(A/N: After my friend christina began to bug me about writing the next chapter, i decided to write it. xD. Sorry, hun. 3 Here it is, as promised.)
"Again."
We didn't have a punching bag, so Darius made me use a tree.
"Harder."
My knuckles were already bleeding and were most likely crushed, but I didn't care. I didn't say anything about the pain and neither did Darius, although I knew he wanted to.
"Focus, Aiko, Focus."
Haruko was suppose to be training me, but Darius suggested that Haruko train himself before training me. I didn't care at first, but now I regret agreeing to the stupid idea.
"Now do the kicking exercises."
It wasn't that Darius wasn't training me enough...it was that Haruko knows a lot more techniques then Darius. Plus, Darius was holding out on me. I mean, all he's been teaching me since we left Time City three days ago were kicks and punches. I already know how to kick and punch a stupid tree and I don't need anybody to show me how to do it.
"Good."
This is getting really boring, really fast. I stop kicking the crap out of the tree and turn to face him.
"Darius..."
"What's wrong? You need a break?" His voice seems somewhat happy. -.-"
Ugh. Why didn't he get it? I'm not a little girl anymore."No, I can keep going all day."
"Oh. Then what's up?" His eyes were somewhat disappointed. Man, he just can't accept the fact that I'm really going through with this.
"...Why won't you teach me something that's challenging?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, why are you teaching me these excercises even May knows how to do?"
Darius crosses his arms and raises one of his eye brows."Oh? Easy moves, huh?"
"Yeah...I can teach these things to myself, for crying out loud."
"Really? Well." I could read him like a book. His eyes show he's not mad at all. He's just trying to push me."Fine, that's okay with me. Tell you what, after a week of some intense training, you and I will have a fight. If you win, I'll tell Haruko to start training you."
There was a catch. There was always a catch. "And, if you win...?"
"Then you'll have to train with me for five months before Haruko gets to train you. You'll learn techniques my way. At my speed. Sound good?"
Five months...at THIS speed? Oh man. This is even worse then being a slug. I felt like a freakin rock at the side of the road. Where the hell was he going with these stupid kicks and punches? This sucks. ...But...then again...
"Deal." I shake Darius' hand and my blood transfers to it. "I'll beat you without a doubt."
He pulls his hand out of my grip with a disgusted look on his face as he tries to shake the blood off. "Just...go wash up."
Smiling, I turn away and head towards the nearest shop to buy a bottle of water. Right now, we're at the point where getting money is easily done. There was ONE thing that Darius taught me that was useful: how to pick-pocket.
After washing up, I decide to train again. Bring it on, Darius. I care about you a lot, but you're holding me back. If i hope to kill that son of a bitch, Ryan, I need to get serious right away.
I wake up the next day to cold water splashing in my face. I jump up to find an idiotic smile spreading across my brother's face.
"Rise and shine, little sis." Darius throws a towel he stole from a store to my face. (Why buy when you're slick enough to steal? x)) "You want intense training? You got it. We're starting bright and early. Two am every morning sound good?"
"Sure..." I'm still half asleep, but I'm completely pissed off. Groaning, I get out of the box and yawn. May wasn't wet at all because Darius had set her in a different box last night. I was suspicious of it, but I didn't really care. ...That tricky son of a-
"Alright. So you want a faster speed and better techniques? No problem. But first, let's exercise. Let's see fifty push ups." He crosses his arms, waiting for me to begin.
"What the hell is the point of doing FIFTY push ups!"
"Well, I gotta see how strong you are, don't I?" That brat's smirking inside that empty head of his. I know it.
"Really? Cause I think you just want to see me suffer."
"Hey, you can just stand there telling me how bad of a coach I am or get to training so that you can get rid of this bad coach. Your choice."
"...ugh." I lazily get down on my hands and knees.
Darius uncrosses his arms to pick Ri up and places him on my back.
"WHAT THE HELL!" Now he was just being plain obnoxious. "Is this really neccesary!"
Darius just acts if he did nothing. "Huh? What? Oh, you can't handle a little extra weight, sis?"
Asshole. I curse a few words before beginning his damn push ups. Ri curls up and falls asleep on my back while Darius stands back laughing inside.
I taught myself how to tell the time of day it was by the position of the sun. It was around...three or four when I collapsed on the ground after finishing the push ups. I might've finished sooner if not for the long stops because of how tired I was getting.
"Okay, munchkin. Now give me 50 sit ups."
"WHAT!"
"Now."
