Disclaimer: check first chap.
A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to get out. The next chapters already finished so it should be out within the week. If it's not blame it on my teachers…Just because I don't want to be blamed. ^_^
Changes
Chapter 2
Things changed many times over the years and three years after graduation I open my eyes, remember I'm not twenty-one anymore, and frown at the over sized home with expensive and highly comfortable furniture and smooth wooden floors. The house had two electric fire places with one on the upper/main floor and one for the basement which had soft comfortable grey carpeting and a large screen TV.
The walls were painted gorgeous pale colors of peach and sky blue that made the rooms look cheerful. I had painted it all myself since my boyfriend had to work. He was there to help me pick the colors, though I hadn't thought his opinion mattered much. I felt bad for thinking this since it was his paycheck that helped pay for mostly all of it but he was hardly around to see the effects.
He worked at the city law firm which was a few blocks from where we lived. That was the good thing about moving to the house we were in… it was close to his work but I still worked at Rhythm Palace, as an assistant chef now, and that was on the other side of the city. He let me use the car to go to work, thank goodness, but when I didn't have to go in, he took the car. We only had one and it was his, though we were putting away for another one. I was the one who started saving up for it and he said he'd help me till I could afford it. It's was going to be mine and I was half way ready to buy it already.
I couldn't wait to get a car of my own. I had my sites set on a Nissan but hadn't decided on the color, though I thought black would be easiest since, if the car got scratched, the shade would be easiest to match. I would have liked blue but black was the most sensible to me.
Sometimes, on the days I don't work, I'd take a deter from wherever I would have to go that day, be it shopping or what-else, to stop by the Nissan dealerships near my house and pretend I was ready to purchase a car so they would let me take a test drive.
Unfortunately, the day I'm about to recall for you, I was too busy to do so and, as I walked by all the new cars, I gave them a wistful look.
I was heading to the grocery store because we were getting low on… well groceries. It was the fact that we needed groceries about once a month that reminded me that I was living with my boyfriend. Like I said, he has to work a lot
As I got to the little store about two blocks from my home I had noticed that, outside the store, a person was on the ground, curled up, and covered in filthy clothing and newspapers. It pained me when I noticed the homeless person was younger then me, 16 or so, and I knew I would feel awful if I didn't try to help a little. So I walked up to him and gave him the little money I had in cash with me. He was surprised at first but grateful non-the-less. After giving him a smile I walked into the store to get what I had needed.
Ever since I was young I hated grocery shopping. I always had to do it for my father and I had to remember what he was allergic to and what was healthy and what he liked best. I went into the grocery store a thousand times before I became familiar with some of the products I bought regularly. It took me years to shorten the shopping experience to just an hour but when I graduated University I had to start the whole process over again for my boyfriend, Yukio, who was always busy with his clients.
Anyways, I was in the middle of shopping when I felt a large hand grab my backside. I yelped in surprise and turned around, a cracker box still held tightly in my left hand. A man about my age with dyed black hair stood in front of me. He was about my height and standing almost close enough for our chests to touch.
He gave me a wide grin as I glared at him angrily. "Who the hell do you think you are?" I said angrily into his grinning face.
"Oh, come off it babe. You know you liked it." He then placed his hands on my hips. I had grabbed both his hands and flung them off me.
"Don't touch me, asshole, and get a life. I'm not even like you."
I said and replaced the box of crackers on the shelf. "Not like me? You mean gay?" He then scoffed. "Sure you aren't."
"What are you implying?" I say slowly, trying to sound and look as intimidating as I could as if I were actually straight and had just been greatly insulted. He stared at me for a moment with this cocky grin upon his face and all I wanted to do was slap it off. I narrowed my eyes on him, trying to tell him with looks only to fuck off. He seems to have gotten the hint after a moment and backed away with a frown.
"Fine, whatever. Like I care. After all, it's you who'll miss the fun." I glared at his retreating back and waited for him to be out of site before finishing my shopping.
