A/N: And thus the useless writing continues haha I really need to start studying or take the online film test. Psssshhhh I'll do that at eleven twenty Sunday night considering it has a ten minute time limit and is up until eleven thirty. So I was staring at my calendar and it dawned on me that not only have I already been here twenty-six days , it really flew by, but that I've also managed a rate of one chapter every four or five days. Wow, I normally have such a short attention span that even I get bored with my writing. I think not going back and re-reading the chapters actually makes it easier for me not to get bored. Of course that means I make more careless errors, sorry. DISCALIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATLUS OR ANY CHARACTERS OR THIS TOTALLY AWESOME SONG FROM A VERY POTTER SEQUEL. Orrrr sailor moon orrrr sprite zero! Though I do own a bottle of it from which I can read the ingredients...
I used to dream about it
but never schemed or counted
on fantasies or wishes-
it breaks a man to see what he misses
-AVPS
"I can't believe you don't go to the movies!" Minako exclaimed as they strolled past the small building that formed a thick wall around the street. Was it really so surprising? His time could be better spent studying; what was the benefit of sitting in front of a gigantic screen for two and a half hours, trying to immerse yourself in a fictional plot-line? He may have been missing something but it really just seemed like a waste of time. However she wanted to do this, and it would keep them from experiencing uncomfortable situations when they would be forced to talk about the weather or local sports team. Come to think about, did they even have a local sports team? No matter, he had never been big into those sorts of thing anyway. Come gym class he had always remained on the sidelines with Keisuke whose asthma was so advanced that it could be downright life-threatening if he exerted himself too much. A light smirk crossed his lips at the memory. Of course his friend was perfectly fine, but having a father for a doctor meant that he knew the symptoms to fake; and the school could not really afford a lawsuit if it turned out he was not bluffing and ended up dying during a sprint.
"I just don't see the point." He replied; giving a light with his left shoulder for fear that using bot might somehow knock her off balance. "But you said you went to the film festival, how was that?" Hey eyes lit up at this and he knew he was in for a long story, drat. No, not drat; Hidetoshi liked hearing her voice, even if he could not care less what she was saying. Everything felt so much easier now that he knew exactly what had been driving him crazy for so long. To think, the great disciplinarian had fallen into the stereotype of the average teenage boy; who would have thought? Hopefully no one, and he was not about to broadcast it so they would never know. Not until he was the man he hoped to become and, by then, it would not matter what he did in his free time or who he spent that time with. With any luck he would become the type of person she could be proud of; the kind of person she could point out in a crowd and say, with complete satisfaction, 'that one's mine'. That would be nice; the coal haired boy was sure that he could do anything with the knowledge that was what was waiting for him at the end of the line.
Releasing her grasp on his arm the girl used her now free hand to emphasize her talking. "It was so much fun, really, I had a blast!" Putting up one finger at a time Minako began to list all the movies that she had seen during that time. "Let's see, first I went to see a horror film with Rio; then there was the nature documentary with Saori-san, tear-jerker with Theo, French film with Bebe, some modernism thing with Ikutsuki-san, a part of the 'Willpower!' series with Yukari, a chop-socky movie with Akihiko-senpai, some American action movies with Junpei, a ninja film with Aigis, science fiction with Fuuka, chick-flick with Mitsuru-senpai, and a super hero movie with Ken. Heck, I even went with Koro-chan." So this is what people meant when they said that their brain felt as though it were melting. How many IQ points had she lost wasting all that time at the theater? That was thirteen movies, multiplied by two hours each; she had spent a combined total of over a day there within the course of two weeks! Maybe that was why she was so happy all the time; her mind had been reduced to mush from watching too much television. "But no worries, I'm positive this time will be my favorite."
Well he certainly did have a lot to compete with; especially considering he had no idea who the majority of those people were. A few of them went to their school, but who were Theo, Ken, and Koro-chan? It also begged the question as to why she was going to see a film with Ikutsuki, wasn't he the chairman of Gekkoukan's school board; wasn't that sort of fraternization against school rules? Oh well, he was not going to trouble himself with that now; he trusted that they merely had a shared interest and that there was nothing else going on. As he purchased the tickets Hidetoshi noticed the girl quickly glance at some candy behind the counter. Upon asking if she would like some her face turned bright red. "Oh you have no idea. But Akihiko-senpai has been getting on my case lately about not eating properly." She huffed crossing her arms over her chest. "Sometimes it's like he thinks he's my mom." Pointing to the soda at the end of the case she grinned sheepishly. "But sprite zero is not a significant course of sugars, and it uses natural flavors. So I'm sure he would not mind if you got that and I just happened to have a few sips."
