AN/ (sigh) Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and I'll have the responses at the end of the chapter. I worked so hard to try to finish writing this darn chapter between all of my stupid homework and other such things. (Sweat drops) At least it's done, ne? Basically, I'm just apologizing ahead of time for what lies in this chapter… And that's all I'm going to say, so read onward!
Chapter 19/ Tragedy calls
It was nearly 2:00 AM when I dropped Daisuke off at his house early New Year's Day. He peered up at the dark and looming building. Its silence was none too inviting. Handing me his helmet, I watched as he crept up the walk and picked open the lock. Only when my boyfriend was standing halfway in the door and waving back at me did I dare to drive away.
For the later hours of the party, I had been abnormally tired and I finally had to ask Daisuke if we might leave. He obliged happily, bit I still regret having taken him away from his friends while he was enjoying the time so immensely. Even as I drove back to my apartment, my weariness worried me and I fought hard to stay awake atop my motorcycle. On arriving home, I all but collapsed on my bed and immediately fell asleep.
When I awoke, I felt barely rested but still aware enough to raise and prepare for the day. Now, to say that I was surprised at what I found waiting for me in my living room would be an understatement. Daisuke sat on my couch with a notepad in his lap, brainstorming up a list of who-knows-what.
He turned around to face me and smiled. "Good morning, Satoshi!"
"Good Morning…? Why- how did you get in here?" I asked, not really knowing how to react to my discovery.
"That's a silly question," he responded. "I picked the lock."
I sighed and retrieved something from the table next to the front door as I continued, "And what do I owe the honor of your presence?" I joined him on the couch and glanced at the list he had been writing.
Soft Amber – Living room
Jade Green – Bedroom
Sea Foam – Kitchen
Robin's Egg/ white – Bathroom
"You don't remember? We said that we'd paint your apartment today." He looked at me closely. "Did you sleep well? You look exhausted."
"What time is it?"
"Almost noon. I didn't want to wake you up since I knew we stayed out so late. Are you okay?" he asked again.
"Yes, Daisuke, I'm fine. So, what is the list for?"
He blushed lightly. "Well, I had some spare time until you woke up, so I started thinking about what colors would look good in the different rooms. You don't have to use them, of course. They're just thoughts." I skimmed over the list once more and shrugged. They seem fine to me. But, knowing you, you'll probably change your mind once you see all of the choices at the store." I stood and handed him the small object from the table.
"What's this?" he asked.
"A spare key to my apartment."
"You're giving me a key?"
"You're over so often, I might as well. Besides, if you keep picking at the lock, it might break. Then what?" I joked. He smiled and joined me at the door as we slipped on our shoes. "Although, how are we planning on paying for all of it?"
His excited smile turned into a small smirk. "Grandpa only likes to give one kind of gift," he said, pulling a wad of money out of his pocket. "With both yours and mine, it should definitely cover it. Who knows? We may even have enough leftover to buy you an actual table."
I smiled at him and locked the door behind us. Why Daisuke was getting so into fixing up my apartment, I didn't know. Nor did I mind. It would be nice for there to finally be life in that dismal place… and s sense of normality.
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It was rather amusing to see Daisuke so energetic about finding all of the different dyes. His list was almost unnecessary considering how many times he changed his mind. I pretty much let him choose what he liked and went along with it.
"This is the color on my list, but I'm thinking maybe this one instead," he said, holding two shades of blue next to each other. "Both would be fine next to the stainless steel appliances and white tile counters in your kitchen. But this one is brighter then the other and the whole idea of painting your apartment is to brighten it up. Or maybe I should go the opposite way and get this mellow yellow color. But I was saving the side of the spectrum for the living room."
He did this for most of the time, tapping his chin in thought and mumbling more to himself then to me. After all of his mental arguments and troubles, we ended up buying everything that was on his original list. Remarkably, we left the store an hour and a half later.
In returning, Daisuke excitedly hurried to the radio where he tuned into a station that was still playing Christmas music. He immediately became more cheerful and began to sing along with the uplifting melodies. Setting the newly bought paint cans to the side, he assisted me in moving the furniture out of the main room and squeezed them into the bedroom and kitchen. Daisuke snatched a roll of masking tape from a drawer in the kitchen that I had forgotten I even owned, and began taping the floorboards. I followed suit and stretched a plastic blanket over the dismal carpeting. But we'll consider my flooring some other time.
