Phase 04
Blinding. Light? And wow, I knew my futon was hard, but this is like...concrete...but what were those silky patches I felt against my skin? I slowly lifted my heavy lids and squinted at the luminance.
"Ugh..."
Why the hell was my ceiling blue? I slowly replayed last night's events within my mind. Right. I was on a rooftop. A rooftop drowned in rose petals. I looked beside me and smiled. He was beautiful. His sandy locks were bathed in sunlight forming a sort of halo around his head. His messy hair fell softly around his eyes, and I just couldn't look away. Slowly, my hands took control of themselves and found their way to his face. I lightly brushed the hair away from his eyes. He really did look like a little boy. The way his lips were slightly curved to form an innocent half-smile... my heart skipped a beat. As I was stroking his hair, a hand... his hand, grasped my hand and led my fingertip to his lips and ever so lightly, he planted a kiss there. I gasped. His eyelids slowly lifted themselves up. I quickly pulled my hand away while my face turned into a tomato, and he groggily said,
"Hmmmm?"
What an idiot boy.
"Don't you have anything else to say?" I impatiently asked.
He just looked at me with his usual deadpan expression. I sighed.
"So what do we do now?"
Hanazawa Rui produced a single weed from his tuxedo (yes, we slept with our clothes ON) and handed it to me.
"...Huh?" Well, what else could I say? Wow? Yipee? I mean...a weed. How do I react to a single weed?
"Hanazawa Rui...what is this?"
"It's a weed."
"I mean... what's it for?"
"To remind you of who you are."
I sat there, stunned. He looked at me and calmly said,
"You are Makino Tsukushi right?"
It was more of a statement than a question. I nodded. He stood up.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Do you want me to stay?" he said with one of those cheeky smiles. Damn his smiles.
"Arrogant bastard," I growled softly.
He laughed and walked away. That's right. He sauntered off to the door, with his back to me and his hand making a V-sign. Suddenly, I remembered that time in New York. I remembered his confessions.
"As I watched you living your life with all your might, something changed within me little by little. You cried, you laughed, you got angry, and you were always busy. At first I thought it was just detached amusement that I felt, but when you weren't around, I felt lonely. Then you started dating Tsukasa, and we officially became 'just friends'. It was like... a hole had opened up somewhere inside me. All you probably saw at that time was my back, and my hand making a V-sign because my face was probably something like how it is right now."
Just as he was turning the knob to the emergency stairs, I ran up from behind him, grasped his shoulders, and twisted him around. He looked... sad. A mix between loneliness and regret. This would be the second time I saw that expression since that time in New York. I wondered how many hours of the day did he looked like this? I forced myself to smile and said,
"Hey Hanazawa Rui... Can you walk me home?"
His eyes locked with mine, and he held out his arm; I took it, and we slowly walked home. The wind was light, but still chilly enough to penetrate a shivery sensation down my back. The empty streets were deluged with torrents of yellow leaves. We finally reached my neighborhood. So there I was, walking along, dressed in formal attire, and carrying eleven yellow roses and a weed. Suddenly, an urge to capture that moment encompassed my entire being. I grabbed Hanazawa Rui's hand, and we sped down the street to my house (or shack according to the F4). I hurriedly exclaimed,
"Wait here!"
I thrust open the door and fumbled around my desk. Aha!
"SUSUMU!" I screamed for my brother.
"WHAT?" he hollered back; he was still in his bedroom.
"Come here, I need you to do something for me..."
I dragged him outside to where Hanazawa Rui stood.
"Susumu, could you take a picture of us?"
Susumu looked surprised. Maybe it was our strange attire, maybe it was the fact I rarely took pictures, or maybe it was the eleven yellow roses and a weed I held in my hand. But no matter, he complied, and took the camera out of my hand.
I pulled Hanazawa Rui to my side, and Susumu quickly snapped a picture. Hanazawa Rui asked,
"What was that for?"
I simply smiled and said, "Memories."
~
March the twenty-third. I had exactly one week to find Hanazawa Rui a present for his twentieth birthday. As I walked down the street I heard two familiar voices shout in unison,
"Yo, working-class virgin!"
I took as much time as possible in turning my body around. Mimasaka. Nishikado. I knew it.
"Don't call me that," I grumbled out tiredly.
"Fine then, Tsu-chan!" Mimasaka obviously thought this was very amusing. I didn't. And so I retorted his "Tsu-chan" with,
"Ok then, Aki-kun!" His smug smile dropped some at the embarrassing nickname. His smug smile dropped altogether when a sophisticated female passerby after hearing this, started giggling with her friends.