It was almost depressing how full the theater was; all those people, wasting so much time that they could be using to better the community. What about movies was so gosh darn wonderful anyways? There was always some over clichéd plot, girl meets boy they fall in love yaddy yaddy yah, with some handsome hero, who also happened to have a heart of gold because amazing looks were not enough, and a blissfully ignorant heroine, who had to get captured at one point. It really limited his expectations for the film; he wasn't even sure what it was about yet. When he had posed a previous inquiry Minako had gone off on a rant about how much she loved the leading lady, so the coal haired boy decided it would be best not to ask her again. Instead he would merely wait until the damn thing started and, if it was too unbearable, he could always take a quick nap. Would that be considered rude though? It was not as though he was falling asleep because she was boring him, so it shouldn't be a problem. "Oh this is going to be so good, it looks amazing." The scarlet eyed girl whispered, putting her hand on the armrest to lean over a bit so that she would not have to raise her voice too much. If this was a tacky teenage flick he might have done the overused 'accidentally brush hands' trick; but something told him that was far less smooth in real life.
Before the opening scene had even finished she turned to him yet again. "Whoa, look at their use of pyrotechnics, it's incredible." The girl exclaimed while still attempting to keep her sound level low. Was she going to talk throughout the entire thing; that would annoy the people around them, right? Still, he was impressed that she knew the word pyrotechnics and didn't just say explosions. No, that wasn't very nice. She had one of the highest grade point averages in the class and had done outstanding on the mid-year. It was just her sort of absentmindedness that made it seem as though she would not be highly intelligent. It was someone what strange, he loved to broadcast his high level of brainpower to the general public; why was she so content with this laissez-faire attitude? "Hidetoshi-san?" The girl questioned for the fourth time, although it was the first he actually heard it. Raising an eyebrow he motioned for her to go on. "I asked if you liked the car chase, it seemed a bit irregular thanks to the odd camera angles so I'm not sure as to how I feel about it quite yet." There had been a car chase?
A few minutes later he found himself being dragged back into another of her one-sided conversations on seemingly random observations. "I don't like the use of composition… it just feels like the foreground it too cluttered. It's hard to tell what's going on, you know?" No, actually, he didn't know. The Odagiri boy knew nothing about film and could only guess as to what some of the terms she had been throwing out meant. Had she taken a class on this sort of thing, or was it the byproduct of spending two weeks doing nothing but attending shows? Maybe there was some value to watching a movie after all; though he doubted that everyone or even the majority of people, in the room knew as much as she did on the topic. It was strange, as much as the sangria haired girl was making it sound as though watching a film could be beneficial to a person, he was still uninterested in the gigantic screen in front of him. The large faces, now smeared in blood because the hero had shot one of the villain's lackeys and it was only normal for a person to basically erupt into a volcano of blood, were completely unappealing to his more classy tastes. It just looked over-the-top was all, and made it hard to try to sink into the reality of what was being presented to him.
"I don't know." He mumbled, resting his chin on his hand and leaning over. "The gore just feels like a waste of money. It's doing nothing for the scene and one can only imagine how much they put into production costs for it." They could have used that budget for more important things, like lighting and costumes. Also, the coloring seemed a tad off, sure blood would be a deep crimson color for a while but, after some time had passed, it would be more of a dry brown. Apparently the production staff assumed the audience was not clever enough to know that, super; his intellect was being insulted by the morons who created this low-rate film. Bringing a finger to her lips the girl seemed to ponder this idea, glancing back at the screen and cocking her head to the side. Oh no, had he said something wrong? Maybe she was into that sort of eccentric blood splatter… oh how he hoped that was not the case, or he was going to have to seriously reconsider their friendship. At long last the girl nodded, hair bouncing a bit in the process, and stuck out her tongue a bit in disapproval; thank heavens.
"I like action movies, especially the type Junpei always wants to go to," Minako began, using her hands to gesture although it had absolutely nothing to do with what she was saying. He figured that a lot of people were like that, but it was only really noticeable around her; probably due to the fact that it added to her charm. "But it's really either a hit or miss kind of deal. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an extremist or anything; but I feel like some directors just go overboard with violence." A small wrinkle appeared on her forehead as the girl sunk further down in her seat. "I just don't see the point of it. You can have a wonderful adventure, with minimal violence, and still evoke the same feelings in people." Sighing a bit she cast her orbs back to the screen. "I just don't understand… everyone loves to watch a good fight until…" She had trailed off quite abruptly, but Hidetoshi felt as though now was not the time to inquire further. It was almost as though the thought had not been meant for his ears in the first place, and he felt a bit like a trespasser in her mind.