As a new song began to play, Daisuke popped open the first can of paint.
'Oh the weather outside is frightfulBut the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow'
He handed me a roller and sent me a smile. "Ready to start?"
A gave a single nod and poured some of the colorful substance into a roller tray. He had chosen a bright amber gold that made me a little more than doubtful, but I trusted him enough to comply. The first stroke on the wall confirmed everything. There was no turning back now.
'It doesn't show signs of stoppingAnd I brought some corn for popping
The lights are turned way down low
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow'
;; Ugh! What the hell are you doing? ;;
I smiled at Krad's horror at the color. Perhaps 'brightening things up' was going to be more fun then I had first thought.
Krad scowled between me and the wet paint upon the wall. ;; That's absolutely hideous! ;; He thought for a moment. ;;That dimwit boy put you up to this didn't he? ;;
I nodded to him, as well. ;;Yes, that 'dimwit' whom I love so much talked me into it. ; I laughed lightly at him choice of words and began to sing along with Daisuke and the radio.
He noticed almost immediately and stared wide-eyed at my singing. I didn't blame him for being surprised considering I've never sung a Christmas carol in my entire life. He grinned broadly as the music played on.
"When we finally kiss goodnightHow I'll hate going out in the storm
But if you really hold me tight
All the way home I'll be warm.
The fire is slowly dying
And My Dear we're still good-byeing
But as long as you love me so
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow"
As the song ended, Daisuke turned to me. "Gee, Satoshi, you sing almost as well as you dance!"
I turned to him in response. "Is that a good thing?" I asked.
"Most definitely," he said, tapping me on the nose affectionately. Suddenly, his smiling face changed to one of contemplation as he studied the point on my nose where he had touched. I strained cross-eyed to see the tip of my nose, which threw my boyfriend into a giggle-fit. I watched him strangely as he doubled over due to laughter. It seemed that Daisuke's fingers had become wet with paint and on the tip of my nose now existed a bright yellow spot.
I smirked, and while he was to busy chuckling to notice, I planned my revenge. Dipping a single fingertip into the paint, I waited for the opportune moment to plant a yellow fingerprint on his left cheek.
I snickered lightly at his blinking face and it soon became a playful war. Chuckles, paint-covered hands, and dodging shoulders were the only things that I noticed for a while as our battle raged on. We only stopped once we had both ruined our shirts from paint smears and had run out of energy to continue our laughter.
Once we had settled down and returned to painting the walls instead of each other, Daisuke continued to question me. "So, is there a reason why you remember 'Let it Snow' more then any of the others?"
"Yes," I answered. "It was the song that your family was singing when I awoke on Christmas morning. I could hear them from inside your bedroom before you came bounding in to come drag me downstairs." I smiled at the wonderful memory, and Daisuke gave a soft blush at the recollection of his sudden amount of energy after an entire day of complete depression. "Honestly, it was one of the best days I've ever had, and certainly the best Christmas."
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By eight o'clock that evening, we had successfully completed the largest room in my apartment, the living room. The amber color that Daisuke had chosen still made me doubtful, but he assured me that it would look great once we got some accessories to decorate it. The floorboards were left white which slightly surprised me. Knowing Daisuke, I half expected him to paint them a pumpkin orange to match. Although, this new realization relieved me some.
The redhead had already begun those 'accessories' by dinnertime. I loaned him some paint supplies and he began drawing landscapes of fields and sunflowers and other such things. When I got the feel of what he was doing, I joined him with my own sketches. It's hard to describe how calm and enjoyable that time was, both of us doing what we've always loved to do. But it was also odd in a sense. I wasn't used to drawing such objects. Having a new subject that you've never drawn before is like trying a new food; there's a fifty percent chance that you'll like it and a fifty percent chance that you won't. I created a seashore on one canvas, and a group of pumpkins on another. And, because I could, I drew a poinsettia, the flower of Christmas, to always remind me of what happened this year.
"Now, wee just need to buy some frames, and hang them up in here," said my boyfriend as he held two of the canvases on the wall. "Isn't it cool how all the drawings are different yet they all match?"
I nodded. He looked at me worriedly.
"Well, I'd suggest that we start another room, but you look really tired. Have you been sleeping at all recently?" he continued, bringing back the morning's topic.
