It's been a while. Sorry, I had some writer's block involving this story, so I kept skipping writing this in my 'schedule' and worked on some other stories until it passed. I still don't feel as though I'm up to writing this next chapter, but I've postponed it long enough. So here we go.
---Kouji Tamino
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Kurogane High
Chapter 5: Day Off (Part 2)
After eating lunch, Tetsunosuke and Saya headed off to a store that Saya had wanted to check out for a while. About partway there, Saya took a handkerchief out of her purse and blind folded the boy. "H-hey!" Tetsu shouted, waving his arms around. He had no idea what she was doing, but for some reason, he didn't like it. "Saya, what the hell?"
Giggling, Saya took his hand and led him to the place that she had in mind. She couldn't wait to show him her big surprise, her little 'thank you' for coming to her rescue. She really hoped he liked it…
Tetsunosuke was dragged across the shopping center by Saya, wondering what in the heck she had planned. Temporarily blinded, his only guide was Saya. The faceless murmurs of random passerby's were driving him insane. "Saya, where are we going?" Soon realizing that she was going to straight out ignore him until they reached their destination. A few moments later, they stopped, Saya drawing the characters for 'wait here' in his palm with her finger. And so, for half an hour, Tetsunosuke stood there blindfolded, feeling like a complete idiot. Finally, he could feel someone taking the blindfold off. He couldn't tell if it was Saya or not, but at this point he didn't really care. A glare on his face, his expression soon became one of amazement. Saya was at her most beautiful, dressed in a golden yellow kimono with white lining and designs of sakura blossoms embroidered on it. Her hair was tied up and had make-up applied lightly to her face. "S-Saya…" Tetsunosuke stuttered, almost speechless. "You look really pretty…" He smiled as Saya blushed, looking towards the ground, fiddling with the cloth. "But wait, how can you afford all this?" Saya pointed to a nearby sign. He read it and smiled in interest at the store's interesting gimmick. "Oh!" he shouted, "This place lets you try on one kimono per visit? That's awesome, Saya!"
"Oh!" a familiar women's voice shouted. "Tetsunosuke and Saya! What are you doing here?" The two turned around to see Ayumu, dressed in a dark blue kimono. What was really shocking, however, was Tatsunosuke standing behind her, dressed in an olive green hooded sweatshirt, khaki pants, and white sneakers, carrying a ton of bags. "Are you two on a date? That's so cute!"
Blushing heavily, Tetsu looked away. Did she really have to ask that, and so loudly as well? "I could ask you two the same thing… Since when did you two meet, much less hang out?"
The Cooking teacher/Nurse smiled. "Oh, we're on a date", she replied, casually.
"Oh, I see…" Tetsunosuke began, turning back to Saya. He suddenly did a double take, staring at the pair, jaw dropping. "What the hell? How in the--"
Tatsunosuke chuckled nervously, straining against the weight of the bags. "Well, it's kinda like this", he began, explaining the whole situation.
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A few days ago, Tatsunosuke Ichimura and Ayumu Yamazaki met for the first time. In the nurse's office, Tatsu suffering from a rather large cut on his head. "Oh my!" the woman shouted, rushing to gather the appropriate materials to treat her patient. "How ever in the world did you get such an injury?"
Sighing as his head was bandaged up, he recalled the events that brought him here. "It's kinda embarrassing, really. I was reorganizing some books when a couple fell from the top of the shelf and bashed me in the head." Wincing as she finished, tightening the gauze bandages, he smiled half-heartedly. "It's a wonder I was able to drag myself all the way here. And thanks."
"No problem!" she replied, smiling back. "But you poor man!" Smiling mischievously, she poked him in the nose. "Hey, you have any plans this Sunday? I was wondering if you'd like to hang out at that new shopping center!"
Tatsu blinked in surprise over her sudden offer. "Are you asking me out… on a date?" He pinched himself on the cheek, wondering if he was dreaming. He yelped as he soon discovered that he was not.
Giggling, she leaned in towards him, her face now a few inches from his. "I dunno, if you wanna call it that… Yeah, I guess it'd be kinda a date!"
