Chapter
10?
I haven't been keeping track of the chapters…
sweatdrops….
You know the drill.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
The sun was gently setting over the hill, illuminating the leaves on the trees of the forest. Kai gently walked up to the clinic, opening the door to see that it was already packed tight.
He was taken aback, looking around for anyone with any sign of an injury, but there wasn't even a person with a scrape in there. And most of the people were goggling through the glass at one of the patients.
Kimihiro.
"Kayoko!" he yelled out, and most of the people turned to him. "What's going on?"
The nurse frantically rushed through the crowd, pushing a few people aside, her hat lopsided.
"Kai-sama…it seems as though word as gotten out that your friend is a Hinoshiba."
'It seemed' that she was right. But it annoyed him to see them looking at her like an interesting specimen under a microscope. If she wasn't sleeping… yes, she wasn't. A person in actual slumber would turn occasionally, she was as still as a rock.
He rudely moved through the mass, yelling, "Move it!" as he did, obviously unhappy. Opening the door of the room, he quickly walked in, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"Hey. Kimi. You awake?"
She stirred, her crystal blue eyes shining, showing clearly that she most certainly had not been truly sleeping. "Yea… too much noise, though …what's up?" He shrugged. "Other than the ceiling, and that," he pointed unceremoniously outside the glass windows at the people (one of whom immediately started arguing with her friend and insisting that he had pointed at her), "There's nothing up."
She smiled, seeing what he was talking about, tossed her legs over the bed. "Wanna give them a bit of a show?"
'Yes… we could teach them a lesson and have our own fun at the same time… Shippou needs to learn not to walk in on people in their more—private times…''Hm… I strongly agree…'
"Define, 'show.'"
Rubbing her eyes, she flipped her hair and said a little loudly, "Hey, Kai-kun."
His eyes widened. 'Kun' wasn't the usual suffix used for him.
"Hey, hime Kimi…" She bit back a frown at being called a 'princess' again. "How was your nap?"
She nodded, "All right," then smirking evilly, "But I was hoping to wake up with you next to me…"
There was a bustle in the audience.
"You were, weren't you? Well I'm sorry I didn't give you that pleasure, can I make it up to you?"
She bit her lip and said, "I suppose so…"
He drew the curtain, hiding them from view, then exploded into laughter along with her.
"You know what those sick-minded bozos are going to be thinking…"
"Sound effects?"
"Nah…
that'd be getting dirty…"
She laughed again, the color
returning to her face… but stopped with Kai's next comment.
"But why don't we make good use of this bit of privacy, no?"
"You are a wacko… but I guess I can live with that…"
She grinned as she put her arms around his neck and his around her waist and boosted herself up slightly, softly capturing him in a cool embrace, her lips fusing with his own. They stood there for a minute, taking in each other's taste… and she opened her eyes slightly, releasing him to take in a breath.
"Oh man… is it over yet?" he whispered seductively, and she shook her head as she dove in again, his hands pulling around her tighter, pushing her against him.
"Oh dear!" Kayoko said as she opened the door. "I was thinking it was just a joke, but apparently, you and your latest 'friend' were being serious… Kai-sama, I suggest you get here and try to get everyone to calm down, half of them are running out to tell the Elder that you're banging in the patient waiting area."
The way she said it, neither could help but blow up in laughter, and when they did, they fell forcefully on top of each other. A man squeezed behind Kayoko with a camera, quickly snapping the situation before she managed to thump him upside the head to send him out.
"Look at the mess you've gotten yourself into, I always knew something like this would happen," the nurse said, shaking her head. Kai chuckled, lifting himself up.
"Let them say what they want," he said, helping Kimihiro up, who was still red from laughter, "this is the first time I'm actually glad that I'm attracting attention. Everyone will be bustling around the place, shouting about how 'Mr. Kai-sama-sir' is probably bonking a girl in his spare time, and then they'll feel so stupid when they find out its not true! HA! Life is so good…"
"But, ironically, people, like yourself, are so bad!" Kimihiro placed her hands firmly on her hips.
"Get a life, Kimihiro. I assure you you'd enjoy it…"
They both burst into giggles. Kayoko pointed a finger at the door, whispering, "'though two red-faced youth won't be the thing that you'd really want for your reputation, 'Mr. Kai-sama-sir…'" (if ya know what I mean…)
Walking
out of the room, Kimihiro clasped a hand over her mouth before, not
being able to withhold it, whispering in his ear, "Gosh, Kai… I
had no idea you were going to be so big…"
They both
nearly fell apart, stomachs aching from laughing their heads off, and
faces like tomatoes.
