Finding Obsolescence
A Day in the Life (and then some)
by Lavender Feline
Peering in both directions down the hall before exiting the classroom, Daisuke carefully stepped into the hallway and pressed his back to the wall, trying to be inconspicuous.
"Daisuke-kun? What are you doing?"
Daisuke jumped, eyes wide, and turned to stare at Miyako. "Shhhh!"
Miyako frowned at him. "You remind me of someone right now."
Daisuke scowled and pressed closer to the wall, glancing up and down the hallway repeatedly, hoping not to see a certain someone approach them through the crowd.
"Miyako-san! What are you doing here?" Hikari asked, shouldering her school bag.
"I wanted to see if you'd go shopping with me today. A new store opened up that has these really cool shoes and..." Miyako trailed off, her gaze fixed back on Daisuke.
Daisuke eyed her suspiciously. "What?"
"He reminds me of someone." Miyako frowned, her previous train of thought derailed.
Hikari turned and gave Daisuke a long look. "I'm not sure..."
"What's that?" Takeru came up and stepped between Miyako and Hikari. "What's going on?"
"Who does Daisuke-kun remind you of right now?" Hikari asked.
Takeru frowned. "I don't... know..."
Daisuke pressed as close to the wall as he could, wishing he could fade back into it. "Go away!" he whispered loudly. "You're gonna blow my cover!"
Miyako leaned in, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, and peered at him from behind her glasses.
Daisuke made a face, turning his head and glancing up the hall again. The crowd was dissipating. He really was going to lose his cover now.
"I've got it!" Takeru said, pointing at Daisuke. "Link!"
Miyako leaned back again and blinked at him. "Link?"
Hikari giggled and nodded. "From Windwaker! The way he's sneaking along the wall..."
Daisuke felt his whole face go red as they all laughed. "Damnit, this isn't funny! Just go away!" He reluctantly separated himself from the wall and sighed.
"Why are you acting like that, Daisuke-kun?" Takeru asked, still chuckling. "You've been acting odd since yesterday."
"Yesterday..." Daisuke averted his eyes and shrugged. Yesterday Taichi had lied to him. He'd been avoiding the older boy since then, but here at the end of his second day of high school, he was running out of excuses. At gym glass he'd faked sick and hid in the nurse's office the entire time, but he couldn't miss the first soccer team meet. He'd gotten accepted onto the team during tryouts a few days before school started, but if he didn't show, he'd be kicked off and someone else would get his slot.
"What's going on?"
"Oniichan!" Hikari smiled, glancing back to see her brother.
"We're trying to find out why Daisuke-kun is acting so weird," Miyako said, grinning at the older boy.
"Besides the usual reasons," Takeru added helpfully.
Daisuke was already walking away quickly, eyes on the ground. 'Damnit! Couldn't they just leave me alone!'
"Daisuke!" Taichi caught up with Daisuke quickly and grabbed his arm. "Hey, y'know-"
Daisuke turned, his expression cold. "What is it, Taichi-senpai?"
"Er..." Taichi froze like that for a moment, then forced a small grin. "You're uh... gonna be late for soccer practice."
"That's where I'm going now." Pulling his arm from Taichi's grip, Daisuke continued down the hall towards the locker rooms, biting the inside of his cheek to hold his emotionless expression in place.
Reaching the locker room, Daisuke tossed his bag down and began to change into his new soccer uniform. He grinned, feeling a little better at the sight of the brand new red and white cloth. Finally, he'd be on the high school soccer team. Maybe they'd even get to regionals! What if they WON? Daisuke smiled, pulling on his uniform, imagining himself scoring a winning goal at the championships.
'Everyone would pick me up on their shoulders and think I was the coolest...' Daisuke sighed happily and tied his shoes, tossing his goggles into the locker with his school uniform before following the rest of the team onto the soccer field.
It was a sunny day, and they had the field to themselves. Feeling elated at the smell of freshly cut grass and the feeling of the new jersey, Daisuke smiled and joined his teammates. Glancing over the group, there were only a few boys he recognized from his junior high team. Most of the boys were from older classes. He suddenly felt a bit out of place. Everyone was talking to each other, and he wasn't exactly sure where to mingle.
