Disclaimer: I do not own Mars.
Summary- After graduation Rei goes away to California to race while Kira studies art in Japan. Will their love be able to stay strong, or will she find comfort in the arms of another man. TxK, KxR, RxOC.
Response to Reviews-
Kitsunia- ::Sobs a bit:: I missed you, but I'm glad you're here now. I'm really surprised that you and the other reviewers haven't flipped out about all the Rei bashing. There's a lot more to come unfortunately, but towards the end he'll redeem himself...
Kasia- Yeah that'll be fun, Rei and Tatsuya fighting over Kira. What's really going to be interesting is who Kira decides to be with in the end...
Animefan rikku- ::Pouts:: I know I know, my long chapter streak has ended for now. I try and I try, really I do... but the chapters come out midbie- ish. I'll keep working on it though... Yes you're right, the Rei bashing can be fun.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!!
Chapter 2- Heart Breaking Discoveries
Tatsuya's wet hands were badly shriveled from washing dishes and he was almost nauseous from the harsh smell of the cheap lemony dishwashing liquid. The last time Kira washed the dishes must have been weeks ago, for the sink was piled high with dishes, pots, pans and cups. He was almost grateful when he heard the loud and high pitched ringing of the telephone.
"Hello, Aso residence," he answered, wondering if Harumi was calling to find out if he'd spent the night at Kira's house. Although he was over her it would be a huge ego booster if she was still pining over him.
"Oh, uh... Hey Tatsuya... I must have called the wrong number I'm trying to call Kira," answered the person on the other line, sounding seemingly bewildered.
He parted his lips, and then shut them once more in surprise, Tatsuya hadn't heard from Rei in months. "You called the right number," he began after he got over his shock, but couldn't find an excuse that sounded better than 'I spent the night.' Deep down he wanted to say it, perhaps make Rei jealous or curse him for not calling Kira sooner and causing her to be the way she is now. He seriously considered both, but then decided not to, only for Kira's sake.
Rei wondered why Tatsuya would be at Kira's house so early in the morning and waited for an explanation but decided that it was unimportant when he received none. After knowing Tatsuya for five years he highly doubted that Tatsuya would be capable of doing something as deceptive as sleeping with his girlfriend. "So what's up with you?" he asked casually, trying to get the conversation ball rolling.
A small frown appeared on Tatsuya's face as he studied the small brown tiles on the countertop. He was beginning to feel guilty for considering having Kira as his own, when she was dating his best friend of five years. "Um, nothing really. College is fine. My brother Keichi just started high school... So, how's life in America?" Tatsuya questioned.
Rei let out a deep sigh and paused for a while. "Stressful... Really, really, stressful. Waking up early every morning to exercise and keep in tiptop shape for the races, photo shoots, endorsements and all that other shit they have me doing" he complained as he rolled his eyes expressively. "But I guess that you can't complain when you get to ride the most expensive bikes, sleep in the best hotels and have girls throwing themselves at your feet can you?" he added, trying lightening the mood although his heart wasn't really in it.
Tatsuya nodded sadly, he faked being happy just as badly as Kira did. "Yeah I guess so. Kira misses you a lot you know," he said softly, not quite letting on how much Kira missed Rei.
A long pause of silence elapsed before Rei spoke again. "I know, but there's nothing I can do that about it. She'll have to wait it out until I make it back," he replied. "I know that sounds a bit cruel, but I'm doing this so that we can have a happy life when I get back. Is she there? Can I talk to her?"
After hearing Rei's selfless explanation of why he left Kira made him feel a bit bad for labeling him as the bad guy in his head. "Yeah sure, I'll put her on. Hold on a minute," Tatsuya said as he set the telephone set on the table and walked through the living room and down the hall to the bathroom. He rapped at the door. "Kira, Rei's on the phone." Tatsuya shifted from foot to foot as he listened to everything in the bathroom go crashing to the floor and heard her stumble towards the door in an effort to hurry to the phone. He tried to fight his raging hormones as she emerged from the bathroom, pearls of water adorning her body, clad in only a bath towel. She was more beautiful than usual.
"Thanks Tatsuya," Kira said in passing as she hurried over to the phone, simply bubbling with energy and excitement. She picked up the phone and placed it against her ear, listening to Rei's steady breathing for a while before speaking. "Hey Rei," she said softly, a wide grin on her face.
Tatsuya stood at the door, watching her silently as he wondered if she'd ever smile like that for him. Although deep down he was happy that she was happy his heart was being torn to bits because he was saw just how much she cared for him.