At least he could take some comfort in the fact that she would never have to fight like the actors in the film. He had a strong personality, that was for sure, but he knew very well how easily it could crumble if something happened to the girl beside him. But the look on her face right now was quite troubling; just what went on inside her head? "You know," He began, drawing her attention away from the gunfight that had broken out on the screen. "If you ever have a problem, I'm here. I'd do anything for you." A faint blush appeared on the girl's cheeks and he instantly regretted saying anything. "Errr, I might have phrased that incorrectly. I meant that I'll make sure you're safe, see to it that no harm comes to you. So you can relax." Her face seemed to fall a bit, but Minako quickly perked up again and offered one of her award winning smiles as a thank you. That look of hers was so spirited and radiant; he was almost bitter about the fact that everyone got to see it. However he received peace of mind from the thought that maybe, one day, she would smile for him alone.
xx
By what he assumed was halfway through the movie the hero had found a girl, lost the girl, met the antagonist, fought the antagonist, and was now searching for clues as to where his 'true love' might be. It was funny how easily an action movie could be ruined by adding a romantic twist. The drama really did nothing for the plot, and the tension it inspired was more humorous than dramatic. Of course, maybe that was only because he did not believe in any of that soul mate nonsense. You did not meet someone and fall head over heels; that was lust, not true affection. How long had he even known this girl? A total of two days in-film time, what sort of relationship could have possibly blossomed from that? All this was going to do was set people up for disappointment. They would never find this romanticized version of love, and then what? They would be left wondering about it for the rest of their lives; it was actually doing the audience a disservice. Every now and then he would glance at Minako using his peripheral vision; was she buying into any of this? If this was what she was searching for then he didn't stand a chance in hell. She would probably have some obscure run in with a mysterious boy somewhere, feel something very slight, and decided that was the 'spark' it took to set off a future.
Every now and then she would turn to him and comment on the use of shot/ reverse shot, or some other term that he was unfamiliar with. Hopefully she did not plan on going into film studies at a University; that seemed like a highly unreliable career choice. Speaking of Universities he could not help but wonder just what the girl planned on doing with her life after high school. Certainly she would be continuing on to a higher form of education, it was a requirement for getting a good job these days; but what if she chose to study abroad? Although it would be a wonderful chance to explore the world, and he could see her simply adoring something like that, it would set them awfully far apart. Not that he was looking for anything permanent in the short game, he would have no time for frivolous activities during such time, but it would be nice for her not to go extremely far away. That way they could still talk occasionally without someone having to get up at five in the morning to talk with the other at six at night. How presumptuous, thinking that she would still want to talk to him then.
The coal haired boy was shaken out of his thoughts by a loud and dramatic "Nooooooo." from besides him. Eying the girl suspiciously he glanced back to the screen; on which the star had decided that it would be a good idea to venture into the dimly lit basement of the already dark and suspicious house. Thank god life was not really like that, if he saw something unexplainable and creepy there would be no way that he would ever go explore it; that was pure insanity. Without knowing what awaited you inside why would any sensible person go questing through it? How completely idiotic the notion was. "He's going down there without any weapons!" She cried, a bit louder than he had expected but not quite enough to draw unwanted attention thank goodness. She did have a point though; if, for some crazy reason he was going to head in, Hidetoshi would want a gun at least. "He should have taken a hockey stick, they always work." Raising an eyebrow suspiciously the head of the Disciplinary Committee could not help but marvel at the fact that she thought a simple sports good could be used to fight a battle; how truly ignorant she was to the world.
The dramatic music picked up as the rugged young man turned the corner and the audience was on the edge of their seats. Well, most of them were; Hidetoshi was still less than interested. By now he had found that watching Minako's expression change was far more enjoyable than anything happening on the screen. She was getting so into it, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, as if the suspense was eating her up inside. It was so cute, really; only she could be that adorable without even trying. A loud bang rang out through the theater as a gun went off and the girl, who had been so lovable looking mere seconds before, let out a high-pitched scream. Before it could register with Hidetoshi that the hero had been shot at the girl had thrown the top half of her torso over the armrest and was clinging to him. Not that he minded the sudden contact, but it certainly did seem to lose some of its value when his chest began to feel a slight pressure and, after a moment, he felt damp. Cringing a bit he glanced down hesitantly to see the soda smashed against his school jacket. "Oh no, I'm such a klutz!" The girl threw her hands up in front of her face and bowed repeatedly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't be mad."
Calm, real men remained calm in situations like this. "It's fine, really." By now his jacket was soaking wet, and probably sticky too for that matter. How positively unprofessional he must look; not that it was his fault but, for some reason, he felt a bit embarrassed by the turn of events. Anyway he needed to attempt to clean some of this off; the idea of sitting through the remainder of the less-than-great movie in a soda-covered uniform was unbearable. "I'll be right back." He whispered as he moved to leave the seat; but the girl grabbed his arm and quickly began pestering him to let her come. "No, no, I can handle it. Please, just enjoy the movie." If anything it would be more uncomfortable to have her come along. What exactly did she plan on doing? Helping him dry off, no thanks, he wasn't a child. As he headed into the light of the lobby, to locate some napkins, he counted himself lucky that she had chosen a clear drink. After a wash or two it would most likely be good as new, the same could not have been said if she had requested orange or grape soda.