Finally, they managed to comport themselves, and they ran through what was left of the
crowd and stopped outside. Shading her eyes, she looked down at her watch.
"Oh
man…"
He looked at her. "What?"
"Serafin's going to be here in a moment. It's been two days, Kai… I need to visit my mother."
"Oh." His face fell.
"Yea. So, I guess I'll see you, then."
"Guess so."
"I'll visit."
"H-hm."
"Bye."
"Bye…
wait!"
She turned around before just as she was about to leave.
"What?"
"C-can I come with you? You know… for just a couple hours, maybe?"
He sounded like a hopeful little kid asking his mother whether he could go to Chuck E. Cheese's. She grinned at the way his eyes widened into saucers, before finally heaving.
"I'm
sure my mother won't mind…"
'I know my mother
won't mind…'
He grinned.
"However… you have to agree to do one thing."
"What?"
Her
smile became mischievous as she let the words escape her mouth.
"You
have to come with me to the school dance. I entered into the annual
school dance competition, and it'd be a real shocker if it was a
two-person dance other than one. Oh… and I have a dance recital
tonight, that's why I'm in a hurry."
He stared at her with
wide eyes, before looking down.
"But—I don't know how to dance."
She
laughed. "No worries. The sensei is great, she'll get you on the
floor in minutes. Are you in? Or would you rather stay here with Yoma
dearest?"
At the mention of Yoma, Kai stiffened. "I'm in."
"Shake
on it."
He grabbed Kimihiro's hand and shook it vigorously, a
determined look on his face. She looked slightly amused, as though
she found the thought of the Kawaichi Chosen 'breaking it down'
at a school dance funny.
Ironically, she did.
Stuffing two fingers into her mouth, she took a deep breath and whistled. It was silent for a second, then the wind seemed to pick up around them as Serafin slid onto the land. There were some oo's and aah's from some of the people who were still around the area, but then Serafin growled, scaring half of them away.
"Serafin," Kimihiro started, "Double load today. Do you mind?"
Serafin seemed to shrug. "Feh. I knew you'd end up bringing him home."
Kai spoke up. "It was a deal we made."
He wouldn't take Serafin's teasing today, no way.
Apparently, the Beast didn't care that much; she just slapped her tail against the ground- hard, signaling that they should climb on. Grabbing hold of one of Serafin's legs, Kimihiro tossed her legs over to rest on her back, before helping Kai do the same. As soon as both teenagers were positioned safely on her back, the Beast set off into the sky.
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Koji swore under his breath, tearing off his coat and pulling out the camera. Ah well, since she had that terrified look on her face and he was laughing in that picture where they landed on each other, so many tales could be made.
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They settled at the doorstep of the small, white cottage, one that could never have been suspected to hold such traditionally important people. Serafin shrunk down to the size of a puppy, and wrapped her tail around Kimihiro's ankles as she removed her now rather dirty sneakers.
"Wipe your feet on the doormat," Kimihiro ordered, as she brought her knuckles to the door.
There was a moment of silence, and then finally the door swung open, and Kimihiro found herself pulled into her mother's embrace.
"Kimihiro! You're back… I was beginning to wonder whether you'd make it… Are you all right? Have you gotten hurt? Anything new on Curacova?"
Nearly suffocating, Kimihiro let out, "Well… I've been hurt four times; we've been attacked by one of Curacova's minions… but that's about it." She purposely left out the parts about Yoma, not wanting to make her mother upset.
She finally released her daughter.
"You have? Four times in two days? Tell me everything! Are you hurt still? Oh.. I knew I shouldn't have let you go on such a dangerous journey…"
"Well, I've been bitten in the leg, kicked in the stomach, stabbed in the back, nearly choked to death…"
"Choked?"
"Yea, by you…"
"Well, sorry…"
Kai
watched them from the side, his heart aching as he saw her mother
give her the affection he had not gotten since he was a child. He
looked up as her mother suddenly turned to him, a strange look of
excitement/hunger on her face as her eyes darted across the symbol on
his jacket.
"How could I be so rude… Ms. Hinoshiba, Kimihiro's mother, come in."
Serafin slipped between his legs, suddenly bounding into the living room. There was a loud yelp that belonged to a cat, and a minute later, the feline and the Seraphim's Pet were rolling all over the floor, playfully trying to beat each other up.
"Kai. Nice to meet
you."
He was surprised at how much her mother looked like her,
other than the short, cut hair, and the brown eyes, and slight
wrinkles showing her middle-age, they were exactly alike. Same
height, same build…
He stepped inside the cozy home, discarding his shoes as well.
Ms. Hinoshiba thumped onto the couch, resting her head against the back.