"Daisuke-kun, right?" A voice asked from behind him.
Turning to smile at whoever the voice belonged to, Daisuke froze. "Erk- Yeah." He frowned. It was the team captain. The older boy was about Taichi's height, and had messy black hair with bangs that looked like they must get in his eyes a lot. His eyes were shaped funny, Daisuke thought, maybe he had some Korean in him or something. 'Either way... I don't like him.'
"My name's Katashi." He held his hand out, smiling.
'So, he wants to be buddies, huh?' Daisuke nodded at him, not shaking his hand. "Oh."
Katashi winced and shoved his hands into his pockets. "About yesterday-"
"What about yesterday?" Daisuke asked, smiling widely.
"Well, with Taichi-kun-"
Daisuke twitched. 'Taichi-kun!' "Oh, that!" He smiled again.
"I know he was worried you'd be mad at him, so-"
"Mad? Why would I be mad?" The smile dropped quickly. "So, he's got a boyfriend. I don't care. I just wish he hadn't lied about it." Daisuke scowled and looked away.
"Oh, I'm not his boyfriend," Katashi said, laughing.
'Wha!' Daisuke's eyes widened and he looked back at the soccer captain. "Then, what..."
Katashi ran a hand through his hair and smiled. His teeth positively sparkled. "We were just messing around."
Daisuke decided he wanted to punch him. "You... do that a lot, huh?" His voice was tense and he felt his hands fist. 'What the hell is he talking about! Messing around!'
"Not usually, but... Taichi-kun is..." The older boy's eyes glazed over slightly. "He's convincing."
Shutting his eyes tightly to try to block out the images that suddenly appeared before him, Daisuke gritted his teeth and nodded tightly. "I see."
"So, please don't be mad at him, he didn't mean-"
"Sure." Turning and walking away quickly, Daisuke tried to calm down. It wasn't a good idea to get in another fight so soon. 'And anyway, what's the point? If Taichi-senpai likes guys like that and wants to be a big slut, then he can, right? None of my business!'
Picking up a soccer ball and bouncing it on his knee, Daisuke glared off into space. 'Anyway, Taichi-senpai's a big boy, he can decide what he wants! Not like it involves me at all!' Then he froze, knee in the air, and the ball fell at his side. Even as he lost his balance and fell flailing to the ground, his thoughts raced. 'Except... except... it DOES involve me!'
Katashi hurried over, worried at seeing Daisuke just collapse like that. "Are you okay?"
Daisuke didn't hear him. 'I've always wanted to be like Taichi-senpai! Everything I've done for years has been so I can be like him 'cause he's so cool, but... but... if he's suddenly GAY and doing THAT kind of stuff...' Daisuke's eyes widened and he felt his heart beat fast. 'Does that mean I'm gay, too!'
"Daisuke-kun?" Katashi waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Are you okay? Should I call a nurse?"
Daisuke simply stared ahead, not blinking, barely breathing.
Katashi turned and yelled to the group. "Someone get the nurse! Daisuke-kun is-"
"Daisuke?" Taichi asked, running over. He'd stopped to talk to his sister before getting changed for the meet, and was just now joining the rest of the team. "What's wrong with him?"
"I'm not sure, he just stopped moving!"
Taichi frowned and kneeled in front of Daisuke. "Daisuke? Hey, are you okay?"
Suddenly coming back to himself, Daisuke blinked hard, only to find Taichi's face inches from his own. "Agh!" Leaning back to distance himself from the older boy, Daisuke's heart raced from the shock and his face turned a soft shade of red. "Wha-what!"
Taichi grinned. "Spacing out?"
"So what if I was!" Daisuke scowled and stood up, avoiding eye contact with his senpai.
Taichi's grin faded. "But you're okay."
"I'm fine! Let's just practice." Turning, Daisuke went back to join the rest of the team, anxious to practice and forget about things, if only for a little while.
Having rushed his after practice shower, Daisuke ran down the halls of the school with his hair still slightly wet. He was on a mission, and he had to hurry if he was going to make it.
Throughout the rest of practice, Daisuke had successfully avoided contact with both Katashi and Taichi. He was pleased with himself, but he felt a small twinge of guilt for avoiding his senpai so obviously.
