Show me your smile
Summary: The Get Backers get an all expense paid trip to Hawaii and meets some very unique and interesting people. A certain ice man finally grasps the meaning of love and sacrifice; but with the consequence of a twist. As he grows with his realizations (uncovering more of his interpersonal side), new buds of romance blossom among their tight circle of friendship.
Author's notes: hi everyone! This isn't the first story I've made, but it's the best one I've come up with…- I hope you like this as much as I do…I want to take this opportunity to thank my best friend, zai, for helping me put this story together..I love you so much! Oh yeah, and if you don't like slash pairings, I suggest you press the back button right now...but at least read the first chapter! Haha…:P Like everyone else says: R&R please! Thank you very much!
To all tokiya die-hard fans: In this story, Tokiya is the same age as Kazuki okie??? And they're of the same height…or if you really don't want to change much at least a centimeter taller than his original height… hey…this is my story so I suggest you give me some leeway aayt?! Hahaha…as you know, I too, am an obsessed fan…so, it hurts for me too that I can't accept him for who he is….sniff
Okay! On with the story! Oh! And don't expect me to update soon…This is just for fun and I like to take my time on things that I enjoy doing…so, I'm really really REALLY sorry for those who really want me to update soon…but I'll try to finish my chapters as fast as possible…okay??? I can promise you that…I really value those people who follow on with my stories and I don't want to lose them…I'm sure you would to if you were a writer like me…so…here it is…hope you enjoy…
IMPT: when the dialogue is italicized, it means it's a thought…okie?!
Chapter 1: Indirect Acquaintance
It was an exciting day for the Get Backers. Just thinking about it makes them want to board that plane immediately and sink their toes into the soft white sand. They almost tasted the salty air; the enticing sound of the sea waves, bidding them to come forth and dip their weary bodies into the cold refreshing waters.
But the problem was…they were already getting late for their flight.
Ginji, Ban, Shido, Madoka, Kazuki, Emishi, Hevn and even Mozart we're the lucky people-and dog-to enjoy a week's vacation at this heavenly utopia.
"It would be terrible if I left Mozart behind, it's like leaving your best friend," Madoka explained. No one planned to argue with this since they knew what it was like to be separated from the ones you care about the most; even though it was as short as one week.
They ran around as if they were soldiers getting ready for battle; one of them occasionally tripping on one of the many large luggages sprawled on the floor.
"Oi! Hevn! Get your damn bags out of the way!" Ban would shout after the many times he would trip and fall over the mediator's luggage. "You didn't have to bring these many bags! We would only be gone for one week! Not one year!"
"You can never have too many extra designer tag clothing," Hevn replied with her index finger up in the air. The spiky-haired man's eyebrow twitched madly. Starting a fight was of no use right now, it would make them get later than they are now, he thought. With only an hour left, there wasn't any more room for dilly-dallying. Apparently, this didn't concern the others which pissed Ban even more. They were like kids on their way to their first field trip for goodness sake! He cursed to himself madly as he went off and found Ginji who was having trouble closing his bloated suitcase.
Emishi, on the other hand, was simply trotting off from one place to another, telling everyone to be happy, thankful, and all the latter. Unfortunately, no one was really getting encouraged by his 'enlightening gestures'. Instead of receiving half-hearted smiles, he would gain mean painful blows from those he conversed with.
Shido ran as fast as the wind, carrying every order Madoka made. He doesn't know why he could never oppose a request from the blind beauty; but of course, when it comes to matters like these, the others weren't as dense as he. The Beast Master was like a slave on that very faithful day, only responding to orders and requests.
16-year-old Natsumi watched intriguingly as she cleaned the interior of a tall beer glass. "I'm so excited for you guys!" she exclaimed, directing her statement to no one in particular in the room. Her eyes intermittently fix their gaze on poor Shido, who was hastily running from one end of the room to the other, trying his best to follow Madoka's demands; Emishi, getting a back-hand punch from the infuriated man with the evil eye and a large red hand mark from the seductive Hevn, who was being teased about her…well, you know what it is…
The ever so unperturbed Kazuki was sitting on one of the booths of the Honky Tonk, drinking his morning coffee. His bags were placed at the side of where he sat, as to not contribute to sea of baggages blocking the passage way. Across him sat his best friend and protector, Kakei Jubei. His fingers were entwined together before him, his thumbs subconsciously rubbing passed each other as if playing a little thumb war.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Jubei asked for the 'enth time. His anxiety in the matter was nerve-wracking. Of all the days, it just had to be this one. Much as he resisted, he had an obligation to go back to Infinity City to settle an important matter with the other former members of the Volts. If only it wasn't this day, he could leave with Kazuki and continue to be his defender.