Now to locate the napkins; they would probably be near the condiments, those two things always seemed to go hand in hand. It was understandable though, he had seen Keisuke eat some disgusting form of meat drenched in ketchup once and that got absolutely everywhere. "I said no!" A female voice yelled from across the room and he turned to see two fellow students fighting by, of course, the one place he needed to be. Life always had a way of working out for the best, right? He would merely wait until they finished their little active-discussion; there was really no reason to get involved. The girl appeared to still be in her school uniform, but she definitely was not in his class; the boy, still decked in the school's sweat suit, was Kazushi Miyamoto who sat four seats ahead of him. "You're such an idiot Kaz! There is no way that I'm letting you compete in nationals!" From behind him the door to the theater squeaked open and a small red head stuck out. Drat, their little performance had gone on too long; to think that she had actually come out to get him, what, did Minako think he was lost or something?
"Oi, what's going on with Yuko?" So her name was Yuko, good to know; but how did the sangria haired girl know her? Wait, she did participate in tennis a few days a week; perhaps she was one of her teammates? The short-haired girl certainly did seem like the sporty type, and he knew for a fact that Kazushi was a huge sports aficionado. Hidetoshi merely shrugged, their personal conflict had nothing to do with him, so it was best to just remain out of it. They had to leave sooner or later, and then he could grab some napkins and be done with it. Unfortunately the one with sapphire locks' ears seemed to pick up on the girl's sweet voice, for she turned around and glanced over at them. As much as he cared about his new movie buddy the boy wanted to scold her for alerting the two to their presence. An awkward moment quickly ensued for both parties; the ones who had been fighting instantly hushed, and he and Minako just sort of stood there, unsure of what to do now. The boy could feel his stomach drop as an intense look came over Kaz, as if he were contemplating a new idea that involved the poor witnesses.
Motioning for them to come over Kaz stared at him in particular. "Odagiri, you're smart, tell her I can still participate." Turning back to the fuming girl he pointed to Hidetoshi and nodded thoughtfully. "He's friends with Keisuke, so he has to know a thing or two about knee injuries." What? Certainly he had not heard the boy correctly. There was absolutely no way that he could possibly be implying that being friends with a boy, whose father just happened to be a doctor, gave him insight into the medical world. He was going to be the CEO of a major business corporation someday; why would he need to know anything that, if it became a problem for him, he would simply go to the hospital? And what about the hospital, if Kaz had a knee problem shouldn't he be there instead of fighting at the movies? Children these days, they really did find ways to constantly surprise him. But he certainly did not have time for any of this garbage; Minako was missing her movie, and she actually seemed to have been enjoying it. Still, he felt the need to do something about the boy; he could not just walk around with an injured leg, if anything that would just make it worse.
Raising his hands, palms out, the coal haired boy took a step back. "Hey now, don't jump the gun. That's not exactly my field of expertize." Sure he knew basic first aid, and what all the bones and vessels in the body were called, but he knew nothing about corrective procedures. And, even if he did, who would want to rely on anything a high school student said for something that important? Matters like this were best left to the professionals, not some teenager who could only guess at a possible solution. "I'm just here to get some napkins." Casting a finger downward he pointed to the gigantic dark stain on his uniform. "In case you couldn't tell I'm sort of covered in sprite." It was extremely uncomfortable as well by this point. The thick cotton material had been absorbed the drink like a sponge and was now beginning to stick to his white dress shirt. At this rate it would bleed through to the next one and make an even bigger mess; what to do, what to do. The feuding couple certainly did not seem like they were leaving anytime soon; perhaps he should merely brush past them, grab a few, and take his leave?
Casting her squinted eyes at Kaz the girl, he believed Minako had called her Yuko, charged at them. For a second Hidetoshi was almost worried that she might ram him at the speed she was going but, screeching to a halt in front of them, she grabbed onto the sangria haired girl's arm and pulled her forward. "Well Minako here is not only friends with Rio, and therefore into sports herself; but she is also one of the smartest kids in school! …And she says you can't participate, right?" It was almost comical how the girl phrased like a question but had left absolutely no room for opposition. Although, behind the fire in the girl's eyes, she was clearly more worried than she was angry. Once again though their logic was being based off the fact that being good at simple subjects like history and math somehow made a person a medical genius; and that was just absurd. If the two went ahead and listened to whatever form of 'wisdom' they were seeking, hell, Kaz would probably windup having to get his leg amputated; and what good would that do a star athlete? Of course it would certainly resolve this issue.
