Author's notes: Happy New Year to everyone!! First of all, I want to say "thanks" to all the people who read my fanfics. I really do appreciate the time you spend on reading my stories! Thank you!!! Also, I hope I can create more stories this year. Oh yeah, I hope blessings would shower upon us all!!
Notice: I heard there's going to be a Super Gals! Kotobuki Ran Season 2? Uwaaah! If that's true, I hope they give EMPHASIS to the ReiXRan pairing! Oh, I can hardly wait!! Also, Honey and Clover (and its season 2, of course) is very addicting!! I can't help but laugh at myself when I remember the time I prayed for Yamada Ayumi to end up with Mayama Takumi—and the same with Hanamoto Agumi to Takemoto Yuuta (poor Morita Shinobu being left out in my "favorite couples list", but I like him a lot. He's funny!). For those people who love romance, drama, and comedy mixed into one, Honey and Clover is the one for you! Watch it—you'll love it! (I feel like I'm in a TV show advertising something…)
Disclaimer: I don't own Chou GALS! Kotobuki Ran! But I'm proud to say that I once dyed my hair a little red (but it didn't last long) just like Ran's!
(Warning: foul language, sexual implications, suicidal attempts, light lemon, and others may be present in this story.)
This fanfic is written for entertainment purpose only and maybe watching GALS! again isn't necessary. And the story plot is mine, okay?
Previously…
Miyu shook her head. She shouldn't judge the both of them just yet. She needed to hear what Ran and Rei had to say. Of course, her friend has to come first. She looked at the stoic brunet who as well was staring at her, gave him a hard glare and ran away to catch up with her best friend Ran.
Only Rei was left behind, still contemplating on what happened. He placed his fingers on his lips and started tracing its shape absently, deep in thought, as he watched Ran from afar.
"You suck, Kotobuki Ran. I lost an eyelash for nothing."
Give Me a Chance, Chapter 6: Of Rugs, Bloody Handkerchiefs, and Fake Bouquets
Hoshino Aya is an extremely intelligent person. She's smart everywhere, either in the streets or in school. She has the potential to become a really great and powerful person if only she wasn't so shy. Her grades are among the highest in the school (she was going to be the top student until Ran came into her life) and loved by many people. Why would she ask for more?
Yes, she's gifted. But why was she acting like this?
Why was she acting so unsatisfied? Left out?
She was supposed to know something about everything, but she doesn't even know what the hell happened to her boyfriend and to her best friend! She noticed that Ran had been absent for two days now and Rei was always busy with his part-time job. It never occurred to her that there was only one incident why the two didn't want to show up in school or didn't want her to see them.
As Aya pondered further more about her problems, she suddenly felt something light thrown at her. She looked down and saw a piece of crumpled paper beside her shoes. She picked it up and opened it in suspense, looking around the classroom. The teacher was busy writing on the blackboard and Miyu was waving at her, a couple seats away. She smiled a little and looked down at the piece of paper she was holding.
"Let's visit Ran later after school. We should get Rei and Yuuya too... –Miyu"
Aya blinked and looked back at Miyu. She wasn't waving anymore and the teacher turned around to look at his drowsy students. She bent her head and didn't know why she was frowning. She looked at her ketai and sighed. Now there was a problem.
Rei was absent, too. What was going on?
"Cutting classes isn't really good at all." The manager of the shop said to Rei who was working in there. "Something bad happened, like bullies messing with your hair or over-obsessive girls try to run you over?"
Rei cleaned a part of the cash register with a swipe of a rug. "I hope that doesn't happen." He whispered, showing the smallest hint of a smile. "It's far from that. It's rather complicated."
The manager looked at the handsome youth in disbelief. It was the first time he heard Rei say more than one sentence—and actually showed a smile. He shook his head and arranged the things on the shelves. "I remember my youth. I was absent for a whole week in school." He paused to look at Rei who was looking at him. "You know what happened before that? I tried to kiss the girl I liked, who was the school's idol, but she slapped me. It hurt me not only physically but emotionally."
