishly. She quickly pulled out her purse and wallet, fumbling around through the cash pocket. His hand touched hers, causing her to flinch momentarily and her eyes to meet his. "Don't worry, I've got it."

"But-"

"Really, it's... it's the least I can do." Tsukushi's eyes grew wide and her lips puffed slightly, in a way that Junpei found it hard not to pay too close attention to her slightly reddened face.

Tsukushi could only nod as his hand quickly left hers, his eyes brightening as he stood up and she followed suit. He walked her to the door, a nod to the hostess assuring her that he wasn't ditching the bill, merely escorting his lady friend. She had seen it often enough with her other regulars, though he hadn't been a regular in a few years, he had never once jumped the bill.

"Junpei-kun," Tsukushi addressed as Junpei held the door open for her, one foot propped against it as she stepped past him. She reached into her purse, withdrawing a pen and a small, blank business card as she continued, "Next time you're in town, make sure to give me a call." With a brief scribble she wrote her name and phone number across the top, pressing it into his surprised hand.

Junpei nodded and smiled, taking the card and tucking it into his pocket as she turned to leave. "Thank you, Makino-san," he said quietly, his gaze soft as she kept her eyes on him. "For everything. I'll be back soon."

Tsukushi only nodded her head and with one last wave, disappeared into the throng of people passing by the small shop in the glow of the streetlamps.

***

"Hello?" Tsukushi answered the phone, using her foot to 'straighten up' the room; this meant stuffing her books and bookbag under the table, jamming her clothes into her old, beaten up dresser, and making her kitchen into some semblance of sanity.

"Tsukushi?" came the voice on the other line. Tsukushi's face immediately brightened into a smile.

"Rui! How can I help you this fine, cold, depressing evening?"

"Well, I was actually wondering... you are coming to the wedding, right?"

Tsukushi let out a sigh. "Yeah, but I don't have a gift. I can't buy them anything, and my cookies aren't the greatest, you know that first-hand."

"Tsukushi, it's Tsukasa and Shigeru. They'll like anything if it's from you."

"Ugh, I just don't know. What are you getting them?"

"Not telling."

"What?! You can't do that."

"Yes I can. Anyway, you have tomorrow off, right? I mean, at least the morning; it is Saturday."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure I have plans with Nishikado-san."

"That was last weekend. Are you avoiding me?"

"No! Anyway, why are you asking?"

"Well, I can help you find something for the wedding present, but you have to do something for me in return."

"Shopping? Oh no. Shopping with Shigeru-san is strenuous enough. Even though you have less than a millionth of her energy level, I don't think I can stand shopping with you rich people."

"Come on, you know you need my expert advice."

"Fine, fine. What do you need from me?"

"To come to the wedding with me, stay for the whole thing, have a good attitude, and dance with Tsukasa so you two can talk."

"You have to be kidding me."

"No. No skipping out during the reception when my head is turned, either."

"Just so you'll go shopping with me? Who says I even want your company?"

"Don't deny it. Besides, I'll buy you lunch, and I know you have a lot to talk about right now. I can hear it in your voice, you know."

"I really hate how well you know me."

"I know you do."

"Fine, I'll do it, but if it becomes painful, I'm leaving."

"All right, I guess I can concede that much. I'll be by at eleven, sound good?"

"See you then, you jerk."

"I'll bring my special braiding fingers just for you. Bye!"