"I'm going to be just fine…I can take care of myself…" Kazuki assured him. He smiled and reached for his best friend's hand. "I'll be alright…you have more important things to worry about than me," He gripped Jubei's hand tighter, trying to ease the man's trepidation.
Jubei heaved a sigh and let out a half-hearted smile. 'If he says he'll be alright, then he'll be alright,' he thought. "Just be careful. You don't know what possibilities may occur in places like that. Never let-″
"Your guard down, I know…" Kazuki finished for him. He always had orientations like this from his protector every time he would go somewhere very far from where Jubei was.
Half-satisfied, Jubei slowly slid out from his seat and stood up. "Well, I guess I'll be on my way then," He said with a trace of sadness hidden beneath his statement. The long-haired man stood up and held his best friend's shoulder gently. "Be careful okay?"
He nodded in reply and made his way out the door, carefully dodging the large bags scattered on the floor.
Kazuki watched his protector walk out the door, passed the clear glass window, and out of sight.
He sat back down and cautiously warmed his soft slender fingers with the heat passing through the white porcelain cup. His eyes closed gradually; mind traveling far from the Honky Tonk and settling itself to the silent rhythm of the ocean. He almost felt the fresh sensation of the tantalizing waters, breathing new life into his skin; the cold breeze gently caressing his soft delicate face.
A smile formed on his lips as he continued to envisage on this little world if his; a world he wished he was in right at that very moment.
His eyes slowly opened, reeling him back into reality; only to be surprised by a curious Emishi whose face was only an inch away from his.
He abruptly moved back by surprise, his cheeks revealing a hue of carnation. Emishi's eyebrows furrowed, an evil grin plastered on his lips.
"W-what?" Kazuki asked anxiously. The bloody joker leaned forward and frivolously whispered in the Fuchoin master's ear.
"You were thinking of your honey, Jubei, weren't you?" He assumed, his voice divulging a trace of relish.
Kazuki's eyes opened wide, his reaction a sign of disapproval. He shook his head slowly and smiled. "I was just thinking about our trip. I'm really anticipating our arrival there,"
Emishi's asinine disposition turned into a pout, defeat written all over it. "Ch…yeah right… 'Anticipating our arrival' my ass…"
Kazuki let out a small laugh. "I was just having an idea of what it was going to be like once we get there,"
"Well, I hope there's going to be lotsa girls there…I'm dying to be in a relationship!" The foolish man replied; a dreamy look replacing his frown. He looked out the window, palm on chin, and started to sing out of boredom. "I need a girl to ride ride ride, I need a girl to be my wife…" The long-haired beauty simply watched him in amusement as he sipped the last remains of his coffee.
"Okay…Everyone listen! Be back here by 9:30 sharp. We'll have a head count by then and board the plane immediately. Your tickets are with me, so you if you're not here by the designated time, I have no choice but to leave without you. It's only 8:30 right now, so we have about an hour to kill. You can all do whatever you like til' then, just don't get lost, understood?" Her sweet voice demanded.
A series of concurrences and nods were made as their reply to the young healer. They all went their merry way, breaking into a run as they left. 20-year-old, Tokiya Mikagami, simply watched the others leave as he was left all alone like he wanted. He chose a seat by the window in the café and brought out his morning newspaper, for he sensed a need to bring something that would divert his tedium; a good judgment when it came to killing time.
He took a few moments to look out the window, the bright morning rays of the sun warming his beautiful delicate face.
"Waiter, a cappuccino please," he ordered. His eyes began scanning on the headlines for the day…nothing really special to entertain his field of interest. He slowly sipped on his morning brew as he tediously accustomed himself to the article: Light up your life with lamps…
'What kind of bull do they put in here?' he thought irately. 'They couldn't put anything useful anymore so they put more of these bullshit topics?'
His eyes worked their way from top to bottom, hoping to find something more relevant than spirit-enlightening through cheap lamps and all the latter.
After a few minutes of searching, he finally settled in a certain area of choice. It wasn't really his genre of reading, but at least it was something more significant than discounted lighting. He took another sip of his coffee and hoped that the one hour to be killed would end soon.
"Where in hell are those damn vans?!" The spikey-haired man raged. "They were supposed to here a half hour ago!"
"I'm so sorry, Ban-san," Madoka apologized. "I didn't know that the service was THAT negligent. They said they were going to be here a little late and well-″
"And well what?! Huh?! Were minutes behind schedule with no transportion! How do you expect us to get there?! FLY?!"
"Oi…watch your mouth," Shido warned. Madoka's tears were at bay, feeling liable for the delay.
