Second Chances Chapter 6: On and Off, a wallflower fanfic

A/N: RIP: My lovely pink Mac. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Hurray for a new chapter! I don't know why, but I started watching Tales From the Crypt episodes again... Oh, one more thing... I saw SWEENEY TODD!!! Jealous? You're jealous, huh? Join my facebook group: "how many times did Sweeney Todd break my HEART?"

Disclaimer: I do not own.

Title: Second Chances

Chapter: 6: On and Off

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The truth is Hikari never murdered anyone. Not in real life, anyway... Not technically and illegally... She had taken part of her father deciding it was time to pull the plug on their mother's breathing tube... She'd been unconscious since Hikari was three-years old. She was seven, and she held her daddy's hand as he switched the machines from 'on' to 'off.'

... Hikari had also committed many homicides. Social homicides. Since the age of nine, it would seem the tiny girl had terrorized an entire generation of children.

So she really, truly didn't deserve what she wanted. Honestly, she should be getting the opposite of this heavenly life, but it wasn't so.

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It had been a year since Sunako Nakahara had left Hokkaido for Tokyo. A full year today since she had been ruthlessly rejected by Koichi Satto.

A full year later, and he still flooded her thoughts.

It had been so long since she'd thought of him. Since moving in with the boys, her mind had become lighter, her heart was slowly following suit. Hikari was what had flipped everything 180º.

The morning- this morning- that dawned that awful "full-year-since," feeling started with a lovely phone call from Hikari.

Sunako winced under the covers as the "Jaws" theme song wailed from her old cell phone.

Instantly, the dark girl regretted keeping the old thing. She didn't know why she had decided to bury it with all her other past-life mementos. Since Hikari came back, she'd been having to dig up a lot of old shit...

Sunako didn't like it. Not one little bit.

She knew Hikari was not the type to let the phone ring once, twice, thrice and hang up. No, this pixie-bitch would either stay on until you pick up or wait until it reaches your voicemail, hang up and call again immediately. No doubt about it, Hikari was the most persistent ring anyone could ever be doomed enough to know.

Sunako decided to save the demon some trouble, and pick up on the first call.

She raked her hair out of her face, sighed loudly, and faced her doom with closed eyes, "H... Hello?"

Hikari smiled widely, and knew that a high-pitched cheery voice would annoy her enemy the most, "Morrrrrrrrrrrnins'! How are you, my lovely ex-classmate?"

Hikari would make Sunako hate her, and then feel sorry she did. "Ugh... Could you shut up?" Sunako groaned, leaning over the edge of her bed.

"O... Oh, I'm... Sorry, Nakahara-san... I... I know that came out loud and forced..."

"N-no! Ogawa, it's okay... I'm just tired, that's all..."

The stupid whore was Queen. "Nakahara-san, I was nervous about saying this to you, so I was hoping I could come over to your house today... I'd like to... Explain why I was so... Dramatic, yesterday..."

The fucking Queen of Manipulation.

Oh Moses, Jesus, Allah... Why was she brought up to act polite when someone apologized? It was a curse...

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Kyohei had spent the night leaning against his headboard, unusually intrigued by his own hand.

He'd flex his hand, turn it over, open and close it, touch it... Stare at it.

He faced his hand like Neo would to the Oracle. This almighty hand would have an answer to the scattered bubbles in his stomach, the light, dizzy feeling clouding his brain...

Yes. This hand- the hand that supported a certain friend twice in one week- would name the feeling that seemed to conquer all the rest...

He'd watched 'Dan in Real Life' last week with the gang, and something from it gave him a clue...

"Love isn't a feeling... It's an ability."

Kyohei brought his face down to an inch above his hand.

'Well, if that's what's stopping our abilities of reason and sleeping... Then it is that...'

His hand was making more sense than his brain at the moment... But then a feeling made itself known to the sixteen-year old.

This feeling was fear, and it started a sumo-battle between itself and love.

Sad thing was, Kyohei wasn't sure who he wanted to win.

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It became routine now, for everyone to come down to eat at nine, while Kyohei and Sunako had a sweet hour and a half to themselves preparing breakfast.

Since the last bloody explosion between them, Kyohei hadn't set foot inside the kitchen. This morning's prompt entry was like a happy reunion.

He stood outside the door for a moment, listening to the clean ringing of her knives as she sliced some component for today's meal. The blonde took a breath and pushed the door open with closed eyes.

