A/N: I think I got ill from hospital duty; I surprisingly got a fever after 13 years living off without having one. It fluctuated from 38.3 to 38.9 and went down to 36.7 the next day… and now it's at 37.3. Okay, my body's immune system is officially insane. XD
Ah, I also prepared a lengthy chapter for you, my dear readers— I was supposed to upload this last night, but for some reason, FF's server was down and I couldn't get to my account.
But enough about me and my pointless sharing.
Without further ado, I now present to you the 8th chapter of A Different Kind of Torture!
CHAPTER EIGHT
Himitsu
It's been three months since Feitan crashed into Aki's humble abode.
Three months of food heaven and change for Feitan.
Three months of hell for Aki.
And three months of no progress in regards to how Feitan was supposed to return to his world.
Today was a Sunday; a free day wherein Aki was supposed to spend in peace. A weekend wherein she was supposed to enjoy playing games alone.
But when a certain someone called Feitan is living with you, peaceful days of solitude unfortunately do not exist.
And here they were, seated on the floor of the living room, a variety of video games scattered about and surrounding them.
"Why won't you just let me win already?" Aki whined as she felt tempted to throw the controller at the screen. She has lost for the nth time and counting now in Tekken II.
Feitan smirked at her underneath his bandanna, delighted at his victory.
And in relevance to his scoring with Aki, it was currently a 100-15, the 15, being those rare days that Aki actually got on his nerves.
And for the few days when she was on her period, by which honestly, Feitan wouldn't like to remember.
At all.
Despite the torturer he was, he felt disgusted and certainly did not want 'flying' bloody napkins being thrown at him whenever he chose to pester Aki during her PMSing.
Or even get near her at all when she was at the peak of her period.
He actually remembered her crying in pain once due to dysmenorrhea, as she would call it— by which he actually enjoyed watching her.
He also recalled the time when he was a bit rough on her during her period when he grabbed her arm as soon as it completely healed.
The next day a big bruise formed on it, earning a scowl and threat of 'no cooking' from Aki.
So basically, whenever Aki is concerned, ultimate dominance was out of the picture— that is, whenever she was on 'those days'.
Based on his unfortunate experiences, he could actually come up with a theory that a girl could become a boss when she was on her period.
Moving back to their current situation, Feitan was pleased at the scowl Aki was pulling off right now.
"You just too stupid to win, girl." He emphasized the word girl, fully aware at the fact that she hated being called so.
Aki had to restrain herself from pulling her hair out as she glared at Feitan, completely frustrated at how good he was in video games. The man merely smirked at her in response.
Finally giving up upon realizing that it was not worth it to continue on with their pointless taunting and argument, she stood up.
"Tch. It's so frustrating. To think that I was a bit better than Taka in playing these games. I guess a girl just can't have it all."
Feitan stared at the girl amusedly as she walked towards the direction of the kitchen, briefly remembering the name Taka.
Taka, the so-called boyfriend of Aki.
Taka.
Taka.
'Ah, so he might be opponent in arcade a few months ago' he mentally stated, briefly remembering why the name seemed so familiar to him.
Feitan was left to his thoughts as Aki proceeded to the kitchen to get some snacks; they have been playing games the whole afternoon, by which, much to Aki's dismay, she hasn't won a single game.
As she opened the cupboard to reach of a big bowl and bags of a variety of chips, she sighed.
"Speaking of which, it has also been three months since Momo and I actually talked to each other comfortably. She always seems to avert her eyes whenever she speaks."
'Also, I never got a concrete answer from her whenever I asked her if there was something wrong, or if she was hiding something from me.' She silently added.
As she emptied the contents of the chip bags into the bowl, she wondered about how she should approach her best friend.
"Hn. I could always ask some advice from Feitan though." She mused.
But she suddenly pushed the thought aside as she remembered how the man in concern actually wanted her to suffer, not help her in any way possible.
Though he obliged her to help him.
She then briefly remembered the conversation she had with him regarding school.
'He was about to mention something that started with the letter N, but suddenly stopped midway.' She thought, making her wonder if whatever he was supposed to say at the moment was something related to why he was mysteriously brought here.
This also reminded her how Feitan hasn't told her the whole story of his sudden appearance yet. She was somehow offended at the fact that the man still didn't trust her enough with his dilemma, or even history.