Rei nodded, listening intently.
"I tried to avoid her as much as I can whenever I tried to get out of the house. One day after a week's passed, she saw me and confronted me. She told me that she was only surprised and didn't mean to slap me. I was so happy when she told me I had a chance with her. And that ends with a happy ending. As you see, the girl is my wife. Aren't I lucky?"
Rei smiled. "I guess." He said as he put down the rug he was using on the table.
"So, if it's a problem with a girl you like or love, you two should talk about it. You shouldn't avoid it, because it will become worse. You both have to confront it together." The manager said as he walked in his office.
Rei blinked. Was he that obvious that his manager figured out his problem? He clenched his fists. "What if…" he trailed off.
What if you kissed the girl you liked without warning even though you have a girlfriend?
"What if…what?" the manager asked, waiting patiently for Rei to speak up.
The brunet shook his head. "It's nothing."
The manager just shrugged it off and went inside his office to get something.
But the manager was right anyway. Ran and he must talk about what happened the other day. They need to know what happened—before they jump to other questions.
"I'm such a fool…" he whispered to himself, smiling at his own stupidity.
Just as the brunet was getting ready to leave, the manager went out of his office.
"Rei-kun." He called out, watching as the young man looked back at him. "I heard this friend of yours named Kotobuki Ran has a fever. It's all over the newspapers. She's really popular, huh?" he whispered in wonder.
Rei blinked. She's sick? He looked at the watch and then back at his boss. "Sir, may I visit her? I promise I'll come back quickly." He whispered.
The manager smiled, as if he had been expecting Rei to say that. "You don't need to come back. I'm okay by myself. Now hurry up and go to your friend. She needs you more than I need you here." He joked, laughing. "Tell her to get well soon."
"I will." Rei nodded gratefully and started his motorbike's engine. "Thank you very much, kind sir." He said and sped off quickly.
The manager sighed contentedly, uttering a small, "Ah, youth."
Yamato sighed as he put the tray of food down beside Ran. He sat on a small chair beside her bed and tried to calm her down because of food without any effort. "Honestly, you're supposed to be sick. Why are you acting so energetic?" he mumbled with a sigh.
Ran sat up slowly and leaned on the headboard of the bed. "Come on, it's only a cold. It's really not that bad. You were the one who insisted on me staying in the house." she retorted as she put the spoon full of porridge inside her mouth.
"It's not only a cold," Yamato began, pulling out the spoon out of his sister's mouth. "You have a fever. That's what you get for running and never wiping the sweat off your back." He scooped at the porridge and motioned Ran to open her mouth which she did so gratefully.
"So what? It's only a slight fever. It will go away soon." The chougal said, savoring the taste of the porridge. "Besides, I like to absent from school anyway…especially now." She trailed off, looking at the teddy bear beside her.
Yamato watched as Ran unconsciously handed him the spoon again. "You know…"
"Hmm?" Ran looked up at him from the teddy bear she was holding. "What is it?"
"If there's any problem you want to talk about, just…approach me." Yamato whispered seriously. He looked at his sister's eyes and saw that she was surprised at his sudden out-of-the-blue statement. Without waiting for her answer, he stood up and went towards the door. As he touched the doorknob, he looked at her again and mumbled he was just going to get the medicine. He then opened the door and closed it after he went out of the room.
Ran blinked for a while then lied on the bed afterwards. She looked up at the ceiling and began counting the cracks. Before she reached ten, however, her thoughts shifted to something or someone she didn't want to think about.
Unconsciously, she placed a finger on her lips and traced its shape, recalling the incident that happened the other night. She blinked yet again. She was supposed to be angry at him, but why isn't she feeling any hatred run in her veins? She buried her face on the pillow and squashed her face on it, trying to hold back the tears trying to escape. She wasn't supposed to be teary-eyed; she had to be strong.
"In my mind I keep saying that I hate him and I despise him…" Ran mumbled. "But in my heart—" She paused. Because you participated in it, too. She sat up slowly and in suspense, as if searching for something.
