Disclaimer: I do not own FY or any of the other characters from any other anime. The day I have my own anime! The world will know… Howz about this one for starter? …(Grinning wide with all 32 flashin', but co- author whispers in ear making author slump to the floor in tears) " Copy righted? Really? Oh no! Tasu-Chan! Help!( faints dramatically)
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CHAPTER 26:
The unexpected…
After the whole emotional session in Tasuki's room, at which both of them laughed their heads off later, Tasuki was down ready and at the table to have his well awaited breakfast.
Driving to the fest, both of them
sat silent.
When he got out though, Tasuki
automatically pulled out his aviator shades from his long coat and
slipped it on with one hand. Arwen noticed that in his long coat,
cool Khakis, open shirt and gleaming orange hair…the way he walked
with style and… the cool way he put on his glasses was very
attractive.
He almost looked like an off duty
officer off of JAG.
"What?" he asked as she
suppressed a giggle.
"Nothing. Those glasses are
awesome on you Shun'u. Almost like commander Harm."
" The JAG guy? That's funny
why?"
"I never thought that I would
end up loving you I mean checking you out like this." She turned
quite pink as he had at the little mistake.
But all hopes were up. If that were true…wouldn't it solve all their problems and be great for the two of them for the rest of their lives…wouldn't that be perfect.
Once they were with the gang
though, there wasn't one chance of them coming together.
Most of the time, he was standing
a little apart from them thinking deeply about something, but
enjoying the boat race at the same time.
Arwen was busy enough explaining to the gang. Though, she noticed that Anya was being cold to Hori all of a sudden.
This was most apparent when Hori asked her a question and Tory who hadn't been listening to this asked her a similar question. She seemed to have completely forgotten that Hori had said something to her and answered Tory's question. Such a hurt look on her best friends face and to see her other best friend being so cold was confusing and hurting to Arwen.
Puzzling over this she looked
around and froze. She began backing away with a look of utter terror.
"Not again." Tasuki staggered
forward as someone bumped into him from the back making him drop his
drink. He only got a glimpse of a light colored flowing skirt and a
denim jacket running away from him looking horror struck in one
direction.
"Arwen?" he turned to look at
the direction she had been staring at looking so frightened and
instantaneously understood why.
"Keiko's Fiancé?
Arwen?" but she had already run off very quickly to a distance.
"Uh! I should have known better!
This is the best place to target her!" he muttered before taking
off after her.
"Come with me!" he grabbed her
hand and they ran faster to the nearest cover, the Cyprus tree.
"This is bad! Not good. Not good at all! I should have thought of this! Darn!" he thrust her into the tree and looked out from behind it covering her.
"Man!" he looked down but she
was already shivering and almost in tears as she stood there
clutching his coat.
"Ari. Why is this guys after
you?" he asked her as gently as he gently held her head. But she
wouldn't stop shivering.
Glancing out from behind the tree
again Tasuki noticed something shining.
"Bloody hell! That brat has a
pistol!" she was shaking uncontrollably.
He just stared down at her face as he stood there holding it between his hands, wondering what he could do to save the two of them.
If we make a run for it now…that guy will shoot us down. If we don't he'll come here and do that. Hell! Why didn't I bring my Tessen along? He swore as he watched the teardrops fall gently down her smooth cheeks.
What can I do? Keiko's
fiancé was getting closer, his eyes on the tree all the time.
Looking down, searching
frantically for an idea he remembered seeing a movie. The saint.
"Arwen! I'm sorry! But this is
for your own good."
The next minute she stopped
shivering and crying at once. Her eyes shot open with shock.
She felt herself being pushed into
the tree gently. Not only that she felt his hand gently cover one
side of her face. Then alone did she realize that this was because he
was over her.
She couldn't believe it…but she was just being kissed by one of the hottest guys in the college, to her surprise, quite passionately though gently at the same time.
The other thing that surprised and shocked her at the same time was that, not only was she giving into what he was doing…she was enjoying herself immensely holding onto this perfect guy that she had wanted to keep with her all life long.
As he expected Keiko's fiancé walked around the tree at the minute and stopped short seeing a young teenage couple kissing pressed up against the tree.
Nodding frustrated, after vain attempts to catch sight of the face of the young girl, he turned and left muttering, "Stupid teenagers! God damn they won't stop even when they're being watched!"
Hearing him walk away, Tasuki tore
himself away from Arwen and peered over her, though holding onto her
at the same time.