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"So you're on a pity date…" Tetsunosuke muttered, staring back and forth between Ayumu and Tatsunosuke, both with a smile plastered on their face. So that's where the bandage his big brother had been wearing recently came from. "And you're left holding all the bags?" The younger Ichimura couldn't help but have both feelings of pity and the urge to laugh at the pathetic situation his older sibling was in.
"Don't you dare laugh, Tetsu…" his older brother replied, shifting to get a batter hold on the bags. "I'm doing this as a favor for Yamazaki-san helping me."
"Yeah, whatever!" Tetsunosuke shouted, hands behind his head. "You're still on a pity date after getting taken out by a book!"
"C'mon dear…" Ayumu said teasingly, taking the man by his elbow and dragging him away to another part of the rather large store. As they left the young couple, she consoled her 'date' by pointing over to them. "Don't worry, looks like Tetsu is going to learn a little lesson from Saya." Sure enough, the girl was ignoring the redhead for his behavior. Giggling, she put a hand to her mouth. "Poor Tetsu. Oh well, it will pass."
"Are we done yet?" Tatsu asked, too exhausted to enjoy his brother's comeuppance. They'd been walking for several hours with no rest in sight. "These bags are getting really heavy and I'm getting kinda hungry."
"Hmmm…" Ayumu rubbed her chin, thinking for a moment. "Okay, fine!" she replied with a smile. "Let's take a break and have lunch!" There was a pause as Tatsu sighed in relief. "After we visit two more stores!" She rolled her eyes as her reluctant bag carrier groaned. "Hey, quit whining! Be a good boy and you might get something special", the woman said seductively, with a wink. She laughed as his face went completely red. "Kidding! Just kidding!"
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"C'mon, Saya!" Tetsu whined, following Saya as she walked at a deliberately quick pace in order to avoid him. What in the world did he do? He was just having a little fun. Then again, it wasn't very fun when the kids from school were picking on him at school the other day when he fell flat on his face, was it? And who had been there to help him get on his feet and defend him? Hana and Saya. He felt absolutely terrible. "Aw, Saya… I'm sorry for being a jerk…"
Saya suddenly stopped near a large fountain. He yelped as she turned around, pushing him away. Losing his balance, he toppled backwards and fell into the water. The girl gasped as he splashed water everywhere. As the initial shock and chaos subsided, she giggled at the soaked boy that was Tetsunosuke. He said nothing, glaring at the girl who was laughing at his misfortune despite giving him a hard time about being sensitive to other people's peril just a few seconds ago.
As she offered her hand in assistance, struggling to hold back any more laughter, he grinned evilly, yanking her into the fountain as well. "Gotcha!" he shouted, laughing as he huffed angrily, holding her breath and puffing her cheeks out. Giving her own mischievous smile, she scooped up some water in her hands and started to toss water at him. Tetsu splashed her back and the exchange soon erupted into a two-person water war. Laughing and giggling, they attracted a small sized crowd of spectators who either looked on in amusement at the cute couple or disgust for the pair's lack of discipline.
"Saya?" a familiar high-pitched voice asked. "Tetsunosuke?" The two stopped dead in their tracks, turning slowly as they gasped. Staring at them with wide eyes was Saya's friend Hana, wearing a yellow sleepless shirt and sky blue skirt with matching sandals. "What in the world are you two doing? You're making a scene!"
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Later that day, after finding a place to wring out their clothes in private and drying off, a damp Tetsunosuke and Saya hung out with Hana. "How's it going, Tetsu?" Hana asked cheerfully, taking a seat next to them on a bench. "How's your 'date' with Saya going?" Giggling mischievously, she continued. "You haven't endangered her chastity, have you?"
Blushing heavily, Tetsunosuke shook his head frantically. "N-no way!" he shouted, waving his hands in front of himself in defense. "How could you even think something like that? Besides…" he began with a pout. "It's not a date. Saya and I are just friends, right?" he looked to Saya for support.