I paid everything with my credit card and took the three brown paper bags in my arms and got ready to walk back home. When I had left the store I had realized that the boy I had given the money to was no longer there.
I had seen him again though. About fifteen minutes later, in fact. I had been passing an alley when I heard someone gasp as if struck by a sudden pain.
Out of curiosity I looked through the shadows and took a few steps forward until I saw him, kneeling with his back against the wall, a broken shoelace tied around his upper arm. When I saw him he was pulling a needle out of his arm and let it drop onto the filthy ground. It was then that I realized what he had used my some money for. He bought heroin or some kind of drug in which I never heard of.
I walked home in a fury. The image of that boy, sixteen years old, pumping something he knows nothing about into his arteries while waiting for it to numb his senses, played in my head. What was worst? It was my fault that he was doing that. I was stupid, a complete idiot for helping him destroy his life. Helping him destroy himself.
I slammed the door when I had entered my home and dropped all the bags I had been carrying onto the floor while ignoring the damage it had probably caused. I turned around and pressed my back into the door as the anger left my being to be replaced by a depression I was all too accustomed to.
My hand dragged through my hair as I forced the negativity back but the guilt was overwhelming and had nearly brought me to tears. I closed my eyes and shoved the image out of my head while taking a moment to ignore these feelings.
When I felt composed enough I pushed myself from the door and picked up the grocery bags, shoving the few cans, in which had rolled out of the bags, back into the bag. I walked into the kitchen and placed the bags I had onto the counter and started looking to see what had been damaged. When I had thrown away the eggs and were satisfied that nothing else was damaged beyond hope, I started putting them away.
It was in the midst of this that I noticed two messages were on the answering machine that sat on the counter by the door where we enter the kitchen. I stopped what I was doing and went to the answering machine. I took the coin that was beside the machine and held it between my forefinger and thumb.
"Heads says its Yukio, tails says its work." I spoke as if I had someone to speak to. I flicked the coin into the air and caught it in the palm of my hand. "So, heads it is." I then had forced my voice deep to imitate Yukio's. "Hey, babe. Sorry but I gotta work late tonight… again, I know, I know, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, I promise." I scoffed. "Sure you will, Yukio."
I then leaned lazily against the counter and pressed the message button. "Uh… Hey, babe. Sorry but I gotta work late tonight… again, I know, I know, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, I promise. Why don't you order out tonight? You have to work tomorrow right? Well, I'll see you sometime tonight… or tomorrow. Sorry again. Bye, baby."
I sighed and waited for the next message. "Yamato, this is Ivan." Ivan was my boss, the chef I worked for at Rhythm Palace. "I need you to come in tonight at five. We have major guests coming in at six and I need you down here. You'll get over time, if it means anything. Call me before then if you're coming." I checked my watch and saw it was three in the afternoon so I thought I might as well go. I called him up and told him I could go, leaving out the fact that it would put me behind in my house work. Not like anyone but me would notice…
To be a chef you would have to have extreme patience and not be shocked when they stream from you. It's an incredibly stressful job. Returned orders, grease fires, people rushing back and forth shouting 'HOT' and shouting orders from customer left and right. You have to remember to keep going faster because you'll never be fast enough. Your voice has to be well trained because you will be straining it for as long as you're in the kitchen and if you can't keep your voice working that long then you'd be sending someone to the hospital before the night is done.
I was only an assistant chef but I still had these concerns and the worries of my fingers being chopped off, sided them. I can take the stress, though, and have always been quick witted when I needed to be. I was also a very organized person so this job I could live through and I did like to see the finished work that I was helping make, though I wasn't cooking more then eggs to help finish the presentation of a meal or doing more then chopping vegetables.
After I had finished cutting the carrots and washing the parsley, Ivan had walked up to me and asked me to follow a waitress to a customer. Apparently the customer had wanted to speak to the chef for a moment but he was too busy so was sending me in his place.
I had agreed to and called one of the other assistant chefs to ask if they could finish the parsley for me and I had left with the waitress in the lead.
