SOULMATES 4, Author Reinasinnax

Raining: Confrontation

He continued to glare at her for a few minutes. The silence stung sharply. He snapped, "No need to add sugar." And recoiled from her touch when she brushed his hand. Her brown hair swished softly. Her figure disappeared from his view, moving to the kitchen.

When she came back, rubbing her eyes, Tomo asked, softly, "Why do you allow me to berate you? I am bullying you! For goodness sake, Scream at me!"

"I cannot."

"Don't treat me like glass. I am still a human, are you unaware of that? Kenni am I being a bastard?" At this vulgarity coming from his gentle demeanour, Kennex gasped a small shock. His face was dead serious and not flinching.

"Why do you resort to this?" she replied meeting his ambers straight on. She gripped the sofa, her veins sticking out from the tension. Her breath was harsher than she wanted it to be.

"I don't want you to ignore me and give in. I'm still me. If that's truly the case scream at me if I'm being an asshole."

"An Egoistic Asshole?" she enquired timidly. Tomo sempai cackled. The lady looked surprised for a bit and forgot to cry. Then she relaxed when she realized his mood was much better now. Her hand came in contact with his soft silk hair. "I always take you so seriously. You know my mouse- like character, I wouldn't scream..... this morning I went to the temple to seek a divination lot. It came out well! You will be recovering! The gods are on your side."

Tomo stopped smiling. "Don't do that. Why are you going again? I am Christian."

"I'm worried, if you don't get well, and I don't do anything, I can't just sit like a dolt! Please, we've been through this many times. I'm not converting you."

"It's my own free thinking. I follow what I want. It never works. Stop going there and being superstitious. It'll make me more uptight! I have enough worrying about my results every month. Both don't match so what am I supposed to believe?"

He regretted sounding so harsh at the paleness of his friend. What did she do, just wanted to help me and I was being so cruel........ "Fine. You can go, but don't tell me," Tomo added still grumpily. He didn't like to say sorry. Hopefully she was sensitive enough to take the hint. If he wasn't angry and harsh, the pain would be unbearable. The pressure of long term illness ate into his soul making him lose his temper, also due to the amount of medication he had to take. Sometimes he might not scream out but it didn't mean there was completely no pain, his head hurt and pins were shooting into his back and stomach.

Silent tears still trekked down her face. Damnit, she was gonna break down in front of him.

He couldn't bear it. His fingers found the packet of tissue he'd been using to sneeze into, pulled out a clean handful and shoved it at her. Kennex choked on her sobbing. He stood up and squeezed her shoulder. He didn't look at her until her hiccupping had reduced.

"Sorry, Tomo sempai. I know you feel awful. I don't want to bother you."

He grunted a gruff reply and patted her shoulder. She leaned on him for a while, sniffling. How like a sister she was. The frustration at the role- reversal of her taking care of him instead of the other way round, the throbbing pain in his body, the foul weather were all combination factors of making his mood melancholic. His sensei, also his understanding father, had told him it was normal for artistes to have very dramatic lives and plenty of moodswings. Once the old man had asked Saito and Kenni in separately, he guessed to talk about him. If not why didn't he get included in the conference? Though I am a young adult, I still have not stabilized my moods. Why? Tomo thought rubbing her back in circles. It worked in smoothing her crying.

He would have enjoyed all sorts of coldness had it not for his fragility. If he wasn't careful with the outdoor activities he would become incredibly sick. Flu lasted for a month or so with high temperatures. Look what happened when he overstrained himself. He hadn't recovered for a month or so. It really was troublesome to monitor his activities. A weeping girl was not any help at all. But he couldn't just push her aside and ignore her, for she never complained or became impatient with his stupid and eccentric character.

Personal stuff and video watching

Bernadette shaped his hopes to dwell more on human life's ups and downs, making his problems much smaller. Her talk of school and daily stuff made Tomo happy and contented. He was just the age to listen without interruption and give advice when it was appropriate. "My friend made a puppet show and Ms Polline gave her a high mark. I did a coaster, really I tried but it wasn't good enough. I don't dare to make a show in front of people. Tomo, why?"

