Okie dokie! Time to fess up.
Confession 1:The thing is, my com hung, mum won't get it fixed, two weeks no com. Cannot use. Bro won't let me use laptop. Man took one week to fix, always won't come. Therefore, I haven't been writing.
Confession 2: first few chaps were supposed to be together like chap 1-3 were supposed to be 1 chap. that's why each was short. So after this chap I might remove the story and repost it again or I can compile what needs to be compiled and then there would be repeated chaps at the back, okay? And because my hard disk was wiped, everything is lost. Therefore, cannot compliment the peeps that sent in the reviews. So, thank you though I never saw it.
I am lazy. I know I shouldn't be, but I've been really caught up with school and a theatre production. Sorry y'all. I know I shouldn't be the one complaining, well sorry. Suman de gozaru!
All right, on with the story.
"Look at this and this and this! I have all A's and I have never expected myself to do so well! And look, I can't believe that I actually got an A for art! I think the teacher marked me wrong because I think I didn't hand in like 2 or 3 pieces of homework. Are the teachers here a bit wonky or absentminded?" Kenshin pointed out the marks on his report card to Kaoru. Kaoru gave a small smile and looked around the classroom.
Kaoru sighed as Kenshin carried on rattling about his marks. Okay, sure, he was cute doing it, but sometimes, he really needed to relax at some times. He always seemed so tense like Soujiro and Aoshi. Peering behind Kenshin, Kaoru studied the crowd. Most of them looked quite happy by looking at their faces. But then again, there always was a small crowd that always seemed to cry in her class. The first half term was great! I mean, they won most of the interclass matches and only lost in the cooking matches by making a mistake and sending Kaoru instead of Miyuki. But, people make mistakes, it's natural.
Most were smiling, some were looking glum, some gripped their report so hard that it seemed they wanted to tear it to shreds. Takeshi was joking about something and some girls in a corner were hugging each other with tears in their eyes. "Um, Kaoru, I'm not boring you, am I?" Kenshin asked cautiously. Kaoru gave a small smile and flung her hands round his neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Kaoru . . . not in front of so many people," Kenshin mumbled, as he turned a brilliant shade of magenta. "Who cares?" Kaoru giggled.
Somewhere further back of the class, the same thing was going on. Misao was sitting beside Soujiro, gawping at her results. "I can't believe this!" Misao eventually choked out. "Believe that you actually did quite well?" Soujiro asked. "Yes, I mean, can you believe it? They actually passed me for maths!" Misao muttered, "And it's all thanks to you!" Misao cried and hugged Soujiro tightly. Soujiro gasped for air and a teary eyed Misao eventually let him go, " You're the best friend everybody would wish for!" Peering down at Soujiro's card, she asked suspiciously, "Are you sure your brain wasn't swapped with an alien's?" Soujiro gave her an innocent look, " Do I act like one? Maybe I'm just smart!" Receiving a slight tap on his head, Soujiro grinned back cheekily.
Standing at the back of the class, Aoshi silently observed the scenes in front of him. Even with the report card at hand, he knew it wouldn't make a difference, in the end it wouldn't even matter. He had to leave and that was the end of the matter. He would still have to tell the group and he knew everybody would be terribly sad and that one just might break down. Sighing, he headed towards his best friends. Why did he have to be the bearer of bad news?
The small crowd huddled close to the transparent glass. The loud ones were quiet and the quiet ones seemed even worse than before. The solemn crowd stayed together, waiting what would happen. He would be here any minute and they did not know how they would cope. Yesterday's news was hard to handle. What would happen today?
Her heart was just like it too: cold. Cold and distant from the ones around her, she drifted into nothingness. The bad news hit her struck on, not even giving her time to recuperate from the recent blow. It didn't have to be physically, more of it was mentally.
