Disclaimer: Well, like the site requested, the characters aren't mine, they belong to Miki Aihara and… well…ARE YOU HAPPY NOW THAT I'VE ADMITTED IT!
A/N: Kay, thanks for the reviews and keep 'em coming!
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Drowning In Troubles
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"Stupid… zipper!" Akane mumbled to herself struggling with her coat zipper. A huge wind blew by Akane and her hair was flying everywhere, along with her scarf. It was a pretty cold February, and what was worse, Valentine's Day was just around the corner. Akane was just outside the 7-Eleven with a hot chocolate cup in her hand. Something about them just tasted so good, she kept coming back every day for more. She would occasionally bump into Subaru buying some too, but she could never work up the nerve to look at him in the eye and talk to him. Maybe it was Subaru that made the hot chocolates delicious…
Akane walked through the streets back to the apartment complex. She went upstairs to her apartment floor, got off and went in the kitchen.
"Hey Hatsumi, what's up?" Akane asked her sister, who was cooking something.
"Nothing, just making lunch, you want some ramen?" Hatsumi asked Akane.
"Sure, just a little bit though. I'm a little full from the 7-Eleven hot chocolates." Akane replied.
"How many did you have? Why do you always buy them everyday?" Hatsumi asked again.
"They're just really good. And I just finished my second today!" Akane replied. She sat down, and then Hatsumi came over with the pot full of hot ramen and scraped some onto Akane's plate.
"Enjoy" Hatsumi said with a beaming smile on her face.
"I want some too!" Hikaru exclaimed who was already sitting at the table with a plate.
"Ok, sure thing, Hikaru." Hatsumi poured some for her little brother.
"Thanks!" Hikaru beamed one of his cute smiles. He scooped some ramen with his fork and put it in his mouth. "AH! HOT! HOT!" Hikaru cried out. He reached for his sippy cup and took long gulps.
"Oops, sorry I forgot to mention that the ramen is still hot from the stove. Remember to blow it before eating it!" Hatsumi giggled. Her little brother was as adorable as he could get.
BRRRIING. BRRRRIIINNG. BRRRINNGG.
"Akane! Get the phone please!" Hatsumi shouted.
"Sure!" Akane replied, grabbing the phone and taking it out of its cradle.
"Hello, Narita family, Akane speaking" She talked into the phone.
"Hey Akane, it's Subaru. Do you have a sec? I want to talk to you in private." Subaru asked Akane over the phone.
"Ok, where do you want to meet?" Akane asked.
"Meet me at the 7-Eleven." Subaru told Akane.
"Okay, see you there. Bye!" Akane finished saying before hanging up. Then she turned around to her sister, "Hatsumi, I've gotta go to someplace for a while. I'll be back ok?" Akane asked her sister.
"Sure, just be back in less than an hour!" Hatsumi ordered, but Akane was already taking her coat and going out the door.
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"Thanks!" Subaru said to the man at the cashier. In his hands were 2 hot chocolates, one for him and one for Akane. He went outside and looked around for her.
"Hi Subaru!" Akane smiled, waving at him.
"Hey! I got you hot chocolate!" Subaru replied, handing Akane a cup.
"Oh thanks, you didn't have to do that." Akane smiled.
"C'mon let's go sit somewhere warm, oh I know how about we go to the park? They have those little heat lamps set up near the seats." Subaru inclined.
Moments later, they arrived at the park.
"So, what's up?" Akane asked Subaru, who had now sat down and joined with Akane.
"Um, I know I may be a little rude asking you this, but did something happen to you at Ryoki's New Year party? I know I'm being rude asking you this, and I would completely understand if you didn't want to answer me, but I'm just… concerned." Subaru finally blurted out.
"Wh-wh-what? Oh, don't be silly nothing happened at the party, just got hit on by a really sleazy old guy that's it." Akane answered. She didn't even look at Subaru while answering him and left out the part about that certain older guy raping her.
"Are you sure, really? It didn't look like… that… to me," Subaru slowly spoke. "Plus, I don't think you're being honest with me. After all, we are friends right Akane?"
"Um of course yeah we're friends, just… ok I admit, there's more that happened… but…I-I don't want to tell you!" Akane cried out, and then ran off, dropping her hot chocolate on the snowy ground.
Subaru stood there watching as Akane ran away and the snowflakes begin to fall down. He looked at the hot chocolate, and saw nothing spilled out of it. It was empty. He sighed, picked up the hot chocolate on the ground and threw it in a nearby trash can. Then he began his walk home, shuddering in the cold, hugging the hot chocolate that he had yet to finish in his hands.
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SLAM! THUD! THUD! SLAM!
"Akane! What's going on?" Hatsumi asked, after hearing her very loud sister barge in and run into their room.