'I'll make it up to him,' Daisuke thought, skidding to a stop in front of his classroom. 'I just gotta fix this first!' Opening the door to the classroom, Daisuke was relieved to see Miyako and Hikari sitting at a desk.
"Hikari-chan!" Daisuke walked over, smiling widely. "Miyako!"
They turned to stare at him. "Daisuke?" Miyako frowned at him. "What?"
"You're gonna go shopping, right?" Daisuke pulled up a chair and sat beside them.
"Yeah." Miyako pushed her glasses farther up on her nose. "I was just waiting for Hikari-chan to finish cleaning."
Hikari smiled and put the last of her books into her bag. "We're going, now."
"Can I come!" Daisuke sat forward in his chair, feeling desperate.
The girls stared at him blankly for a long moment. "We're going shoe shopping, Daisuke," Miyako said slowly.
Daisuke nodded, a serious expression on his face. "I know."
Hikari smiled and nodded. "If you really want to, Daisuke-kun."
"Awesome!" Daisuke jumped up and grabbed his bag. "Let's go, then!"
Miyako opened her mouth to explain what 'shoe shopping' meant, as it seemed like he didn't understand what it was going to entail, but she stopped herself. If Daisuke wanted to follow them around for hours while they shopped, she didn't care. It was always good to have a guy along to carry your bags, anyway!
Completely unprepared for the evening ahead of him, Daisuke followed the girls out of the school and to the train station.
Sipping her melon soda, Miyako sighed happily, basking in the warm sunlight that was beaming down on the patio of the coffee shop where they sat.
Hikari was finishing off her pastry, a small cake with white icing and a tiny pink icing rose on the top. She shut her eyes, enjoyed the soft classical music that was drifting out from the cafe, and smiled.
Both girls agreed, nothing was more relaxing than this.
Staring at them, completely baffled, Daisuke was still panting. Piles of shopping bags were littered around them, and the noisy hustle and bustle of downtown Tokyo was beginning to get to him. Not only that, but it was hot. The jacket from his school uniform had been discarded much earlier, and it was now stuffed into a bag that also contained a pair of pink high heels. Daisuke didn't like to think about that part, though.
"Hikari-chan?" Miyako asked, her voice soft and relaxed.
"Mmm?" Hikari replied, sipping the last of her sparkling water.
"There's another store around the corner, and-"
"NO!" Daisuke blurted out, horrified. "Please. Please, don't do this to me!" His eyes watered up and his fingers clenched into the ridiculously lacy tablecloth, almost tipping over Miyako's soda. "Just... let's go home, okay? PLEASE!"
It had been hours, and the sun was setting. The sky was orange, and it left a warm glow over everything. To Miyako and Hikari it was a relaxing end to the day, but to Daisuke it was a haunting reminder of a day wasted shopping. Not only had they been shopping for over three hours, but he'd been carrying all the bags. Many, many heavy bags full of shoes.
"What's wrong, Daisuke?" Miyako asked, sitting up and frowning at him sharply. He was disturbing the zen.
"When you said you were gonna go buy shoes, I thought... I mean-" Daisuke scowled. "How many pairs of shoes do you NEED!"
Hikari smiled and rolled her eyes. Silly boys and their limited taste. No wonder they all seemed to dress the same. "A pair for school, a comfortable pair to go on longer trips, a pair to go with my red dress, a pair to go with my summer dresses, some sandals for the beach, a fancier pair for my formal dresses, a pair-"
"Okay! I'm sorry I asked." Daisuke moaned sadly and let his head fall to the table with a loud thunk. "I'm just so tired..."
"Poor Daisuke," Miyako said, almost sympathizing. "We're almost done!"
Daisuke only whimpered. This was too much. He'd thought he could accomplish his great plan if he came along, but the situation had never presented itself. And now he was just exhausted and wanted to go home. 'If I was dating a guy I'd never have to do this... maybe bein' gay wouldn't be so bad,' he thought, rolling his head to the side so he could look out at the street.
"Oh, look!" Hikari said, grabbing Miyako's sleeve and pointing.