Her eyes shot open at once. She
stopped trembling though she was utterly shocked.
"Tasuki what the hell-" she
wasn't allowed to complete that sentence being silenced by Tasuki a
second time, after he muttered. "Doesn't this guy ever quit?
Really sorry about this Arwen!"
Only this time…though she was thoroughly enjoying herself she started to remember dreadful memories of her past with Yue…times like this with him she wanted to forget. All of it came flooding back, right down till the minute he died in front of her eyes. To follow that Keiko's murder came into view very vividly!
This brought her tears of sadness
though she found herself yielding to Tasuki's gentle compulsive
movements in her own mouth.
It was quite a while before the
guy decided they really were stupid teenagers when they wouldn't
stop making out even when they were being watched so intently and so
up close.
It was also a while before Tasuki realized the real meaning of what he was doing and why he did it instead of facing the guy like he normally would have. He was faster than any normal man he had known. Running away with Arwen on his shoulder would have been a piece of cake, done totally undetected…yet he knew now that inside he had really wanted to be in this situation with Arwen.
Then it hit him. Even as he was standing there thinking of all this…he was kissing the girl of his dreams right then. Finally he tore himself away from her after trying not to enjoy what he was doing too much.
To his second shock, she was in
tears. Lots of em.
She dropped to the ground on her
knees and began to cry hard into her hands.
"Arwen! Ari. Are you ok? Ari!"
he dropped to his own knees in front of her and caught her shoulders
trying to shake her out of it.
"Arwen!" She just looked up at him with her
eyes shut when he held her head, "I'm sorry Yue! But I had
to!"
"Arwen." He uttered sadly.
"I need you! I love you and I
need you now! Yue!" she hugged him in the next instant almost
throwing them over.
He wasn't even sure she was
aware that it was Tasuki who was with her and not Yue.
But then…now…he was able to
realize the extent of her love for Yue… and also his affection
for her.
"Arwen…I'm really sorry
about this." He held her in return with all the tenderness he could
posses. "So sorry."
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Looking around he noticed Arwen wasn't around. The second thing he noticed in an instant that he realized Arwen wasn't there was that Tasuki was missing as well.
"Now where the hell are they,"
turning around on his heals Julian stopped petrified, dropping the
can of drink in his hand with the shock.
"Something the matter Juls?"
Tory was about to turn around when he himself swung around and turned
his friend around as well.
"No Tory nothing." But then it
didn't stop him from peering over his shoulder to the Cyprus tree.
Beneath the shadows of the tree he
saw the love of his life in the arms of the orange headed best
friend.
Arwen! Tasuki! How could you! How the hell am I going to stop this! No! then he saw Anya. Walking up to her he talked casually, as if nothing in the world was bothering him too much.
"Anya… I was wondering. Have
you seen Ari around?"
"No actually Julian. I was
thinking about the same. She's disappeared again." Anya was
worried.
"Then I think you know this
place better than all of us. Why don't you look for her? If that's
not asking for too much."
"You didn't have to say it
Juls. I was going to do that just now."
As was the obvious route she made
her way to the main halls of the fest.
Walking past the Cyprus tree she
noticed two people hugging. Curious to know who these people hugging
in public could be she turned around and stopped dead in her tracks.
Unmistakably they were the same
gleaming orange hair and soft brown blonde hair companions.
Turning red she wheeled around and
made her way back to the race.
Seeing her return alone Julian
felt even more let down.
"So… did you find them- I mean
her?"
"Yes and no."
"What?"
"Just enjoy the race will you."
she swung him around as he began to turn towards the Cyprus tree.
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Realizing after a long time that she was at the fest, she stopped fantasizing. Then it struck her as to why she was feeling suddenly fatigued as though she had run really too fast for her own liking.
Then she realized in fact that that was what had indeed happened, and the things that happened while she was with this person under the Cyprus tree, came back with the clearest details.
Oh lord! I just kissed this guy
twice! Tasuki!
At once she wrenched herself from
her cozy comfort zone though she regretted it even before she did.
Both of them realizing the actual
extent of the situation turned not only red but away from each other
as soon as possible.
Getting a grip over their embarrassment they seemed to turn around at the identical minute and said the identical thing. "WE should be getting-"
They stopped mid sentence, but then nodded with understanding that they wanted to be away from this awkward situation in the refuge of their gang.
The race seemed to last long
enough for the two of them to forget about the event partially.