Her attention shifted to her bandaged right knee and then to the study table (she uses this table only for arranging parties and shopping schedules) where a blood-stained handkerchief ripped in half rested. She blinked slowly, unconsciously touching the bandage on her knee.
Flashback…
"Oh! Whatever happened to your knee?" the girls in the class asked when they all saw the bandage around the knee of Ran during lunch break.
"Ah…it's nothing really. I tripped on the cement floor on my way back home last night. It really doesn't hurt much, but—" Ran paused suddenly, her attention shifting to a young man at the door of the classroom.
It was Otohata Rei. He was in their classroom to return the notebook of a student borrowed by his teacher a while ago. As he handed the borrowed notebook to a blushing girl, Ran looked around and didn't see Aya anywhere. When she looked at Rei again, he was looking back at her.
"It must've hurt!" Satsuki exclaimed, touching the bandage.
"Ah!!" Ran winced. "It's still sensitive! Don't touch it!"
"…sorry." Satsuki whispered, drawing back her hand. "But it must've been nice if a Prince Charming found you and carried you all the way back home!" she exclaimed excitedly, the girls around her nodding in agreement.
As they gave their opinions on who should be the prince, Ran looked back at where Rei was standing and was surprised when he was still there. She looked at him directly in the eye, touching her knee slightly.
Rei looked back. He closed his eyes for a moment then opened them once more. He gave a lingering and meaningful look at the chougal and walked away slowly out of her view.
End of flashback…
The rings of the telephone distracted her from her thoughts. She heard Yamato's voice although she couldn't understand what he was saying. She sat up yet again after a minute and grabbed the bowl of porridge and the spoon beside it.
Suddenly, the door opened. Yamato was panting and at the same time putting on his jacket. "I'm sorry that I have to leave you here all by yourself. Someone called me up from the police station and told me to get to the accident site quickly. I promise I'll be back soon." He said, putting the medicine on the tray. "Just rest and take your medicine. Don't watch TV and don't use the computer, got it?"
Ran nodded dumbly as she watched Yamato run out of her room with a quick, "Bye!" She sighed as she looked at the bowl of porridge on her hands, uninterested. She put it down on the tray and lied back down on her bed. She mumbled something incoherent as she pulled the blankets up to cover her body further and closed her eyes.
Suddenly, she smelled something fragrant—like the smell of flowers. She thought she was dreaming. "Wow…that's so cool… I can smell them…" she mumbled. "But… Geez, I can't see them…" She unconsciously rolled over to the other side of the bed then after a second she felt a sudden pain on her cheek, like it was being pinched. She mumbled something incoherent in return.
"You well enough to wake up, idiot?"
Closed eyes were soon wide open as Ran stared at Rei's handsome face above hers. She shrieked loudly and leaned against the headboard, putting her hand above her chest, comically surprised. "R-REI!?" she managed to squeak.
"I thought you were dead or something." Rei just whispered, equally surprised when Ran didn't show any signs that she didn't want to see him.
"You scared the crap out of me!" The chougal exclaimed, pulling up the blankets to her chest, as if she was half naked. "What the hell are you doing here anyway?!" Her heart was beating so fast that it almost hurt.
"It appears that I'm visiting you." Rei replied simply, putting a bouquet of flowers beside Ran. The girl saw the bouquet and she instantly picked it up, smelling them.
"So this was what I smelled in my dream…" Ran whispered dreamily. She wasn't exactly a fan of flowers, but the flowers that Rei brought were beautiful nonetheless.
Rei watched her every move. "The front door was unlocked and there was nobody answering the door, so I just went here." He said.
"Mmm…" She zoned out for a moment before fully understanding that it was Rei that was visiting her. When she looked up at him and their eyes met, she quickly took her gaze away and focused it on the bouquet.
Rei just looked at her, hiding the fact that he was slightly hurt with Ran's actions. He kept quiet and waited for her to say something first.