Looking a tad disappointed, she slowly nodded in agreement. Why was she so bothered by his words? They were only hanging out as friends, weren't they? She sighed, deciding not to trouble herself with such thoughts and just enjoy herself.
"Oh, is that so?" Hana asked, not fully convinced. Sticking out her tongue, she decided to play along. "Then if that's the case, you wouldn't mind getting me some shaved ice, would you?" She pointed over to a vendor who happened to be selling the cold treat. "Would you please, Tetsunosuke?"
"Um, sure!" Tetsu shouted enthusiastically, cherishing any opportunity to get away from the awkward conversation. Looking to his 'girl friend that wasn't a girlfriend', he smiled. "Saya, you want some too?"
Nodding awkwardly, she smiled back. She blushed as Hana gave her a suspicious look. Never in her life had she wanted her best friend to leave her alone so strongly. Her mere presence was troublesome right now, what with her being so nosy.
"What's with the smiles, you two?" Hana asked, giggling. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two are head over heels in puppy love with each other!" She snickered as the lone boy of the group ran off to fetch some shaved ice. Scooting closer to Saya, she smiled. "Girl, quit lying to yourself. Come on, you can tell me. Your precious puppy boy's out of earshot. How do you really feel about him? I promise I won't laugh or make a scene." Grinning as the mute girl took her hand, she concentrated to read what was being written into her palm. "…'I… like… him… a lot.'…" Giving a big smile, she squealed, causing her friend to try and shut her up. "Tee-hee, sorry…" Her expression growing warmer, she took her friend's hands in hers. "Saya, that's so wonderful. I hope it works out between you two. Tetsu seems like a really decent guy, if not a bit hot headed." Suddenly growing prideful, she gave a somewhat snooty expression. "Of course, he can't hold a candle to my tall, dark, mysterious, and oh-so dreamy Susumu!" Lost in her fantasies, she failed to notice Saya sighing pitifully at her or a certain redhead returning with the shaved ice.
Tetsunosuke arrived set the three cups on the bench, one green, another blue, and the third was red. Each had been impaled with a plastic spoon. "Okay!" he began with a cheerful grin. "We've got watermelon, blue raspberry, and cherry! Pick your favorite, girls!" He sighed in dismay as he was left with watermelon. "Aw man…" he muttered, picking the green shaved ice up with an annoyed expression as Hana giggled. "Hey, it's not that funny."
"Oh, forgive me, Tetsu." Hana replied, calming down with a glint in her eyes, actually amused about what Saya had just revealed involving the boy. "I was just laughing about something else…" This comment earned her an angry huff from Saya, thoroughly confusing the hell out of Tetsu.
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"Bye, you guys!" Hana waved as the pair headed towards the theater. "Enjoy the movie!" She watched as Saya laughed at something Tetsunosuke had said, smiling. "I haven't seen her smile like that in ages…" she said to herself. "Saya, I'm so happy for you…"
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Tetsu and Saya walked into the building, tickets already in hand thanks to Okita. As they stood in line at the concession stand, the fiery redhead heard another familiar voice. "Oh hello there, Ichimura!" The young couple turned around to see Math teacher Souji Okita and Principal Toshizo Hijikata in line behind them.
"Wagh!" Tetsu shouted, shivers running up his spine. "M-M-Mr. Hijikata!" Just the mere presence of the man made his blood run cold. Even now, at a movie theater, outside of school and school related activities, the man's cold eyes pierced him like a katana in an act of seppuku. In fact, Tetsu at that moment believed that seppuku would be a rather appealing alternative to say, spending even an hour in the same room with this man.
"You again?" Hijikata blanched, sneering in disgust. "It would appear that our wretched fates are entwined, what with us bumping into each other frequently. Obviously you didn't notice, what with your disgraceful behavior earlier, but we both were at the food court at around the same time as well." Was this boy stalking him? He had half a mind to make him stand in the hall and carry a pair of buckets of water, but he had no power here.
"Oh hush, Mr. Hijikata! Be nice!" Souji scolded, a playful frown on his face. "Besides, it's my fault he's here! I gave him my extra tickets!"