"Hey Kira, how have you been?" he asked as he stifled a yawn that had been building while he spent the morning exercising and trying out a new prototype for the motorcycle company.
"I'm good," she lied as she cast Tatsuya a nervous glance, hoping that he hadn't said anything to Rei earlier. "How are you?" she asked him sweetly.
Rei purposely ignored her question, he hated lying to her more than anything else. "Are you sure, I mean we haven't seen each other in almost a year..." he said, trying to push the truth out of her.
Kira twirled the phone line with her fingers and shifted from foot to foot nervously. The last thing she wanted was to burden him with her problems when she knew that he probably had a fair load of problems himself. "I'm just fine, I'm a big girl, don't worry about me!" she said, faking cheer and hoping that he wouldn't pick up on it. "How are you doing?" she asked again.
"Huh, oh what did you say?" he asked distractedly. "Oh yeah, I'm fine, just fine," he mumbled. "I'm sorry but I've got a press meeting coming up, I've got to go," Rei said quickly as he began to rummage through his things.
"But Rei can't you just..." she began before getting cut off by him.
"I can't be late for this one, I'll call you tomorrow I promise," he said. "Bye, I love you."
"I... love... you... to..." she said softly as she heard the line go dead. She hung up and looked down at her bare feet. She looked over at Tatsuya who was standing in the door frame of the kitchen and smiled to hide her disappointment. "He had to go to a meeting," she explained, making it seem like she really didn't mind when the truth was that there was so much more that she wanted to talk to him about.
"Are you sure? You don't look okay," he said. It pained him terribly to see her look so hurt and have absolutely nothing he could do to make her smile again. Once again he cursed Rei for putting him in this position.
She nodded slowly, looking down at her feet as she hoped that he'd believe her and not push it any further.
A thick and suffocating cloud of awkward silence descended upon them for a while until it was finally cleared by Tatsuya.
"Um, so do you want to go somewhere?" Tatsuya asked, trying to break the ice between them. He cast her a sideways glance.
Kira was about to decline when a thought struck her. "Hey, can we go to the art gallery opening on the boardwalk?!" she asked, her face lighting up all of a sudden as she buzzed with excitement and anticipation.
Tatsuya would have shook his head vehemently under any other circumstances, but looking at her now, he just couldn't say no to her. In fact, he couldn't think of any situation where he'd deny her anything. He shoved his hands deep into the front pockets of his denim jeans and nodded his head in bitter defeat.
"Yay, thanks Tatsuya!" she said cheerfully as she skipped over to him and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, pressing her cheek to his.
Although he knew that it meant nothing to her, inside his heart was burning with happiness and a smile played on his face. When he remembered that she was clad in a towel alone and felt it unraveling slowly against his chest he quickly tried to pull away before something embarrassing happened.
"You're the best!" she whispered into his ear before walking off to her bedroom to get some clothes on.
She emerged from her bedroom within minutes wearing faded denim capries and a plain white tank top. Her outfit very much reflected her personality, simple and sweet. "I'm ready to go!" she announced as she slipped her feet into her sneakers at the door and reached for her keys.
"Okay then," he replied, thinking of their outing to the art gallery opening as a date to make it seem less boring. He held the front door open for her to pass, waited for her to lock the door from the outside and then followed her down the hallway.
Kira paused when she stepped out of the front door of the apartment building. She took in a deep breath and smiled from ear to ear. She hadn't stepped out of the apartment in days due to her state of depression. "It's beautiful out here isn't it?" she chirped.
"You're beautiful," Tatsuya said as he looked down at Kira's head, her blonde hair shining and shimmering in the bright midday sun.
"Huh, what was that?" she asked as she looked up at him curiously, squinting from the glare of the sun.
Heat flooded his cheeks causing him to blush a shade of deep red. "Oh nothing..." he said, losing all confidence, something Rei never would have done. He then wondered if he would have won her over in the beginning if he had been more upfront and confident.
"Hey Tatsuya," Kira said, breaking the awkward silence as they walked down the street.
"Yeah?" he asked, turning his attention from the birds fluttering about in the trees to the beautiful woman beside him.
"Thanks a lot for being there for me like this all the time. It means the world to me, and I love you for it," Kira said honestly as she smiled up at him and slipped her arm into his. This caused his heart to pitter patter around in his rib cage. It was close to unbearable to have her so close to him and know that her heart still longed for another. Knowing this, he still couldn't stop hoping that one day she'd reciprocate his feelings. "You're the best friend I've ever had," she completed as she held onto his arm tighter.
