It had been months since their last meeting. Tsukimi still lived at Amamizukan with all of her friend's and there was still yet the next time that cross-dresser showed his face. The sisterhood hadn't figured out yet that Kurakao was a fake name and that the reason behind the fake breasts was because it was actually a guy. A sigh escaped across her lips at the thought. All this time, she had been waiting and waiting and waiting for Kuranosuke to return, but why would she be waiting in the first place? She felt heat flood her cheeks and started shaking her head rapidly. No no no! There was no chance in hell she would get butterflies over some gender-confused male!
Tsukimi hadn't taken any advice from him about keeping her appearance clean. Her eyebrows were a mess, she still hadn't taken into consideration she should get contacts, and never bothered with makeup. The sweat pants had remained her daily attire as well. As Tsukimi went out to the bathroom and started downstairs, hearing a commotion. At first, she thought it was Mayaya and Bamba conversing with each other, but then she heard another voice. She froze at the bottom of the stairs, looking over and spotting red hair and an outrageous attire. Fish-net stockings with a mini-skirt and a tubetop with a floral pattern on it. Her eyebrows mushed together at the sight, but her heart had started to race in the process. "Ah, Tsukimi! Kurakao is back! She has great news," Chieko said as she passed by with a tray of tea in hand.
With her name being sounded, Kuranosuke's purple orbs shot up and instantly found the Tsukimi he worked so hard on. Horror suddenly flashed across his face and he ran across the room in his spike heels, grasping Tsukimi's face in between his hands. "What happened to all of that work!"
Tsukimi grimaced, pulling herself back and averting her gaze. "You're the one that was gone for so long. The last thing you said was to be prepared. "
Kuranosuke sighed in aggravation, turning his back to her. "Well, I have great news, as Chieko said. I managed to get a department for our line of clothing!" he cooed, wiggling in his spot quite girlishly.
Everyone seemed to be excited, and Tsukimi was too for a moment… Realizing she would be moving out, she was suddenly mortified. "So where is it located?"
"Ah… Marunochi," Kuranosuke said, but he didn't sound as displeased as the look upon everyone's faces.
Everyone turned to look at Tsukimi, ghoulishly walking toward her. "Tsukimi~" Mayaya wailed in the process of getting to her.
Tsukimi was glomped in a hug that startled her. "Marunochi? That's so… far," Chieko said, sounding hesitant. "We can't all move there."
Kuranosuke held up a finger. "That's just it. I only need Tsukimi."
Chieko didn't look pleased. "It's about a three hour drive," Kuranosuke said. "And it's still in the Tokyo area. You all can come see our progress on occasions. We just need to do this soon to get the department organized and painted. It's a real run-down with its current colors."
Everyone sighed gloomily, but no one seemed to be arguing. They all saw Tsukimi's inspiration in making Jellyfish dresses and instead of moping around, she could finally do something. Kuranosuke started upstairs, more than likely heading to Tsukimi's bedroom. Tsukimi left the ghouls to their gloom and hurried behind him, finding he instantly started taking notebooks and sketchbooks that had her sketches in them and piling them into the floor. "Tsukimi. Start packing."
Tsukimi blinked as she stared, quietly. Kuranosuke had apparently brought loads of boxes, determined to finish this in a day's worth. Without a word, she started pulling her room apart and taking what she wanted and putting them into boxes. Within an hour and a half, her room was empty and torn apart with boxes scattered everywhere. Kuranosuke had torn off his wig out of frustration in the process and now sat in the floor, propped up against the wall. Tsukimi avoided looking at him for too long, having met his pretty purple eyes too many times to keep herself straight in the head.
"Tsukimi," he said, sounding gruff. His girlish voice he put on now gone. "I told you to get out of the habit of dressing and looking like that."
Tsukimi shrugged.
"If you're going to do this with me, you need to abide by my rules."
Kuranosuke had stood and started carrying boxes downstairs. The Koibuchi driver had been waiting outside, packing the boxes into the trunk. Any boxes left were packed in the backseat with room left for one person and another in the front seat. Kuranosuke briefly returned to tug Tsukimi with him. Tsukimi had managed to say her goodbyes and it was like that: she was gone.
They returned to the Koibuchi mansion. Shū was gone, off on vacation still, so she heard. Her heart tugged slightly at the thought of him, but over the past few months alone, she had developed an interest in… Her thoughts ceased as she shook her head. No no no! She chanted in her mind, carrying a couple boxes inside where she was told to leave them at the door. The last thing she remembered was Clara. She hurried back out and looked to the driver who was carefully taking the tank inside. "Kuranosuke! What about Clara? She can't handle that long of a drive," she cried, glancing back in his direction.
"I had it taken care of. She'll be flown there and get there by the time we do as an urgent delivery and marked as live and fragile."
Tsukimi was indifferent, but she left it at that. Kuranosuke instantly snatched her away and pushed a large box in her direction. "I took the liberty of getting you a new wardrobe."
Tsukimi's eyes narrowed at the box and she looked inside. Since Kuranosuke was such a girl, there were skirts and dresses and everything girly of the like. She grimaced, shaking at her head. Kuranosuke rummaged through and pulled out a skirt not too short and a shirt which had an intriguing pattern on it. "I demand you change."
Kuranosuke shoved her into a nearby bathroom with the clothes and it was here that she was forced to change. There were a couple times she attempted to slip out when she thought he had disappeared, but his face just inches from hers when she opened the door nearly gave her a heartattack and she shut herself back into the bathroom. Eventually, Tsukimi gave in and she came out in the skirt and the shirt, grumbling under her breath because she was so unused to clothing fitting to her figure. "There!" Kuranosuke chimed.
Kuranosuke bent over and reached for the ties that kept her braided hair tied, pulling them and letting her hair fall loose. Tsukimi's face immediately reddened and with her staring up at him innocently the way she was, he started to feel warm in the face, too. Clearing his throat, he straightened and turned himself around. "We leave tomorrow morning. My old man is away, so don't worry about interruptions. How about we go look at the fabric we want to stock up on?"
Tsukimi was willing to follow after this, coming to his room and glancing over the mannequins with a tons of dresses to be worked on. Her brown eyes glimmered. They were ready to be shipped with them when they left. Kuranosuke took out a large box of fabrics. Frilly fabrics, feather fabrics… There was a sudden chuckle. "Well, I guess we can take all of them," he said, giving a nod.
In the process of setting it out to be taken, he had pulled himself from the clothes he wore. Thankfully, Tsukimi didn't have to see this. He had disappeared and suddenly reappeared in a pair of jeans and a turtle-neck long-sleeved shirt, all traces of makeup gone. Her heart fluttered and she hated herself for it. When Kuranosuke spotted her looking in his direction, he advanced on her and rose an eyebrow, his face inches from hers. Breaking from her daydream, she jumped out of her skin. Kuranosuke's face was too close to her liking. He reached up to touch her face, a small caress, then brushed some hair from her eyes. He lingered there, Tsukimi instinctively shutting her eyes in the process. This left Kuranosuke struggling with himself. He wanted to capture her lips and taste them. He inched closer but immediately backed himself away, sighing to himself and leaving the room, leaving Tsukimi to slump against the wall and slide down it, resting soundly against her backside as her heart crashed against her chest. She thought it was going to pop out of her chest. "Oh, man…" she uttered quietly, her eyebrows pulling together.
This was definitely not her mind toying with her.
^ All characters belong to Akiko Higashimura.
^ All information along the lines of Tokyo, please don't hold it against me.