"Ch." Ban replied infuriated. Trying to contain his anger, he failed, breaking in half a wooden table with a pound of his fist.
Madoka gasped in fear and swiftly bent her head down from sound of the impact.
The ever so quiet Kazuki plainly sighed and sadly shook his head in disappointment.
"You're gonna have to pay for that," Paul disrupted, his eyes still stuck on his daily newspaper.
"DAMMIT PAUL!!!" Ban retorted. His eyes filled with anger and resentment towards the restaurant owner.
The beautiful sound of beeping coming from outside perked their spirits, causing their adrenaline to surge through their body; excitement and anticipation taking over them all over again.
"It's here! It's here!" Hevn exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with bliss.
"Everyone! Let's go! Let's go" Chibi Ginji called out. He ran out the door with his suitcases as everyone followed his course.
Two white vans were parked in front of the Honky Tonk; one for their luggage and the other, for them. They all placed their baggages in first van and jumped in on the other…except for one impatient chap.
"Move over bucky! I'm driving!" Ban yelled, heaving the buck-toothed man off the driver's seat, and out on the street. Without bothering to close the door, he turned the ignition and stepped on the accelerator, leaving a clueless driver on the Honky Tonk sidewalk.
Beep! Beep!
The sound of Tokiya's watch rang on the designated time. "9:30," he told himself. He looked up from his newspaper, and in the entrance of the café, were the other Hokage members gathering in the meeting spot.
Fuuko, Koganei, Ganko and Condo were skipping merrily to the doorway with a bag of sweet candy on each hand; Recca and Yanagi weren't very far behind…Domon was at snail's pace, rubbing his hands all over his bloated stomach...probably pigging out on the eat-all-you-can buffet station, the ensui wielder mused.
He swigged the last remains of his coffee and folded the newspaper, leaving it on the café table. That wouldn't be of much use as soon as he gets the next morning paper. Pushing the chair back, he got out and casually walked towards the middle of the room where they planned to assemble.
"Everyone here?" Yanagi asked as soon as she got to the center of the area. Her finger did the counting, pointing on each of their heads. She sighed in relief; the group was complete.
"Okay! So were all here! Good! Now, we better get going before we miss the flight! Come on!" Fuuko bellowed cheerfully. She jumped impatiently, waiting for them to get a move on.
The Hokage sensed intolerance in her avowal and quickly made their way out the door…there was no telling what the wind child could do if she became too aggravated and edgy concomitantly. The last hyper-tantrum she had was downright daunting; they remembered clearly. She ripped out the flame caster's roof just because they were getting late for a movie she'd wanted to see for so long. What more damage could she make if they were leisurely taking their time walking off to a plane that was to depart in a few minutes?
"W-wait…"
They all turned to Domon with puzzled expressions. What now? They thought. His back was hunched over, his knees pressed together and his hands resting upon it. Ganko and Kaoru started to giggle, covering their mouths to suppress their laughter from escalating any further. Domon's face looked constipated, his face all scrunched up and red from embarrassment. Tokiya simply smirked at the gorilla's dim-witted state. Apparently, he and the two children were the only ones aware of the reason why the big monkey looked so restrained.
"Eh??? Oi, Domon…why do you look so constipated?" Fuuko asked curiously, her voice audible enough for the whole café and some passerbys to regard.
"I-I have to…to…to…" Domon stuttered. He was really getting embarrassed right now… "Why the hell did Fuuko have to say it out loud?" His face turned from a bright tinge of pink to dark crimson red. People started to ogle at him, stopping dead on their tracks and mentally asking themselves what in the world was a big macho man such as he would be doing looking all sissy and constrained. Just when it was getting worse, a little boy stopped and pointed at Domon inquisitively.
"Mommy?! Why is that big baldie man looking like he wants to-″
His mother cut him off, clasping her hand over his mouth. "Sssshh…quiet son! We wouldn't want to embarrass the man now, do we?" She murmured. The parent led the child away from the scene and off to their scheduled flight.
An irrepressible gasp escaped Fuuko's lips as she connected the invisible dots in her head. "Ishijima Domon! I will not let you waste our precious time crapping away in the bathroom! Did you expect the airplane to wait for us while you're having your lavatory frenzy?!" She wailed. Her strident shrill left spoons hanging in there; their possessor's eyes wide with shock. "If you didn't eat so much then we wouldn't be standing here watching you being all constipated!"