He simply nodded in return, feeling hurt and disappointed once more. It seemed to be something he always felt when he was around her
"Aha!" Kira announced proudly after a good fifteen minutes of walking. She paused outside of one of the many buildings on the street and gazed up at the address. "This is it!" she squealed excitedly. "I can barely even remember the last time I went to an art opening like this," Kira explained, her voice a mere whisper. She stepped in-between the exhibits slowly with deliberate footsteps as if not to disturb the subjects of the artworks. "Oh, I remember!" she said quickly when the thought popped into her mind. "It was... um what was it two, or was it three years ago? It was when I painted Rei and won that award..." she then stood still for a while.
Tatsuya slipped his arm out from hers and stuffed them into the pockets of his jeans. He then stepped from foot to foot uncomfortably. When Kira failed to complete her train of thought Tatsuya decided to leave it alone and turned his attention to other things. Kira walked around the artworks and paused in front of random art pieces and would place her hand on her chin, or tilt her head to the side as though she were wondering what the artist was thinking, or what medium was used. Tatsuya stayed where they last stood together. He felt so out of place in a room among artists.
After a while he'd watched enough people pass by and look at art pieces that he figured that he saw enough to be able to imitate it. So he went from table to table, cocking his head to one side, placing a hand on a hip and one on his chin and murmuring to himself every now and then. It was fun for a while because people would come up to him and ask what he thought was best about the artwork, but eventually he got bored with it and began to look around for Kira.
"Hey, are you ready to go yet?" Kira asked softly from behind him. "I wanted to ask sooner, but you looked like you were so into it that I didn't want to interrupt."
Tatsuya grinned in return, glad that even she'd been fooled into thinking that he was into art, and secondly, because she was finally ready to leave.
"Let's go then," he replied, leading the way to the front door.
The bright summer midday sunlight forced Kira and Tatsuya to squint their eyes until they found shelter from the sun underneath a large leafy tree.
"Soo... Where to?" Kira asked, looking up at Tatsuya with her large deep brown deer eyes.
He thought for a while when a thought came to him. "There's an ice- cream parlor near by and I hear their stuff is really good. Would you like to go?" he asked, hoping she'd say yes.
"Sure, sounds great," Kira replied happily as they began to walk down the street and towards the ice cream parlor. In the ninety degree weather many of the young women of Japan were walking around clad in short shorts and skimpy tank tops. Kira looked down at her own attire and wondered if she was up to par with everybody else and if the girls in California, Arizona, or wherever Rei was now were the same way. From what she'd seen on television and read in magazines the American women appeared to dress skimpier and to be far more voluptuous. She immediately cursed herself for being weak enough to think that Rei would actually be attracted to somebody else.
"Um... This is it," Tatsuya said awkwardly, taking hold of Kira's forearms and gently leading her towards the front door.
"Huh?!" Kira said warily, snapping out of her thoughts and back into the real world. "Oh, yeah. I guess it's the sun making me ditty," Kira said with a light chuckle as she walked through the door that Tatsuya was holding open for her. She was lost in awe upon entering the parlor. The red and white stripes that adorned the tables, counters and walls gave the place a vintage look of a nineteen-fifties ice cream parlor on television. She'd never had the opportunity to go to obscure and ritzy places like this. Rei was always just content sitting around the house and lately she didn't really have the cash to be able to afford going anywhere.
"Would you like to choose the table?" he asked politely as he began to feel awkward standing in the middle of the seating area while Kira looked around like a child at a new toy store.
"Um, it's all right. Anyplace you choose would be fine," she said quickly as her cheeks flushed a shade of deep crimson when she realized that people were looking at them.
Tatsuya smiled at how easily embarrassed she was and chose the booth closest to the cash register and got menu's for both of them.
"Wow!" Kira said as she held the menu out in front of her and quickly skimmed each column. "I didn't know that so many flavors of ice cream existed!" she exclaimed. "I just don't know which one to pick."
He stole glances at her while she was studying her menu, trying to see which flavor she'd enjoy the most although if she asked he'd buy a sundae in each flavor available. The look of utter content on her face had no price tag.
Over in the US-
"Girls get closer to Rei!" hollered the stout cameraman clad in an oversized black tee-shirt and badly torn denim jeans as he clicked away and moved from side to side to capture the scene at various different angles.