"You just make me...ugh." I get on my back and finish about hour later. Sit ups are easy, but still. I struggle to get up, panting heavily. "Are we...going to...learn...better techniques...now?"
"Sure thing. I don't see why not." Darius pauses for a second and I groan again. He's thinking of something else to make me go through."Yeah...let's go into the woods we passed by a couple miles back to train. We can run there."
"A COUPLE miles? Darius, the woods we passed yesterday were twenty three miles away from here! You gotta be-"
"It's only twenty three miles." ...of course he wasn't kidding. T-T. "Let's go, Aiko. I'll give you...two hours to get there before I start running after you. Starting...now."
"What about May and them? Haruko's been training twenty four/seven. You know that we can't just leave them. Who's going to take care of them?" I'm more concerened about finding an excuse then May. It's obvious that Ri would. Stupid dog. D:
"That's why we got a dog, whom I love because he just killed your excuse. Don't worry. Just start heading to the woods in the...hour and fifty eight minutes you have left."
Sighing, I turn around and start running until Darius is out of site. When I'm sure he can't see me, I stop running.
This was just too much. My back ached from the exercises, I'm hungry, thirtsy, and completely tired. I've had enough. Darius is just doing this to prove a point and he did. I give up. Five months with him isn't that bad, I guess.
I let out a long sigh and squat down against the closest wall.
"This sucks." I rest my arms on top of my knees, lay my head on top of my arms, and close my eyes. I've got two hours before Darius comes running this way to head to the woods, but I'm too lazy to move a muscle.
"So...this is intense training huh? Sleeping against the wall?" Ah, crap. I guess Darius could still see me after all. I lift my head up to see Haruko's smiling face instead of Darius's angry one.
"You..." Surprised to see him, I didn't know what to say. Since the training sessions began, I've never seen a glimpse of Haruko. Even when we were traveling from city to city. Darius would tell me Haruko went ahead. Seeing him now was like seeing a ghost.
His warm smile came across his face and he sat next to me. I watch him as he pulls out a can of beer and drinks it. "Miss me, squirt?"
"Who said I give a damn about where you've been? Of course I didn't miss you." ...Liesssssss. :X. "Speaking of squirts, aren't you a little too young for beer?"
"Don't worry bout it. Nobody will care if I sneak a beer or two." He finishes the drink in a few seconds and sets it aside. "Plus, I'm gon' need a break from all the training. Aren't you and Darius supposed to be training together right now? For at least another week, right?"
I pout and look towards the woods. "Yeah...but he's being a real hard ass lately."
"I don't think there are a lot of ten year old girls who curse as much as you do." Haruko laughs and pats my head. "Well, do you know why he's being so tough on you?"
"Well..I kind of asked him for training that would be more challenging...but this is ridiculous!"
"I see..." He sighs, then runs his hand through his soft hair. I want to die. Why is somebody as gorgeous as HIM living on the streets? It should be illegal.
Silence surrounds us and I don't even care. Stupid Darius really kicked the crap out of me with the training.
I jump when Haruko suddenly stands up. "I'll talk to Darius. Just go watch May, Ri and Ioa right now."
"But.."
"Don't worry, I'll handle it." Smiling, Haruko reaches his hand out, offering to help me up. Hesitantly, I slip my hand into his and gasp in shock when he pulls me onto his back. "Alright, babe. Hold on tight and don't let go."
I begin to blush, but quickly grab hold around his neck because he had already began moving. At first, I felt completely awkward, but was too tired to say anything. Slowly, my eyelids begin close on their own and I find myself burrying my face into Haruko's back. He's so warm... It suddenly feels right to be this close to him-like, this is what I've needed.
The next day, i wake up to the sound of Haruko's soft voice.
"Aiko, wake up kiddo."
The position of the sun would mean it's six...pm right now.
SIX! I shoot up, wide awake. Darius is going to kill me. I skipped the rest of the training session yesterday and now I was going to be late fore today's. Our lessons start at two in the MORNING.
"Shit!" Panicing, I quickly get out of my box.
"Whoa, whoa." Haruko grabs me by the shoulders and puts me on pause. "Slow down, babe. I talked to Darius yesterday and I managed to convince him to let me start training you, so don't worry about it."
My heart rate slows down and the image of Darius holding a knife fades away. I sit back down to take a couple of deep breaths before speaking again. "Okay...then what're we going to be doing today to train?"
He laughs then squats down in front of me and pats my head. I swear. One day I'm going to bite his whole arm off one of these days. Sow his mouth together, too. See who's laughing then. Hmph.