"I guess it can't be helped that he doesn't trust me though; I myself haven't shared with him my life story, save for the bits of information here and there."
But still, she had to learn about it sooner or later if he wanted her to be able to help him to the fullest, she thought.
In all honesty, she also had the right to know, since he was practically a freeloader in her house.
She then grimaced at Taka's recent behavior. After visiting her to walk her to school, his presence suddenly vanished out into thin air again, never responding consistently to her messages. If ever he did reply, it would be vague texts such as a short, "Sorry" or "Busy right now".
As much as Aki hated to admit it, she was leaning towards the suspicion that something might be up.
She tried to avoid thinking negatively of the situation no matter what, but her doubt and constant worry was leading her to the possibility that her best friend and boyfriend might be hiding something from her, with their strange behaviors and all.
She suddenly stood up, with the bowl of chips in her once-broken arm. She had decided upon her resolve.
"No matter what, I have to confront Momo, then Taka afterwards. I need to get to the bottom of this once and for all."
Feitan, on the other hand, decided to roam around the living room after feeling bored without the presence of his 'weak opponent', as he calls it.
He looked at the side table that held rows of pictures, mostly of Aki. He was amused at the different expressions the girl had in the pictures, which ranged from her birth to what she looked like right now.
He snickered at one picture of Aki when she was eight years old, hugging her katana in one hand, and making a 'peace' sign in the other, which was topped off with her wide smile that showed her two missing front teeth.
Feitan immediately took the picture out of its frame and hid it in his pocket, planning to use it as blackmail material or simply just whenever he felt like embarrassing her.
'Stupid girl is stupid' He was laughing maniacally in his head, proud of his small achievement, when Aki entered the living room, one hand carrying a large bowl of chips.
Aki raised an eyebrow at Feitan as she saw him suddenly face her, looking as if he had done something sneaky behind her back.
"Uh, what are you doing?" she cautiously asked.
Feitan didn't respond as he merely glared at her before vanishing in a blur, suddenly reappearing in front of her and swiftly grabbing the bowl at the same time.
Aki scowled as he proceeded to move farther away from her and empty the contents of the bowl.
She scowled at the act as she angrily said, "Hey that was supposed to be for us to share, not for someone to wolf it down alone."
'And why the hell aren't you gaining any weight when you eat so much like a damn glutton?!' she mentally shrieked, horrified and intimidated at his seemingly 'amazing' ability to not get fat.
The man in concern ignored her as he continued to swiftly eat much to Aki's dismay, until all that was left were crumbs. He looked at her mischievously as he aimed the bowl for her head, which, unfortunately, was ducked by Aki at the last minute as soon as she bent down to get a random video game after giving up attempting to claim her share of the food, before looking up at him.
"Hey, do you want to play this game next?" she absent-mindedly asked, completely oblivious that she had just angered Genei Ryodan's torturer once again.
Feitan narrowed his eyes at her as his thoughts lingered on the option of breaking her other arm for a change just to spite her.
But that idea was thrown off the window as he remembered the risk it catered.
He hated to admit it, but once Aki's broken arm finally healed, her cooking stooped up to a whole new level, being more delectable and delicious than when her arm was broken.
Aki stared at him after hearing no response from her game companion, her mind wandering off to a different topic.
'Something doesn't seem right' she thought as she stared at him harder, trying to find what was off with him.
Feitan saw this and was not pleased; he hated people staring at him.
"What your problem? Why you staring?" he coldly asked.
Aki didn't respond as her tongue protruded to the side of her mouth, eyebrows furrowing in deep thought while she had her thumb rested against her chin.
He was somewhat amused and annoyed at the same time at the girl's expression, and was about to flick her forehead when she suddenly smiled in a "Eureka!" expression and punched her fist to her other hand's open palm, much to the confusion of Feitan.
"Hey, you've been wearing the same clothes for months now, haven't you?" She suddenly asked out of the blue.
Feitan's right eye twitched as she slyly grinned at him, feeling tempted to tear off that annoying smiling mouth from her face.
"I laundry clothes every night" he stonily answered, stepping forward as a warning for the girl to not press his buttons.
Aki however, did not take the hint and pressed further.
"And the shorts you wear at night? The stolen shorts owned by the amazing me rather. I'm presuming you do the same too in the morning?"
Feitan glared at her in response, desperately hoping for her to just shut up.
However, that was not to be the case for today.
