AN: Alright… I'm back for two more chapters, although they're more bonus stories/epilogues than actual chapters… There were some who expressed an interest in knowing how Hiro and Suguru's Friday night went, so here you are! Two epilogues, one of which tells of Hiro and Ayaka's dinner, and one that tells of Suguru and Maiko's date! Enjoy and review!
Hiro's Perfect DinnerHiroshi Nakano looked around his apartment with satisfaction. The place was spotless, the table was set, the candles were lit, rose petals were scattered on the table, and his gift to Ayaka, a beautiful silver chain with a rose charm, was in place amidst the rose petals.
Hiro smiled. Everything was perfect. Dinner would be finished in ten minutes, and Ayaka would be there in five. Whistling, Hiro went to his room to change.
Having showered before he started dinner, he picked out his clothes and changed out of the pajama bottoms and tank top he had donned to cook. Three minutes later, he emerged from his room dressed in a white button-up shirt with the top four buttons undone and a pair of blue jeans that were tight in all the right places. Moving to the kitchen, he quickly checked on the dinner he was making before retrieving the dozen red roses he had bough earlier that day with Shuichi.
Hiro spared a moment to wonder how his friend was. He knew tonight was Shu's big night with Yuki-san, and he hoped, if not for his friend's sake but his own sanity, that it went well.
The doorbell brought Hiro out of his thoughts. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was 7pm, which meant Ayaka was here.
Tugging his shirt with one hand, roses held in the other, he went to open the door. Taking a deep breath to calm his suddenly pounding heart, Hiro opened the door.
Ayaka Usami stood on the threshold, the porch light creating a soft glow around her. She was wearing a knee-length black skirt, a pair of black strappy sandals, and a red button-up shirt. Her long black hair was curled and softly framed her face. An iridescent sheen on her lips was testimony to the fact that she was wearing lip-gloss, which seemed to be the only make up she ever wore.
"Nakano-san," Ayaka bowed politely.
"Ayaka! Come in, come in!" Hiro gently grabbed the girl's hand and led her inside. Suddenly remembering the roses he held in his hand, he lifted them and brought them in front of Ayaka's face. "For you."
Ayaka blushed, but there was a smile on her face. Taking the roses, she inhaled their sweet scent. "Thank you, Nakano-san. They're beautiful."
It was Hiro's turn to blush. "I thought you agreed to call me by my first name," he teased gently.
The raven-haired beauty flushed a deeper red. "Of course, Naka… I mean, Hiroshi-san."
Suddenly, an insistent beep began to sound from the kitchen. Glancing at the clock, Hiro realized that dinner was done. Closing the door, he led Ayaka to the kitchen. Pulling out her chair, he motioned for her to sit.
"I'm just going to get the food."
Ayaka looked intently at the table. There were two white candles in the center of the table, one on each side of a centerpiece made of red, white, and yellow roses. The table was scattered with red rose petals, although she noticed that near her plate, which had already been set, there were some white petals set up in a sort of arrow.
Curious, she lifted her hand and gently placed it on the spot that the arrow indicated. The velvety feel of the rose petals was all she felt at first, but she soon felt a small lump. Just as she was about to investigate further, Hiro returned with their dinner.
Ayaka stared at the food, appreciation evident in her eyes. He had made her favorite: chicken parmesan sprinkled with parsley, and steamed rice with carrots, peas, and little bits of chicken mixed in.
Grinning sheepishly, Hiro placed the food on the table, the slight breeze of the movement making a few petals dance slightly before settling down again. Noticing Ayaka's hand near the necklace, he casually asked, "Find anything interesting?"
Ayaka looked confused for a moment before she realized she hadn't moved her hand from the spot below the arrow. Flushing, she stammered, "I'm sorry. It's just, my curiosity got the best of me, and…"
Hiro had moved closer to Ayaka as she was stammering an apology and stopped her rambling with a soft kiss. It was very chaste, just a mere brushing of lips against each other, but both of their cheeks were stained pink when they pulled apart.
"I'm sorry if I was out of line," Hiro stammered apologetically.
Lowering her eyes to her empty plate, she murmured, "No, it's perfectly okay."
Sighing in relief, Hiro noticed her hand still on the necklace hidden beneath the petals. "Look under the petals where your hand is, Ayaka," he whispered.
Nodding silently, Ayaka gently moved aside the petals until a gleam of silver caught her eye. Lifting the chain from its bed of petals, she studied the necklace.
It was a very fine silver chain, made of little silver circles interlocking to create the actual chain, but that wasn't what caught her eye. What caught her eye was the silver rose charm on the chain. It was a single rose, and in the center of the bloom was a small diamond.
Ayaka hadn't noticed Hiro moving to stand behind her until he whispered hesitantly in her ear, "Do you like it?"
She gasped softly at the feel of his breath against her ear and immediately began to blush again. "I love it," she whispered.
Hiro grinned behind her. "Want me to help you put it on?"