"Awww! Cute!" Miyako squealed.
Sighing, Daisuke wondered what they were on about now. Then he saw them. Two older boys, about college age, walking along together. They looked happy... the taller boy had his arm around the shorter boy's waist, and they smiled at each other so sweetly...
"Hey, check out the fags!" a voice called from across the street.
The two boys quickly relaxed their grip on each other and walked ahead, their eyes now firmly planted on the ground, their smiles gone.
"That's so sad," Hikari said, sighing. "Why do people have to be like that?"
"Stupid jerks," Miyako growled, bobbing her head around, trying to peer through the crowd to see who'd called out at them.
"It... must be hard," Daisuke said, frowning.
The girls looked at him curiously. "What?" Hikari asked.
"Being gay." He wrinkled his nose. "People really still act like that."
Glaring down at her empty glass, Miyako just snorted in reply.
"It's not easy." Hikari smiled gently at him.
"I mean," Daisuke said quickly. "I'm glad I'm not gay! That looks way too hard! Who'd wanna deal with that just to be with another guy, anyway!"
Miyako looked up at him with a strangely sad smile. "I think sometimes you don't really get a choice."
"I guess." Daisuke frowned, determined all over again. 'I'm not gonna end up like that, no way. Taichi-senpai's gayness can't rub off on me now! I'm too young for that kinda treatment! No, gotta do it.' "Hey, Miyako, I wanna get a soda... come help me pick one out."
"I thought you weren't thirsty." She frowned at him, but stood anyway.
"Um... changed my mind!" He laughed nervously and glanced at Hikari. "We'll be right back, Hikari-chan!"
"Oh... okay." Hikari smiled and sat back in her chair. "But let's hurry so we can make it to that last store!"
"Right!" Miyako turned and followed Daisuke back into the building.
Instead of heading to the counter, however, Daisuke grabbed her arm and dragged her into the small hallway that led to the bathrooms.
"What're you doing! Leggo!" Miyako hit him in the back of the head with her purse, annoyed. "I thought you wanted a soda!"
Putting on his best serious expression, Daisuke turned and took both of Miyako's hands in his own. "Miyako... go out with me."
They stayed like that for over a minute, Miyako's thoughts racing and Daisuke's frozen at a halt. Finally, Miyako opened her mouth to reply.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!" she yelled, yanking her hands away. "Are you losing it!"
Daisuke pouted and sulked a bit. 'Didn't expect her to be THAT bothered...' "No... I just... I like you!" Smiling brightly, he hoped it would work this time.
Eyebrows raised, Miyako snorted. "No, you don't. You're up to something."
Finally dropping the facade, Daisuke scowled at her and wiped his hands off on his pants, a little bit disgusted that they'd touched. "Fine. I'm desperate. I need a girlfriend now. All the guys at school think I'm gay! I can't just leave it like that!"
Miyako's expression softened. "I never thought..." She sighed and nodded, placing one hand on Daisuke's shoulder consolingly. "I know what you mean."
"What?" Daisuke wrinkled his nose. 'What's she talking about?'
"It's hard, isn't it?" Her eyes watered up for a moment, then she shook her head. "But you're right! We should band together!" Now her eyes seemed starry and inspired.
"Um... yeah! So... that means you'll date me, right?" Daisuke asked, hoping he understood.
"Of course! And... if neither of us have anyone by the time we're 30-" Miyako paused and frowned. "No, by the time I'm 30. You'll be 29. I refuse to be an old maid."
Daisuke scowled. 'What's she talking about, by the time I'm 29?'
"Anyway, by the time I'm 30, if we're both single, we can get married!" Miyako said, her voice passionate and inspired. "Okay?"
Completely taken aback, Daisuke stared at her with wide eyes. "What! Married!"
"Oh, relax," Miyako said, grabbing both his shoulders now. We're not engaged. It's just... a pact. Let's make a pact!"
"Er..." Daisuke thought it over. 'By the time I'm 29, if no one's gonna marry me... I guess that wouldn't be bad. And Miyako's pretty smart, so she'll probably make loads of money...' "Okay. I guess so."
"Bingo!" Miyako beamed, hugging him tightly. "Finally, I have a trophy boyfriend!"