Aki's eyes twinkled as an idea popped up into her mind, making Feitan feel a twinge of anxiety gradually building up in his system.
'I think it was mistake to let this girl live' he grimly thought as he imagined himself mentally murdering the girl, torturing her in the worst and most gruesome way possible.
He suddenly felt the immediate need to cover his ears with his hands as Aki started to grin wider and announce her 'brilliant' idea.
"Then let's go out shopping! My treat."
Oh how bad Feitan wanted to rip her to shreds then and there.
"What do you mean they pushed through with the plan?!"
Kurapika was literally shaking in anger as he shouted into the phone, earning a soft yelp of fear from the other person on the line.
Leorio flinched as his blonde-haired friend fumed in frustration, mad at the two kids' hasty decision and plan.
"Gon just called me a while back and asked if I wanted to assist them with their search. Surprisingly, Killua let him do as he pleased. He probably was too stubborn to take 'no' for an answer." He calmly responded.
'Just because a certain someone refused to help'. He silently added.
Kurapika pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought about what to do; he panicked at the fact that Killua and Gon were practically walking towards their graves, now that Kuroro has his Nen back.
There was no reassurance that their nen wouldn't be stolen, or worse, leave them in peace and alive.
After all, they were friends with the chain user who was the cause of their misery, the fall of their other comrades— by which that said chain user was him.
The silence on the other line was too long for Leorio's comfort as he anxiously spoke.
"So what's the plan? I think it'd be best if you start chasing after them now, and possibly stop them. I tried myself but they just wouldn't listen, or rather, Gon wouldn't listen."
Kurapika sighed as he weighed his options.
Option #1: He could always persuade Gon on dropping the plan since his life was at stake.
Option #2: He could somehow restrain them and restrict them from pursuing the Genei Ryodan further.
Option #3: He could come with them instead and ensure their safety, endangering his own life in the process.
Somehow, he felt that Option # 1 seemed impossible; this was Gon they were talking about.
Option # 2 also felt impossible to do; it would be cruel of him to forcefully restrain them— plus, friends don't physically hurt each other, let alone use force to have it his way.
Option # 3 seemed the riskiest of all, but it wasn't like he had any other choice that would actually work, right?
"Fine. I'll try to persuade them— no, Gon rather, personally first. If they still won't budge, I will be left with no choice but to accompany them, by which you could also come if you want."
'The more the merrier' he grimly thought. He also decided that it would be better if he had more comrades by his side in numbers; it would also increase the chance of a successful strategic planning in taking on the Genei Ryodan. He glanced sideways at Senritsu, who was standing beside him, somewhat worried about the erratic and anxious beats his heart was pulsating at the moment.
Leorio sighed in response. "Count me in then; can't risk losing Gon and Killua. We might be hunted by the irresponsible father and murdered by the twisted older brother if they suddenly disappear elsewhere to the point of no return."
"Don't touch me stupid woman. Or you get hurt." Feitan threatened, glaring as he grabbed Aki's wrist before it even made contact with his arm.
They were currently in a shopping mall, and people were staring at them as if they were some love-quarreling couple.
Couple.
He could almost feel the bile rise to his throat as he twitched at the thought; it honestly disgusted him.
Aki frowned but complied, making sure never to touch the said man again— or else she might face the dire consequences of doing so.
"Okay fine sorry chill. Frown some more and you'll look like an old man." She joked, sweat-dropping at the sudden thought that what she just said right now might be another taboo for Feitan.
Sometimes, she wondered about how old Feitan actually was. In her eyes, it seemed as if he was just a year or two older than her.
Or maybe she was the older one.
The said man glared at her in response; he honestly just wanted to get this over with— shopping was never his thing.
Shopping.
Screw shopping, he thought. Thieves steal, not shop.
Aki's attention drifted off to a store they passed by, making her swiftly turn around and walk back to the direction they came.
"Wait. Wait a minute there's a sale?! How am I not aware of this?!" she squealed as she ran towards the store, much to Feitan's amusement and confusion.
He silently followed her, internally cursing himself for giving in to the girl's wishes.
He'd rather be somewhere else, committing murder or possibly lounging at his own sanctuary— which is the living room, and read Trevor Brown books.
But then again, he had no choice but to comply, since he indeed was lacking clothes.
And he was starting to cringe at the task of laundering his clothes every single day.
