Disclaimer: I don't own FY
AN: Eh-heh. I've been dormant for so long, now I'm struggling to make a resurfacing. Lets get this into gear.
But, my joy for writing has returned...now if only I can wipe off thisdevilish smirk on my face about this chapter...ahh...I am so evil...
Midnight Cruise
Chapter 2: Salty tears
"If he does not sit and buckle I must pull over!" The taxi driver chirped in a heavy accent as he glanced into the backseat with a worried frown.
"Sit down, Taka! No da!" Chichiri insisted, wrestling with the enraged seishi. "If you make us pull over, we'll lose them, no da!"
"I know where he lives!" Taka growled darkly. He was actually quite scary even to the monk. "I'll rip his building down with my bare hands and tear him apart!"
"Taka...lets think about this a minute! No da!" Chichiri was not sure if he was sweating more from worry or the effort of forcing the martial artist to remain seated.
"THERE'S NOTHING TO THINK ABOUT!" Taka roared, shoving Chichiri off himself, and glowering at the ex-monk. "He's stealing my girl! I knew he would! I'll kill him before I let him steal her!"
The taxi driver was engrossed in a silent mantra, reminding himself repeatedly that this was his last for the day, and his family needed the money, so he did not notice that the staff the monk used to thwackthe wild passenger over the head with seemed to materialize out of thin air. If the taxi-driver had his choice, he would not have noticed anything going on behind him.
"How dare you have no faith in Miaka!" Chichiri chided, stowing his staff away in a spare sleeve. "There is a rational explaination for this, Taka, why don't you ask her tonight? No da."
"That's if she doesn't decide to go 'home' with him!" Taka growled. A look that suggested the staff might make a reappearance made the seishi grumble noncomittedly. "Alright...fine...I'll call her when I get home."
"Maybe I should. No da." Chichiri said serenely, as if he had not just cracked his fellow warrior over the head with a magically appearing staff.
"Why? I can deal with Miaka myself..."
"This is personal to you. No da." Chichiri said simply. "I can talk to her without bias and find out the truth."
"Are you saying Miaka would lie to me?" Taka asked with a suspicious frown.
"Not exactly...but this way it will avoid a fight between you two. No da."
Taka grumbled something incoherent, then shrugged. "Alright fine..." He added a last note under his breath. "I'll just deal with Mr. Shu I-can-do-what-I-want-to-other-guy's-girls-cause-I'm-filthy-rich Gates..."
"You will not!"
VVVVVVVV
She thought she was being smooth in her silent crying, as he did not react to it the entire trip back. However, when the vehicle finally stopped at her apartment building, she realized she had completely misjudged his reaction.
"Why are we here?" She asked quietly, looking up at him. "Are you tired of hanging out at your place? Mine's pretty boring..."
"No..." He said quietly, shaking his head, then turned a sad smile on her. "I'm sorry, Miaka. I hoped you would be pleased, but I see I only hurt you again."
She blinked. "What are you talking about, Hotohori? You didn't hurt me..."
He closed his eyes, and sighed. "I should not have kissed you like that...or told you what I did...you are engaged to Taka, are you not? I do not want to make you betray him like that."
Taka...? That's right...He's why I'm on this date in the first place! I almost forgot!
"Hey, we're friends, don't worry about it!" She smiled.
He nodded and smiledthat same sad smile that made her chest ache. "Goodnight, Miaka."
She stared at him in silence a few minutes, as the cheuffer opened the door for her and waited patiently for her to leave the car. She wanted to say something to him, to wipe away the sadness in his dark eyes and bring back the tenderness that had been in them earlier that night. She cursed herself for not paying attention in Japanese class--or poetry...she just did not seem to be able to summon up the words she wanted to say.
Looking into his eyes, she did not know what it was she wanted to say anymore.
His smile seemed a bit strained as he spoke, and the pain she heard in his voice made her heart want to burst into tears. "The expression is 'Goodnight', Miaka...it's what friends say before leaving eachother's company in America."