Looking though the shops there as
any good tourist, Tasuki walked around trying his best to avoid Arwen
in any route he took, mainly to avoid her questions and the
embarrassment for the two of them put together. There seemed too
little shops to take cover in now too! What the hell!
AS he was looking at a wooden mask in his hand he heard a soft voice behind him and a hand sliding around him from the back. The softness and the warmth of the person was unmistakably a thing he had wanted to feel since that morning.
"That's a wooden mask for Kathakali. A mask of lord Krishna. But this one is ornamental." He felt a soft cheek pressed up against his shoulder and the hand close in around his waist.
"That's nice." He himself didn't know if it was a comment about the mask or the way she was hugging him. "It feels just as warm as beautiful as it looks."
"Take
it."
"What?"
"Take it.
My favorite god to my best friend. Another cute guy." She smiled up at him
coming to the side.
"You
don't have to-"
"I'm glad
you like it." She pulled him to the counter.
Five minutes later he was walking out of the shop the mask in hand being dragged out by her rather. Automatically he reached in for his sunglasses and slipped them on like he had that morning.
"That
thing really suits you like crazy Tasuki."
"Thanks!
I got a friend with great taste." He grinned.
That tiny
bit of guilt and awkwardness was still there.
"Look
Ari…about the tree thing-"
"You
don't have to explain anything to me Shun'u."
"I don't?"
"No. I completely understand the situations. And besides." She stopped and looked up at him. Boy, he was glad he had his glasses on to hide how deeply he was staring into light brown orbs below him. "I want to thank you for helping me get away from that guy. I have no idea what I would have done without you."
"I heard
you punched that very guy senseless just a few months ago Ari. Why did you run
away from him them?"
"Well…that
night…"
"Yes?" he
asked anxious satisfied that he was finally going to hear the truth from
her.
"The
thing I remember about him now just scares me about something that happened in
the past."
"Oh."
What a bad nose cut. He noticed that she became a little sad and nervous at
once.
"Look Ari… why – I think it's better that the two of us stick together from now." She looked up even more surprised. "Uh- for your own safety, till this fest gets over that is,"
"Oh." He
thought she sounded a little disappointed though. "Okay. Thanks again."
This sort
of pleased him; maybe she did want him in the same way. Whatever, the suspense
was killing him.
"Let's
just go find the others K?" she nodded and took to her habit of clutching his
hand as tightly to her as possible.
In one of
the stores they found the gang
"Hey
Anya. How's this?" Nuriko walked to Anya with a mask similar to the one Arwen
had gotten Tasuki.
"Wonderful.
This is pretty famous in Kerela where I come from. I just wish I had one at
home."
"I did
pick this out for you."
"Oh my
thank you very much Nuriko."
"Hey Hori
wait." Nuriko called out and he stopped mid turn hiding something behind his
back.
"What's
that?" she walked up to him and pulled out the thing he was trying to hide.
It was
awesome. It was a very beautifully crafted boat with little boatmen, from
Kerala, in pure sandalwood that smelt gorgeous and almost glowed like ivory.
"Wow
Hori! Where did you get this?"
"Here."
"It's
awesome. Why didn't I get something like this? Who's it for?"
He looked
to the side hesitantly at Anya, "It's for you Anya."
She looked at him without the least surprise or interest as she held the mask Nuriko bought her in her hands, "Oh thank you very much Mr. Hori. I appreciate it. Nuriko this mask is awesome! Thank you so much, it's the most beautiful thing I've seen."
He looked away really hurt at once.
Nuriko eyed the boat in her hand and the mask in Anya's hand and though she was absolutely crazy to think that the plain mask was anywhere near good to how beautiful the boat was.
"Why
that-" Arwen almost stepped forward angrily when Tasuki pulled her back
hastily.
"Stay out
of this."
Placing
the mask with the other things she had bought in the store, Anya went to look at
some hand-woven skirts.
Looking
as though he had been blasted to a million pieces, Hori walked out of there as
fast as he could.
All of
the others in the gang was in a state of shock to see Anya act like this and
they hastily turned away in any direction they could to avoid the
awkwardness.
"Why that
little monkey!" Arwen wrenched herself away from Tasuki's hold and dragged Anya
out of the store and thrust her into the street.
"What the bloody hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?" she was fuming trying to maintain her anger at the same time.
"What
Arwen?"
"Why're
you so cold to him Anya? Did he say something to hurt you?"
"No,"
"Then Why
the Hell?"
"Don't
get me wrong dear but I might just have a few reasons that I might not want to
reveal."