My ears found instant relief upon walking out into the somewhat quieter environment. A girl was on the small stage singing a song that sounded strangely like one of my own. The tune was the same but the words were different.
I ignored this as I walked up to one of the drum shaped tables where the waitress was. She tapped the customer on her shoulder and said something quietly before she pointed behind her. I was shocked, to say the least, to see the customer was one of my high school teachers.
"Why, hello Yamato." She said, sounding pleasantly surprised.
"Hello, Mrs. Sumi. How are you this evening?"
"Good, good." She answered as she turned to look around her at the other occupants of the table while she clasped her hands together and rested them on the table. "This was one of my students a few years back." She explained. The others seemed to understand then and returned to there meal and conversation. "You work here?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I'm the assistant chef. The real chef's awfully busy but I can help you with what you want." I said politely.
"Well, I was wondering, what's in this soup of yours. It's quite good and I'm having this little gathering tomorrow night and would like to be able to serve this. Of course I will mention who's recipe it rightfully belongs to." She said as she turned back around to look at me.
I smiled politely. "I'm sorry but it's a secret of the restaurant's."
"Oh…" She said, sounding disappointed. "I was afraid of that. Well, I'm glad I asked anyways because now I can ask you myself."
"Ask me what?" I said raising an eyebrow.
"If you want to come to the class reunion we are holding."
"Isn't it a little early to have a reunion? It's only been a few years."
"Well, we wanted to hold one every six years for the millennium graduates. We thought it'd be nice."
I thought about it for a moment and wondered if it would be okay to go there since Taichi would be there and I didn't want to be running into him just to argue. Not to mention I didn't have all that many friends while I was in high school. Although I was thinking this, I decided to be courteous and ask when it was.
"It'll be next week, Monday, at seven? You game?" She asked. The last part she said made me wonder if she had had something alcoholic to drink already.
"I'll think about it." I offered, though I doubted I'd be going.
"Great, I'll be looking for you." I nodded and gave her another smile as I headed back to the kitchen again.
That night I had went to sleep late. I was trying my hardest to wait up for my boyfriend so that I could ask him if he thinks that maybe I should go to the reunion or not, simply because his opinion really mattered to me, but I had fallen to sleep. I'm not sure at what time I had woken up at but when I did I felt incredibly light, as if I were flying but I had no control of it.
A thought occurred in my muddled mind that I could fall, so I had lightly grasped at the solid object I was near and felt my hand clasp down on cloth. It confused me further and further still when I felt myself start moving in a direction. I forced opened my weary eyes and stared up.
"Yuki?" I said when I saw it was my boyfriend. He stared at me, his dark green eyes matching his hair. His hair was mostly gelled back but was slightly messier then usual, probably from his long hours at work.
"Sh, babe. I'm just taking you to bed." He said and I realized he was carrying me.
I became more aware of my surroundings, then, and remembered I had needed to talk to him. "Wait…" I said though he ignored my feeble command as he walked into our room and towards the queen size bed. "I needed to talk to you..." I was then placed on the bed and forced myself to sit up. A head rushed met my sudden movement and I felt his hand against my chest, gently guiding my back to a laying position.
"What is it babe?" He asked me, smiling gently at me through the shadows of the room. He was keeping the lights off so they wouldn't hurt my eyes.
"I was asked to a school reunion today. I'm not sure if I should go. I was wondering, though, what you think?" I said quietly, still not fully awake and not sure if I was going to be able to become so.
"For your grade school?" I shook my head. "High school?" I nodded. "It's only been six years since you've been out of high school. That's a bit soon for a reunion, isn't it?"
I nodded. "They said they have one every six years." He looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling again.
"I think you should go. I'll go with you and see all of your old friends."
"You don't have to. I didn't have all that many friends, anyways."
He shrugged, seeming to be unconcerned with it. "It doesn't mater. I think it would be nice to see what your old class mates used to be like and you can tell me how each of them changed. Why don't you go?" I remember sighing, thinking maybe it would be okay to go.