"So… who are you to Kimihiro?"
That was a tough question. It seemed awkward to just burst out and say, "her boyfriend," since she had only met him two days before, and equally as strange to say, "friend," because Kimihiro might not choose to accept that.
"Her
companion."
Kimihiro sighed inwardly. At least he didn't say
something blunt. Her mother nodded. "Sit down."
Then, to
Kimihiro, "Miss Yoshii called. She asked if you remembered what to
wear, and to be at the studio at 7:30."
"What time is it?"
"7:00. Half an hour more, so I suggest you get a move on."
"Snap!"
Shooting
up from her seat, she dashed past them and disappeared into the
corridor, slamming the door. Kai stared back in the direction in
which she left. Gulping slowly, he turned to face her mother, his
grin competed with Koji's in terms of mischievousness.
"Ah. So… are you
just her companion?"
Kai gulped.
"Boyfriend," he finally mumbled, avoiding her gaze.
"Thank you, that's better. Now, I want you to tell me exactly what has happened to my daughter, do you hear? If you did anything to her, then tell me. Leave nothing out, or I'll kick you out of my house." As she continued speaking, her playful smile gradually dissolved into a serious, flat expression, and she glowered down at him. He gulped again. Remembering the places that his mischievous little hand had wandered to on her daughter's body, he thought of ways to squeeze those bits out of the story. But, without them, it seemed as though their adventure would fall apart, as one thing always leads to another.
So he told her everything. His voice had wavered when it came to his least favorite parts, and he had avoided her gaze the entire time, but he had said the truth, and every bit of it.
"Thank you," she said, smiling again. "So you are the Kawaichi Chosen. Interesting. Very much so. But of course, I won't bug you about it. In fact, don't even use your powers around here. I don't want you to become a part of a circus or anything." She stood, tugging lightly on one of his cheeks.
"Besides, you're a cute kid, I like you. I don't want to send you home in a wreck."
Just then, the phone rang.
Ms. Hinoshiba picked it up casually, "Moshi moshi."
Her face reddened as she listened to the person on the line. "Ah… I'm sorry, Kuranoske, but Kimihiro's not exactly available anymore. Arigauto. Oh… no problem, I'll tell her you called."
She placed the phone down just as Kimihiro came into the room, tugging on her sneakers.
Kai held back a gasp; she looked—awesome.
She had this black leather cap that was tilted slightly on her head, a green tank top that didn't have a strap on one side, with the word,'Butterfly' sprayed in black and white on the front, and a pair of capri jeans. So he could never have managed that type of 'look' on her. But still… when he saw it… it was beautiful.
Seeing the funny look on Kai's face, she bent over shyly and said, "You like?"
"I love…"
"Well, you'll have
to 'love the look' when I'm on stage. C'mon, mother, we're
going to be late, and Miss Yoshi will be cross if I miss a recital;
I've already missed the final practice."
Grabbing her mother's
hands and dropping her keys into her hand, she tugged her along.
Then, to Kai, who was still sitting on the sofa and staring, "Are you going to come or just sit on the sofa drooling?"
"Either one is fine
with me…"
Releasing her mother's hand, she stomped over to
him and yanked him up by the arm. Hooking arms with him, she pulled
him out of the door, and, waving goodbye to Serafin and the cat,
locked it.
0o0o0o0o0o0o
Stepping into their bright red Toyota Camry, Ms. Hinoshiba started up the engine, making sure both kids were inside, before dropping them off at the studio.
"Ask Ms. Yoshi if she'll take Kai to the amphitheater too; I'm on my way there. See you in about half an hour," she said, adding under her breath, "you silly love-sick teens."
"Okaan-san! I heard that!"
She grabbed his hand again, and leading him behind her, opened the door of the studio. His ears were greeted to the sound of music, loud, and his eyes to about four other girls in the same outfit as her. One of them, a girl with reddish-brown hair and hazel eyes, squealed at the sight of them and rushed out in the middle of their practice dance to give Kimihiro a bear hug.
"Kimi! Oh my gosh, where have you been? I called your house- no answer. I wait for school- you don't come. I practice my butt off at dance—and you don't even care to join me!"
Kimihiro grinned,
releasing her. "Oh, ixsnay on the nagging, Tamiya. It was just two
days."
Kai shifted uncomfortably behind her. The red-head turned
to face him, the smile melting off of her lips.
"Who are you?" She glared at him, and he instinctively glared back. Seeing the two in a game of 'I-can-glare-you-to-death-faster,' Kimihiro shifted between them, grabbing Kai's hand and squeezing it behind her back.