Prying her arm out of the girl's strong hands Minako merely smiled uncomfortably. "I really have no idea what you're talking about Yuko; I don't know anything about that sort of thing." Her friend's face fell a bit at that, almost like she viewed the scarlet eyed girl as her last possible hope. "Why are you two fighting though?" She inquired, a puzzled expression overtaking her normally upbeat features. Were she and Kaz good friends, he really had no idea; but, from Minako's voice, he could tell that she found their bout in the lobby to be more than a tad upsetting. "I'm a bit lost, mind filling me in?" Surely she had to get the gist of what was going on; even he had figured out that they were arguing about the boy's leg. Unless, maybe, she hoped that talking it out would keep them from snapping at one another. Hidetoshi inwardly cringed, that thought had not even crossed his mind. Here he was, trying to get what he came for and leave without getting involved, when, in actuality, he should be attempting to help them out. A good leader cared about everyone, and that meant making sure that they were not only safe but also happy. "One at a time, of course."
"I'll go first!" The girl said hurriedly, her hand shooting up in the air as if they were racing to answer a question in school. "He is trying to play with a hurt leg." You know what? Good for him, it shows ambition and motivation; more people should be that dedicated to a cause. "At this rate he's just going to make it worse..." The girl's voice softened and her eyes dropped to the floor. "I want him to rest, or consider getting surgery, but…" Drat, here came the guilt. Hidetoshi could defiantly see the point she was trying to present. If Keisuke or Minako ever tried to pull a stunt like that he would forcibly drag them to the hospital. Part of him wanted to slap the boy upside the head for worrying her so much; just looking at the girl was difficult considering she donned the expression of a kitten that had been left out in the rain. What was really so important about competing anyway? There was always next year, why not take a quick break? Not that he would ever even consider taking a break from his schoolwork, but studying hard did not threaten his health.
"I don't need surgery Yuko, really, you're making a big fuss over nothing." Kaz muttered, sticking his hands in his pockets and staring at the knee in question. "I can do it, for you and the team. I know I can…just give me a shot." Oh great, he could also see where this boy was coming from. He had a goal that he wanted to achieve and the pain was only a minor setback in his eyes, marvelous. This wasn't going to work, there was no way that either of them was going to back down; they were too set on their own reasons and actions to bother listening to another point of view. Well, he might as well make life a little bit easier. Sliding his sleeves out of the wet jacket Hidetoshi was pleased to note that it had not bled through too terribly. In fact, without the damp uniform, he almost felt content once again. They could continue their little friendship battle in front of the napkins, it would get them nowhere. He would just have to wash the jacket an extra time to ensure that all of the soda had been completely washed from the fabric.
Sliding over next to Minako he waited until Yuko spoke again to whisper in her ear. "We should try to leave now; otherwise we're never getting out of here." No matter what they said or did Yuko would still want him to take better care of himself and Kaz would still be as determined as ever to win in the championships. Clapping his hands loudly together the disciplinarian drew everyone's focus to him. "I think you're both right in that you have good intentions, but you're both wrong in the sense that you're going about this the completely wrong way." At first he thought Kaz was going to protest, for he opened his mouth as if to speak, but then quickly closed it again. He was not about to explain further, it was something that they could ponder on their own time. Nudging the girl to his right he motioned to the theater door they had exited through. "Come on, let's go before they start up again." With a reluctant last look at her friend Minako nodded. There was just no helping some people; and staying here would just discourage him from ever wanting to assist people in the future.
As he held the door open for the girl she put her fists on her hips and stared at him with a great deal of interest, so much so that it caused him to bring a hand to his neck and fiddle with the string. Had he done something wrong? Perhaps he had not used enough hair gel earlier that morning and a piece was now sticking up? The boy was unsure as to exactly how long that sort of thing was supposed to last; it was not as though it said so on the bottle, or did it? Damn, maybe it did; he never read the instructions because it seemed easy enough to do without help from a horribly translated sticker. "So," Minako finally said, a thoughtful essence in her voice. It was his hair; it was a mess and she was too nice to say anything about it, typical. Using his spare hand he quickly brushed it back through the dark locks, trying to make sure that they were at least somewhat neat; this was all so embarrassing. There was a reason he used so much gel to obtain his look, without it his hair was… well it wasn't a very nice sight. "Odagiri, huh?"
"Hm?" Had he heard her right? She wasn't commenting on his, supposedly, destroyed hair? Oh, wow, awkward. "Yes… that's my last name." Had she never heard it before; no, he was certain that he introduced himself to her using his full name. "What of it?" It wasn't that uncommon for her to be impressed or anything, so what was up? After a brief pause the girl let out a light laugh and headed into the theater. That Minako, she really did have a way of making him feel self-conscious. "Come on, you can't just end it with that." He persisted in a hushed voice as they took their seats down in the fifth row. Turning to the side she crossed her arms over her chest and raised a questioning brow. Oh, right; he had just ended the conversation that way earlier in the week. So this was what the sangria haired girl meant when she said that it wasn't fair; a little late to the game, wasn't he? But surely she was not about to let him sweat it out for the remained of the film, that was just cruel. "Minako." Hidetoshi whispered as he tapped her on the nose. "Secrets are no fun unless... uh, how did that go?"