"Sure, okay." Then I started to drift off to sleep while he sat beside me and watched. I was a second away from total unconsciousness when the blanket was pulled over me and a kiss was placed softly on my forehead then on my unresponsive lips.
Monday came around and I remember on the ride to the reunion how I kept repeating, in my mind, of all the good things that changed in my life. I had to remind myself that I was now, respectfully, a assistant chef and was in love with a rich lawyer, though I wasn't sure how'd they would react to the fact that he was male, I reminded myself I lived in a house and we had one car though we were on our way to two.
As I thought about this I realized that I did have a lot to be proud of and wondered why I wasn't happier. Yes, I smiled now and then and laughed when something was funny but when have I been truly happy in the past few years. Pride and joy may be two different things but should come at the same price, shouldn't they.
I remembered my University graduation, then, and wished I could relive that event. It was almost heartbreaking when my wish didn't come true and I saw the reunion sign in front of my old school come closer as Yukio drove.
It was a few moments later when we walked through the front doors of my old school. I was so nervous. I had walked so slowly up the old cement steps to the large brown doors.
Yukio had laughed when we got to the doors and I was wringing my hands. "Hey, don't worry." He said as he brought his mouth to my ear. "It'll be fine." He kissed my ear lob as I nodded and stepped inside.
Yukio's hand had been wrapped around my waist and his hand rested on my hip. I remember the heat radiating from his arm as we walked down the empty halls towards the old auditorium. The heat seemed to be burning me and I kept trying to ignore the pictures my mind were sending my eyes. The pictures were of all my old peers, looks of disgust would outline there features, after all, who liked two fags…
Paranoia started taking over all rational thought at that point. What if I was wrong with the dates? What if we didn't have a reunion this year and I walk into the auditorium and only the janitor was there?
It was then that I looked over my cloths. Formal… what if I'm the only one wearing something formal?
It was while I was berating my choice of hair style that I realized we had made it to the two black doors that led to the auditorium. "You ready?" I remember Yukio asking.
"As ready as I'm going to be." Then I swung the auditorium doors open and I stepped in. I was mildly surprised but ultimately relieved when no one paid us any mind and I wasn't the only male there with my boyfriend.
The oversized room was filled with people my age. There were people wearing suits and people wearing shorts and people in tux's with tags still attached, it was later I found out it was because they worked at a store for tux's and were advertising for the store.
I wanted to hit myself for being so paranoid moments before but abstained the action since it would be what got me the unwanted attention.
On the far right side of the room was a buffet table and circular tables filled the rest of the room. The place was decorated as nicely as it could be with streamers and 'welcome back millennium graduates' signs. People were standing in little groups by these tables that were covered with white sheets. That was all I could remember about the decorations. But the decorations doesn't matter that much, I suppose.
Well, anyways, I had stood looking around at my surroundings for about a moment before I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned my head and saw a familiar, smiling face.
"Juro!" I said happily.
"That is you, Yama-kun. Wait till the guys sees you. You look so different." He said happily and, even though Yukio's hand was still placed on my hip, I still forgot about him upon seeing an old friend.
"I look different?" I said, tilting my head a bit. He nodded. "Well, you don't. Same messy black hair and over sized jeans that look as if they're about to fall off…" I say with a teasing smirk.
"Ha, ha. I'm laughing. See?" The sound of someone clearing there throat startles me and I look to my boyfriend, suddenly reminded of him.
"Oh, Juro. This is Yukio. He's my…"
"I'm his boyfriend." Yukio stats, sounding proud. I fight back a blush and raise my eyes to Juro's who only seems mildly surprised.
"Nice to meet you." He says politely, more politely then I've ever heard him in fact. They shake hands properly before Juro turns back to me. "Come on. I can't wait for you to see the others." With that he starts off and I expectantly follow.
That night I was reacquainted with my old band mates. They had all agreed that I had changed a lot and started picking on me, saying my hair was too long and I used to much gel, even though I don't use gel anymore, and saying my nose was to big and teased me like we used to tease each other in high school. And I'd tease right back, picking at them and boasting myself. It went on for a few moments until we started telling each other of our lives and it was a while later before we were interrupted.