"This is…" she sighed at the way Tamiya was staring at their interlocked hands in disgust,
"Kai." He finished it for her, not liking the way this girl was looking at him.
"Boyfriend?"
"…Yea…"
Tamiya looked up at him, then at her. "You know your reputation has just fallen down and shattered into a million pieces, right?" Then, addressing him, "You've set a record, K-a-i. You're the first guy Kimihiro's agreed to go out with in four years. So feel proud of yourself. Rejoice. Jump up and down, for all I care. C'mon Kimi. We've got to start practicing."
She tugged Kimihiro away from him, and he walked up to the glass windows, trying to crane his neck to watch. The music started again, after Kimihiro had said something to the teacher.
The girls positioned themselves, Kimihiro in the middle, Tamiya directly behind her, and two unknown girls at her sides. They seemed to form some strange sort of square with it, their eyes closed, walking in circles as they tilted their hats down.
Ay ay ay, Ay ay ay, Ay ay ay
Where's my Samurai?
At the first word, they're heads shot up, and they started moving, on cue. They didn't even twist their hips, but their feet made a beat against the floor, constantly moving, not stopping… it was all making him dizzy. They didn't stop… it was like this,
Step-step,
Stomp-stomp,
Turn…
(Music)
The rhythm was smooth… he had never been much for music, but this was really something. They started walking around again, then Kimihiro came in front for the chorus. Crossing her feet over each other, then twisting around to face the other side, still moving, never stopping, as the dance instructor stood in front shouting out, "And one, and two, and three. And four!" At the top of her lungs, flailing her arms about in a constant rhythm.
I was searching for a man
All across Japan
Just to find you, Sama-samurai.
Someone who is strong,
But still a little shy,
Yes I need my, need my samurai.
Ay ay, ay!
I'm your little butterfly,
Green black and blue
Make the colors of the sky.
Ay,
ay, ay!
I'm your little butterfly,
Green, black and blue
Make the colors in the sky.
Now they touched the tips of their hats again, tilting them, then lifting them enough that you could see their faces. He watched his Kimihiro's eyes locked on his, a strange look of hunger in them that made him shiver. But then he realized that it was just part of the routine, that everyone was doing it, it was making the dance all of a sudden so tantalizing… even though the song was so cute and innocent.
(music)
I was searching in the woods
And high up on the hills
Just to find you sama-samurai.
Someone who won't regret
To keep me in this net,
Yes, I need my, need my samurai.
He finally breathed as the second verse ended, as the girls went for a beat with their feet again. Step up, step back, jump from foot to foot from the side, lifting their hands to the sides of their hats and turning their heads with each jump, finally going back in their square and moving in a circular motion again.
Ay ay, ay!
I'm your little butterfly,
Green black and blue
Make the colors of the sky.
Ay,
ay, ay!
I'm your little butterfly,
Green, black and blue
Make the colors in the sky.
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay,
Where's my samurai?
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay,
Where's my samurai?
Oh…
Ah…
Oh…
Kai felt another presence behind him, another guy, with dark hair and bangs.
"You come here often
to watch them?"
Kai didn't even bother to looked up, totally
disinterested in anything other than the dance.
"No… my first time,
actually."
The boy sighed, peering through the glass at them,
just as the chorus started again.
Oh…
Ah…
Oh…
Ay ay, ay!
I'm your little butterfly,
Green black and blue
Make the colors of the sky.
Ay,
ay, ay!
I'm your little butterfly,
Green, black and blue
Make the colors in the sky.
Ay ay, ay!
I'm your little butterfly,
Green black and blue
Make the colors of the sky.
Ay,
ay, ay!
I'm your little butterfly,
Green, black and blue
Make the colors in the sky.
The music continued as the words stopped, and the girls formed a straight horizantal line, heads down and holding caps again, before finally pulling them off their heads and tossing them to the floor, letting the hats slide to a stop, strangely enough, at the same place.
"Wonderful, almost perfect!" The teacher said, as the girls, still heaving and out of breath, went forward to retrieve their hats.
Kimihiro winked at Kai, who was still leaning over by the glass, his chin resting on his hand.
The other boy smiled.
"I used to go out with
her… but then… we had a couple problems…" the boy suddenly
spoke up. "She plays hard to get, you know… she actually hasn't
dated anyone in four years…and the fact that she's hot doesn't
exactly ward anyone off…"
Kai nodded, not caring. It wasn't
his business to break the news to this guy.
So when Kimihiro opened the door out of the dance floor and wrapped her arms around his neck, she didn't even look at the guy, though Kai suspected he'd probably turned a couple shades of blue.
"So… what'd you think…?"
"That was--amazing.