A warm shoulder wrapped around her, and the young man tried to comfort her as she placed a cold palm on the super cooled liquid. " He's not gone forever. You can still see him once in a while, write to him, and talk to him over the phone. Remember, this really isn't the end of the world . . ." The raven haired teen said soothingly. "But," The girl shuddered to think of the consequences. "No buts. And hey, he's going now, I guess he would be wanting to see you one more time," The young man tried to say cheerfully to lift the spirits. Nudging her forward, it brought her facing a pair or misty blue eyes.
A tall and lanky man pulled her into a tight embrace and gave her a small kiss on her cheek. Pulling away from the warm embrace, the young man faced the small girl and whispered into her ear, "I will be here for you always, my younger sister." The small girl choked back a sob and gave a small smile, " My new brother, you will always be loved in here." She placed her hand over her heart.
Gathering himself, he stooped down for a last hug before he turned away, taking his luggage trolley with him, his arm around a brown haired girl. As he looked back for one last time, he saw his sister waving cheerfully, the young girl he always knew, and the one he could take care off. Nodding at the young man beside her, he gave one of his rare smiles and never looked back again. He knew he could put his trust at that man. He would take care of her; love her as he always had to her. In his heart, she was a small child, a child that would grow up as a beautiful young woman.
The crowd turned away, towards the car park. They would take a lift back from Okon. They had always loved Aoshi. He was always one of them. The intelligent young man that they could tell their darkest secrets to. "It's time to go home now Misao," Soujiro said as he opened his hand to her. Taking it gratefully, she gave a small smile back at Soujiro. "Yes, it's time to go home." Never looking back into the past, she walked into the bright sunshine, the leaves rustling in the warm summer breeze.
"All right! It's the summer break!" Soujiro punched the air as he sipped his iced tea, not being very gentlemanly. Misao giggled and clinked her cup with Soujiro in a rouse of approval. "So what is there to do?" Soujiro questioned what was left of the group. With Aoshi gone, the group seemed less rowdy, as if they were trying to find an invisible person to take over his spot. Kaoru huddled close to Kenshin while Tsubame stayed in her own corner of the picnic mat. She was really hoping that she could have found The One. Alas, it was not to be. One day, she will find him though. For all she knew, he might be just round the corner of the bush. Looking warily around for any good-looking men, she pulled her knees up to chin and tucked them in, making her look very oval.
"Well, do you really want to know?" Kaoru questioned. Soujiro and Kenshin nodded. Kenshin's hair was matted with sweat from the heat as he lay on Kaoru's lap and tried to make do with the little protection her shadow was giving. "There are jobs down in Hokkaido, I have to go for a dance academy course in Toyama, Misao and Tsubame would be err . . ."Kaoru faltered. "We'll be here in Tokyo, finding Prince Charming and making ourselves unheard." Tsubame replied dully. "I might have to go see my grandparents. They live in downtown Tokyo. I'll have to go there someday," Misao piped up.
Nodding with less enthusiasm than there usually was, the group packed up the remains of the lunch and walked back to Soujiro's house to get a shower and a quick dip in his pool.
"You really can't come?" he asked again, this time, his voice much quieter than usual. "I told you Kenshin! I really need to do this course. Without it, I'm never gonna make the grade! And it's supposed to give me a better chance at aiming for that prestigious dance school in Chicago. What was it again? The Julliard School. And if I'm in there, Ms Pinze will make sure that I'll be able to shine to my greatest potential."
"Aren't you allowed to just skip at least a few days off? I mean, you could like at least come down for a day in the least," he pleaded, but to no avail. " This dance course is very important to me," Kaoru's voice faltered as she watched the sun set behind him. " Even more important than spending time with your family? Spending time with your friends? Even me?" his voice had gone into a harsh whisper. Kaoru took a step backwards and replied smoothly, "Yes, even you." With that, she grabbed her bag and ran down the empty street without looking back. With a crushed heart, he knew that this might be the end.