When she nodded, Hiro took the chain gently from her. She lifted her hair from her neck so it would be easier to fasten, and the cool chain was placed around her neck. Hiro clasped the necklace and stepped back. Walking to his chair, he paused to look at her, quietly commenting that it looked good on her.
Both companions were blushing as they began to put food on their plates.
Ayaka was about to say a blessing when Hiro heard the front door open. A quick glance at the clock told him that it was 7:30pm. Shuichi and Yuki-san would be at the restaurant, so it couldn't be Shuichi. Besides, Shu knew how much Hiro wanted to be alone with Ayaka. That only left one person…
"BRO! I'M HOME!"
Ayaka, startled by the sudden voice, jumped slightly in her seat.
"Why's it so dark in here?" the voice continued. The lights in the living room came on, and the voice yelled, "HIROSHI! ARE YOU HOME?"
Gritting his teeth, Hiro looked at Ayaka. Quietly excusing himself, the young man went in search of his brother.
Finding Yuji in the spare room he'd taken over, Hiro growled. Yuji jumped as he turned around. "Hiro! There you are!"
"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" the guitarist ground out.
Yuji pouted. "Whaddya mean? I live here." Seeing his younger brother's clenched fists, Yuji sighed. "Work got out early, okay? I came home to go to sleep." Jokingly, he added, "It's not like you've got a girl over or anything."
A sudden thought struck Yuji then. A thought that had been trying to make it to the fore of his addled brain since he decided to go home after work. Ayaka-chan is coming to dinner tonight, Yuji, so stay away from the apartment!
Grinning sheepishly at his little brother, he said, "I forgot! You DO have a girl here!" Pondering the type of girl his uptight little brother would go for, he mused, "Maybe I should go introduce myself…"
Before Hiroshi could comprehend what his idiotic older brother had said, Yuji was already out the door and on his way to the kitchen.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Ayaka sat at the table, staring at her food. I wonder who that was? she wondered. It sounded like a man, so I know it's not another woman. Besides, Hiroshi-san would never cheat on me…
A sudden squeak drew Ayaka's gaze to the chair next to her, which, empty only moments before, now held a young man. He looked older than Hiroshi, but only by a few years. His facial structure was strong, and, she supposed if one were into the pretty boy look, attractive. His eyes were the same shape and color as Hiroshi's, but lacked the slightly guarded warmth that Hiroshi's held.
The man had black hair and was wearing a shiny black button-up shirt. She couldn't see what type of pants he was wearing, but, in all honesty, she wasn't interested. She was more interested in knowing who he was and why he was here.
"Hi!" the stranger said. "I'm Yuji Nakano, Hiro's older brother. You must be Ayaka-chan. I've heard so much about you!"
Taking her hand in his, he gave her a firm handshake. Ayaka was startled, but her upbringing remained unshaken. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Nakano-san."
She vaguely remembered Hiroshi telling her that his brother had moved in with him, but she hadn't thought that he would be home tonight. She had hoped that it would just be Hiroshi and her…
Hiro entered the kitchen to find his brother sitting in the seat next to Ayaka, chatting incessantly about anything that came to his mind. Pushing down his anger and frustration at having his dinner with Ayaka disrupted, he made his way further into the kitchen.
Sitting back down, he shot an apologetic look at Ayaka, who nodded slightly to let him know it was okay. Fixing his older brother with a glare, Hiro spoke. "Yuji, Ayaka-chan and I were just sitting down to eat. Don't you have someplace else you need to be?"
Yuji got the hint his brother had voiced, but he was having too much fun. He could feel how uncomfortable his brother was, and it would be so easy to make him even more uncomfortable. Ayaka was pretty, and he knew how much his brother cared for her. He also knew how slow their relationship was progressing.
Being the kind, considerate older brother he was, Yuji replied, "Nope. Mind if I join you for dinner?" Without waiting for an answer, Yuji went to the cupboard, grabbed a plate, and then went to the silverware drawer to grab a fork. Sitting back down next to Ayaka, he began to pile his plate with food.
Hiro stared helplessly at his brother as he began shoveling food in his mouth. A glance at Ayaka showed her staring at him in astonishment. Hiro closed his eyes, praying that his brother would leave.
Ayaka looked at Hiroshi to see his eyes closed in frustration. A small smile formed on her face. She had come to have a good time with Hiroshi, and to have a good meal. She was going to have both.
Picking up her fork, she said a small prayer. She noticed Hiroshi opened his eyes as she began, and close them again in respect of the prayer. After, she looked him in the eye and gave him a small smile.
Touching her fork to the chicken, Ayaka began to eat. Hiro smiled. If she could make the best of this, so could he.
Yuji had finished his food and sat watching his brother and Ayaka. Neither said anything. How boring! he thought. Racking his brain for possible conversation topics, Yuji smiled. He was going to get hell for this later, but for now…
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Hiro was going to kill his brother. For the past half an hour, Yuji had been regaling Ayaka with stories of their childhood, stories that Hiro would rather have not been reminded of.