Arwen
stood there absolutely stunned but her anger was rising by the minute as she
watched Anya looking around like nothing happened,
"What is the matter with you? You were never like this before! What happened between you two? Something must have happened." She was getting more angry at this girl for treating her friend so badly rather than looking at Anya as her own best friend now.
Anya was surprised at Arwen's behavior. She wanted to tell Arwen, her best friend everything then and there, but there were things that made her hold back, she said, "No Arwen. I'm sorry. I know I was wrong. But I still have my own reasons. I just don't want to tell anyone anything now. You have so many things you're not telling me! You don't see me complaining."
"What do
you mean? I told you my most personal secret about Yue! What more do you want?"
Arwen was thunderstruck.
"Well
what about that night Mr. Tasuki brought you home? Or what you were doing
hugging him under that tree?" she asked in a matter of fact tone.
Arwen's
jaw dropped. How did she know about that?
"There is nothing about that to tell! There's nothing about that night either."
"I see.
You're not ready to open up. When you are ready to open up I will too." With
that she swung around on her heels and walked off leaving Arwen
thunderstruck.
Tasuki
was watching all this. He walked out of the shop and she just looked up to him
helplessly. All she could say was, "Why?"
"Probably
a squab." But she still stood there absolutely lost. "Let it go,"
Hori had
been watching all this. He felt bad.He walked
out after this and stopped Anya by her hand.
"Why did
you say things like that Anya? She is your best friend."
"Look Mr. Hori! Like I told her I have my own reasons like a lot of you have your own. And yes it is a problem between my best friend and I. And if you don't mind, I'll take care of things between us just fine. And now if you don't mind. I would like very much to get on with my shopping." She eyed her hand in his.
As a mixed reaction of shock and realization he let go of her hand.He just stood there baffled as to how to react and totally dejected as to the way she was behaving towards him suddenly.
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That day they were in a fix again. Arwen let it to Rahul to take them to the hotel while she sat in the back refusing to even look Anya in the face, with Tasuki who was trying his level best to snap her out of it. Anya was also sitting in the front seat, looking out the window refusing to turn back and talk to her own best friend. The awkward silence there no one wanted to break.
In the
bon fire that night Anya and Arwen were missing. Though they were puzzling over
this they had a good time at the campsite.
A while
later Anya and Arwen returned laughing about something together. This was
surprising indeed to how they were just that morning.
"What?
Friends make up."
To add to
the fun Arwen decided to show the some good old Indian humor. To add to her
delight Rahul paid her a surprise visit too.
"Hello
Prince charming! What're you doing here?" she squealed as she hugged him.
"Well my
love. I wanted to surprise you." he grinned holding onto her like he didn't want
to let go.
This seemed strange to Tasuki and Julian. Did he really mean her to be his love? He never called her my love before.
Going
back Hori felt someone tug at his hand. He froze seeing it was Anya.
Not
knowing if he should say anything at all, he gazed at her hesitantly.
"Mr.
Hori. I'm sorry…" she began hesitantly. "I don't know what happened to me thins
morning. I was thinking about something that made me angry I guess and I became
wild. I shouldn't have talked to you like that. Can you find it in your heart to
forgive me?"
He
blinked then felt her forehead to her surprise. "Are you feeling ok? You're not
sick or something are you?"
She
laughed sweetly at this making him glad at the same time. "Thanks Mr. Hori, but
I'm fine so can you forgive me?"
"Yes
Anya. Of course. Just as long as you Promise me one thing."
"Yes."
"Please
stay with me like you always do." Looking away for a minute she nodded
hesitantly.
With that she took his hand gently in hers and held it close in hers wearing the sweetest and sincerest smile she could give. "Thank you very much Mr. Hori. Your forgiving me means so much."
With
another simple smile she left to her room leaving Hori staring after her
awed.After she
had indeed disappeared from the scene he looked at his hand, which was trembling
slightly and sighed happily. Gazing at the hand that Anya held he went to his
own room.
Unwatched
this scene would have been had Tasuki not watched this from his seat.
Not this again. This is bad for you sire. Why don't you understand that?
Another thing that annoyed him even more…. Rahul. He was standing right there giving Arwen the tightest possible hug he could.
SUMIMASEN! so sorry for not doing this early... there are mainly 2 reasons for it... one, i was very busy till now, two... well i had a software problem... so kindly pardon... read up and let me knoe watcha think ppl... Domo.