I waved a bye at the two and continued my way downtown to hunt for the perfect present. But in less than thirty seconds I found my self sandwiched between two very tall and very perverted guys. There was no escape.
"Umm..." was all I managed to muster.
"So, Makino, what are you doing on this lovely Saturday afternoon not working?" Nishikado asked.
"Hanazawa Rui's birthday is next week right? I just wanted to get him a present. Maybe you guys can help me?"
I could see those two playboys' eyes light up. Damn. I said something.
"Of course we'll help you Tsu-chan!" Mimasaka's voice was dripped in honey. He leaned over and whispered something into Nishikado's ear.
Nishikado then looked at me in a funny way and exclaimed, "Makino! We know just what you should surprise him with!"
Before I could respond, Nishikado grabbed my left hand, and Mimasaka grabbed my right. They then both proceeded to drag me to some place they had in mind. For the first time in my life, I was... scared. Nishikado and Mimasaka had this kind of an effect on me. They were reckless. They were childish. They were perverted. And there was no way in hell they would let me get away.
Soon, we arrived at an elegant and polished store. I didn't have to wait long before those two pushed me inside. My eyes scanned the environment keenly. Oh man. Oh man, oh man, oh man. I darted around and dived for the exit. Nishikado saw this one coming, and so I was sent flying through the air because someone had tripped me. Namely Nishikado. And to top it off, I landed face flat into a pile of underwear.
"Excuse me miss, do you need any help?" a lady working at the store kindly asked me. Why me?
"I-I-It's alright," I stammered out. Then I turned around and faced the two playboys. They saw the fire igniting in my eyes, and so they looked for a distraction.
"Actually miss," they called out to the retreating lady, "we do need some help!"
They pasted on two identical, innocent smiles. Asses.
Mimasaka was the first to talk, "Would you mind getting us some lingerie? Some kind of a slip or a babydoll... something sexy..."
"And preferably black," Nishikado piped in.
"Yeah, something that would fit this lady over here," Mimasaka gestured to me. I figured I might as well get this over with and didn't say anything. Why did they want to buy me revealing nighties anyway? I figured the only way to find out was to ask. And so I did,
"Mimasaka-san, Nishikado-san, why are we getting a nightie for me?"
Nishikado answered, "For Rui of course!"
"We're buying a nightie for Hanazawa Rui?" I dumbly asked.
"Oh yes, we're buying sexy lingerie for Rui, so he can parade around for us," Mimasaka kindly informed me.
Just then, the lady came back with a... piece... of... nothing. I picked it out of her hands and dangled it in the air.
"AM I SUPPOSE TO WEAR THIS SKIMPY, SEE-THROUGH, PIECE OF NOTHING?!"
Nishikado stepped back from my ferocious state and declared what had been on their mind, "We thought it'd be a pretty great present if you wore something sexy for Rui! You know... like a surprise!"
I looked at him blankly, "A surprise?"
"Yeah! He'd never expect you to give him such a wild and exotic present would he?" Nishikado said all this with a very nasty smile on his face.
"Now how about modeling for us?" Mimasaka added.
I glared at both of them, threw the slip or babydoll or whatever it was on the floor, and stomped out of the store with a huff. Of course, they followed me. We arrived at my building, and I stepped inside slamming the door in their faces. Served those perverts right for trying to get me to wear that.
"COME ON MAKINO! WE'LL HELP YOU!"
Soon their incessant shouting got annoying, and I let them in. Not a word passed between us.
Mimasaka, as usual, broke the awkward silence, "So... where's your brother?"
"Susumu's out with his friends," I answered nonchalantly, "So are you guys going to help me or not?"
"Yeah," Nishikado said.
"Nothing perverted this time!" I declared.
I saw their faces fall.
"Well... did you guys do anything memorable together? Anything that might hint at what he likes?"
Memorable... Memories... I got it!
"Ok guys! We're off to the market for some popsicles!" And with that, I ran out of the house with those two idiots trailing behind me.
~
Author's Notes: The translation of Rui's confessions in New York came from here ; That's one of my favorite scenes in HYD. So anyone guess what Makino thought of? And what popsicles have to do with anything? =) I feel somewhat satisfied with this. I do note the mood change from a drama to more of a comedy. The reason for that is because I just couldn't write anything serious with Akira and Soujirou. The mood will change depending on what characters are present. Also, I think according to the timeline Rui should be turning twenty? Correct me if I'm wrong. Reviews are always wonderful. E-mail: yingerz@hotmail.com if your interested in becoming my editor (beta reader or whatever). If you want updates on this go to ;