She swallowed and gave him a brave smile. "Goodnight, Hotohori."
He nodded slightly, "Goodnight, Miaka...I'll be sure to call you from America in a few days."
She gasped in surprise. "You're leaving already?"
He shrugged noncommitedly, and avoided her gaze. Something about the frown his smile had faded into told her what she really wanted to do. What might clear the clouds from his eyes.
Swallowing softly, she touched his chin with one hand, and leaned up to place a small kiss on his lips. To her surprise, however, all she net with were the index fingers of his left hand.
"What's wrong? Friends kiss eachother goodbye when they're leaving the country!" She insisted, frowning at him.
"Not the way I want to kiss you." He said softly, and looked away from her into a darkened window.
"But...Hotohori..."
He glanced at her with a smile, and gave her a push out of the limo. "Goodnight Miaka."
He was still smiling that sad smile when the chueffer closed the limo door, and walked briskly around to the driver's seat. Miaka wondered with almost a cold detachment if he was still smiling that smile as the car peeled out of the driveway and sped out of sight.
What's going on with me tonight? She thought sadly, shaking her head, and drying the tears threatening to spill with her coat sleeve.The coat Hotohori had slung over her shoulders earlier that night. She gave a soft sob, and ran into her apartment, oblivious to the taxi that had slowed to a stop a ways down the street. I need to talk to Chichiri!
VVVVVVVV
"Damn it!" Hotohori growled, punching the wall of the limosine, and settling his face into balled fists.
Every time hetried to help her, every timehe tried to make her smile,all heever seemed to be able to do was make her cry. Was he truly that screwed up, he could not even make the most important woman in the worldsmile for him? Or was he simply beingpresumptuous that he couldthinkhe stood a chance of making a woman as perfect as she was happy?
He was Shu Gates! Richest man in the world! Women from every corner of the globe fawned over him his every waking moment, small countries would sacrifice theirentire populations for a blessing from him (alright...so only really primitive ones, but still). Yet here he was, outmatched by a co-ed college dropout!
It stung, too. It stung that he couldn'tcheat and force her tochoose himinstead, it stung that thw co-eddropout was a friend of his, so he could not even try to steal her away fairly. What stung most, was that he felt like he was being torn in half by the two sides of himself. Oneside told him to seize the moment--for Miaka to be so forward,she must be having relationship problems with Taka...he stood a chance totake her away and keep her for himself now.Yet another side of himself insisted he help themfix the problems--not just sit by and let the relationship steal away his dreams this time...but activelyseal away any hope he had of winning her.
That was assuming he had ever had a chance with Miaka in the first place. God...when had hegone from confident Emperor to insecurestock-holder?
Somewhere between meeting the perfect woman, and watching her ripped away from me without a fight...
He sighed. I need to talk to Chichiri...
VVVVVVVV
Chichiri frowned softly, it had not been easy to convince Taka not to go in after Miaka when she had run into her apartment--only when he sufficiently explained just how furious Miaka would be if she leaned Taka had been spying on her, did Taka finally give in. These days Chichiri could not thank Suzaku enough that his'new' father had been a lawyer.
He shook his head slightly. Things had not gone entirely as planned...but then heshould have known better than to think Hotohori would easily go with the idea of betraying his friend, especially when Miaka's happiness was involved. Sometimes he was too nice for his own good.
Chichiri sighed. I'm too old for this.
With a resigned sigh, he walked determinedly toward Miaka's apartment building. Things could still be salvaged--and perhaps this was way better after all. Perhaps my father rubbed off on me more than I thought.
CH END
AN:ZOMG!A swear! Just...um...ignore it...
Annyway...
What in the world am I doing?Good Question. Yeah, it was a little OOC...but I guess I sacrificed a little IC for some very heavy handed angst...but I have a plan! And IC-ness will be intact...you'll see...
-Yusagi Sombermoon