"Absolutely...nothing."
I stare at his blank face for a moment.
"What the hell do you mean 'nothing'!"
"I mean today is your day off. You were half dead yesterday and it was barely morning. You slept for a day and a half and you think that waking up at six in the afternoon means that you can start training? Nuh uh." Haruko shakes his head. "I don't care if you like it or not, but you're spending the rest of today with good old Haruko. There's nothing you can do about it. Darius is training by himself so don't even try to tell him to make me train you."
He sounds like some kind of mother you hear about. The incredibly protective ones that are desperately trying to find time to spend with their daughter. What a complete dork.
"Fine, good old Haruko...so do you plan on doing?" I give him a suspicious look.
His only replay was an evil grin which I didn't like at all. Suddenly, he grabs one of my arms and begins to run.
"Ugh! Not this again!" What the hell was he plannign now?
We stop after a couple of miles which were mostly spent on stairs in an abandoned building. Haruko's speed is unbelieveable. I almost fell, and I doubt Haruko would've noticed if I actually did. He probably would've kept running and drag me along side of him.
"I thought...you said...we...were gonna...take a break...from training!" I try to catch my breath.
"We're here just on time." I stop panting and look up at Haruko. His back was facing me, looking out of the window at something. Curious, I look over his shoulder to see the entire view of the city with the sun is just starting to set.
"Wahhhhh..." I couldn't say nything else while gawking at the perfect scene in front of me. Slowly, I walk up to the window sill to rest my elbows and use my hands to hold me head up.
Haruko smiles and pats my head. "I thought you'd like it." He rests his arms on the window sill, too, and we just watch in silence for a while.
"So...Darius told me today's your birthday." He loved breaking the silence when I actually WANT it.
"Yeah, so?" I don't get what the big deal is about birthdays. It comes up every every or so right? Big whoop. Aren't all birthdays the same? It's just a date. Then again, it's not like I actually had the choice of growing up like a "normal kid".
Haruko leaves me at the window sill and walks into another room. My eyes are still glued to the view, but I couldn't help wondering what the boy was doing.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" I jump from his sudden scream and almost fall out the window. After rebalancing myself, I turn around to yell at him, but find him with something in his hands.
"It's a cake that I bought." Haruko gives me an extra wide grin. "I pick-pocketed a couple of people while you slept yesterday. You're eleven now, right?"
Like an idiot, i stare at the cake without managing to say anything like "Thank you" or "Yes, I am eleven."
Haruko's still grinning. "Well, come on. Blow out the candles before the wind does it for you. Come on."
I begin to walk forward, still not understanding why he bought cake for me. "Uhm...?"
"Blow them out..."
Why would he go through the trouble of lighting them, then have me blow them out? I curve my lips, getting ready to blow.
"WAIT!" I freeze in mid-air."I forgot to tell you to make a wish. Think of one and don't tell anybody what it is or it won't come true. Close your eyes!"
...Okay. Now he's just being scary. I have a feeling I'm supposed to be more excited then he is. I roll my eyes at him before I close them, hoping he'll shut up. Then, I make my wish and slowly blow out the candles.
After Haruko and I eat most of the cake, the both of us return to the window. The sunset makes the city glow beautifully.
"So...what'd you wish for?"
"I wished that...wait." I tear my eyes away from the sky to face him. "You said that if I told you anybody about my wish, it wouldn't come true!"
Haruko chuckles, still staring out at the city. "Well, it's not like anybody but the two of us will know. Don't get so worked up. You dont have to trust me if you don't want to."
His last sentence makes me jump. "I-I didn't mean it like that. I didn't say I didn't trust you. Of course I do. It's just-"
"I'll try not to laugh, okay?" Haruko turns to me with a grin on his face.
Try? -.-" That grin doesn't help convince me either. He'd probably start laughing before I even finish.
I cross my arms and turn away from him."Hmph. I don't believe you." I tilt my head slightly so I can see what his reaction is.
Haruko just gives me a small smile and turns to face the sunset again. I was expecting him to laugh and call me a name at least. I sigh and join him once again on the window sill.
"I wished..."I begin to tell him, but blush and turn my head away from him before finishing. "I wished that I could spend the rest of my birthdays...with Haruko like this."
It's only been a couple of days, but I've began to care for Haruko as much as I care for Darius. Something about him just made me feel...comforted. Safe. Like I've known him all my life, even though I haven't seen him since yesterday. Just knowing he was somewhere near by to protect me if I needed. Maybe that's the real reason why I wanted to train Haruko; to be even closer with him.