You didn't tell me you could dance… like, whoa, like that!" He
grinned as she pecked him softly, saying, "Surprise…"
The
boy who was talking to Kai looked at him with this scared, wide-eyed,
open-mouthed expression. Kimihiro let go of Kai, looking over at him.
"Oh, hi Kuranoske… I
see you've met Kai. Well, anyway, Kai, Miss Yoshi says its okay if
you ride with us, but she always warned that if you tried anything
with any of the girls she'd personally neuter you…and mind you,
if you do, I'll help her do it."
He gulped as he thought of
life without his family jewels.
"Tell her thanks… I guess…"
Kuranoske… that name was familiar… and ever since she had mentioned it, it had been running through his mind…
Miroku awakened for a minute inside him at the name, his dormancy's reign ending abruptly…
'Kuranoske, huh? Here too! It could be just coincidence that that is this boy's name… but if he too comes between Sango and I, I will end him… Last time, I let it go, as long as she was happy, but now, she seems perfectly content. If he tries to take her from me again…'
Kuranoske. He didn't even now the guy, but he already despised the name. This was his rival, then?
"You can do that when
we see her; we're leaving now. C'mon!"
Tugging on his
arm, she pulled him towards the dance instructor, leaving Kuranoske
alone, gaping after them.
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"Thank you, Miss—"
"Yoshii," the woman finished it for him, her hair up in a ponytail. "Or, seeing that you shouldn't be much older than me, I suppose you could call me Ayumi."
She wasn't kidding, the woman was barely twenty, and it was strange for her students to be just four or so years younger than her. But she loved dance, and she would always promote it and 'her girls' were better than an group she could ever imagine having.
"And I promise you I won't do anything that'll will end in my being impotent."
"Technically, you already are, since I am still your senior, therefore you are powerless to me."
He smiled slightly; he knew she knew what he had meant.
Moving into her large SUV with the four other girls, he positioned himself between Kimihiro and another one of the girls that he didn't know. It was awkward, sitting in an SUV with all ladies, he felt like a player. He knew how much Koji would probably pay to be in the position he was in at the moment, but perhaps without that one vixen breathing down his neck.
Suddenly, Miss Yoshi braked quickly (and said a couple 'words' to the driver in front of her who had stopped abruptly). Kai tensed as he felt one of the girls behind his giggle and throw her arms around his neck.
"Hey, you're cute, what' s your name?"
He politely removed her arms. "Kai. Kimihiro's…"
"Kimihiro's boyfriend." He turned to see that Tamiya was glaring angrily at the girl, a tall brunette. "I ask that you don't touch him, unless you want me or my best friend to jump you after the recital."
Miss Yoshi turned to
face them. "Now, now, none of this bickering, or I'll throw the
boy out of the car."
He gulped, for about the 5th
time since he had come to her town.
The dance instructor looked outside the window as she was short-circuited by a laughing, toothless, bald man, who, by the way, was driving extra-slowly once he got in front of her.
"Old man! Go faster!" she yelled out at him, and apparently he heard, because, if it were possible, he slowed down even more. Heaving, she short-circuited the man as well, who stopped laughing, stuck a toothpick in his mouth, and repeated the pattern. Finally getting fed up, Miss Yoshii crossed to the grass on the side of the road, revving up her engine until she was about 1/6 of a mile away from him, before joining the road again, which, thankfully, was almost completely empty. Before the old man could tail them again, she turned left, and drove toward the community college, the girls bustling now, getting ready, with Kai sitting helplessly between them.
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I tried to make this chapter long. I think its pretty cute, and now that you've met Kuranoske the real action is going to start. I'm pretty sure you know what he meant by impotent, but I'll tell ya anyway—unable to have kids. Yea. This chappie was mainly for laughs, not much drama at all, just really dumb, funny, clutzy parts, including a little meeting of the parents…
And another reason is I'm bored and wanna go straight back to the villages right after the dance. But really, the chains in Kimihiro's area are my least favorite. Boring to write, and I think I get carried away. But he cares…
I think I'm gonna teach Kai how to dance. I need a song name, I was going to use Simple and Clean, but I think I should use something other than DDR or a theme. Ah well… Do you want him to stink? Do you want the dance to be seductive, quickly moving, or just with him standing and her doing all the work. (By the way, DDR owns Butterfly, and that is like one of the coolest (and most sweaty) games ever! Don't agree with me cuz you stink at it? Not my problem.)
I have no clue what I'm doing outside of the village. I don't like this chapter myself very much, but hey! Sorry for the late update, but school's started, and its hard to keep up with work let alone fics.
Ashiteru,
Tetsuna
