Chapter Two – Getting Ready

Swtangel: Thank you for reading Make Me Sway. I am more of a TxT fan but I don't mind stories with alternate pairings as long as it doesn't portray Tsukasa as some jerk…not to knock the authors it's just that I love Tsukasa. It literally hurts my heart…haha…I may write Rui/Tsukushi stories in the future but all the ideas I have stewing away in my brain right now are all TxT stories. If you would like to see me write RxT I don't mind…umm…but you would have to give me the idea…haha…I think it would be a nice challenge. And as for writing more romance vs. horror, the genre of writing I am actually most comfortable with is angst. Most original works that I have written are usually serious and/or pretty dark. Horror is something I haven't really delved into a lot so that's why I'm trying my hand at it. (Little story preview: It gets really twisted closer to the end…I have it all planned out muwahahahaha!) If it's not as successful as say any romance that I write than so be it. I know it's not as good, because again I haven't had much practice so I'm doing this to get better. This is just a story idea that has been tickling me for some time and it's only now that I have decided and have had the time to write it out. But what ever happens I hope to get your continual support. Here's the next chapter enjoy!

Shierri: Thank you. I'll try to update as often as I can. I wonder it this is actually scaring anyone? I know that it's moving pretty slow now…I need to build suspense…I can't go too fast…but I promise the speed of the story will pick up really soon. Oh I am almost nearly done editing your first chapter. I'm at the flashback part. I will send it to you soon. I've just been so busy. I'll probably send them to you chapter by chapter. Enjoy the next installment!

NightHuntrezz: Is it actually scaring you? I hope so. I've been worrying that I'm not setting the right tone. But anyways thank you for reading my story. I hope that it continues to cause your head to turn. Hehehehe….but don't be alarmed at the hand on your shoulder…and those footsteps? Well… Haha I'm just kidding…or am I? O.k. I'll stop now.

SuKiss: Yay! You read my story! Thank you very much. I appreciate your input and the time you took to respond to my review request. I hope to hear more from you.

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"I am Vindicated


I am selfish


I am wrong


I am right


I swear I'm right


I swear I knew it all along


And I am flawed


But I am cleaning up so well

I am seeing in me now the things

You swore you saw yourself." (Dashboard Confessional "Vindicated" Awesome song…download it if you can people!)

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Getting Ready

The soft click of the lock turning stirred Tsukushi from her light sleep. Shifting in her futon she turned away from the door burrowing deeper into the warm haven of her comforter. From the edges of her consciousness she could feel the soft vibrations of feet pad across the small room stopping in the kitchen. Then silence reigned. Slowly Tsukushi began to once again drift off into a dreamless sleep.

"Sis shouldn't you be getting up now?" Tsukushi frowned. Her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly at the intrusion of noise.

"Sis you're going to mold lying there the whole day. Living a sedentary life is just going to add to your already immense body fat percentage. Not to mention Doumyouji – nichan won't—" Susumu never got to finish that sentence seeing as how he suddenly found his mouth filled with the material of Tsukushi's pillow. He pulled the offending object from his face and saw his sister facing him. Her right arm outstretched from having thrown the pillow at him. Her bleary sleep filled eyes glared at him silently in the early morning light filtering through the transluscent curtains.

"Must you be so loud?" She flipped back over facing away from him.

Susumu merely rolled his eyes and walked over to the balcony. He flung the curtains open allowing a generous dose of sunlight to wash over the small room. He stepped back letting the light hit his sisters face. Immediately she scrunched her face up drawing her arm across it in an attempt to block the rays of offending light. He sighed, leaned down, grasped the ends of her blanket and yanked it off her exposing her small figure.

"SUSUMU! I'm tired let me sleep!" She squirmed burying her face into her pillow.

"How can you be tired? When did you go to sleep?"

"Aboudthenminaftayoucarredbe." She muttered incomprehensibly into her pillow.

"Oh I'm sorry are you speaking Japanese or YIDDISH!"

"I said about ten minutes after you called me." She replied pulling herself up into a sitting position. She rubbed her face tiredly.

"But that was at 7:00 p.m. It's already 9:00 in the morning. That's more than 12 hours of sleep. How can you be tired? Don't tell me you're turning into Hanazawa-san!" He dropped down on the floor next to her.