I suddenly feel his hand under my chin, gently tilting my head to face his.
"You're just too cute." I'm too entranced by his eyes to even blush at his words. But, my eyes soon notice his coming closer and closer towards me and I snap back. What is he...?
I stand there clueless while his face is only a few inches away from mines. I finally realize that he's about to ... kiss me and my eyes widen in shock. All I could do was just stare at him as he came closer and closer.
He stops short a couple of centimeters from my face. "You don't want a kiss."
I could feel his breath blow against my lips as he talks and I stop breathing. "N-no. I mean...yes...but..n-no. Uhm, I mean-" AIKO! You idiot! You're the biggest dork ever. STOP STUDDERING! He's just a boy!
"Close your eyes."
I shut my eyes hard, waiting for his lips to press against mines...but instead of feeling the softness of his lips, I feel pain in my cheeks. Shocked by the pain, I open my eyes to see Haruko smiling evilly, pinching my cheeks.
"You're too gulible, too." He let go and I quicklly lift both my hands up to rub my cheeks. I feel them turn red, but not just from the pain.
"W-what..." I'm so embarrassed and angry, I don't even know what to say. "What the hell...was that! You...idiot!"
My sudden burst of anger makes Haruko jump a little, but I don't care. I can just feel the rage building inside. He's right. I am gulible.
He can sense how angry I am. "Hey...I was just kidding." Haruko reaches out, but slowly and carefully as if he's scared I'm going to bite him.
I'm still standing there, burning mad. I feel tears ready to pour out, but I hold them back and begin to wonder...why...am I so upset? It was just a...well, it was just going to be a...kiss. A meaningless one from this...asshole. It wasn't meaningful to me...right? I was too deep in thought to notice Haruko's arm around me. He begins pulling me towards him.
"Hey...hey. I'm sorry. I was just kidding, okay?" Suddenly, he kisses my forehead.
The shock snaps me out of my deep thought. I look up at him in confusement, raise a hand to my forehead, and blush.
"You wanted a kiss right?" His eyes stare right into mines. "Now, don't bite me, okay?"
Both his arms wrap around me and he tightens his grip. I'm still standing there like a dumbass, with one hand on my cheek and another on my forehead. If somebody were to step in right now...they'd probably think I'm a complete idiot. But you know what? I don't care how stupid I look. All I care about right now...is being in his arms. His warmth. I lay my head on his chest and we stand there for a while.
"...Aiko..." I look up at him, expecting something sweet to come out of his mouth. "...you know I was lying about it being okay if you told me about your wish. It's never going to come true now. Why didn't you listen to me the first time?"
...-.-"
Why can't he learn to keep his mouth shut!
"I HATE YOU! You ruin EVERYTHING!" He immediately lets go of me and runs away. I quickly grab a piece of the cake that was left over and chase after him. Of course, Haruko's laughing his ass off like he's having the time of his life.
"If you HATE me so much, why did you cry when I didn't give you a kiss, huh? CRY BABY! NEHHHH!" He stops to stick his tongue out at me like the immature brat he is.
"UGH! SHUT UP! I DIDN'T CRY! I'M GOING TO CUT OFF YOUR TONGUE AND ARMS AND THEN YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO DO? SOW YOUR MOUTH SHUT!"
Haruko only laughs harder. "So you can kiss them without me moving away, huh? Well, too bad cause then you won't be able to french!"
I finally catch up to him and raise my arm, ready to throw the piece of cake at him. I miss, of course, and he almost falls on the floor from laughing too hard. I pretend to be angry, cross my arms, and turn away from him. His laugh finally dies out and he ends up right behind me. To make sure I won't attack him, he grabs hold of my arms.
"As long as I'm alive, I'll always be with you for your birthday." He leans closer to my ear and his voice turns to a whisper. "It's a promise."
One of his hands let go of my arm, but his other tightens. "We gotta get back now." He pulls me with him as he starts running back to where we left May, Ri, and Ioa. It's going to be a long way down the stairs, but..I think it's going to be be worth it. I look at the boy running in front of me. Just being able to be this close to him...it was nice.
(A/N: Is this going off kinda fast? xD. Oh welll. I started writing chapter five, too. OO. Gasp. It's only cause I've got nothing better to do while babysitting my cousin. SHE KEEPS BUGGING ME WHILE I'M TRYING TO WRITE! T-T. Five year olds. -.-")