"You did very well. Let me see it, Wow! It's lovely. Maybe she will give a better grade next time. It's all right. Next time you'll make it much better. Would you like some dessert? Chocolate or vanilla? Ok." He made his way to the fridge. Kenni watched afraid he would collapse, when he did collapse he hadn't been discovered until everyone got back at night. Tomo had gone into a coma for two days because of the horrible condition his lungs had been. From that day they never let him be unaccompanied. "Here."

Tomo gave her a cup of yoghurt. Kennex smiled accepting it. His tone was light and relenting. "Come and sit down. You don't have to cook yet isn't it?" She sat opposite him, tears falling once more into the yoghurt.

"Yum. The cushions are so unusual," Bern remarked. Black and red checkered, another splashed by green mosses, yet another was silver purple and striped blue.

The artist smiled swallowing a mouthful. "Nice. Glad you like it. These are gifts from friends, with every birthday they gave one to me. But I lost a couple of them, must be in my room somewhere. A kind of tradition. I'm twenty-one this year." When he shifted to a more comfortable position, the cross slipped out of his shirt. Black locks slid across his shoulder, his forehead.

He was frailer than Bernadette remembered, the robe string pulled much tighter around his waist. The shoulder blades were sharp. Every few minutes, when there was silence, his coughs were very obvious. She wanted to ask him to lie down but since he was not in bed, maybe it wasn't the right time.

"I have written a reply. Here. Do reply me soon ok?"

"Yes! Thank you. Would you like a gift? When is your birthday?"

He looked shy, very uncharacteristic of him, the back of his ears went red. "No no no, don't go to the trouble. I am very happy as long as you accompany me. I don't have much more space for presents anyway. We can go for dinner outside for a celebration. [mischevious smile] I'll tell you on the day itself." Kennex was not participating at all in their conversation, engrossed in her dessert. Bern wondered why. Hirosaki silently ate his dessert.

Packets of medicine lay on the table among the magazines, big, small,medium, large white, blue, red capsules of so many varieties. Perhaps Kennex was tired, she was.... Crying?

"Miss, don't cry."

Hirosaki cast his silvery hair back, frowning. "I didn't scold you ! Why are you so upset?" Bern leaned forward and patted her shoulder, and the older woman just kept apologizing , shaking her head. The only clue was, she kept staring at Bern's idol with big rabbit like eyes while crying. Tomo looked surprised, incredulous.

"What happened?"

"We had a fight just now. I thought she already let it go. It was.... Because she always goes to the temple. I don't like it and was bad tempered, kinda blew up at her. Sometimes I'm very snappish."

"Why? She must still be sad from that incident. She likes you?"

Tomo ran a white hand across his brow absently, covering his amber pupils for a minute, then let it drop to his lap. He crossed his legs. "No. I don't think so, we're half- brother and sister. My parents before they died took her in. She was an orphan. I take care of her. Honestly we knew each other since a long time back but, I forget she's more sensitive than me. Don't worry, I'll make it up later. Do you want to watch a video? I'm behind the times. No VCD or DVD player."

He rose to the tape cabinet, but Bern stopped him. He didn't refuse and reclined on the couch for a break. She was technically seeing the video but her mind wandered off here and there. She was thinking about her idol's actual nature wasn't as straightforward as she liked or thought. He had blown up at his sister? How could such a gentle soul be a different angry person in private? Would he blow up at her too? Kennex was More than his sister, she was in love with him. Why else was she so upset if it was simply an argument between siblings?

Should I tell Tomo what I think? But I would be like a busybody?

In the end the girl kept silent. He had opened up quite a lot to her, more than in a showbiz interview. It might spoil his mood or make him angry. Anger wasn't positive for a person's health. "Tomo sempai,"

"Yeah? Are you bored? I am sorry I cannot entertain you. I'll be lonely and bored if you go now."

"You got your sis with you. She's full of care. Um, please don't be mad when I say this...." His amber eyes gave consent, sincere, piercing. "She may feel very helpless when you're sick. She can't do anything."

Pain contorted the man's features, changing the slender brows into a frown. "I know. But it is so unbearable. I want her not to worry, I can take care of myself. Really. Oh you doubt that?" he asked bursting into mirth. Bern looked serious.

"She told me you forget your medicine. I sense her feelings towards you may be different than we expected."