"So, anyways, where were we…" I turn around to see the grinning brunet of my nightmares. "Who's cruder?"
I scowled as everyone turned there attention to Taichi, his ex-girlfriend who I forgot the name of at the time but later was reminded it was Sora, and another man about our age named Jyou. Sora apparently married the bluenet. "You're not still going on about that. It's been three years."
Tai's grin widened. "I promised we would continue the conversation and now you can't avoid answering me."
I saw out of the corner of my eye that my boyfriend was eyeing him suspiciously. I decided to clear things up. "This is Taichi. Just try to ignore him and don't feed him or he'll keep coming back."
I guess I didn't do a good enough job since it was Juro who had clarified it, though. "Taichi Yagami and Yamato Ishida have been arguing since early in grade eleven."
Tai's ex was the next to speak. "I tried to talk him out of coming over here but…" she then sighed.
"So, you planning to put on a performance for us, Ishida." Then he added. "And you know what kind of performance I'm talking about. The kind that every one was expecting at Rhythm Palace, couple years back." I blushed but was ready with an argument when my boyfriend jumped in.
"Watch what you say!" He snapped angrily.
The grin left Tai's face as he eyed Yukio. "And who are you?"
"His boyfriend."
And the grin was back. "Oh. So you're Mr. Over-Protective. Don't blame you. He needs the protection." My eyes narrowed.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" My voice held a dangerous edge to it and my anger picked up. It had been years since I got that worked up yet Taichi continued to work me.
"Well, remember our one little fight back in high school. The one that you lost terribly in."
"I did not, you idiot. We never even got to finish it…"
"And I was winning."
"I must have hit you harder then I thought because, if you actually believe that then you were hallucinating."
I saw his eyes cast a flame as he got ready to say something, but before he could a different voice probed in. "Oh and where would we be without Yamato and Taichi arguing." The small group turned to two girls who were walking by and they winked.
"You know," the other girl started, "I actually missed the controversy between the two."
"I know." The first girl agreed.
Silence fell between the group, words suddenly lost to us and it was a moment before I thought of what to say. "I'm not here to fight." I simply stated as I started to walk off.
My arm was lightly grasped and I looked to Yukio who held it. "Where you going?"
"The restroom. I'll meet you at the buffet table, okay?" Yukio nodded and I walked off towards the men's room. I wasn't in there for long, though, because I just needed a moment to cool my anger before walking back out there and I was also hoping to give Taichi the time to find someone else to bug before I entered back out there.
Five minutes passed before I walked out of the men's room and headed straight towards the buffet table. When I could see through the crowds I became annoyed by the fact that he was talking to my rival. Taichi and Yukio both looked angry with each other so I went closer so I could hear what they were saying but the moment I got in hearing rang Yukio saw me and greeted me with a smile, cutting off whatever was being conversed. Taichi was still glaring at my boyfriend when I walked up to them and scowled.
"What were you two talking about? Taichi being a jerk and won't leave? I told you not to feed him." I said then glanced at the buffet table. Taichi rolled his eyes at my comment, which surprised me considering the defensive mode I was used to when I spoke about him.
"Nothing." He said then kissed me on the lips in a quick peck. I gave him one in return and smiled. "I love you."
"I love you, too." I saw a sly look cross Yukio's face as he looked out of the corner of his eyes at Taichi who started glaring again. I pulled away from my boyfriend and gave him a stern look then. "What were you talking about?"
He smiled at me again but didn't get a chance to respond before a beeping noise sounded from his right hip. He sighed and brought out his pager then looked at it. With a sigh he said, "Its work. They need me to go in right now."
A wave of emotions ranging from hurt to confusion sailed through me but I pushed them aside and forced myself to look nonchalant. "When have you started getting paged for work?"