Daisuke tensed. Miyako was hugging him. 'This... feels... weird...' He slowly lifted his arms and returned the hug.
Pulling abruptly, Miyako almost yanked him off his feet. "But you're not MUCH of a trophy, are you?" She frowned. "We'll need to get you some nicer clothes... shouldn't you be good at shopping?"
Daisuke made a face. "What are you talking about!"
"Oh, never mind. Of all people, I should know better than to believe in stereotypes." She tapped her lips with her finger, thinking.
Daisuke gaped at her. "Stereotypes? Stereotypes of what!"
"So, let's just tell everyone that you asked me out... and I said yes!" She beamed proudly.
"But... that's what happened..." Daisuke felt his face crumple into a pout. He was already completely lost and they'd only been dating a few minutes. 'No wonder they say you'll never understand women!'
"Okay!" Miyako took his hand and began to pull him back out towards the patio. "Let's announce our beautiful relationship to Hikari-chan!"
Daisuke let himself be dragged back outside, and forced a smile as Miyako told Hikari the 'wonderful news'. The two girls clasped hands and giggled, both bouncing on their toes in excitement. Miyako related the tale in great detail, including some things Daisuke didn't remember from just moments before.
"I never looked at him that way before," Miyako said, "seeing as he's always been sort of mousy. But he got down on one knee and..."
Hikari gasped. "He did!"
Miyako nodded excitedly. "And he took my hand and told me how he'd been watching me from afar this whole time!"
They squealed, and Daisuke winced. Their voices were clashing more and more the higher they got.
"And then he kissed me... on the cheek!"
"Aaa!" Hikari said, her voice just a sigh. "I wish someone would do that for me! You're so lucky, Miyako-san!"
Miyako's smile faltered momentarily, then she beamed. "I know! Daisuke is a good catch, isn't he?"
"He is! He's always been such a gentleman, too! Even when he liked me-" Hikari stopped abruptly and looked horrified. "Oh, I'm sorry! I shouldn't mention it!"
Miyako waved her hand dismissingly. "Don't worry, that's all in the past! He loves me now, right, Daisuke-kun?"
Daisuke blinked, realizing he was supposed to be agreeing with something. He'd been spacing out, wondering how long they were going to go on like that, and wondering what kind of horrible mush Miyako had been reading to think that he'd do that kind of stuff, let alone for her. "Oh, um... yeah!"
Hikari's jaw dropped. "You love her!"
"What? No, I-" Daisuke started, mortified at what he'd just agreed to.
"Oh, he's so shy! It's so cute!" Miyako wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pinched his cheek with her other hand sharply.
"Owwww," he moaned, wincing.
"Well, you're both such a cute couple, Miyako-san, Daisuke-kun." Hikari smiled brightly. "I'm so happy for you!"
"Er... thanks." Daisuke smiled, rubbing his cheek as Miyako released him. 'Well... guess this works. She's not the best girl, but... I guess she's pretty okay looking, and she did agree to go out with me, even if it's fake.' He shrugged and began gathering the bags again. 'At least now no one can say that stuff about me! All that stuff about Taichi-senpai's...' His thoughts faded and he paused, blushing at the thought.
"Daisuke? Daisuke!" Miyako snapped her fingers in his face. "Hurry up, that other store's gonna close, soon!"
'Oh, yeah.' Sighing, Daisuke followed them, waddling a bit under the weight of the bags, trying to remind himself that it was all worth it.
It was dark when they got off the train to go home. Hikari smiled and waved goodbye to them as she turned off to go to her street, and Miyako and Daisuke were left to go home alone.
'So tired,' Daisuke thought, stumbling a bit. 'So many shoes... never gonna buy shoes again.. never...'
"Daisuke?" Miyako's voice was soft.
"Huh?" He turned and froze. She'd pulled off her glasses and was blushing faintly, the moonlight making her hair shine an almost silvery color. 'She's... cute!'
"...Can we kiss?" Her voice was soft and she frowned. She looked nervous.
"What!" Daisuke dropped the bags and stepped back a few paces quickly. "What're you talking about!"
