All right, now for the climax, or almost climax. This is the second to last chapter, people. I'll be sorry to see this end, but—things gotta end at some point, right? Anyone else read Harry Potter 6 yet? I finished it in about 9 hours, spread over a day and a half… SO good. Am I off topic? Ha, just a little. Whew; gotta work tomorrow morning… urg. Reviews!
panmotto—All three? You'll find out next chapter, I promise ;) thanks!
SukiLovesAnime—No more Duke? Aw, poor guy's heart will be crushed… Yugi and Yami are nice choices, though. Hope you enjoy this next one!
xXxkIkOkEnxXx—I'm almost afraid of how you'll react to the cliff—I mean, ending to this chapter. Hope this was fast enough!
ssp—You won't be here for a month? Eek, well, I'm happy I squeezed that last one in; hope you have a good trip wherever you're going! And Darwinism will be next on my list, once I figure out how to connect the ending and the beginning together…
Samurai Angel—Yeah, it needed to happen… just as this chapter does, ha ha. And thank you! I can't remember how work went that day, but I appreciate the thought anyway –smile-.
KaiKaiCutie—Thank you so much :) love your penname, too.
chibi neko doll—Frickin space would be good for Kumiko, ne? Too bad she won't be getting any in this chapter… I feel kinda bad –sheepish grin-
Soon-to-be-Yami'sgirl—Ha, you and the rest of the world. Funny how I take the man of my dreams and make everyone hate him… meh. And Soon-to-be… Need to murder the original Yami's girl first, right? Kawaii penname.
Skitty 2004—Yes, a bit understated. I suppose that'll make this chapter slightly odder ;). Thanks!
SladesDaughter—Ha! I couldn't stop laughing for a long time, Steph; I almost forgot there was more review to read… so! My decision—update Gleaming, will ya? Sheesh. Arigato –bows-
ShibiChicken—Wow, you've been out of it a lot recently… seems like if you're not out of it, I am. This story is almost done; I think you may very well be the only guy reading this, ha ha.
AmnarJoey—Wow, thank you so very much for all of your reviews! I enjoyed reading each one as you went further and further in… it made my day. Especially the last one, ha ha. Seto getting punched was definitely a must at some point. Super-slut may not get her comeuppance in this story, but you can imagine all you like, I do all the time. And yeah, the fact that Jonouchi said "rather" is kinda bugging me, too. I might go back and change it… anyway! Thank you very much for reading! I hope the last two chapters will be just as enjoyable!
Aoi Dragon—Yeah, I almost had Seto go into a monologue about how hard his own life had been, but I decided it wasn't really necessary. And I love Seto's personality… kinda why I can sort of imagine myself in Kumi's shoes, liking him even though he's such a jerk… wait, that's all of us Seto fans, isn't it?
FalsE FortunE—Aww, thanks so much; I still get such a happy feeling no matter how many times I hear that… and I like this story better than Darwinism as well, probably because I know where it's going… I don't know, ha ha.
Cobra Strife—Well, I am trying to make this as lifelike as possible –grin- You'll see if anyone goes after Kumiko… I'll email you sometime tomorrow, I promise… work is pretty much my life now…
SirisAnkh—Heh, well, whatever you were trying to say, I still got the message :) thank you.
Soleil-Princess90—Yeah, I hate to admit it, I loved having Shinobu punch Seto… this one is slightly longer, hope you like it!
Kristen—I suppose, yeah… you got the name almost right ;) it's just u at the end.
Arrna—I promise, things work out. Not before more screwy stuff happens, though, ha ha.
YamiServant—Your stories are awesome; I like reading them. Just make sure you don't let them stop 'till they're done, alright? And the chapter was called "snap", and snaps are usually quick. Both of them are quite ok, I assure you.
Arabella Silverbell—So have a lot of people. Sumimasen! –bows- I hope this chapter didn't take too long to appear!
PrussianBlue Cross—Wow… I can't even describe how that review made me feel… close to tears might be close… thank you so very much :) This next chapter is dedicated to you!
Without further ado, here is chapter 14.
Chapter 14
I lay awake on my bed until late at night, thinking. I didn't want to, not in the least bit. I trained myself to always just take life as it comes, but I never expected anything like this to happen. For once I was afraid of what the future might bring. The only form of comfort I could find was the fact that at some point it would have to end.
How did all of this happen? I asked myself again.
I think it's pretty much guaranteed now that Seto likes me… right? Like I haven't said that before… He's not some guy who'll sleep with girls just for the fun of it… then again, how much can I say about him? I've only known him for about a week and a half now… of course I knew him long before that. The more I thought about it, the more I realized—I didn't know him at all. I knew of him. In great detail. Some shallow person I am, I thought, running my hand through my loose hair.
Scowling, I looked over the side of my bed for a hair tie. Strange… I couldn't see any. I got up, and caught sight of myself in my mirror. God, I looked awful. I had cried a few times, so my eyes were a little red, but I had just gotten into bed without changing my uniform—it needed to be ironed before tomorrow.
I took it off and stared at myself for a moment. Seto wasn't kidding; it looks like I lose ten pounds when I don't have my uniform on. With my knobbly knees, non-existent curves… no boobs whatsoever… how could anyone find me attractive? It seems like Seto does, but… I don't want to be sure.