Laundering every single day.
Yup, that was so not Feitan.
As he entered the black rock-themed store, he was somewhat interested in the clothes it catered.
It catered clothing accessories that were in black, black, and more black— and he liked it.
He somewhat lost track of Aki as she zoomed towards the aisles, seemingly searching for something. Feitan entertained himself by checking out the clothes that were on sale; he was somehow tempted to steal them but then again, remembered that Aki would be paying for him and insisted that it was her treat.
Her treat.
Paying for him. For free.
For free.
He smirked as a he immediately devised a plan to spite the girl.
After eyeing the basket situated by the entrance for a moment, he swiftly took one and started dumping clothes on it— clothes that were to his liking of course.
While Feitan was busy filling up his basket with clothes, Aki was swooning over the band shirts that were on display.
"Slipknot Chelsea Grin Whitechapel Versailles Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas crap everything is finally available! And on sale!" she exclaimed, hearts seeming to form in her eyes.
She ran along the aisle giggling like a small child on Christmas morning, filling her basket just the same way Feitan did.
After staking her claim on almost more than half of the band shirts available, she moved towards other clothing such as punk shorts and skirts, creepers, thigh high converse shoes, thigh high punk boots, two gothic Lolita dresses, tons of tights and thigh-high socks, as well as more than enough accessories.
Including CDs, new electric guitar strings, a new guitar strap, and headphones.
Apparently, Aki was a legit and official shopaholic, despite the fact that she looked and acted like a tomboy.
And when it came to shopping, she certainly spared no expense.
But that piece of information is yet to be discovered by Feitan.
After half an hour of being left to their own devices, they finally met up at the cashier, by which Feitan arrived 15 minutes earlier than her.
He actually was close to murdering her in public right now— no one makes him wait.
Absolutely no one.
But then again… here he was, waiting.
'If only I could steal and get away.' He mentally cursed himself. As much as he would like to have things his way, he realized that this world catered to the safety of its citizens to the fullest. He can't risk getting delayed by people, the police rather, by pointlessly arresting him.
And as much as he despised admitting it, he couldn't tarnish his image— Aki's reputation would be affected as well, since she is the only person who is seen with him in public.
Well… not that he had any other person see him with someone else in public.
Besides, he had murdered people a bit too much by now; a little more and his so-called murders would finally reach the news.
He grimaced at his current restrictions and limitations; never in his life had he felt so weak, or at the level of common people.
Aki was grinning stupidly as she started to set four large baskets on the cashier area.
It actually surprised Feitan at how the girl was surprisingly strong, being able to carry four full and large baskets in one go.
Aki, seemingly able to read his mind at the moment, cheerfully said, "Oh, wondering about my strength? It's called the shopaholic's adrenaline rush; I only get this strong whenever I'm shopping though. Where are your purchases by the way?"
Feitan's eyes narrowed at the girl, frustrated that his own plan had backfired once again.
He actually planned to shop more than necessary to give Aki's wallet a run for her money; but it seemed that it was actually the other way around.
The said girl just had to shop more than him.
He felt angered and stupid at his miscalculation, earning another point for Aki in his own little 'game'.
He pushed her roughly to the side as he dumped his basket next to hers— two baskets, apparently.
Aki was yet again oblivious to the rising frustration and anger of the little sadist, as she cheerfully hummed a tune, handing out her credit card when the cashier asked for it.
Surprisingly, it was a jet-black credit card.
Upon seeing the said card, Feitan's eyes gleamed at it with interest.
It was black. Feitan loved black. And it seemed to have an unlimited amount of money.
He actually made a mental note to steal it from Aki one of these days.
The cashier raised an eyebrow at them both before turning towards Aki.
"You have such great tastes, Miss. Is he your younger brother?" she smiled, pleasantly opening up a conversation with Aki.
Aki swore that the temperature just dropped a couple of degrees as soon as the cashier said the words, 'younger brother'.
Feitan glared at the cashier and took a step to strangle her when Aki interfered and dumped their bags of purchases on him.
She nudged him towards the exit and hurriedly bid good bye to the cashier, leaving her in confusion.
Upon leaving the store, Feitan was tempted to come back inside and murder the woman, but forcefully restrained him from doing so.
Doing something inhumane in this world would not only affect him, but Aki as well, he chanted in his mind.