The bleached-blonde girl played with the petals of one flower. "Thank you for visiting me…you didn't have to." She mumbled. Slowly, she tried to look up at the brunet and focused her eyes at his nose—instead of eyes. "You better go. I know Aya will worry." She forced herself to smile.
Rei's eyes narrowed. "You're really concerned about her, huh…?" He whispered so softly that Ran almost thought that he was talking to himself. His eyes narrowed further when Ran looked everywhere but him.
"Of course…I'm her friend. I should be…"
Rei lifted his right arm and reached out to grab the girl's chin, forcing it towards him, and Ran's eyes jumped back in surprise.
"Look at me when I'm talking at you." Rei said lowly.
"Rei," whispered Ran. She curled her fingers towards her palms. "I can't…" she trailed off, noticing that the handsome brunet was just staring at her.
Rei was rather startled that she had uttered his name so softly, so sweetly. He thought he had the most beautiful name in the world. "Can't what?" he whispered back, squeezing lightly, feeling the bones in Ran's jaws. "…can't talk? That's a new one on me."
"I can't hurt her." Ran finally said and she looked down again.
Silence filled the fragrant and vibrant room of the Shibuya queen.
"…I know that." Rei whispered so softly that Ran almost didn't hear him. "I know that."
Damn. He didn't have to repeat that.
Ran slowly looked up at the handsome brunet. "Aya's leaving soon. I'm trying my best to make her happy while she's here. She will be gone for a while, but for me it's going to be a long wait. I don't want her to encounter any problems whatsoever…" she said while shaking her head. She tried hard not to look away when her eyes met his. "So, maybe, we could just forget about it…?"
Rei just stared at her. He wanted to get up and leave, but he knew he would regret it. What Ran was saying was making him feel so guilty of what he did. He knew he was to blame, but didn't Ran respond back to him when he kissed her? Surely it meant that Ran was feeling something for him. Something…maybe attraction, lust, or love, perhaps…?
"And…we could—" Ran paused, noticing that Rei was acting strangely, shivering, and that he was clenching his fists so tightly. "Rei? A-are you okay? Are you cold? Do you want something warm?"
The brunet slowly lifted his hand again and this time he placed his fingers on Ran's lips to silence her. "I want you to…"
"…eh?"
"…warm me up." He drew in close and wrapped her in his arms, hugging her tightly like he didn't want to let her go anymore. He saw that Ran's eyes had widened because of surprise, but he didn't mind it. He wanted to hug her—just that. After a while, when he didn't feel any response from the girl, he drew back, and saw that the chougal had fainted.
"Ha…ha….ha…ha!"
Rei laughed at himself. He put her back on the bed as gently as he could, pulling back the thick blankets to let her cool herself. He wiped Ran's forehead that had beads of sweat with his handkerchief. He stared at her face again.
"You may not be as pretty as Aya and Miyu, but your heart is the prettiest of them all." He said lovingly as he leaned down to place a kiss on her lips. Feeling like he had stolen something very important, he drew back quickly and stood up. He needed to leave. He needed to leave before she woke up. Before getting out of the room, however, Rei looked back at Ran and saw out of the corner of his eye the torn and blood-stained handkerchief on the desk. He smiled and stepped outside the room.
Suddenly, his ketai rang and he paused to answer it. "Hello? Oh, Aya…" He looked at the wall clock in the living room. "No. I'm still in the store…. You're going to Ran's house to visit her? Okay. I'll arrive in a few minutes. See you later." He put the ketai in his pocket and stepped outside the house.
Rei looked at his bike. He needed to get something for Ran—make it look like that he wasn't the one who visited her first. He smirked to himself.
"The things you do for her… Rei, you devil."
"…warm me up."
Ran's eyes opened on their own. She heard some noises, preferably the voices of two to three people. When her vision cleared, she saw Aya's angelic face in front of her. "Good afternoon!" Aya greeted.
"Oh, she's awake?" Miyu asked and immediately she went over to Ran's bed. "Yuuya! Ran's finally alive again!" she exclaimed happily, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Ran smiled at her two best friends and looked over to where Miyu was looking at. She saw Yuuya looking at something that was on her study table. "Yuuya…?" she rasped.