She glared at him slightly. "No, I'm not turning (yawn) into Rui. I didn't get to sleep right away and when I finally did I kept waking up every hour or so." She explained. Slowly she rose to her feet and folded up her futon. She carefully stretched her back out rolling her shoulders to work out the kinks.

"So have you already eaten then?" She asked him.

"Oh yeah. Ozaki-kun's mom made us breakfast."

She nodded and head into the kitchen. She pulled out her bottle of water from last night and took a quick sip. "Oh, by the way Susumu, I have to ask you something." He nodded his head from his position on the floor indicating to her that he was listening.

"Nishikado–san was inviting me to a new home his family bought in Kyoto. The regular gang will be there. Do you think you'll be O.k. without me here?"

"When are you guys going and for how long?"

"They're going to leave in two days. We'd be gone for only ten days."

"O.k. sure go. Although I don't know why you're asking me." He replied.

"It's just I don't know if you'll be alright. You'll be studying for your exam. What will you do about groceries?"

He waved his hand dismissing her concerns. "Ozaki-kun's family owns a restaurant. Since I'm going to be studying with him most of the time, they asked me if I wanted to work there part-time. So my meals will be free."

She nodded her head putting her bottle of water down. "That's nice of them. Okay then. I'm going to call Yuki later and tell her I'm going. Could you pass me my towel? It's behind you; I'm going to take a bath." Susumu turned around to get her towel. He threw it to her. It sailed through the air tracing a blue fluffy arc. She easily caught it in her hand. She gathered the rest of her toiletries and some clothes and headed out the door. Her slippered (It's not a real word…you get the idea) feet made no sound as she walked down the hall to the public bathroom.

She knocked first and when no sound greeted her she opened the door and stepped inside. The bathroom was slightly humid. Someone else must have been in there before her. She turned on the shower head and waited for the water to heat up. Then she quickly undressed and stepped in. The hot water felt deliciously sinful against her tired shoulders. She let the warm stream blast her face for a while. Its warmth made her feel drowsy so she decreased the heat and allowed the cooler water to perk her up more. As she massaged the shampoo into her hair, its sweet smell reminded her once more of what she'd experienced last night.

What was that? She had poked her head out, but had seen nothing. The balcony apartment next to her had, had their laundry hung out on the line. One long night gown had been fluttering softly in the wind. Maybe its shadow had fallen across her window? Is that what I saw? But what about the smell? There are no gardens close by.

She sighed. It didn't really matter. As long as no one was out there. All the same she would have to tell Susumu to be careful. Once she was done she closed the tap and stepped out of the tub. She grasped her fluffy blue towel and wrapped it around her slim body. She quickly brushed her teeth, dried off and got dressed.

When she walked back into her small apartment she saw Susumu spread out along their floor reading his latest copy of Shonen Jump. She gently prodded his leg with her foot.

"Ne, Susumu—"

"Shh! Fuji is just about to release his triple counter on Kirihara Akaya!" (To all you Prince of tennis fans! Hehehe)

"Right…okay I'm going to call Yuki and ask her if she wants to go shopping with me then. Do you need anything? Exam books maybe?"

Without looking up from his magazine he shook his head no. "Have fun. But bring me back a souvenir."

She rolled her eyes. She grabbed her bag, keys, cell phone and jacket and headed out the door.

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"I'm so glad you decided to come with us Tsukushi! We haven't been on a trip together since Canada!" Yuki exclaimed.

Tsukushi smiled at her bubbly friend. "Hopefully I won't get caught in the snow again."

"Haha! Remember when we had Mimasaka–san dress up as that ghost?" She giggled remembering the sight of F4's resident connoisseur of older women wrapped in a bed sheet and standing in the freezing snow. "I wish we had caught that on camera."

Tsukushi smiled at the memory. It was only now that she could really say her short time spent in Canada was not so bad. If she took away the annoying girls tricking her and nearly getting her killed it wasn't that terrible. But then if it wasn't for them…

Yuki stopped laughing. "Ano, Tsukushi what's wrong with your face? You're really red."

"Eh?" She placed her hands against her flushed cheeks. "Oh it's just cold out here. Hehehe…" She rubbed her cheeks furiously trying to get rid of her blush.

"Stay here I'll get us a hot drink from that vendor. Be right back." Tsukushi watched her friend walk across the busy intersection heading towards the park. She turned around and squeezed her eyes shut. Damn blush.