Rei's dull gaze swept from corner to corner of the small studio. The lights glaring down at him made him feel as though he was close to fainting and the thickly padded leather racing suit did nothing to help. The swarm of bikini clad women also increased the temperature on the set.
"Rei look here!" cried the man taping the scene for his documentary.
"No, no no! Look at me! Smile for the camera, try to seduce the millions of women that will be looking at this photo next week on the newsstands!" demanded to camera man as he aggressively yanked an oil stained napkin from his chest pocket and wiped off the sweat from his brow and cheeks.
Seducing women through pictures? He wondered if the magazine this photo was going to was going to be printed in Japan? He knew that Kira worried about him, and with good reason considering the population of females that showed up at all the meets and he didn't want to give her any more reason to stay up late at night. In fact he didn't want to do any of this to begin with, but unfortunately when he signed the three year contract with the American biking company he signed away all his rights and wasn't able to control what kind of image he was putting out to the media. All they wanted the public to see was an extremely good looking bad-ass biker guy from Japan.
"Enough, enough enough! If Rei cannot focus and make love to the camera there is no point in continuing this shoot. We might as well just spend another ten thousand to rent this studio out tomorrow and take care of it then," the camera man said with an overly exaggerated sigh. "Oh, and another two hundred to ask these beautiful young women to come back again."
"I'd do it for free," whispered the women on his left seductively into his ear as she wrapped a freshly waxed leg around his.
Rei's body stiffened as he stepped away from the crowd. "I can't do this now," he mumbled as he stumbled towards his dressing room.
He malevolently glared at the red star that had his name on it on the front door as he pushed it open and collapsed on the cheap and badly tattered love seat against the wall. His fingers anxiously found their way to the zipper and he unzipped the biking suit half way, revealing the thin white t-shirt he wore underneath. After catching his breath he stared up at the badly stained once white tiles on the ceiling and wondered what his love, Kira was doing at this very moment. He imagined her face and wondered if it had matured any since the last time he laid eyes upon them, wondered what she was wearing or who she was with or what she was thinking. To be honest he may have missed her more than she missed him but couldn't let her know because he wanted to be the strong one, the one she could lean on for support.
Once more, as he did each night he imagined her smiling face and drifted off to sleep, hoping to have a chance to be in her arms one day soon.
Over in Japan-
"Ugh, I can't believe it just started pouring like that, just out of nowhere!" Kira exclaimed as she offered Tatsuya back his soaked denim jacket that had doubled as her umbrella during their walk back home.
Tatsuya took it from her and hung it on the back of the kitchen chair to dry. "Yeah, that was one strange change of weather. Why don't you go and dry off before you get sick and get pneumonia or something?" he suggested before getting ready to change clothes himself.
Kira nodded and obediently did as she was told. When she exited the bathroom ten minutes later she was dressed in a loosely fitting t-shirt that probably belonged to Rei at one point, and white shorts.
Tatsuya heard the door open and turned to look. He found it hard to look away, but somehow managed to force his attention back to the stove. "Would you like some hot chocolate?" he called to her.
"Aww, Tatsuya! You shouldn't be anywhere near the kitchen! You're a guest... um somewhat..." she paused as she thought a while about why he was actually there. "Well I guess that what I'm trying to say is that you're doing far more than enough by staying here with me and keeping me company. I'll finish up while you get comfortable and watch tv or something."
Tatsuya considered protesting, but decided that he was tired and then walked over to the living room and plopped down unto the couch.
Moments later he was joined by Kira and she passed him a cup of chocolatey steaming hot chocolate and she sat down next to him. For the first few moments they both sat there staring blankly at the tv screen, neither of them actually paying attention to what was going on. Kira was lost in her own little world of deep thoughts while Tatsuya mused about what she might be thinking about at the moment.
As time went on Kira's lids got heavier and soon enough she fell asleep and her head gently landed upon Tatsuya's broad and muscular shoulder. He looked down upon his sleeping beauty and smiled. When they were like this, so intimate and yet innocent at the same time he couldn't help but to think about the possibility of them being an item one day. Then he remembered that it's a waste even thinking about it because she will forevermore be in love with his best friend Rei. He still failed to understand how she could be so content being in love with a selfish man and began to wonder about how he could change her mind and win her heart.
Author's Notes- I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I'd like to give a special thanks to my beta-reader and the great ideas offered to make this chapter as good as it is. Please please please review my fic and let me know what you thought of it and what you'd like to see in the future.