"I'm fine, Daisuke. Don't worry about it," I assured him, although I could feel the drowsiness from the previous night returning to me. "What are you going to do tonight?"
"What do you mean?"
"Are you going home for the night or are you staying here?" I asked.
"I'm not sure. I love staying over here with you."
"But don't your parents want you home? You've been over here so often recently. Even this morning, just how early did you leave to come here?"
"About 8:00…" he mumbled.
Doesn't Wiz miss you?"
"Yes…" he mumbled again.
"Don't you think you should at least spend the evening with them?"
"Yes…"
"So…" I concluded, "What are you going to do tonight?"
He thought for a moment in silence. "I'm not sure. I love staying over here with you."
Defeated, I sighed and raised an eyebrow at him.
He chuckled. "Fine, I'll go home and spend time with them. But I'm still coming back tomorrow so we can keep working. If we're lucky, we can finish both the bedroom and the bathroom!" he said excitedly. I smiled, and that was the end of the discussion.
It wasn't long until we had stored everything in a safe place and were heading out the front door. In exiting the apartment complex, we were greeted by the gentle, falling snow. The cold nipped at my fingertips, my nose, and any other bare skin that it could graze. I pulled on my riding gloves and tossed Daisuke the spare helmet.
"Why don't we just walk?" he asked as I secured my own helmet.
"Because of the cold. The night air and the fresh snow doesn't help to keep you warm. We could get you to your house before you could lose the warmth that still lingers in your jacket if we drive," I explained. He mounted the bike behind me and I kick-started it.
Now that I think about it, perhaps simply going out in that weather was a bad idea. It's true that if we had walked then we would have been trembling, but the snow was making it difficult to see as I sped down the street. The below-freezing temperatures didn't help either, and it didn't mix well with my drowsiness. Not to mention that the roads were paved with ice and my tires weren't holding well.
I reached to Niwa residence accordingly and Daisuke welcomed me to come inside as he usually did. I reminded him that he had agreed to spend time with his family without me there to distract him. It was nearly de-ja-vu when he gave me his helmet and waved good-bye. As the door closed, I felt a strange clench in my chest… like I had just lost something important.
The feeling made me wary and I stood at the curb for a while as I waited for it to fade away. Gazing down the street in front of me made me want to drive my motorcycle even less.
Realizing that the sooner I got home the better, I swung my leg over my bike and started back. Not even halfway there, I began to feel horribly dizzy.
My sudden sleepiness compelled me fight hard to keep my eyes open. Every inch of me began to grow heavier with the passing minutes: my head, my eyes, and my heart. It was almost painful to have such little control of your body. (How ironic that that's how it feels when Krad tries to take over…. Just hundreds of times worse…)
The cold had numbed my hands through my gloves some time before as my fingers clung to the handles. Its chill had crawled through my wrist and up my arm under my jacket until it reached my senses. My mind was fogging over with sleep and the cruel, snowy wind. And I finally let my eyelids fall from exhaustion.
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(Daisuke's PoV)
I was so glad that I listened to Satoshi. It was o refreshing to smell my mother's cooking again. I learned from her, but nothing's as good as the original.
Unfortunately, while Mom was in the kitchen, Dad and Grandpa had taken the liberty to tease me half-to-death about Satoshi and I. It wasn't too long until dinner was ready and she called us into the dining room to eat. I was fighting off my blush as a walked to the table, but then the phone rang. I ran to answer it as if it was the only thing that could save me from Dad's teasing glances.
"Hello?"
"Niwa Daisuke?"
"Yes?"
"This is Nurse Kurai from Azumano Hospital. We have a Hiwatari Satoshi here who's in critical condition. We would appreciate it if you came down here as soon as possible… Hello…? Mr. Niwa…?"
I felt the blood drain from my face in a sickening awareness. Pale and suffocating from the forgetfulness of breath, I dropped the phone where in broke on the tile floor.
TBC…
… Well, you'll see what happens in Chapter 20… Anywho, great big thanks to xXrYUiCHi-cHAnXx, oOforeverobsessedOo, and Kumiku-chan for thinking that my story and I both rock! I love you guys! And a sequel….? Would you all be interested in a sequel? Hmm… /shrugs/… I'll think about it, but no promises.