Yukio frowned. "Well, we just got a new client, someone with a lot of money so I said they could page me if something came up, after all I still work for the partners and if I want to be a partner one day I'll have to work lots. You don't mind if I go do you?" He asked sounding worried
I sighed and shook my head. "No. It's fine."
"Thanks, babe. I'll see you at home." He kissed my cheek and started walking away when I thought of something.
"Wait, Yukio." He stopped and turned to me. "How'll I get home?" He thought for a moment then he brought out his wallet.
"You can take taxi, okay?" I scowled.
"I've got the money, don't worry." I say dryly.
"Okay, babe. See you tomorrow." I nodded and watched him leave. I wondered if I should leave then but knew it wouldn't help succeed in getting a free ride home. I sighed and looked behind me to see Taichi watching silently.
"What?" I asked angrily.
He seemed shocked for a moment before shrugging. "Nothing."
'Whatever' I had thought and walked off to find where my old friends had gone.
It must have been an hour later when I realized how dull the reunion had gotten. I hadn't gotten hungry so I hadn't needed to go back to the buffet table but when my friends started eating and I still wasn't up to it, I thought it was time to take my leave.
I left the auditorium and headed to the payphones in the foyer and became aggravated when an 'out of order' sign made it's self apparent to me. I sighed and my next thought was the office, which was back down the main hall.
I checked my watch and hoped that someone was in there. It was a bit past 8:00 P.M. and I doubted anyone would be in there at this time. When I got to the office my thoughts were confirmed. The door was locked and lights were out, casting the room in total darkness.
I remember how a wave of disappointment washed over me and I had considered heading back to the auditorium to ask who had a cell phone but didn't, thinking that that was not the way I wanted to be remembered so I resigned to catching the bus.
I hadn't so much as turned my body towards the front doors when my name was called. I scowled at the familiar voice and wondered when Taichi would start leaving me alone.
"What?" I said, making sure I didn't sound at all like I wanted him around.
"Oh, nothing." He said as I looked at him while he shrugged indifferently. "I just thought I'd offer you a ride, but if you don't want one…"
"I don't..." and I turned and started walking away.
"It started raining… how are you expecting to get home?"
"Taxi."
"And how are you going to phone? Last time I checked the phones were out of order." That was when I stopped walking.
A moment later I turned around and looked at him, giving him a suspicious look. "And when had you looked?"
A grin found way onto his face at that point. "An hour ago. Had to make a phone call of my own. I couldn't which is why I'm leaving now so I don't have to wait any longer before I can make it."
"Yet you're willing to waste your time and give me a ride?"
He nodded. "Thought I'd be nice."
I scoffed and looked down. "Don't be nice." I say, suddenly thoughts of the kid came back into my mind. I pictured the boy in the alley shooting up with some illegal drug while being soaked in the rain. "Often it back fires."
When I looked back up he was no longer grinning and he was closer then before. "Not often. Sometimes, but not often. Look, why don't you just take me up on my offer?"
"Why? I hate you, you hate me. That's kind of a friendly thing of you to offer for two rivals. Kind of sounds suspicious, don't you think. I don't want to find my self on the outskirts of town in a down pour. I'd prefer to take the bus." With that I turn back around and start walking away.
I remember hearing the clonks behind me as Taichi persisted towards me and a warm gentle hand was placed on my shoulder. The fact that it was gentle was the only thing that made me stop. It surprised me, and would surprise anyone who knew Taichi, when feeling such a strong hand do anything gently. "I don't hate you. I know you don't care much for me but I don't hate you. Well, maybe I do sometimes but nothing like when we were younger. Honestly, my intensions are sincere."
"Why are you so persistent?"
"Because I'd feel awful for letting you, or anybody I knew for that matter, head out into the rain to wait an hour for the bus."
I sighed and reminded myself why I wanted to get a car so badly again. "Alright but if I find myself in some god forsaken place, your tires will get it." I warned.
"Fair." He said as he removed his hand and led the way to the doors. I remember how he had been right, that it was pouring outside and how it probably would have ruined my outfit if I had to stand in it for to long. I also remembered when he led me to his car how surprised I was when I noticed he had a Nissan Xterra.