Summary- After graduation Rei goes away to California to race while Kira studies art in Japan. Will their love be able to stay strong, or will she find comfort in the arms of another man. TxK, KxR, RxOC.
Response to Reviews-
Kitsunia- ::Sobs a bit:: I missed you, but I'm glad you're here now. I'm really surprised that you and the other reviewers haven't flipped out about all the Rei bashing. There's a lot more to come unfortunately, but towards the end he'll redeem himself...
Kasia- Yeah that'll be fun, Rei and Tatsuya fighting over Kira. What's really going to be interesting is who Kira decides to be with in the end...
Animefan rikku- ::Pouts:: I know I know, my long chapter streak has ended for now. I try and I try, really I do... but the chapters come out midbie- ish. I'll keep working on it though... Yes you're right, the Rei bashing can be fun.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!!
Chapter 2- Heart Breaking Discoveries
Tatsuya's wet hands were badly shriveled from washing dishes and he was almost nauseous from the harsh smell of the cheap lemony dishwashing liquid. The last time Kira washed the dishes must have been weeks ago, for the sink was piled high with dishes, pots, pans and cups. He was almost grateful when he heard the loud and high pitched ringing of the telephone.
"Hello, Aso residence," he answered, wondering if Harumi was calling to find out if he'd spent the night at Kira's house. Although he was over her it would be a huge ego booster if she was still pining over him.
"Oh, uh... Hey Tatsuya... I must have called the wrong number I'm trying to call Kira," answered the person on the other line, sounding seemingly bewildered.
He parted his lips, and then shut them once more in surprise, Tatsuya hadn't heard from Rei in months. "You called the right number," he began after he got over his shock, but couldn't find an excuse that sounded better than 'I spent the night.' Deep down he wanted to say it, perhaps make Rei jealous or curse him for not calling Kira sooner and causing her to be the way she is now. He seriously considered both, but then decided not to, only for Kira's sake.
Rei wondered why Tatsuya would be at Kira's house so early in the morning and waited for an explanation but decided that it was unimportant when he received none. After knowing Tatsuya for five years he highly doubted that Tatsuya would be capable of doing something as deceptive as sleeping with his girlfriend. "So what's up with you?" he asked casually, trying to get the conversation ball rolling.
A small frown appeared on Tatsuya's face as he studied the small brown tiles on the countertop. He was beginning to feel guilty for considering having Kira as his own, when she was dating his best friend of five years. "Um, nothing really. College is fine. My brother Keichi just started high school... So, how's life in America?" Tatsuya questioned.
Rei let out a deep sigh and paused for a while. "Stressful... Really, really, stressful. Waking up early every morning to exercise and keep in tiptop shape for the races, photo shoots, endorsements and all that other shit they have me doing" he complained as he rolled his eyes expressively. "But I guess that you can't complain when you get to ride the most expensive bikes, sleep in the best hotels and have girls throwing themselves at your feet can you?" he added, trying lightening the mood although his heart wasn't really in it.
Tatsuya nodded sadly, he faked being happy just as badly as Kira did. "Yeah I guess so. Kira misses you a lot you know," he said softly, not quite letting on how much Kira missed Rei.
A long pause of silence elapsed before Rei spoke again. "I know, but there's nothing I can do that about it. She'll have to wait it out until I make it back," he replied. "I know that sounds a bit cruel, but I'm doing this so that we can have a happy life when I get back. Is she there? Can I talk to her?"
After hearing Rei's selfless explanation of why he left Kira made him feel a bit bad for labeling him as the bad guy in his head. "Yeah sure, I'll put her on. Hold on a minute," Tatsuya said as he set the telephone set on the table and walked through the living room and down the hall to the bathroom. He rapped at the door. "Kira, Rei's on the phone." Tatsuya shifted from foot to foot as he listened to everything in the bathroom go crashing to the floor and heard her stumble towards the door in an effort to hurry to the phone. He tried to fight his raging hormones as she emerged from the bathroom, pearls of water adorning her body, clad in only a bath towel. She was more beautiful than usual.
"Thanks Tatsuya," Kira said in passing as she hurried over to the phone, simply bubbling with energy and excitement. She picked up the phone and placed it against her ear, listening to Rei's steady breathing for a while before speaking. "Hey Rei," she said softly, a wide grin on her face.
Tatsuya stood at the door, watching her silently as he wondered if she'd ever smile like that for him. Although deep down he was happy that she was happy his heart was being torn to bits because he was saw just how much she cared for him.