Unable to contain the grade school chant the girl quickly replied. "Secrets, secrets, they're no fun, unless they're shared with everyone." Ha, he had her now. After speaking up to comment on that there was no way she could avoid his other inquiry. Their standoff lasted a good scene and a half but, finally, she rolled her eyes. "Oh nothing, I like it is all. Sheesh, am I not allowed to enjoy someone's name?" Well it was nice that she liked it, but why make such a big deal out of that? "It rolls off the tongue quite nicely." He supposed so, but it was not as though she was ever going to be saying it. When had she ever called him by his last name; not once, why would she start now? It would be going backwards in their friendship if she started using a formality such as that. She seemed to sense his confusion for she quickly attempted to clarify her previous statements. "It's like Joe Odagiri. Too bad you aren't a famous actor." She seemed to throw in the last part for humor, but neither party was laughing. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the joke was obviously forced.
Oh well, might as well play along. She didn't really seem interested in telling him what she was really thinking; but that was fine, he hardly informed her of what really went on in his mind. "H-hey, what is that supposed to mean?" With a light laugh the girl playfully stuck out her tongue. Now if a boy did that they would get punched in the face for being a cocky asshole, but girls, they could get away with anything. And, when they did something like that it was freaking adorable; where was the equality in that? "You only like my name because it reminds you of a celebrity?" She nodded quickly, then paused and shook her head; as if unsure as to exactly what was the correct response. He had meant it in jest, so why was she taking everything so seriously? It had to have something to do with his last name, right? But what could possibly be upsetting her? She said she liked it; shouldn't that be a good thing? Or was she only saying that and, deep down, she despised it? Either way now was a fine time to bring up something that he had no control over. "I bet you'd rather go to the movies with someone like that."
Frantically waving her hands in front of her, the girl's face contorted into one of shock. "Oh no, I was just kidding!" That was loud enough to draw a sharp 'shhh' from the woman next to them, but Minako did not seem to let it bother her. Actually, considering the rate at which she was talking, perhaps she had not even heard the lady. "Besides, actors are overrated; I'm sure they're very conceited too." Sliding back down in her seat the girl began to tug at the long white shirt cuff sticking out from her left jacket sleeve. "Besides… the people who are truly amazing are the ones no one knows about." A faint smile appeared on her lips at this; did she realize how confusing she was being? "They do their best every day and try to make the world a better place." Scarlet orbs flickering from the screen to her hands then back again, the girl hesitated a bit before speaking again. "They don't ask for any recognition; not now at least. They work towards a better future…" A light laugh escaped her lips as she threw in a final line that would be in the back of his mind for weeks to come. "…and don't waste time going to movies."
Was she referring to him; no, she couldn't be. He was not, by any stretch of the imagination, amazing. Hell, he had more flaws than the cared to count; and she had seen many of the firsthand. So, what exactly did she mean by that last phrase? Was there someone else that hated going to see films, was he missing something? It was indeed frustrating, but now was no time to try to pick her words apart. If he did that then he would not be able to just enjoy the moment; and who knew how many experiences he would have like this. It was 'important to cherish the moment', or so he had heard. Those stupid card commercials with the cheesy slogans always seemed to run during the rare occasions that he actually turned on the set in his room. Still, if so many people bought into them then there must be some truth to those words. Lightly patting the girl's head he attempted, much to her displeasure, to ruffle her hair a bit. "Getting deep on me all of a sudden? I thought we were just here to watch car chases, handsome stars, gunfights, and drawn-out gory deaths."
Slamming her hands over her lips Minako attempted to hold in the loud laughter that was trying to push its way out of her throat. That was more like it, this was the girl he knew and lo- was friends with; not some serious stick-in-the-mud. If he wanted to hang out with one of those he would just carry around a mirror. "You wish." Bringing a finger to her lips she mimicked the woman from before. "Now shhh, we're missing the best part!" How did she know if she had never seen it before? But questions aside he was fine with her quick judgment, it did seem like the most action filled sequences were about to come up; the movie was winding down after all. Leaning back in his seat Hidetoshi decided he might as well try to enjoy what was left of it; it might actually be enjoyable if he pretend that he was no so bias against films to begin with. A small object thumped against his shoulder and he glanced down to see the girl resting on him; alright, he could deal with that. Not a large invasion of personal space, and it could hardly give anyone the wrong idea.
xx
Carrying his jacket in a folded rectangle over his arm, the coal haired boy was surprised to find that it had actually begun to dry already."Ohhhh my god, that was so intense!" Minako yelled for what had to be the third time since they left the theater. "It was all boom, and bam, and crash!" Apparently her knowledge of film terminology was not necessary in describing the explosions they had just witnessed; but that just made it easier for him to understand, so there were no complaints. For the past ten minutes the girl had been going on and on about how extraordinary the ending was; and the gigantic fireworks display, when the antagonist's hideout was blown up, appeared to be her favorite part. He allowed himself to have release a small pent-up chuckle as she pounded a fist into the air in front of her, as if she too was punching the bad guy in the face. It was so terribly unladylike, but that was also why he loved it so much. She was different, that was for sure. How many teenage girls would go to a movie and come out fired up about the battle scenes rather than the cliché love affair the hero had with the innocent leading lady?