Aki could feel his foul mood surrounding him, almost seeing a dark aura enveloping his presence as she tried to calm him down.
'Well, his anger could be understood though, no one wants to be mistaken as a little brother— especially not him.' She thought, worriedly looking at her companion.
While Feitan was working hard at calming himself down (for the good of the community and for both of his and Aki's sake), which he was supposed to be good at, Aki spotted a nearby café that catered to sweets— her favorite.
Taking the risk of possibly pleasing Feitan to get him out of his foul mood, she pointed to the said store and spoke.
"Hey, I think we should eat over there for a sec. We've been shopping and walking for more than an hour now, and it's a bit past dinner time already."
The man in concern glared at her with a 'talk-some-more-and-I'll-kill-you' look.
Besides, what he wanted to eat right now was a decent meal, not some sweets from that sugary girly café, he thought.
He cringed at the thought of actually having to sit on one of those comfy couches.
Aki attempted to ignore his lack of response and continued to go towards the direction of the café.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I need some sugar rush. And in case you were wondering, they also cater to other foods like pasta and heavy meals."
Feitan gave up trying to resist as soon as he felt his stomach grumble once again, finally silently following the girl with the bags in his arms.
Sometimes, he actually hated himself for getting hungry often.
And speaking of bags, it was actually a surprise he held on to them without protest.
But then again, it would probably because of the fact that he was currently fuming and forcing himself to calm down right now.
After hearing the door open with a 'clink' of the bells attached, they were welcomed with pleasant smiles from the staff, as well as the mixed savory-sweet smell wafted off by the food served.
Aki felt herself being enveloped with good vibes once again as she proceeded towards a booth situated in the corner.
Feitan was left with no choice but to follow, since he himself had never been to such a place before; it was too foreign to him.
A waitress in a maid outfit approached them and handed them each a menu as soon as they settled down on the comfy couch, seated across each other.
Aki immediately browsed through the menu, smiling like a sick girl in love.
Feitan glared at the menu with disgust, his hands twitching at the temptation to rip it to shreds— who even has girly designs with cute bunnies all over in their menu?
Rolling her eyes at the sight of Feitan looking at the menu as if it was some enemy that has to be exterminated, Aki broke the awkward silence by smiling apologetically, feeling partially guilty for dragging him out of the house so suddenly— it was actually the first time ever since Feitan came that he stepped out of the house to do something so 'human-like'.
"Hey, I want to be in a truce with you right now. I'm sorry. But really, you have to order something. It could at least be my way of trying to make it up to you ya know."
He narrowed his eyes at the girl— the girl who was the cause of his current misery. How he really loved to just murder her right now and make her cry.
Aki sighed at his response; nothing has really changed between their relationship these past months that they've been living under the same roof.
Well, probably aside from the fact that Feitan became a bit less violent than before, and that he was more open in pestering the girl.
As she was about to give up and order ahead, the small man suddenly spoke.
"I want lasagna, whole platter."
Smiling, both surprised and relieved at finally hearing his response, enthusiastically called for the waitress, by which she blushed when she approached them, stealing some subtle glances at Feitan, much to the annoyance of the latter.
"What would we be having for this evening, Mistress?"
Ignoring the glares Feitan was currently giving off to the poor waitress, Aki smiled warmly and replied.
"I would like a cup of Earl Grey tea and a piece of Strawberry Shortcake please. And a whole platter of lasagna for my companion."
"Would the gent like to accompany his… meal with a drink?"
Feitan temporarily removed his glare from the woman and swiftly scanned the menu, before answering with a silent but deadly, "Bottomless iced tea"
The waitress ignored his deadly glares and smiled sweetly, gently retrieving their menus and proceeding to go towards the counter.
It was actually a miracle that Feitan responded.
It must be the anticipation of food.
Neither of them spoke until their food was served.
As soon as the plates were placed in front of their respective owners, Aki squealed in delight as she dug in her food, rather, cake.
"Strawberry shortcake is the best~!" she crooned while letting the soft sponge cake seemingly melt into her mouth.
Feitan, on the other hand, did not respond but swiftly ate his meal, feeling contented at its taste.
'It's almost good as brat's cooking' he thought, as he dug in.
Soon after, when both were done eating, the awkward atmosphere once again returned.
Aki was now running out of ideas on what topics to talk about; this was actually her first time being with Feitan for this long— a whole day at that.