"You have a Nissan?"
He grinned. "Yup. Got it new and for a good price, too."
As I got into it I could smell how knew it was and checked out the interior as he started up the car. "I'm going to get a Nissan too, soon. It's going to be a Maxima. I can't wait till I get it."
"Hm." He said as he backed out of his parking spot. A few moments later we were on the road and the vehicle was filled with an uncomfortable silence which was only broken now and then by further directions from me. When we pulled up in front of my home he looked at me. "Wow. This is your house?" He stared at the raised ranch and the bay windows that looked into a carefully colored house with one light on in the kitchen. I usually leave a light on if I'm going to be coming home sometime after dark.
"It's not as nice as you think." I say honestly as I step out of the car into the rain.
"Do you mind if I can use your phone?" He asked, catching me off guard. I sit back down in the car to pull myself out of the rain and look at him. "Your place was further out of my way then I thought it'd be." He explains. I sigh, realizing I wasn't going to be getting rid of him so soon and actually felt guilty for thinking that which I had found weird. I nodded and got out of the car as he turned it off and he did the same.
A few moments later I shoved the peach colored door open and stepped inside, onto the rug that lay there under the glass chandelier. I kicked off my shoes and placed them neatly next to the door. I watched as he stared around at the wooden stairs that led upstairs to the living room and then down stares at the other set of stairs that led to the lower level, these stairs were carpeted. Taichi's eyes turned towards the upper part of the wall on his left, which was replaced with a wooden and nicely crafted railing in which you could see a dark wooden end table and a beige couch. It was like a balcony there where you could see the entrance room from the upper living room.
"Wow. You really are liven it up."
I shrugged. "I guess it looks that way." I ignored the untidy shoes in which Taichi had left and started up the stairs. He followed me towards the kitchen and as I walked through the large opening that could be expressed as a door, I gestured towards the phone.
"Thanks." He said as he picked up the phone and started dialing. I decided to give him some privacy so had left out of the kitchen to an adjoined hallway and down it. A moment later I had found myself in my room taking out my night wear and placing it onto the bed. I was doing this just for something to do since I had caught up on all my chores the day before and I needed to give the Brunet his privacy on the phone call.
After a few moments I decided I had given him enough time and headed back down the hall that would lead to the kitchen.
Half way down the hall I looked up and noticed he wasn't done his call. I was bout to turn back around when I heard Taichi say my name. I froze and listened, ease dropping if you mind, to his call.
"… Yeah… I don't like that Yukio person… I know… I won't, I don't even like him… no I don't… 'Kari I don't… so… Because I was talking to him and he was saying stuff… no, Yamato wasn't there… well, if he was he would be just as suspicious as I am… Yeah, whatever… look, I've gotta go. This isn't my phone… Yes, so… I'm not being rude… whatever… that's not rude… look, just tell mom I'll come, 'kay… alright… bye, love you." Then he hung up the phone and I started walking again.
"Done?" I asked to make my presence apparent.
He jumped slightly and turned to me. "Yeah, I'll go." I walked him to the door and watched him drive off. The conversation between Taichi and the person, who I assume was his sister, 'Kari baffled me and I wondered on more then one account as to what they had been talking about.
Anyways, life went on as usual. Yukio continued to be the workaholic that I knew him to be and often left me to take care of the house on my own. My job remained the same. I cut vegetables and boiled eggs but that wasn't what I wanted to be doing. I had dreamed for the past year to get a restaurant of my own and do all the real cooking myself.
At night I would plan the layout and decide how large each table would be and I'd have live entertainment as well, musical most of the time but some times comical as well. I planned the size of the stage and back ground and how I'd hire a few chefs and twice as many assistant chefs. The lighting would be dim all except for Fridays and Saturday's since I would have dancing then in front of the stage. Maybe only on Fridays. I hadn't decided yet. Of course, this was only in my thoughts, not an actual reality, nothing I could consider coming true as of yet but it was nice to dream.