Yuuya immediately looked at the chougal. "Ran!!" he exclaimed, running towards her. "I'm sorry if I didn't respond that quickly. I was just observing the beautiful flowers."
Ran blinked because of confusion. Why was Yuuya acting so casual with her? Wasn't he avoiding her because she had turned him down? What was going on? And what was with the flowers?
Aya clapped her hands and she giggled when she saw that Ran was gaping at the flowers. "When we came here the flowers were still in a bouquet. It will be a shame if these beautiful flowers will wilt quickly, so I transferred them to a vase. Isn't it lovely?" she asked, proud of her flower arrangement.
Ran nodded and smiled. "Thank you…" When she looked at Miyu, she saw that her friend was looking at her seriously—like she was telling something to her.
"Where did this come from, anyway? Did someone visit you earlier?" Aya probed.
Ran's eyes widened. Was she going to tell her that it was Rei who visited and gave her the flowers? "I, uh…" she stuttered. Wait a minute! The bloodied handkerchief! She quickly looked at the table and it was on the corner. It seemed that nobody noticed it, except—
"Oh yeah, if you're ever wondering, Yamato's just downstairs preparing some snacks. I know that you're hungry!" Miyu said, interrupting Aya and Ran from her thoughts.
Ran released a relieved sigh and she nodded quickly. "I'm so hungry I could eat a ton!" she exclaimed, wanting to look happy for her friends. She didn't have anything to worry about. Nobody paid attention at the table. They were all looking at the flower vase. Thank God for the beautiful flowers!
"Oh yes!" Aya exclaimed, pounding her fist on her open palm. "I bought cookies a while ago. They're chocolate chip cookies. I'm sure you would love them." She paused for a while then stared at Miyu and Yuuya. "I'll help Yamato-san with the snacks. Stay with Ran for a bit." She said and went out of the room.
When Miyu realized that it was Yamato that Aya was going to help, she instantly ran out of the room, eager to be with her boyfriend again. "Wait for me! Aya!"
Yuuya was left alone with Ran. He hated the awkwardness in the air between them. He sighed as he sat slowly and carefully at the edge of the bed. He stared at Ran's eyes that were staring at him too. "I'm sorry." He started.
Ran blinked then smiled a bit. "Why are you saying sorry? You didn't do anything wrong."
Yuuya looked down, placing his hand above her right hand. "I know that you noticed a while ago that I was tricking them." He was relieved that Ran didn't take her hand away from him.
"Tricking?"
"I talked to you casually so they won't know that something's wrong…" Yuuya squeezed her hand. "I'm really sorry that I didn't visit you earlier."
Ran grinned. "That's okay. I won't get upset over a simple thing." She assured him, patting Yuuya's hand that was on top of her other hand.
Yuuya smiled at her. "Thanks…" he whispered and averted his eyes at the flower vase. His eyes narrowed a bit.
"Yuuya? Is something wrong?" Ran asked.
"No, it's nothing." He said quickly, looking at Ran again. He knew the person who gave the bouquet of flowers. He had a gut feeling that it was him—the person who visited Ran a while ago.
The door opened suddenly. Miyu and Aya went inside the room carrying trays of food and drink. Yamato followed after them, kicking the door shut. He noticed that Yuuya and Ran took their hands away from each other and his eyebrows rose, making little wrinkles on his forehead.
"Are you feeling much better?" Yamato asked Ran despite his irritation when he saw the blonde boy holding the hand of his little sister. He put his palm on her forehead.
Ran nodded. "Yeah, I think." She grinned. "Can I eat the snacks now?"
Miyu and Aya laughed together. "When there's food, she always gets better." Aya noted and continued laughing.
"You heard it right!" Miyu said after.
"Hey! Are you two teasing me?" Ran exclaimed then went over to the table where the trays were laying. She looked around, seeing that nobody seemed to notice anything. She quickly grabbed the handkerchief and put it in her pocket. She then instantly picked up a cookie and bit on it. "Mmm! This is good! It's delicious!"