Feitan had a lot of questions in mind, now that his anger and annoyance at the girl was seemingly gone: the custom, the weirdness of her world, how to get back; but of course, he wouldn't and couldn't ask those out loud, at least not now.
Even after the waitress decided to take their finished plates and hand Aki the bill, neither of them still exchanged any form of conversation.
'Now this seems awkward.' Aki thought. She was honestly really close to sharing with Feitan her life story; he's been practically living with her now, and despite how he looks, he certainly doesn't look like someone who'll spill, she silently added to herself.
She thought about the pros and cons of trusting him; well, either way, he still has the capability to kill her as he pleases.
That is unless… he trusts her too.
'Besides, you've never felt totally alone since he came, haven't you?'
'Suck it up. It isn't that much depressing once you had another person living with you. Is it?'
Aki sighed as she weighed her options; it was really hard to decide.
But as Feitan's patience wore thin— his want to get out of this place and return to the solitary confinements of home and was about to stand up, Aki made her resolve and decided to try to be open to someone else aside from Taka and Momo once and for all— her gut feeling had said so too.
"Wait."
Feitan narrowed his eyes at the girl but didn't respond, prodding Aki to continue.
Aki anxiously looked at her lap as her hands tightly gripped the edge of her skirt.
"I think it's about time I shared with you my story."
The sadistic man's glare softened as it was gradually replaced by amusement and curiosity. No matter how much he denies it, there was a small part of him that somehow wanted to know about the girl; there was just something different in her that made her not seem the happy and innocent girl she seems.
'Besides' he thought. 'I could torture girl with her memories when I want to.'
He snickered at the thought of plotting something against Aki once again.
Aki sweat-dropped at his reaction; maybe it will be a mistake to tell him after all.
Feitan stopped after a while and mischievously looked at the girl. "Continue."
Aki sighed as she tucked a strand behind her ear, showing her numerous ear piercings.
"Okay, this is going to be hard but…"
An hour and a half later, Aki told her whole life story to a stranger, or rather, an acquaintance, as Aki would now call it.
Feitan, upon hearing everything, was a bit surprised at the girl's experiences. Sure, he had his own fair share of hardships. But Aki… in his vocabulary, he just saw her as some aloof and dumb girl.
That was why he felt delighted at hearing this piece of information— not because he was happy to be trusted, but because her sharing served as additional information for him to be able to manipulate the girl once he saw the need to do so.
Since, he thought, bad or traumatic memories tend to be a weakness of almost every single person.
Also, he could always use the said information against her once he is in a pinch, he thought.
Aki was surprisingly calm as she finished her story; not even a single tear fell from her face, nor was there a frown encased.
'I have to be strong; I can't let the memories keep me down.' She mentally reminded herself, also deciding that she wouldn't want to look weak in front of Feitan.
She actually hated looking weak in front of other people in general.
"You look strong girl even you stupid" Feitan mockingly said as he stood up, finally leaving all of the bags behind for Aki to carry, much to the girl's dismay. It seems that his awareness was heightened once again now that he was calm… and full from the meal he just ate.
Aki groaned at his actions and dejectedly carried them all, making her look like she had a puffy skirt on, since she held bags on both arms.
They exited the café and were about to go home when someone caught Aki's attention.
Feitan wondered at what the interruption was now; all he wanted to do now was to go home and sleep— he's been out for too long now, he thought.
But he suddenly stopped and turned in curiosity as well as soon as he saw who Aki was calling.
"Momo-chan!"
Momo, Aki's best friend, turned around, her eyes widening in surprise.
Aki briefly forgot about Feitan's presence as she immediately ran to her friend and gave her a bone-crushing hug.
"Hey! Fancy seeing you here. What are you up to right now?"
Momo smiled, gently hugging Aki in return; she still felt a bit awkward.
"Nah, nothing much. Just visiting my sister in her boutique that's all."
Aki finally released her to take a good look at Momo. "I see. Well… you actually look stunning in that dress you know." She grinned.
Momo grinned back in return. "Of course; can't have a girl not get dressed up 24/7!"
Aki smiled at her best friend, before briefly remembering that she was meaning to talk to her properly regarding her strange behavior.
But before she could open her mouth to say something, Momo suddenly pulled her and put her behind her, making herself seem as if she's shielding Aki from something— no scratch that, rather, someone.
Someone who goes by the name Feitan.