"Hey Kira, how have you been?" he asked as he stifled a yawn that had been building while he spent the morning exercising and trying out a new prototype for the motorcycle company.
"I'm good," she lied as she cast Tatsuya a nervous glance, hoping that he hadn't said anything to Rei earlier. "How are you?" she asked him sweetly.
Rei purposely ignored her question, he hated lying to her more than anything else. "Are you sure, I mean we haven't seen each other in almost a year..." he said, trying to push the truth out of her.
Kira twirled the phone line with her fingers and shifted from foot to foot nervously. The last thing she wanted was to burden him with her problems when she knew that he probably had a fair load of problems himself. "I'm just fine, I'm a big girl, don't worry about me!" she said, faking cheer and hoping that he wouldn't pick up on it. "How are you doing?" she asked again.
"Huh, oh what did you say?" he asked distractedly. "Oh yeah, I'm fine, just fine," he mumbled. "I'm sorry but I've got a press meeting coming up, I've got to go," Rei said quickly as he began to rummage through his things.
"But Rei can't you just..." she began before getting cut off by him.
"I can't be late for this one, I'll call you tomorrow I promise," he said. "Bye, I love you."
"I... love... you... to..." she said softly as she heard the line go dead. She hung up and looked down at her bare feet. She looked over at Tatsuya who was standing in the door frame of the kitchen and smiled to hide her disappointment. "He had to go to a meeting," she explained, making it seem like she really didn't mind when the truth was that there was so much more that she wanted to talk to him about.
"Are you sure? You don't look okay," he said. It pained him terribly to see her look so hurt and have absolutely nothing he could do to make her smile again. Once again he cursed Rei for putting him in this position.
She nodded slowly, looking down at her feet as she hoped that he'd believe her and not push it any further.
A thick and suffocating cloud of awkward silence descended upon them for a while until it was finally cleared by Tatsuya.
"Um, so do you want to go somewhere?" Tatsuya asked, trying to break the ice between them. He cast her a sideways glance.
Kira was about to decline when a thought struck her. "Hey, can we go to the art gallery opening on the boardwalk?!" she asked, her face lighting up all of a sudden as she buzzed with excitement and anticipation.
Tatsuya would have shook his head vehemently under any other circumstances, but looking at her now, he just couldn't say no to her. In fact, he couldn't think of any situation where he'd deny her anything. He shoved his hands deep into the front pockets of his denim jeans and nodded his head in bitter defeat.
"Yay, thanks Tatsuya!" she said cheerfully as she skipped over to him and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, pressing her cheek to his.
Although he knew that it meant nothing to her, inside his heart was burning with happiness and a smile played on his face. When he remembered that she was clad in a towel alone and felt it unraveling slowly against his chest he quickly tried to pull away before something embarrassing happened.
"You're the best!" she whispered into his ear before walking off to her bedroom to get some clothes on.
She emerged from her bedroom within minutes wearing faded denim capries and a plain white tank top. Her outfit very much reflected her personality, simple and sweet. "I'm ready to go!" she announced as she slipped her feet into her sneakers at the door and reached for her keys.
"Okay then," he replied, thinking of their outing to the art gallery opening as a date to make it seem less boring. He held the front door open for her to pass, waited for her to lock the door from the outside and then followed her down the hallway.
Kira paused when she stepped out of the front door of the apartment building. She took in a deep breath and smiled from ear to ear. She hadn't stepped out of the apartment in days due to her state of depression. "It's beautiful out here isn't it?" she chirped.
"You're beautiful," Tatsuya said as he looked down at Kira's head, her blonde hair shining and shimmering in the bright midday sun.
"Huh, what was that?" she asked as she looked up at him curiously, squinting from the glare of the sun.
Heat flooded his cheeks causing him to blush a shade of deep red. "Oh nothing..." he said, losing all confidence, something Rei never would have done. He then wondered if he would have won her over in the beginning if he had been more upfront and confident.
"Hey Tatsuya," Kira said, breaking the awkward silence as they walked down the street.
"Yeah?" he asked, turning his attention from the birds fluttering about in the trees to the beautiful woman beside him.
"Thanks a lot for being there for me like this all the time. It means the world to me, and I love you for it," Kira said honestly as she smiled up at him and slipped her arm into his. This caused his heart to pitter patter around in his rib cage. It was close to unbearable to have her so close to him and know that her heart still longed for another. Knowing this, he still couldn't stop hoping that one day she'd reciprocate his feelings. "You're the best friend I've ever had," she completed as she held onto his arm tighter.