Kenshin sighed. He knew he should not have been too harsh on Kaoru. If she found time to come down, then she would. It depended on whether she really cared now. She has a dance exam thingy and a Julliard college to join. She'll have better things to do than tend to me. I don't think I'm even her boyfriend. The word came stumbling out, it just didn't seem correct to him.
Ploughing through the messy walkways where people children and adults alike were crowding, Soujiro finally reached his seat. Pushing the can of Coke into Kenshin's hand he muttered under his breath, "The stupid can nearly cost my life," he grew louder as he spoke, " And the stuff here are like 3 times over priced. For what I can get 400 yen, I get it at 1200 yen. One day, they'll charged for having such high prices just for a small onigiri smaller than half the size of my palm!" Kenshin chuckled at the public display as a few heads turned round to see the joker in action. Seeing his best friend laugh, Soujiro gave one of his smiles. "We'll be at Hokkaido soon. Then we just get to one of the beaches, I forgot which one. The place is called Hokkaido Beach Niche. It could be anywhere! Anyhow, it seems to be quite popular. And the ride is about another hour long or so okay?"
Kenshin nodded his head and opened the can, letting as much carbon dioxide to escape. Sipping the drink quietly he stared out of the window, watching the scenery fly by. "Now what?" Kenshin thought aloud. Soujiro looked up from his book and raised his eyebrow, "What?" Startled, Kenshin shook his head, "Nandemonai, nothing, nothing wrong at all." Looking concerned, Soujiro immersed himself into his book as Kenshin sighed again. Let's hope we get there soon, Kenshin hit his head lightly on the windowpane.
"Excuse me! Is anybody home?" Kenshin yelled at the empty house. "Sorry!" Soujiro cried out, only to be answered by silence. "Are you sure about this place, Sou-kun? I mean, it looks dead," Kenshin asked Soujiro, shooting a weird look at him. Soujiro studied to map again, this time, flipping it upside down. After looking at it, he shook his bewildered head, "It should be. I mean, there is only one Hokkaido Beach Niche right?"
" You're at the right place," A melodious voice travelled from behind them. Turning around to see who it was, Kenshin and Soujiro came face to face with a brown haired teenager with large almond eyes and a sweet, pure face. Holding out her right hand, she shook theirs graciously. " I'm Shougo Magdaria. Everybody calls me Mag." Giving them a slight courtesy, their new 'guide' told them, " And I suppose you must be Kenshin and Soujiro right? Your application forms said you were coming later this evening."
"Well, the train was moved to a new time slot, so we got here earlier. I'm sorry if it gave you any inconvenience," Flustered, Soujiro quickly replied. "Nothing wrong with that, anyway, I think my brother needs you help." Magdaria gave a small smile and pointed her finger towards the house up on the hill, " This is my our house. In the front is the inn. Please follow me." Magdaria walked up the small hill carefully. From the back, Kenshin lugged the heavy luggage and watched her every step. She seemed like a porcelain figure that could never be mishandled.
Out from the sun and into the cool shade of the house, Soujiro heaved a sigh of relief. He dropped the luggage on the floor and rubbed his sore wrists. " I am never going to bring a sleeping bag, a mosquito net and close to 50 packets of noodles for a 4 week job ever."
A large stomping coming from the top of the stairs cut off Magadaria's giggles. " Sayo! Who was that?" A deep voice rumbled. " Brother! It's the new employees, they came early!" Magdaria called back. "Well, bring them up! We have a lot of customers today!" Magdaria pointed up the stairs and ushered the bewildered teenagers up. Once they reached the top of the stairs, they met a very tall man staring back at them disapprovingly. His long auburn hair was tied in the long ponytail and his jeans were faded. He wore no shirt over his brown torso, showing off his muscles. His face was long with a pointed nose. What was very similar was that both siblings did not look Japanese at all.