"NOTHING!" Akane screamed out at the top of her lungs from the room she was in. She immediately turned on all the water in her bathroom and went in, shut and locked the door. She began sobbing, fully thankful that the running water was drowning out her cries.
She filled up the bathtub; got undressed, made sure the door was locked, and then soaked in the bathtub. She sighed and closed her eyes as the soothing warm water soaked her skin and her hair. Face just barely floating above the water; she went back to that horrible flashback of New Year's Eve. Just when Kazama was about to rape Akane in that flashback, Akane opened her eyes and instantly choked, her face was now below the water! She gasped, swallowing some water, and rose up to the surface quickly. Some water splashed out of the bathtub and Akane couldn't stop panting or inhaling so much air. After all, she nearly drowned.
'I need to get this set straight, or else that image will be haunting me for the rest of my life!' Akane thought to herself.
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"Hey Ryoki, yeah it's Subaru here. Listen, I'm trying to figure out something and if you could please do me a favor, look over the guest list you had for your New Year party and tell me who the oldest people were?" Subaru asked into the phone hesitantly.
"What do you want to know for?" Ryoki asked back.
"Just something, please, I need to clear my mind because it's driving me insane." Subaru tried to answer as believably as he could.
"Whatever… ok, there was Ren, Shino, and Toshio, which I'm sure you know, and oh yeah one person, he showed up and his name wasn't on the list, the bouncer told me and I let him in, it was… ah yes, Kazama." Ryoki answered into the phone.
"Oh." Subaru whispered quietly into the phone.
"Yeah… ok, I got to go, talk to ya later!" Ryoki chimed, and then hung up. Subaru did the same.
'Now, it's starting to make sense. I knew that sleazebag was up to something from the moment he laid his filthy eyes on Akane! He probably did something really wrong or bad to tick Akane off totally… now what did HE do?' Subaru thought to himself again. He may have had another piece of the jigsaw puzzle, but a few were still missing. He wouldn't stop looking for them. After all, all he had to do was keep pulling the thread until the whole thing unraveled.
He was smiling, beaming, and the hand that held the phone was now raised towards the ceiling, as if he was superman or something, his eyes, full of stars. He was hell-bent on solving this thing.
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"Akane? Can you please unlock the door?" Hatsumi asked through the bathroom door, knocking on it again for the thousandth time.
"No! I'm still using the bathtub!" Akane cried out.
"Alright, fine! Just, please… come out. I'm worried!" Hatsumi yelled back through the door.
"Later!" Akane replied.
Hatsumi sighed, and turned around then walked away from the door. Call it sister intuition, but something was wrong and Akane was suffering for it.
"Akane! Is it about that thing you told me before on the roof? Does it have something to do with Subaru?" Hatsumi asked one last time.
"No, it's not Subaru. He's a really sweet guy…" Akane droned on.
"Ok, but?" Hatsumi replied.
"It's just that he cares so much and I'm just pushing him away!" Akane cried.
"Akane! Let me in the bathroom so I can help you!" Hatsumi cried out with concern.
"NO!" Akane yelled back.
Hatsumi gave up and walked over to the kitchen. She picked up the phone and dialed Subaru's number.
"Hello?" a voice asked into the phone.
"Hi, it's Hatsumi; may I please speak to Subaru?" Hatsumi asked into the phone.
"It's Subaru here. Hey Hatsumi! What's up?" Subaru asked.
"Oh it's just nothing. I'm more concerned about Akane. Did you do something to… make her upset or act like anything out of the ordinary?" Hatsumi asked Subaru into the phone.
"Oh, I just found out that Kazama was at that New Year's Party. Someone saw him with Akane once, before she left with you, all upset. I'm thinking it's Kazama who did something wrong to Akane, and I've been trying to figure it out." Subaru replied.
"You're not serious are you?" Hatsumi asked.
"I am serious Hatsumi. I've got to go. Bye!" Subaru sternly spoke, and then hung up.
Hatsumi did the same and scratched her head, desperately trying to figure out what was wrong with Akane and what she did with Kazama or what Kazama did to make her like this.
'Akane… that bruise on her stomach… did Kazama do that to you?' Hatsumi wondered.
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Ok! Thanks to these reviewers for their reviews!
HollyWriter: It's ok for not reviewing my previous chapter. I forgive you. The geeky voice is for you to ponder on and on, but I'm sure you've figured it out by now, and Kazama, sorry, but it's what I want for this story… and please don't cry, or the keyboard won't work and I won't be able to read your great reviews. smiles
Lulu Girl 12: I can guarantee you that a certain few chapters will definitely appeal to you and become your favorites. However, there won't be many lemons but if you all want lemons, review!