It's a good thing Yuki didn't ask her why she was blushing. She didn't want her to know what she was thinking about. Even now she could still feel those arms encircle her body. The heat of his body seeping into her own. His masculine scent surrounding her, filling her senses. All the blood in her body suddenly rushed up to fill her face at the memory. Oh no! I'm turning red again! She fanned her face trying desperately to cool her flushed skin.

"Are you hot now? Should I get you a coke?" Tsukushi jumped and spun around quickly. Yuki stood behind her, her brow drawn in light concern; two cups of steaming coffee in each hand.

"Oh no! I'm fine. Thanks." She accepted the hot drink from Yuki and downed it all in one gulp. "Ah I feel better now." She smashed the cup in her hands and tossed it into the nearby garbage pail.

"Let us continue shopping." Then she turned, stiffly walking down the sidewalk towards the shops.

Without a word and with one eye brow raised Yuki followed her friend.

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"Susumu I'm back. I got take out for dinner!" Tsukushi declared as she pushed her way into the apartment. "Susumu where—" She stopped. Through the drawn curtain of the balcony she could make out the outline of a person.

She frowned. So back for more huh? Well this time I'm prepared. Carefully placing her grocery and shopping bags down she slipped her shoes off and stealthily moved across the room. On her way she passed the kitchen and picked up the nearest object to her. A frying pan. She gripped her hands tight around the handle. This time she was careful to avoid the loose floorboard as she made her way across the living room.

As she got closer she noticed that the sliding door was slightly ajar. She reached her hand out to pull it open. But before she could get to it, the door suddenly slid open. The person on the other side was stepping in, their face obscured by the curtain.

Tsukushi screamed, squeezed her eyes shut and swung the frying pan smacking the other person in the face.

"Hentai!"

The person grunted falling backward back onto the balcony.

"Itai! What the hell are you doing?" Taken aback Tsukushi opened her eyes. Susumu was sprawled out on the ground rubbing his wounded forehead. She yelped dropping the pan.

"I'm sorry!" She jumped out on the balcony to help him up. She pulled him into the apartment. She sat him down and went to the kitchen for some ice. "What were you doing out there?"

"I was using the phone." He leaned his head in his hands massaging the bruised flesh. "If I fail my exam it'll be your fault."

"Sorry." She handed him the ice pack which he pressed gently against his head. "I'll set up our plates. You hungry?" She quickly set up their plates and served out portions of the Chinese low mien and pot stickers. (A.N. Mmmm…pot stickers…)

After they ate, Susumu lay down to take a nap while Tsukushi cleaned up. As she set the last plate in the cupboard her cell phone went off.

She quickly dried off her hands and fished out the phone from her jacket pocket. "Hello?"

"Hey Makino."

"Hi Doumyouji."

"Are you coming to Kyoto?"

"Yeah, I talked to Susumu, he's fine with it. When will you be joining us?"

"You guys are leaving what, day after tomorrow right?"

"Yeah."

"I'll join you guys there the Friday then. Probably in the afternoon. But I'll see if I can leave earlier."

"Earlier? Will that be o.k.?"

"Makino, I haven't seen you in two years. If I can get to see you even an hour earlier do you think I would care?" He stated in a matter of fact tone.

She smiled to herself. "No."

"Good. Now I have to get ready for a conference today. But before I go, what colour panties you got on?"

"…"

"Well?"

She shook her head. And muttered to herself, "How did I get such a perverted boyfriend?" Then louder to him, "Look Doumyouji I do not own thongs or panties with pink frills or whatever else you can think of in that perverted mind of yours."

"Oh, I didn't ask what kind they were, but frills huh? Do I get to see them anytime soon?"

"…" She could hear him laughing to himself on the end of the line.

"I'm hanging up." She stated flatly.

"Want to know what I'm wearing?"

"Goodbye."

"It's Calvin Klein boxers with—" Click. She shut her phone off and stuffed it back into her jacket pocket.

"Stupid octopus."

To be continued…

Well then another chapter complete…sorry it's a filler chapter. I promise though the next chapter they will have already arrived at the villa and the plot will begin to develop and take more shape.

Well anyways please read and review. I always like to hear feedback from anonymous readers and other authors alike.

As well again sincere thanks to all my reviewers so far and to all silent readers. They really should have a feature that tells you how many hits your story gets too. That would be interesting. It's 12:30 and I have calculus to do. Until next time.