The sweetness on Miyako's face vanished and suddenly she looked like herself again. "What you you mean what am I talking about! We're gonna have to act like a couple when we go to school tomorrow, so you'd better get used to the idea, 'cause we're gonna be locking lips every chance we get! And you are gonna enjoy it!"
Daisuke made a face. That didn't sound very inviting. "But-"
"No buts! Now c'mere, I can't see a damn thing without my glasses on."
"Then put them back-"
"No! Then I'd see that it's you!" Miyako sighed.
"That's not fair! I wanna be half blind, too!" Daisuke said, sensing a distinct inequality in this suddenly. "And anyway, I've never kissed anyone before, so-"
Miyako laughed. "Are you worrying about giving your first kiss away?"
'Damnit...' Daisuke blushed. "...No."
"It's okay, Daisuke. I'll be gentle." She winked and made a blind grab for his arm, pulling him close. Their foreheads hit with a loud crack.
"Owww!" Daisuke moaned, rubbing his head.
"Hurts, hurts, hurts!" Miyako hissed, rubbing her own.
A few moments later, a cloud passed over the moon, and it was dark. Daisuke gulped loudly. "Um... I guess... we will have to kiss at school..."
"Yeah." Miyako frowned. "So we should practice. Get it right."
Daisuke nodded.
They stared at each other in the darkness. Daisuke licked his lips nervously and Miyako fidgeted with the hem of her jacket. It was quiet, except for the sound of a dog barking in the distance.
"Damnit, this is stupid," Miyako mumbled, and grabbed both sides of Daisuke's face, pulling him into a kiss.
Neither of them moved. Their lips were pressed together, but puckered so hard that they barely felt a thing. Neither of them responded. Daisuke's hands were at his sides, his fingers splayed in shock, and Miyako's fingers were digging into his cheeks.
'This is a kiss, huh?' Daisuke thought, his eyes shut tightly. 'This sucks. If I'm gonna be straight... 'cause I am! ...I gotta enjoy kissing girls, right? Even Miyako...' Lifting his hands to Miyako's shoulders, Daisuke slowly relaxed his lips and pressed them to hers properly.
Miyako's eyes fluttered open for a brief moment before closing again, and she relaxed as well.
The cloud that was covering the moon drifted out of the way again, and they pushed away from each other abruptly, the spell broken.
Miyako panted, staring at Daisuke with a half determined, half disgusted expression.
Daisuke licked his lips repeatedly, unable to get the weird slimy feel of her pear lipgloss off of them.
Finally, Miyako relaxed. "You're a terrible kisser."
"Hey!" Daisuke pointed at her. "Yeah, right, like you've ever kissed anyone before!" He rubbed his mouth on the back of his hand, finally getting the slime off.
"For your information, I have!" She folded her arms, annoyed.
"Yeah? Who? What guy have you been kissing!" Daisuke shoved his hands in his pockets, scowling at her.
Miyako was quiet for a long moment, then grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."
Taken aback, Daisuke just nodded. 'Sorry? ...Never heard her say that to me before.'
"Um... so... I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow?" She pulled her glasses out from her pocket and put them back on, smiling nervously at him.
"Yeah... at school..." Daisuke relaxed, completely baffled. 'Wasn't she just mad?'
"Remember, I'll bring you lunch. Gotta look like the good little girlfriend, right?" She smiled, but she looked hurt all the same.
"Um... okay..." Daisuke scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "So... seeya."
"Yeah." With that, Miyako grabbed her bags from the ground and turned tail and ran down the street, heading back to her own apartment building.
'I don't get it. First she thinks I'm stupid, then she says we can date, but I don't think she really likes me... we're just faking it, right?' Daisuke sighed, walking down the street slowly, following the pools of light created by the street lamps. "But if she doesn't like me, why's she acting so weird?"
Leaning against a fence, Daisuke meant to take a moment to stare up at the crescent moon and think deep, meaningful thoughts, just like on the daytime dramas his sister watched. It seemed like the right thing to do. Instead, the moment he hit the fence, a dog on the other side barked angrily and lunged at it, scraping its nails on the other side of the wood.
Daisuke jumped, eyes wide, and ran all the way back home, deciding to be introspective in his bed, where it was safer.