Amidst the laughter and teasing, Yuuya was still pondering about the thing he saw on the table, the flowers, and about him. He really couldn't explain to himself why he was so sure that it was him—a certain and special friend—that visited Ran a while ago. His best friend. His rival.
DING-DONG!
Aya instantly looked up from the cookie she was eating. "That must be Rei! I'll go fetch him." She said and dashed out of the room excitedly.
It seemed that Ran's heart stopped beating for she didn't breathe for some seconds. She ignored the puzzled look that Yamato gave her. Why would he come back? What if Aya finds out that he was in the same room just a while ago—that he was the one who brought those beautiful flowers? What if—
"How beautiful!!" Miyu exclaimed.
Ran blinked, her friend's sudden outburst disturbing her trail of thoughts. She glanced up from the cookie she was eating and then saw a small bouquet of flowers that Aya was currently holding.
"They are, aren't they?" Aya whispered in admiration, sighing at the bouquet. "I told Rei to get something for Ran-chan, but I didn't know he would buy such lovely flowers like the ones in the vase."
Rei suddenly showed up in the room, giving a slight nod at everyone inside. He looked at the vase that Aya was pointing at. "I shouldn't have bought the flowers if I had known that someone else already got them for you…a waste of money." He said as he looked directly at Ran who was gaping at him.
"Well then, Rei's here already, so I should probably serve dinner." Yamato said so softly as if he was talking to himself. But Miyu heard him clearly, and she was more than eager to help him prepare the food. Arm in arm, the couple left the room after telling Ran what they would do downstairs.
Four people were left in the room and there was an unbelievable awkwardness around them. Yuuya coughed meaningfully. Aya played with the petals of one flower. Ran nibbled on the unfinished cookie. Rei looked down at his shoes.
"Um…" Aya whispered uneasily, confused at the awkwardness building up inside the room. She didn't know what was going on—perhaps she would have to ask Rei later what happened—and she didn't like it a bit. "I just…"
"Whoa, look at the time." Yuuya suddenly said, surprising the two girls. Rei barely looked up at him. "I promised my mom that I'll help her with her cooking because she's got some visitors. I've forgotten all about it." He whispered, laughing at himself.
"You're leaving already? Well, you can just eat and then leave quickly!" Ran said, despite the uneasiness between them.
Yuuya shook his head with a smile. "I'm so sorry, but I can't stay here any longer. I have to go already, or mom will think I've been abducted by aliens." He said lightheartedly and he smiled when he heard the two girls laughing. "I'll see you in school tomorrow, Aya. You too, Rei."
Aya nodded excitedly and Rei looked at him with a soft, "Sure."
"I'll walk you outside." Ran proposed, grabbing Yuuya's arm and pulling him outside the room. After some seconds of struggling, they were gone.
Aya turned around to look at her handsome boyfriend. "Is something wrong, Rei? Are you sick?" she asked worriedly, walking up to him. She lifted her hand to feel his warmth on his forehead, but he moved his head away. She looked up at him in confusion and a bit of sadness.
"It's nothing." Rei whispered, looking away the instant that their eyes met. He walked towards the terrace of the room and glanced outside, particularly below. He saw Ran and Yuuya talking about something that he can clearly hear.
"I'm really sorry that I didn't stay long." Yuuya whispered, scratching the back of his head.
"It's nothing to worry about. I'm just glad that you went all the way here just to visit me. But no need to worry, because I'm fine already." Ran said cheerfully, putting her hand on top of his shoulder. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"Yeah." Yuuya nodded, smiling. Without thinking, he pressed his lips on Ran's right cheek and drew back quickly. He watched as the large eyes grew larger; her mouth left slightly hanging open. "I told you that I won't give up, didn't I?"
Ran didn't say anything. She couldn't say anything. She was speechless—and so was the spectator above them.