"You gave him the tickets I got you?" Hijikata asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought that Nagakura, Todou, and Harada were going?"
"Well Harada's here…" Souji began, scratching his head. "But Nagakura and Todou haven't been feeling well, and it's only gotten worse! So they forfeited their tickets. Ichimura was feeling down, so I gave them to him!"
"Well, whatever…" Hijikata stared back at Tetsunosuke. "Ichimura, stay out of trouble, will you?" With that, the conversation ended.
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After the movie, a hyped Tetsunosuke walked into the lobby with Saya, ranting in joy. "-- and it was so awesome! The part near the end was the best, and I really think that it can stand up to the original!" Calming down, he looked over to Saya apologetically. "I'm sorry… I'm boring you, aren't I?" Sighing in relief as she shook her head no, he smiled. "I'm glad."
"Hey! Tetsunosuke!" Suzu shouted, waving towards him. "How's it going? Wasn't that movie great?" Standing next to him was Yoshida, who after staring at the boy Suzu was greeting, gasped, his eyes widening.
"Suzu!" Tetsunosuke shouted cheerfully. "Hey there! Have you met Saya? And is that guy that Yoshida guy you were talking about?" Walking over, he winced as the tall, long haired man's hand came forward and backhanded him in the face, knocking him down. The lobby quieted down slightly as the people near them took notice, muttering and gasping amongst themselves in shock. "Oww… What the--"
"Mr. Yoshida!" Suzu screamed, completely taken aback by his guardian's behavior. "What are you doing?" He had wished that Tetsu and Yoshida could meet, but not like this…
"This boy is tainted, Suzu…" Yoshida finally said in explanation, pointing at the redhead. "Stay away from him."
"But sir--!" Suzu shouted. He was given a smack of his own.
"Stay away from him!" Yoshida screamed at the top of his lungs, attracting the attention of the rest of the lobby. "I mean it!"
"Is there a problem here?" Hijikata asked with a cold stare on his face, walking towards the confrontation. He wasn't sure what was going on, but no one messed with one of his students. He raised an eyebrow as he got a good look at Tetsu's tormentor. He seemed to recognize him from somewhere, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"No, we were just leaving…" Yoshida replied, not quite lying. Grabbing his protégé's arm, he tugged him along. "Come, Suzu…" He grunted, sensing some resistance from the boy as they left the building.
Sighing, he looked toward the boy sitting on the ground. "Ichimura, you okay?"
Getting help back on his feet from Saya, he nodded. What was Yoshida's problem? What the hell did he do? At that moment, Tetsunosuke vowed to himself that he would make him pay… Somehow, someway… But he had this aura about him that scared him more than Hijikata did… "Yeah, I guess…" Looking around, he tilted his head. "Hey, where's Mr. Okita?"
"In the restroom…" he muttered, hoping that Souji didn't see him just now. Unfortunately, things didn't quite go that way…
"Mr. Hijikata!" Souji shouted, popping up behind him. "That was so sweet of you to stand up for Ichimura like that!" A look of concern on his face, he looked to the boy. "Tetsu, are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah…" he said softly, grabbing Saya's hand without realizing it. "We have to go. It's getting pretty late, and Saya promised to be home early. Seeya…"
"Take care, Tetsu!" Souji yelled, waving at the departing duo with a rather large grin, an annoyed Hijikata with a hand on his head.
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"Thank you for putting up with me…" Ayumu said to Tatsunosuke as they stepped up to her door. "My younger brother was getting on my last nerve, sulking around the house and all. I just needed to get out and do something."
"Oh, it was nothing." The elder Ichimura replied, chuckling. He was just glad that he didn't have to carry all those bags anymore. He gasped as Ayumu leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
"You're such a sweet guy…" Ayumu declared softly, laughing. "Goodnight." Opening the door, she dragged in all the things she bought and gave him one last smile before closing it.
Touching his cheek where the woman's soft lips had just been and blushed, wobbling to his own apartment. Grinning cockily, he chuckled a bit uncharacteristically. "Pity date my butt…"
To Be Continued…