Glaring at their red and puffy faces, he introduced himself, " I am Shougo Amakusa. You two must be Himura-san and Seta-san. Nice to meet you. You will be paid 200 yen per hour. You get 250 yen for overtime. Usually, working hours are from 7 till 10. Lunch is at 2, dinner at 10. Get a snack if you want too. Treat your customers with a smile. Remember the 'no smile no tip' policy." Shougo started off. Soon, he was going on to the rules of serving and service, and them their posture and how everything affected their behaviour. "Last of all, don't try to flirt with anybody. You do it, and you'll get it. Am I making myself clear?" Shougo growled. "Crystal, sir," The two teenagers said in unison, bowing. " And sir, why do you call Magdaria-san, Sayo?" Soujiro curiously. " None of your beeswax," he retorted and trooped down the stairs.
Magdaria gave a knowing smile and explained, " We're actually Finnish by birth. Our mother was from Finland and married my father. My mother was a Christian and gave us English names. But my father said we needed a Japanese name. So my real name is Sayo, and well, Shougo is Shougo." Leading them to a small room which consisted of a tea table and a lamp, facing some windows that started from the top of the wall to the hip and a cupboard that came up to her shoulders. She brought out two dusty futon and laid them on the tatami floor. " You should go down as fast as you can after unpacking. Oni-san loves efficiency. And, breakfast is a 6.30 every morning. Have a nice day." Sayo gave a low bow and retreated from the room. " Oh yes, the uniforms are in the cupboards." Sayo added before closing the sliding door.
"Well, that's nice," Kenshin said as he beat the dusty futon and laid it out to air on the balcony. In the meantime, Soujiro started taking out the items in the two big luggage bags. "Wow, she's really pretty, and her brother is so handsome, their parents must have been pretty good looking themselves." Soujiro started. Shrugging off the comment, Kenshin opened his own bag and started taking out his clothes. Stashing them in the wooden cupboard, he remembered what he had asked Kaoru just a few hours back, "What about me?" Kenshin muttered softly under his breath. Holding back his tears, he bit his lip and took out two matching uniforms. Maybe he just might forget about everything with this. Everything .
The uniforms consisted of a shirt with rolled up sleeves, shorts and a white cloth that went round their heads. The whole uniform was of a light blue colour, speckled with white seagull shapes. It was actually very good and the material of the cloth was very tough even though it was not very hot.
Putting on the white cloth a few minutes later, Kenshin and Soujiro were running down the stairs and out to the back of the house, facing the beach. It was two o'clock and there was already a mad surge for the counter, where Shougo was busy frothing milkshakes, taking orders, giving back change and frying onomiyaki for the customers simultaneously.
Soujiro was pushed by the surging crowd and landed by Shougo's feet. Helping him up, Shougo ordered him to get drinks for the customers. Kenshin slipped over the split ice cream and was hauled up by a teenager in identical uniforms. Looking up to thank his helper, he came face to face with two teenagers. One with brown hair tied in a messy ponytail and a cheeky grin on his face and another with short black hair and small slit eyes. " Well well, look who's here to join the niche eh?" The one with brown hair grinned. Kenshin almost jumped out of his skin. " Makoto and Rorenzo!" He yelped.
Soujiro gave a small sigh and looking to a table where three excited teenagers were talking and laughing. "Hey you guys, clean the tables! Dinner is gonna be served soon!" Shougo yelled at the four teenagers. The teenagers smirked and took out their rags and scrubbed the tables. Today had been interesting indeed, and Kaoru did not even enter his mind once at all. He was too happy enjoying the whole atmosphere of the Inn.
For once, after so many years of being away from home, he had found it once again. In the arms of his friends, to be cradled with love. To be able to care and to give love to. For this is where one meets another and they have a bond that cannot be severed no matter what. Friends.
Oinks! This is the end of the chapter! I know it is like damn short, but I'm very tired. And I'll compile the rest of the front chaps to make 'em longer and easier to read yeah? Cheers mate!
Next chapter: Who are Makoto and Rorenzo? How's Kaoru on the other side? Misao and Tsubame are bored and have decided to go on the trip round of Japan. Guess who might make a guest appearance?