The two chuckling children could hinder their laughter no more. They burst out laughing; clutching their stomachs with their backs hunched forward. Yanagi giggled and blushed a bright pink while her ninja laughed candidly as he pointed boorishly at Domon. Tokiya covered his mouth, trying to conceal his smirk as to not break his usual cold disposition. He somehow took pleasure in watching people embarrassing themselves unintentionally, probably because he entertained the thought that it was quite stupid.
While everyone took this pleasure their own way, the wind child wasn't finding this amusing at all. Her eyes were glinting with anger, her fists clenched tight and her aura giving off waves of resentment. She stomped her feet heavily and grabbed Domon's red flower-printed shirt, literally dragging him away from the discomforting atmosphere.
"W-where are you taking me?!" Domon asked fretfully. "To our flight, of course! You can crap, piss or vomit there all you want…" Fuuko snapped without turning her head towards the one asking the question. The remaining Hokage members followed behind, smirking and sniggering to themselves silently.
Ban pulled the breaks before hitting a Mercedes parked in front of them. He adjusted the rear view mirror to see how the other people in the back did as he drove high-rocket. "You guys alright?"
"Yeah, just let me find my legs first," Emishi groaned. They were all on top of each other, their eyes in swirlies and their hands up in the air. "Couldn't you have driven a little slower?! It's a good thing the driver who had our luggages drove at the same speed as you!" Hevn shrieked. She rubbed a throbbing bump on her head as consequence for hitting the ceiling when a hump was present on the road.
Ban simply ignored her complaint. "Anyway, get up people! The plane can't wait forever!" He yelled. An eruption of groans and whimpers came from the back as they heard another order from the ever so impatient tyrant.
All of them got out slowly, each stroking and clutching a part of their body which somehow got injured along the way. They made their way to the van behind them and got their bags out, putting it over their now weak and dislocated shoulders.
"Hurry up! We still have to check our baggage in!" Ban yelled as he grabbed his bags inside the van together with the others. "Oh dear…we've really got to hurry! We'll miss the flight if we take our time now!" Hevn wheedled.
Hearing this, bags were flying out of the car, their possessors catching them in time with their hands ready up in the air. They all caught their belongings effortlessly and broke into a run as they left.
Ban lead the running pack and brusquely ran to the baggage line, bumping every person that got to his way. "The line's too long! Ban-chan!" Ginji shouted from the back.
"There's no other choice…" Ban thought. "Everyone! Go straight to the airplane! Hevn! You know what our flight number is! You lead them! Shido! Ginji! You know what to do with our stuff!" He yelled. Comprehending this, they all ran to their designated place.
"Hn...Oh well…" Ban mused. He watched his fellow comrades rush to their mission and heaved a sigh. The things they have to do to get on a plane…
"What is he going to do? We're going to get caught doing this!" Madoka huffed. Shido held her hand tighter. "He's going to create a diversion. I don't know how but, we should trust him…"
"Fuuukooo! I have to go!" Domon wailed. The wind child continued to drag the brainless gorilla. "Shut up! We're almost there!" She snapped. Her hand tugged on Domon's collar harder, causing him to choke and sputter.
"God, you're hopeless," said the flame caster disappointedly. Ganko and Condo were heard laughing at the back as Kaoru copied Domon's 'constipated' look.
"Oi! Ganko! Look at me I'm-WOAH!" Kaoru spun and fell to the ground as a group of people came running past.
"I'm so sorry!" The maiden shouted in the distance as the man pulling her hand continued to run, refusing to stop.
"You better watch where your going-″ the flame caster was cut off by the ensui wielder, his arm stretched across his chest. "She didn't mean it…besides, the girl was being pulled by that guy…she's not the one at fault," He told Recca as he slowly put down his arm. The ninja looked at him and heaved a sigh of defeat. They continued to walk towards the entrance of the plane, but were abruptly stopped by the sound of a loud thud from behind.
"I'm terribly sorry!"
Tokiya was knocked down on the ground. He clenched his teeth and inhaled through its small gaps in pain. Apparently, he got bashed by the tall long-haired person…hard. The individual at fault bowed his head in apology and ran off…seemingly in a hurry.
"Are you alright?" Recca asked as he helped the blue-eyed gentleman to his feet.
He carefully dusted of his pants and fixed the invisible creases on his shirt, slightly irritated. "Yeah…I just got hit by that lady…"
"Wow…if that wasn't a girl, you would have probably beaten him up like hell," Recca assumed. Tokiya glowered at him as his reply and continued to make his way towards the entance.
To be continued….
A/N:finally! I'm going to leave this for about a week and see how it turns out…I hope you didn't find it too draggin! Please review! Onegai shimasu!
p.s.: if you noticed, I had some rhyming words going on there..O.o no..I did NOT mean it…hahaha…