Momo glared at the man; Feitan actually glared back too.
Oh how tempted he was to kill her.
Oh how tempted she was to strangle him.
'The lying little snitch' he disgustingly thought.
'This strange-clothed man looks sketchy' she scowled in her mind, mentally reminding herself to protect Aki from him.
"Hey Aki-chan, who's this guy? Is he your stalker or something?" Momo suspiciously asked.
Small beads of sweat started to form in Aki's forehead as she desperately thought of an answer to come up with; this was actually the moment she'd been painstakingly trying to avoid.
'What should I say?' she thought, panic resonating in her mind.
Should she tell him that he's her long-lost brother?
No wait scratch that, she thought. Momo knew her life story upside down; she knows almost everything about Aki like the back of her hand.
Or wait. She could always tell her that he's her secret lover.
Momo wouldn't get mad, would she?
'But I don't want to be a cheating slut' she silently grumbled in her mind.
Should she just tell him that he's a distant relative instead?
Not one-hundred percent believable, but it's still worth a try.
She opened her mouth to speak. "Uhm, he's—"
But before she was even able to finish her sentence, Feitan cut her in with his ever-famous and so-Feitan response.
"None of your business."
Momo raised her eyebrows and scowled at the man, towering over him.
Thanks to Momo's genes and 5'7" height, Feitan scowled back too.
"Oh really? If it's none of my business, then, would you please be so kind to leave my best friend alone?" She icily said, narrowing her eyes.
After sensing her hostility and over-protectiveness of the girl, he decided to spite her as well.
"No. I live with stupid girl." He smirked under his bandanna, completely delighted at the frown and scary expression creeping up her face.
Aki facepalmed at their exchange; gosh knows how she was going to deal with Momo's melodramatic antics— she'd also get violent sometimes, not to her at least.
Momo slowly turned to her best friend, by which the girl in concern glared at Feitan for a bit before quickly responding.
"I can explain Momo. No, he is not my boyfriend or secret lover or whatever." She shivered at the thought. Her, being paired up with Feitan? Being his girlfriend?
Oh no.
Nope. Never happening in a million years, she thought.
Momo took in deep breaths and tried to calm herself down. There was no way that she'd let out a tantrum in public, despite the fact that she practically is a walking embarrassment every time she opens her mouth.
Feitan looked at the two girls, amused and briefly forgetting his urge to go home.
He realized that they looked so different, and had opposite personalities, but still… they jive together.
He wanted to test out up to how far their friendship would go. But for now, he would let Aki do the talking and confront Momo.
But he was still tempted to know if a cat fight will happen any time soon. After all, the best friend seemed to be hiding something from his stupid house mate.
"I go home now stupid girl" He announced before vanishing into the crowd.
Aki was stupefied that he just left her out of the blue.
'The bastard. Trying to escape interrogation.' She grimly thought as she turned to face Momo.
Momo has seemingly calmed down by now as she was no longer shaking, nor was her face still red.
Aki thought that she would and should do the talking for now.
"Hey, wanna go someplace for a while? So I could properly explain it to you."
Momo silently nodded, still partly surprised from her recent discovery.
Her best friend was living with a stranger.
A male stranger at that.
And she honestly doesn't know how she should feel about that.
"Alright, alright. You really do owe me an explanation missy." She wagged her finger at Aki's face. Yep, she was completely calm and normal right now.
Seemingly.
They sat on a nearby bench, with Aki neatly lining up the shopping bags beside her. She started the story with how she met Feitan (met him passed out in the sidewalk), and took him home to help him (she decided to be a good Samaritan for the day). She then relayed how the man asked if he could live with her for the time being, in exchange of being her so-called 'guard', since she lived alone (nope, she did not tell Momo that she was almost killed when the sadistic man woke up), also adding how Feitan was, well… gay (to make Momo not have any suspicions; Feitan would never have to know that fact, wouldn't he?)
Snap.
A pole by a nearby fence was snapped into two as an angry hand crushed the middle to pieces.
How Feitan was not happy to hear that last line.
Did he really look gay?
He somehow appreciated the fact that Aki did not disclose what actually happened, therefore leaving Momo out of the notion for her to start wondering about where he really came from as well.
But still… did he really look gay?
Was he too much feminine looking?
… should he cut his hair?