Work seemed my only life. I lost my high school friends and University friends when I left these schools and rarely saw my co-workers after work hours and I couldn't really talk to them while trying to not cut off my fingers.
I had seen that kid, again. The one I had given the Money to. He had apparently recognized me and had asked me for money again… I told him I was out of it this time. This didn't help my conscience either and when I had gotten home I had beat on myself for not trying to help but wondered how I could.
I still had my guitar and played it at times in which I knew all the house work was done and no work was needed to be attended to. I would play the songs I wanted no other ear to hear, no other ear I trusted to hear, not even Yukio's. I would sit in the richly decorated basement on the soft blue couch and play for hours, letting the music travel through my essence and I'd let my calloused finger tips glide over the strings.
One night, a few weeks after I had guided Taichi out of the house, I had been woken by a phone call. I remember I had not wanted to wake to answer the blasted machine and how tired I felt because of the insistent ringing which had plunged into my dream world to drag me out.
I had wondered briefly if it was Yukio calling to say that he was going to work late again. I had thought it was a bit late to be warned me of that since it had to have been well past midnight but then I had felt the other boys arms wrapped around me and felt the slumbering man's breath against the back of my neck telling me Yukio was there with me. The ringing obviously wasn't affecting him. I closed my eyes and waited for the ringing to halt and when it did I waited to go back to sleep but then the phone started back up again.
I sighed and pulled the arm off me and shoved the sheets aside to leave the bed. I grabbed my familiar house coat that was beside the bed, like always, and wrapped it around myself. I padded out of the room, exhausted and in the dark, towards the phone. The ringing had stopped briefly again before starting up and I reached it at the third ring of the new set of rings.
"'ello?" I asked into the receiver.
"Yamato! Why didn't you answer the phone sooner? This is important!" My mother's voice bellowed.
"Mom?" I looked at the clock on our microwave and saw it was three a.m. "Mom, it's only three."
"This kind of thing doesn't care about time. Look, Yamato. Can you meet your brother and I at the hospital?" That brought me more around and I looked towards the thick glass table that was used for dining at and grabbed one of the black chairs from around it to sit on, thinking maybe I'll need to.
"…Why?" I asked timidly.
"Your father… He… just come down here. I'll explain later." I nodded, eyes wide while fear pumped adrenalin through my veins.
"I'll be there in an hour." I whispered. We hung up after that. I don't think we even gave our far wells; all I knew was that something was wrong with my father and I was scared. I stood from the chair and walked hastily to my room, stumbling as I went, not caring if I made noise, not caring if I woke Yukio, not caring that the light I turned on when entered my bedroom was going to hurt my loves eyes. All I cared about was being at the hospital before an hour was up.
I heard Yukio groan as I flung open my draws and grabbed the first cloths I saw. I tossed my house coat on the floor, not even caring about the mess, and changed.
"Yama?" My boyfriend asked. I didn't pay him attention. I needed to go. "Baby?" I changed and sat down on the edge of the bed as I put on socks. "Yamato, what's wrong?" I was about to stand to get my shoes when I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked over to see the worried look upon Yukio's face.
I couldn't help it, I turned around and flung my arms around his neck and sobbed into his chest. He gently placed his arms around me and rubbed my back softly. "My dad…" I fell into another bout of sobs and couldn't seem to stop. The adrenalin caused them to be twice as hard as they would be and I had tried to speak several times but found I couldn't get the sounds to come out right.
"Sh." He soothed. "It's okay. What about you're Dad? Sh." Finally the tears subsided and I pushed myself up and wiped my eyes, sniffling a bit and turning away to stand.
"Something happened to my dad. I don't know what but I know it's got to be really bad. I need to meet my mom at the hospital…" I paused for a moment then started walking towards the door but just before I left the room I hesitated and said, quietly. "I'd like it if you came but if you're too tired, I understand. You work hard…"
I heard the bed move before he said, "I'll come. Go start the car. I'll be out there in a moment." I nodded and left.
To be continued…