She was immediately shocked by his entrance, but happy nonetheless. It was this expression that Kyohei was welcomed to when he finally opened his eyes. Her smile warmed him completely. On first glance, and mostly because of her long bangs, people would think her expression was one of malice... Kyohei knew better. He was now familiar with it. He sensed the depth, and for the first time, he realized the closeness they actually shared.

"It's miso soup with daikon and shredded crab meat. I thought that salmon would be a nice side dish today..." She left her sentence open for contradiction, as always.

"Sounds good," As always, he would agree with her decision.

"The miso is simmering now, I'm just about to add the crab. Can you check on the rice, please?"

With that she turned her back to him, and tended to her misoshiru, then to her six pieces of salmon. Since it became summer, Noi had come over everyday just to sample some of Sunako Nakahara's amazing culinary skills.

Kyohei opened the rice cooker, checking the color, then sampling a bit. Some pieces were still a bit hard, so he closed the lid. He turned from it, and leaned against the counter, stealing a private gander at his friend.

Her midnight hair was, like always, tied back into a loose ponytail. The window just above the stove streamed in rays of sunlight, catching in her raven locks, and turning the thinnest of her curtains into a mysterious purple gleam. Her light pink lips were slightly parted, an aloof sense of concentration evident in them. Her usually ghostly pale skin took on an ethereal golden glow. Kyohei's eyes moved along her flawless jawline, swimming in the hollows at the base of her neck. Then paused along the unfit frilly apron, her pretty frame hidden by a baggy cotton long-sleeve, catches and creases on the cloth only hinting at what was hidden underneath. Her long sleeves were rolled up past her elbows, and he could see the muscles move gracefully underneath her skin, rising and falling as she flipped a piece of salmon or stirred the large pot of soup.

If someone had chosen this moment to walk into the kitchen, they would immediately sense the male's intense infatuation. But nobody entered, and Kyohei would have resumed the cycle, had his subject not chosen the moment he was taring at her face to looks at him. Their faces flushed immediately, both taking up on other cooking chores. Kyohei checked on the rice again, and Sunako took out small serving bowls.

Soon enough, the heat moved away from her cheeks, and she was searching for something to take away from the surprisingly awkward moment.

"Ogawa-san will be stopping by later today..." Sunako began to fill the bowls with even portions of misoshiru.

Kyohei closed the cooker with a defined snap, "You mean the girl who left you in some kind of shock at twelve in the morning, on a-"

"It wasn't really because of her."

Kyohei leaned back against the counter to the right of his friend. He faced her with an air of doubt, but she would not face him.

"I know you all know about our history... But I don't want you guys worrying about me. I can handle this." The soups were set onto a tray, and then placed upon the island counter.

Kyohei grabbed the six other serving bowls, scooping rice in haphazardly, "Yeah, because last night absolutely proves you can. Obviously, you can-"

"I know what I'm doing," Sunako snapped, slamming her spatula onto the counter, knocking a saucer full of her special fish dressing all over the floor, "shit."

They both grabbed dishrags, swiping at the liquid like a spreading plague. Both took their anger out on the poor sauce. Since demon spawn came into the picture, peace was like the on/off light switch at the mercy of a two year old.

"I thought you were working toward forgetting all that. What are you doing?" His voice held rage tactlessly misdirected.

"That is what I'm doing!" Sunako stood up clumsily, and quickly tended to her salmon, "Why are you getting so worked up, anyway?"

Kyohei stood as well, throwing the dirty towels into the sink and briskly moving the rice onto the island.

"You're the one who got worked up," the teen grumbled, pushing his palms against the surface.

Sunako decorated the salmon after loading them onto their plates. In silence, they placed everything on trays and set out for the dining room.

The silence was murderous. The confused pair really couldn't stand it.

"I'm just trying to..." 'protect you,' "Help." Kyohei finished pathetically.

"Yeah..."

He wanted to say more. He wanted to tell her to blow Hikari off. He wanted to make her forget that guy. He wanted her.

But then, fear and love were battling within him, on and off.

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I know! It was short!

I also know it still doesn't reveal much. I promise to try updating at a faster pace, but with my baby dead, it's harder to build up a good chapter. You know, one that is complete and un-scatter-brained.

Anyway, Sweeney Todd is amazing. Johnny Depp is a God and Helena Carter is adorable. Seriously, the two together are way too lovable.

I hope to hear what you guys think of my pitiful installment.

Hope your holidays are merry.

Later Days,

NerdSavvy