He simply nodded in return, feeling hurt and disappointed once more. It seemed to be something he always felt when he was around her
"Aha!" Kira announced proudly after a good fifteen minutes of walking. She paused outside of one of the many buildings on the street and gazed up at the address. "This is it!" she squealed excitedly. "I can barely even remember the last time I went to an art opening like this," Kira explained, her voice a mere whisper. She stepped in-between the exhibits slowly with deliberate footsteps as if not to disturb the subjects of the artworks. "Oh, I remember!" she said quickly when the thought popped into her mind. "It was... um what was it two, or was it three years ago? It was when I painted Rei and won that award..." she then stood still for a while.
Tatsuya slipped his arm out from hers and stuffed them into the pockets of his jeans. He then stepped from foot to foot uncomfortably. When Kira failed to complete her train of thought Tatsuya decided to leave it alone and turned his attention to other things. Kira walked around the artworks and paused in front of random art pieces and would place her hand on her chin, or tilt her head to the side as though she were wondering what the artist was thinking, or what medium was used. Tatsuya stayed where they last stood together. He felt so out of place in a room among artists.
After a while he'd watched enough people pass by and look at art pieces that he figured that he saw enough to be able to imitate it. So he went from table to table, cocking his head to one side, placing a hand on a hip and one on his chin and murmuring to himself every now and then. It was fun for a while because people would come up to him and ask what he thought was best about the artwork, but eventually he got bored with it and began to look around for Kira.
"Hey, are you ready to go yet?" Kira asked softly from behind him. "I wanted to ask sooner, but you looked like you were so into it that I didn't want to interrupt."
Tatsuya grinned in return, glad that even she'd been fooled into thinking that he was into art, and secondly, because she was finally ready to leave.
"Let's go then," he replied, leading the way to the front door.
The bright summer midday sunlight forced Kira and Tatsuya to squint their eyes until they found shelter from the sun underneath a large leafy tree.
"Soo... Where to?" Kira asked, looking up at Tatsuya with her large deep brown deer eyes.
He thought for a while when a thought came to him. "There's an ice- cream parlor near by and I hear their stuff is really good. Would you like to go?" he asked, hoping she'd say yes.
"Sure, sounds great," Kira replied happily as they began to walk down the street and towards the ice cream parlor. In the ninety degree weather many of the young women of Japan were walking around clad in short shorts and skimpy tank tops. Kira looked down at her own attire and wondered if she was up to par with everybody else and if the girls in California, Arizona, or wherever Rei was now were the same way. From what she'd seen on television and read in magazines the American women appeared to dress skimpier and to be far more voluptuous. She immediately cursed herself for being weak enough to think that Rei would actually be attracted to somebody else.
"Um... This is it," Tatsuya said awkwardly, taking hold of Kira's forearms and gently leading her towards the front door.
"Huh?!" Kira said warily, snapping out of her thoughts and back into the real world. "Oh, yeah. I guess it's the sun making me ditty," Kira said with a light chuckle as she walked through the door that Tatsuya was holding open for her. She was lost in awe upon entering the parlor. The red and white stripes that adorned the tables, counters and walls gave the place a vintage look of a nineteen-fifties ice cream parlor on television. She'd never had the opportunity to go to obscure and ritzy places like this. Rei was always just content sitting around the house and lately she didn't really have the cash to be able to afford going anywhere.
"Would you like to choose the table?" he asked politely as he began to feel awkward standing in the middle of the seating area while Kira looked around like a child at a new toy store.
"Um, it's all right. Anyplace you choose would be fine," she said quickly as her cheeks flushed a shade of deep crimson when she realized that people were looking at them.
Tatsuya smiled at how easily embarrassed she was and chose the booth closest to the cash register and got menu's for both of them.
"Wow!" Kira said as she held the menu out in front of her and quickly skimmed each column. "I didn't know that so many flavors of ice cream existed!" she exclaimed. "I just don't know which one to pick."
He stole glances at her while she was studying her menu, trying to see which flavor she'd enjoy the most although if she asked he'd buy a sundae in each flavor available. The look of utter content on her face had no price tag.
Over in the US-
"Girls get closer to Rei!" hollered the stout cameraman clad in an oversized black tee-shirt and badly torn denim jeans as he clicked away and moved from side to side to capture the scene at various different angles.