"And so, he got so freaked out, he was hiding under the seat at the theatre! I mean, we were only ten minutes into the movie, and he had already been scared stiff!"
Ayaka laughed, and Hiro felt like he was going to cry. Yuji shouldn't be making her laugh, he thought. I should.
Yuji finished the story of the time he and his family had gone to see Halloween VI in theatres, and Hiro felt hope surge within him. Maybe he would stop…
"Oh! I have another one!"
Never mind.
Ayaka glanced at Hiroshi. He looked sullen, and Ayaka sympathized. If it had been her family telling stories about her childhood, she would look sullen, too.
She enjoyed hearing the stories never the less. Hiroshi always came off as a responsible kind of guy, willing to have a good laugh, but so long as the rules weren't broken. He had seemed incapable of doing anything remotely wild, in her opinion, but she was learning about a new side of him.
"His high school graduation… He had just failed his entrance exams to medical school, and he was the one who was supposed to speak to the class. The Student Council thought he would pass for sure…"
Ayaka listened intently, watching Hiroshi out of the corner of her eye. He was fidgeting. Glancing discreetly at the clock, she came up with a way to get some alone time with Hiroshi so he could have a break from his brother.
After Yuji finished telling her how Hiroshi and Shuichi had hijacked the stage and performed an impromptu concert, Ayaka put her plan in action.
"It's getting kind of late, so I was wondering if you would walk me to the hotel that I'm staying at, Hiroshi-san?"
Hiro glanced at the clock and was surprised to find that it was already 10pm. Finding a way to escape from his brother, Hiro quickly agreed. Grabbing a coat, he and Ayaka left the apartment.
A few minutes passed in awkward silence before either of them spoke. It was Ayaka who broke the silence. "So, you and Shindou-san really did that?"
Hiro smiled faintly as he remembered their graduation. It seemed like it was such a long time ago, like more than three years had passed… "Yeah. I had quit the band, and Shu and me weren't talking. My speech was an apology to him, and the Student Council president had gotten a guitar and synth from the music lab, so we played."
Ayaka felt her stomach flip flop at Hiroshi's smile. Smiling to herself, she began asking Hiro for more details about the stories Yuji had told.
Hearing Hiroshi talk about his memories revealed a different side to Ayaka. He was always so nervous around her, as she was around him, but talking about this, he didn't seem nervous anymore. Just listening to him talk calmed Ayaka, made her want to talk to him more.
Soon, they were outside of the hotel that Ayaka was staying at. She would be returning home the next evening, as soon as Tatsuha was finished visiting with Ryuichi. Realizing that she could spend the day with Hiro, she began debating whether or not she should ask.
"So, when are you leaving tomorrow?"
Ayaka sighed in relief. Maybe he would ask her… "Tomorrow night. Tatsuha-kun is spending tomorrow afternoon with Sakuma-san, so…"
Hiroshi looked at her intently. Leaning down, he surprised her with a quick kiss. "Would you like to go the park tomorrow afternoon?"
Deliberatly pausing, Ayaka replied, "Will you tell me more stories of when you were younger?"
"Only if you tell me stories of when you were younger."
Ayaka smiled. "It's a date."
Hiro grinned. He had another date with Ayaka tomorrow. Taking her hand gently in his, he walked her up to her door. As soon as she opened it and walked inside, she turned around.
Normally, Hiro would get nervous, wondering what to do, but the walk to the hotel had been very nice. He wasn't nervous at all after adding more detail to the stories Yuji had told. In a way, it was all thanks to his brother that he wasn't so nervous…
I'm still kicking his butt, though, Hiro thought.
"Dinner was delicious, Hiroshi-san," Ayaka said softly.
Hiro smiled. "It was no problem, I'm just sorry that my idiot of a brother ruined it."
Ayaka shook her head. "He didn't ruin it. Although," she said, "I would have liked to spend more time alone with you."
"Well, we have all of tomorrow afternoon," he replied. Leaning forward, Hiro kissed her one more time. "I'll come get you at 10am. Good night, Ayaka."
"Good night, Hiroshi," she whispered, and then closed the door gently.
Hiro stood staring at Ayaka's door. They had another date tomorrow, and they had actually kissed her. I kissed Ayaka three times!
The guitarist began making his way back home, his thoughts wandering over his date with Ayaka that night. While it hadn't been perfect, it was the first time they weren't utterly tense and nervous in each other's company.
Yuji had done something that Hiro would have thanked him for, had he not still been angry with him.
Hiro's smile turned into a grin as he began to think of ways to pay his older brother back for embarrassing him that night. Hiro conceded to himself that it didn't do any harm, that it had actually loosened things up with him and Ayaka, but still.
Nobody embarrassed Hiroshi Nakano and got away with it. Not even family.