He promised himself to give Aki the worst pain possible once both of them got home— well, not that Aki knows that he's still within the vicinity.
Feitan scowled at a male toddler who was gawking at him before swiftly climbing up a tree and observing the two best friends from above.
Meanwhile, Aki found the perfect opening to confront Momo.
"Hey, Momo-chan. I've been meaning to ask this to you for a while now… but… argh how should I say this." Aki whined, attempting to rip her hair out.
Momo became stiff and tense— she knows, she worriedly thought.
Aki took a deep breath and stared at the night sky for support, before fully turning her attention to Momo, looking straight into her eyes.
"Are you hiding something from me?"
Momo's eyes widened at her question. Aki was a very dense person, but here she was, suspecting something of her.
And Aki normally never suspects other people.
Should she tell her the truth?
It's not as if she wasn't feeling guilty already— she actually felt the urge to tell her best friend, nope, no. She couldn't lie to her. At least not anymore.
They've been best friends for more than a year now, and Momo was sure as hell that she wouldn't want to risk their friendship into jeopardy anymore. She felt that she needed to finally tell the truth, and it was now.
Momo tried to combat her fear as she carefully picked out the right words to say.
'Why must it be so difficult to tell the truth? I can't tell her without hurting her feelings. It just seems so unfair.' She sadly thought, as tears gradually sprung to her eyes.
Aki waked her from her reverie as she prodded, gently putting a hand over Momo's. "Well?"
Momo took another deep breath before letting the cat out of the bag.
"Your poor excuse of a boyfriend, Taka, is cheating on you."
Aki's smile dropped as soon as she heard Momo's response.
Thoughts suddenly came back to her, swirling and making her feel suffocated.
Aki felt that same empty feeling, the same feeling that haunted her when both her parents died.
She let out a forced laughed as she playfully hit her best friend on the shoulder.
"You're kidding, right? Gosh Momo-chan, you're such a good actress you know. But you need to do more to get to make me believe in you."
Momo's bangs fell to her eyes as she hung her head low.
"I'm telling you the truth. At least now I am."
"Oh come on, you're such a terrible liar."
"It's true."
"Naah, I'm not buying it. Hey let's get out of here it's starting to feel—"
"I'M TELLING YOU ASADA AKI, HE'S CHEATING ON YOU!"
Momo's outburst silenced the other people who were in the park as them. Aki's hand fell to her side as she stared at Momo, wide-eyed.
She looked at Momo, who now had her head raised and was flushed, tears continuously streaming down her face. That same feeling attempted to well up her system.
Her heartbeat raced insanely as she attempted to keep calm and prevent the tears that were threatening to fall from her tear ducts.
She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed them again, as no words dared to come out.
Aki continued to stare at her best friend, completely bewildered and wondered about what to do. She actually was never expecting this.
Feitan was right.
Wasn't he?
A/N: So… the cat is now out of the bag. Momo couldn't keep it in any longer now, could she?
Ven'aranar Angel: Yeah, she had quite a terrible past hah ._. Aww and thank you. I really appreciate this. :`) Heh I was laughing a bit too when I wrote those lines. XD
SilverSapphire34523: Yup! Machi is the most intuitive of the group, I think. And thank you for another wonderful bunny! :D
Happy Kitty: Indeed he is. Those abs, gah. Aki is one lucky chick. T-T I do hope so too, that is… if he ends up falling for her. XD Heh, your guess is actually correct up to a point. *u*
YADY-CHAN: *glomps you* Yay! Thank you thank you so much. :`) Yeah, by far, I think CH7 was the chapter with the most angst yet. And I love angst. *-* Hihi, to a point your hunch is correct. And about Aki's past… well, let's say that it won't be completely revealed any time soon. I apparently also have this love for suspense hah *u* I know! If I were in Aki's shoes when Feitan pinned her, I'd be like, "Okay take all of me my love!" and welcome him with open arms (Wait. That line seemed a bit disturbing. Jk). Oh gosh now you're starting to give me a nosebleed too! Ugh, now I'm tempted to make a smut chapter. XD
Ruby720: Hah! Well, Momo is indeed lying. And it'd be cute if Feitan actually got to say that to Aki; I wonder how she'll respond. *u* I know! She's so lucky for having to see Feitan's abs in the flesh. T-T
Comments, reviews, suggestions, criticisms and whatnot are very much accepted and highly appreciated, thank you!