"I'll admit it was good." When she had first suggested they see a movie he had been hesitant, and the first part of the movie really lacked any real depth, but the rest had been quite amusing. On top of it all he had gotten to spend a, for the most part, lovely afternoon with Minako; that was what really mattered, he doubted the movie would have been half as good without her there to comment on it. He had also noticed that when she talked, while having her head placed against him, he could feel the vibrations of her voice. It was a strange feeling, and took a bit of time to get used to; but he had discovered that he did not hate it. Besides, that way she was easier to watch over; not only could he literally look down at her, but he could also be absolutely certain that no harm was going to come to the girl. He would give anything to have that sort of control all the time; not in an overbearing way, mind you, but just to be sure that she could live life to its fullest without having to worry about the multiple dangers out there.
The girl whipped around and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Give credit where credit is due; it was better than good, it was awesome." Alright, alright, it wasn't half bad. Had he been sitting through the first half of the movie without such feelings of hatred, and did not have to leave for an extended period of time in the middle, then maybe he would have actually been able to get into it. The plot did appear to be lacking in a few spots but, if he looked at the action rather than the storyline, it was pretty good. Slowing down her pace a bit the girl nervously kicked at a small rock that had somehow made its way into the road. "…sorry about your jacket… I really do cause you a lot of trouble." Trouble, was she kidding; she had to be, right? Had it not been for her bright idea to go see a film he would have spent the remainder of the evening in his room studying; and, as much as he did not want to admit it, this was far more enjoyable. The next time Keisuke brought up the idea of catching a flick after school he would have to give it some serious thought instead of immediately shooting the plan down.
A light, and disgustingly carefree, laugh broke his stern face and Hidetoshi offered her a small smile. "By now I should expect something like this to happen." They worked pretty well together, but the gods of fate seemed to have it out for the pair. Fortunately she was never the victim of these misfortunes; unfortunately he routinely played that role. Not that he wanted the girl's cup to shatter at lunch, or her uniform to get wet, but sometimes it would be nice to be the one accidentally committing the act rather than receiving the blow. However, that was probably not the response she had wanted to hear, for Minako had not looked up once from the rock since. Gentle, he had to be gentle with girls; ugh, that was so much work. They were far more sensitive than boys and seemed to take everything personally, how troublesome. Bending forward a bit, to get on eye-level, he leaned in to show that he was very serious. "It's fine. God only knows I have enough of them in my closet." He had exactly eight of them to be precise, one for every day of school and an extra two in case something, like this, happened to one of them.
This seemed to sit better with her for the girl returned his smile. "Hey, Hidetoshi-san, I'm going to let you in on a secret…so don't tell anyone, alright?" Now what sort of secret could she possibly have? The girl seemed open enough, and god knew she had enough girlfriends with whom he was positive she shared every minute detail of her life. That was what female teenagers did in their free time, right? They talked about their lives, did their hair, gossiped, talked about themselves some more, read fashion magazines, and discussed how fat they thought they were. "I'm a hero." The girl said bluntly, as though she had stated something as simple as 'the sky is blue'. What did she mean, how was she… what? "But only secretly of course; that's the best way to go about things." With a firm nod Minako turned to him and struck the sailor moon pose; legs spread shoulder length apart, one hand on her hip, and the other in a peace sign on her forehead. Breaking out into a fit of laughter the girl wrapped her arms around her stomach to keep from toppling over. "I was just kidding! Man, you should have seen your face."
Crossing his arms in front of his chest the boy cast his gaze towards the quickly setting sun; he was going to have to get her home soon, the city was no place for a girl to be wandering around at night. "Oh, I know you are." He said seriously, causing her to look taken aback. She opened her mouth as id to protest but he listed up a hand to silence her. "Sure you may not fight evil by moonlight, but you've helped me a lot these past few months." She had said it earlier; 'give credit where credit is due', so he would. She had assisted him in many ways since they first met, even if she had not realized it. Just where might he be if the President had not insisted she join the Student Council? Most likely he would still be on the path to 'success', all reaming humanity scarified to achieve that goal. "I know I don't say it often enough, but I really do appreciate you Minako." The look of awe on her face made him feel extremely uncomfortable, so he quickly attempted to change the subject. "Now what was up with my name earlier?"