Rei's dull gaze swept from corner to corner of the small studio. The lights glaring down at him made him feel as though he was close to fainting and the thickly padded leather racing suit did nothing to help. The swarm of bikini clad women also increased the temperature on the set.
"Rei look here!" cried the man taping the scene for his documentary.
"No, no no! Look at me! Smile for the camera, try to seduce the millions of women that will be looking at this photo next week on the newsstands!" demanded to camera man as he aggressively yanked an oil stained napkin from his chest pocket and wiped off the sweat from his brow and cheeks.
Seducing women through pictures? He wondered if the magazine this photo was going to was going to be printed in Japan? He knew that Kira worried about him, and with good reason considering the population of females that showed up at all the meets and he didn't want to give her any more reason to stay up late at night. In fact he didn't want to do any of this to begin with, but unfortunately when he signed the three year contract with the American biking company he signed away all his rights and wasn't able to control what kind of image he was putting out to the media. All they wanted the public to see was an extremely good looking bad-ass biker guy from Japan.
"Enough, enough enough! If Rei cannot focus and make love to the camera there is no point in continuing this shoot. We might as well just spend another ten thousand to rent this studio out tomorrow and take care of it then," the camera man said with an overly exaggerated sigh. "Oh, and another two hundred to ask these beautiful young women to come back again."
"I'd do it for free," whispered the women on his left seductively into his ear as she wrapped a freshly waxed leg around his.
Rei's body stiffened as he stepped away from the crowd. "I can't do this now," he mumbled as he stumbled towards his dressing room.
He malevolently glared at the red star that had his name on it on the front door as he pushed it open and collapsed on the cheap and badly tattered love seat against the wall. His fingers anxiously found their way to the zipper and he unzipped the biking suit half way, revealing the thin white t-shirt he wore underneath. After catching his breath he stared up at the badly stained once white tiles on the ceiling and wondered what his love, Kira was doing at this very moment. He imagined her face and wondered if it had matured any since the last time he laid eyes upon them, wondered what she was wearing or who she was with or what she was thinking. To be honest he may have missed her more than she missed him but couldn't let her know because he wanted to be the strong one, the one she could lean on for support.
Once more, as he did each night he imagined her smiling face and drifted off to sleep, hoping to have a chance to be in her arms one day soon.
Over in Japan-
"Ugh, I can't believe it just started pouring like that, just out of nowhere!" Kira exclaimed as she offered Tatsuya back his soaked denim jacket that had doubled as her umbrella during their walk back home.
Tatsuya took it from her and hung it on the back of the kitchen chair to dry. "Yeah, that was one strange change of weather. Why don't you go and dry off before you get sick and get pneumonia or something?" he suggested before getting ready to change clothes himself.
Kira nodded and obediently did as she was told. When she exited the bathroom ten minutes later she was dressed in a loosely fitting t-shirt that probably belonged to Rei at one point, and white shorts.
Tatsuya heard the door open and turned to look. He found it hard to look away, but somehow managed to force his attention back to the stove. "Would you like some hot chocolate?" he called to her.
"Aww, Tatsuya! You shouldn't be anywhere near the kitchen! You're a guest... um somewhat..." she paused as she thought a while about why he was actually there. "Well I guess that what I'm trying to say is that you're doing far more than enough by staying here with me and keeping me company. I'll finish up while you get comfortable and watch tv or something."
Tatsuya considered protesting, but decided that he was tired and then walked over to the living room and plopped down unto the couch.
Moments later he was joined by Kira and she passed him a cup of chocolatey steaming hot chocolate and she sat down next to him. For the first few moments they both sat there staring blankly at the tv screen, neither of them actually paying attention to what was going on. Kira was lost in her own little world of deep thoughts while Tatsuya mused about what she might be thinking about at the moment.
As time went on Kira's lids got heavier and soon enough she fell asleep and her head gently landed upon Tatsuya's broad and muscular shoulder. He looked down upon his sleeping beauty and smiled. When they were like this, so intimate and yet innocent at the same time he couldn't help but to think about the possibility of them being an item one day. Then he remembered that it's a waste even thinking about it because she will forevermore be in love with his best friend Rei. He still failed to understand how she could be so content being in love with a selfish man and began to wonder about how he could change her mind and win her heart.
Author's Notes- I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I'd like to give a special thanks to my beta-reader and the great ideas offered to make this chapter as good as it is. Please please please review my fic and let me know what you thought of it and what you'd like to see in the future.