I bit my lip for a moment, then went to my parents' room. I fumbled around in my mom's drawer, searching. Underneath all her underwear, I found it—a deep green nightgown. I had seen her in it once, when I was little. I can't quite remember what it looked like, but I knew that she looked very pretty, I said so, too. She had patted my head with a sweet laugh, closing her robe around it.
Taking it back to my room, I slipped it on. It fell a little above my knees, the straps loose on my bony shoulders. I tightened them a little and straightened it out, surveying myself. It was quite comfortable, but it struck me suddenly that it was lingerie. I didn't look too bad in it, either, I thought, a small bubble of ego surfacing.
Sighing, I crawled back into bed, huffing off a strand of hair that had fallen across my mouth. I don't think I'm attractive in the least bit. I guess I must be a good person or something to have three guys fighting over me at the same time.
I burst out laughing. Three guys, fighting over me. Me. One was my crush, one was my best friend, the other was my bully. It made me feel good, in a strange, masochistic way. Something told me it was all a dream.
After pondering a lot more, I decided it would be best to try to talk to Seto. He needed to know that I want boundaries if he's going to come after me… if he can't respect that… well, then, I guess I'll begin to look for someone else. After all, Mom always says bad people aren't good to be around. How complicated that suddenly sounded to me.
Shinobu and I needed to sort things out, too. We'd been friends since… well, ever… he's only trying to protect me. What if he likes me, too? No, I shook my head fervently. We love each other, as friends. Besides, if we were to start dating, the consequences would be dire for me. I'd get nasty publicity, that's for sure. But I'd be happy.
And Katsuya… what I thought about him, I couldn't put my finger on it. Whatever it was, it was strong. I don't think I'm afraid of him anymore; after all, I've taken Shinobu's advice and thought about him and what happened between us whenever I can.
I turned off my bedroom light, pulling my sheets over myself. I didn't want to keep myself up any later than I needed to. I had school the next day, after all. I took off my glasses, feeling around in the pitch black for my bedside table—
Click.
The slight noise made me flinch so much that I dropped my glasses on the floor. It had come from downstairs. I froze, listening. There was silence for what seemed like an eternity, and for a moment I thought I had imagined it. I then heard the unmistakable creaks that the kitchen floor makes when stepped upon.
My breath quickening, I leaned over my bed and tried to feel around for my glasses. I cursed at the night for being so dark, then at myself for having so much crap on the floor; I don't think Mom had this in mind when she told me to keep my room clean. My hand found my phone first amidst my clothes, and I hit redial as the stairs began to squeak quietly.
"Moshi moshi?" came a voice on the other end.
"Help me, Shinobu—there's a burglar or someone in my house—please help me—" I managed out in a strangled whisper.
"What?" The word was said so loud I hung up the phone, afraid that the person climbing the stairs heard it. I put down the phone and almost started looking for my glasses again.
What the hell are you doing! I yelled at myself. Forget the glasses! I pulled the sheets over my head and moved as close as I could to the wall on the left side of my bed, curling up and trying to still my trembling. The hallway outside was deathly quiet, and since the blanket was over my head, I couldn't have heard the footsteps on the carpet had I wanted to.
My heart was pounding somewhere in my throat when I heard whoever it was open the door to my room. I squeezed my eyes shut as I prayed that they would just take whatever valuables they wanted and leave me the hell alone. I started when a small chuckle reached my ears, and whoever it was sat down on the edge of my bed.
There was silence. They didn't move, and neither did I. I hoped I was having a bad dream… I was definitely found out by then. So why hadn't they strangled me and moved on to take everything worth something?
"Wake up, Kumiko," he purred, gliding the covers off my head and shoulders.
Oh God. Seto.
His hand, cold as it was the first time he had touched my bare skin, caressed my ear, gently tucking my hair behind it. I pretended to be asleep, praying to myself, please let him leave… I'm asleep… I haven't figured out what it is I want to say to you to make you stop…
I nearly jumped when I felt his hot lips press against my cheek—why would anyone do that to a sleeping person? He barely moved away to whisper, "I know you're awake; you're trembling."
I squeezed my eyes shut even more, not daring to open them and allow myself to be entranced by his. "Get out," I murmured.
"No." The answer hit me like a brick wall, wrapping my stomach into a tight knot. "I came all the way here, and I know perfectly well…" His hand slipped beneath the covers towards my chest. "…that all you need is a little… persuasion to get over yourself."
I cringed, but didn't stop his hand; something had made me freeze up, unable to do anything. "Seto, I—I don't think I'm—" I swallowed, trying a different approach. "I'm too young, and—and—we barely know each other…" I didn't know why I was still trying; it was almost as futile as hoping I'd suddenly disappear.
He gently rolled me over, placing a hand on either side of me and leaning in. "You really talk too much. Right now, all I want you to tell me is one thing…" The space between us vanished as he pressed his lips against mine; I took a sharp intake of breath through my nose as my first kiss was stolen from me. It was just like all the cliché love manga I'd read my whole life… I felt a rush in my stomach, so strong that I almost wanted to scream. He slowly broke away, and spoke in a low whisper.
"Do you want me?"
"What…?" This is too surreal. I don't… what am I…? Even in the dark I could see his dark t-shirt and pants… he looked strange… something told me to not look, but I wanted to keep looking, to not think about why I wanted to look… why the shirt clung to his perfect frame in just the perfect way…
I moaned as he kissed my neck, starting to move the blankets down even further; something else had overtaken me and I couldn't stop him—didn't want him to stop—nothing else mattered…
Click.