The sangria haired girl's face turned a deep maroon shade and she instantly turned her head away. "Oh, right, that. Don't worry about what I said before… it's just something that I could get accustom to, that's all." Get accustom to, what was there to get accustom to? Certainly she did not plan on using that rather than his name from now on; he would be insulted almost if that was what she was implying. After all they had been through she was going to start using some useless honorifics that would only distance them further; unacceptable. Pulling out her cellphone the girl made a quick note of the time. "Twenty minutes until the next train…we can make it there in ten, so let's walk slowly, alright?" How slow would they have to walk to buy them an extra ten minutes? Not that he was about to criticize her idea, he was thrilled that she hadn't suggested that they split up quite yet. Sure he had work to do, but this was far more enjoyable than taking notes. Fidgeting nervously with her shirt cuffs again Minako coughed nervously. "Ummm…N-Now's the part where you ask if you can hold my hand."
A dark flush enveloped the coal haired boy's face as he pulled back. Certainly he had heard wrong; she could not have just said something so forward, it just was not possible. "Oh, er-" Did she really want to do something so terribly impractical? He was not in it for anything long-term, not yet at least. Sure he would love to enter a relationship with the scarlet eyed girl someday, but not now. Hadn't she understood what he told her on the roof? It had been clearly states that they both had more important things to do. Though maybe he had given her the wrong idea by inquiring as to if she wanted to hang out; but he specifically said that he was not asking her on a date, there was no way to misinterpret that. "Y-You see…" How could he say no without damaging any chance he might have had at holding her hand in the future? Nervously fiddling with the string around his neck Hidetoshi attempted to assess the situation and al possible outcomes. Rejecting her offer would mean, in a sense, rejecting her; and that would definitely end badly. Accepting it however would give her the impression that he did want to enter a more serious relationship; and that would also end badly. Still, one was far worse than the other; so, taking a deep breath he prepared his next question. "Might I… I mean, would it be alright if I-"
The words just wouldn't seem to come out of his mouth; it was so stupid, he felt like a scared little kid. "Good enough." The voice was soft but clearly pleased with what she had heard so far. Grabbing the boy's hand with her own, Minako tightly interlocked their fingers. How strange, she had not even given him a chance to finish. How did she know whether or not he was going to agree to it? But, he had to admit, her small fingers did seem to fit perfectly within his. Unable to bring himself to look at the hands, or her for that matter, he tried to focus on something else; something that did not make his face flare up and heart beat frantically. "You know what I like about you Hidetoshi-san?" The girl began, causing him to become even more flustered. This was exactly why he did not want to hear what she had to say on the roof; but he promised he would listen someday, however he meant in a few years or something as opposed to mere days later. "You don't pretend to be anything you're not. You're honest, kind, and true to your beliefs."
A/N: Does Port Island have a sports team other than the Gekkoukan ones? Huh, maybe it's because they're not an actual place? Anyway it totally killed any idea of using the typical "how about them sox" conversation starter haha. Anyway, sorry this chapter isn't that great, it's my least favorite so far. I think all the breaks I took while writing might have been part of the problem; I would write a paragraph here, two there, skip a day, repeat. But the good news is I've finally learned basic calculus…only a week after the quiz I needed it for… and know I did horrible on.
FrizFroz- Thanks so much for your corrections, I went back and fixed them as soon as I woke up. I guess I really shouldn't write after midnight, huh? Haha. Oh my god, you don't skip the paragraphs and got right to the dialogue? Holy hat! I just sort of assumed that everyone did. Well thank you, that means a lot; really, it does! And I totally know what you mean it, like, fits perfectly; I adore Les Mis. I love that you caught that little line btw, but now that I'm over the halfway point I don't know if I'm going to be able to bring myself to end it like the game. I mean, he's finally doing so good for himself… it almost seems too cruel to be all 'NO.' Maybe I could write a good ending and a bad ending, post them both, and let people decided which they would rather read; like how the game gives you the option. I don't know, would that work?
Ceille- Those things are AMAZING. I still have my 'My little Pony' one from the 90's and I adore it, so shhh, hahah
STG- haha like the accustomed to her face one? I've never actually seen it but I totally went and googled the songs after you said that. Oh, by the way, I love you; seriously, you're so delightful :D All of your comments are a step beyond nice, they really bring a smile to my face. I was coming out of calc when I looked down at the email alert on my phone and it just made me so insanely happy. You're amazing (don't worry, my lexicon fails pretty badly) and thank you!
Next Chapter: A Better Day! The holidays had never been a big deal in the Odagiri household; well, aside from the ridiculous decorations his mother felt the need to put up. But this year was going to be different, even if he did not want it to be.