Yuuya's eyes softened. "I… I'll see you tomorrow. Take care." He whispered and hurriedly ran away, turning swiftly at the corner of the street so that he wasn't visible anymore.
Rei's fist clenched and unclenched. There was something burning inside him. It felt uncomfortable and it made him think of lots of things that weren't really appropriate. Was that what the girls call 'jealousy'?
Ha, jealousy is for insecure people—and he didn't have the right to be jealous because he didn't have any commitment to Ran. Was that how it was supposed to be? He never felt that feeling before—not even the slightest when Aya talks with another guy who obviously shows interest in her.
What was wrong with him?
"What are you looking at, Rei?" Aya asked suddenly from behind, surprising him. Sensing that she won't get a reply from the brunet, she walked towards the terrace and leaned forward, following Rei's gaze. Her eyes landed on a whiff of bleached-blonde hair that disappeared suddenly when she blinked. "Who was that?" she asked, even though she had a feeling that it was Ran he was looking at somehow.
"No one." Rei whispered, who was now looking at the houses in the neighborhood. There were many trees beside those houses and those creations of nature gave the breeze a fresh feeling. He breathed in deeply before he opened his mouth to say something. "I have something to—"
"What are you two doing outside? Are you making out? It's time for dinner, you idiots!" Ran exclaimed, obviously joking. She grinned broadly when she saw the desired reaction—Aya's "super blush" (wherein her face and neck are red). She didn't expect, however, a reaction from the certain stoic brunet youth.
"Ran-chan!" Aya squeaked. She giggled and bowed her head because of embarrassment. Hurriedly, she went outside the room and went downstairs.
Rei stared at Ran. She was good at hiding her emotions under a cheerful mask. He frowned a bit when he saw Ran doing the same. "I guess you want to tell me something."
Ran blinked. How did he know that? "Thank you for the flowers. I truly appreciate them." She paused for a while to rub her elbows. She cleared her throat before continuing. "…and thanks for lying about…you know…well, not exactly a lie, but…you came here again just to let them know that you haven't been here." She whispered meekly. "Thank you, really."
"I did it because you didn't want Aya to know that I visited you—else she'll be jealous. Isn't that right?" Rei asked.
Ran looked at the handsome brunet. "She will not be jealous. I just didn't want to stir something up." She said. "Just…don't cause any disappointment or hurt to Aya when she's s excited and hopeful of her trip."
Rei walked towards the door and placed his hand on the doorknob. "Then what will you do after Aya's gone?" he asked so softly that it was almost inaudible. "I won't stay for dinner. I'll go on ahead to the store to get something that I forgot. I'll see you in school tomorrow."
Ran blinked again. "Um…okay. Take care of yourself…" she whispered. She was glad that Rei didn't give her the time to answer his question. She didn't know what or how to answer him. It was puzzling…and strange.
"You too." Rei said with a nod and proceeded downstairs. There were a few questions asked but after some minutes it became quiet again downstairs, followed by a faint sound of engine running.
The bleached-blonde chougal sighed and landed flat on her bed. She stared at the cracks of the ceiling. "Just what will happen…after Aya's gone?" she whispered to herself. She turned her head to her right and saw the beautiful flowers in the vase. She also looked at the equally beautiful ones in a bouquet that was lying on her study table.
"Ran! Dinner's served!" Miyu exclaimed from downstairs.
"I'll be there in a minute!" Ran said, sighing again after. She sat up slowly on the edge of the bed and looked at the spot where Rei and Aya stood a while ago.
"Just what will happen…" she breathed. "…with Otohata Rei…?"
To Be Continued…
Author's notes: Hello again! I'm glad that you finished the chapter! I know that it's short, but I thought that it would be good that I will end it with Ran saying, "Just what will happen?" I'm sure you'll like the next chapter, because Aya's finally leaving (but only for a short while) and that means something will happen between the two! Hehehe…I like suspense! I love 'em!!
Again, Happy New Year to all, and I hope we will all improve!! Don't commit the seven sins!!
Arigatou Gozaimasu!
Koharu-chan