Chapter Three:
Her hair was wet and clinging stubbornly to the nape of her neck from the quick shower. Although she knew that she was welcome here, Akari still felt a bit troublesome, just crashing in for the night at Mizuki's place. Akari had her legs tucked comfortably under the kotatsu and outstretched her fingers until the warmth radiating from the kotatsu fled to her fingers gently. Sure, it was nice weather when the sun was out, but when the moon unwillingly replaced the sun, the sudden drop in temperature made everyone seek the cozy warmth of their homes.
She turned her head slightly so that instead of watching the bright screen of the television, she saw the streets of Tokyo. At this hour, there weren't quite as many cars... or people, for that matter. The congested streets from the daytime transformed into dark lanes under the soft glow of the overhead street lamps. A couple of people trailed the streets, lingering, as if reluctant to reach their destination. Still, Akari was surprised that anyone would be on the streets when it was already well past midnight; a quarter to one, to be precise.
Akari pried her eyes away from the window when she heard Mizuki's exasperated sigh as she entered the room, carrying a tray. "Shoot, some tea spilled again. It's a good thing I had the tray."
Mizuki placed the tray in front of Akari on the kotatsu. The tea in the mugs sloshed dangerously over to one side, threatening to spill over. Only when the rocking of the tea subsided, did Mizuki's eyes leave the tray and meet Akari's. Akari noted with a smile how genuinely concern Mizuki was over her. Mizuki knew from the moment she saw Akari at the apartment's main entrance that something had happened between her and Yuuchi, but instead of assaulting Akari with questions right there, Mizuki gave Akari what she desperately wanted and needed; time. Time to review her actions; time to comprehend the entire situation; and time to reassess her options.
Akari accepted the mug in Mizuki's hands gratefully. "It's a pretty night, isn't it?" She turned to look outside the window again at the blue tinted streets.
"You find everything pretty," Mizuki countered, a smile tugging at her lips. "Heck, I bet you find life pretty."
A thoughtful expression crossed Akari's face. "There is good in living. But no... I wouldn't call life pretty. It's more like very bittersweet." The word "bittersweet" ungratefully brought the memory of Yuuchi up and Akari felt a sharp pain deep inside her chest. She was still watching the streets when she saw a familiar figure round the street corner and enter the entrance to the building downstairs.
Was that Yuuchi? It can't be. He would've looked for me earlier... if he even cares about my feelings, that is.
A fleeting look of pain passed Akari's face. No, there was no way Yuuchi would be out this late at night. Of course, the most logical answer was that she was just hallucinating; her mind was giving her images of what she secretly wished for.
If anyone else was watching, they wouldn't have seen the pain in Akari's eyes, but Mizuki did. Troubled, Mizuki decided that Akari had enough time to reflect upon what had happened. "What's the matter? Yuuchi?"
Silently, Akari nodded. The pain seemed to intensify once she admitted to the cause of it. Clenching her right hand into a fist, she pressed it hard against her heart. The physical pain blocked out the one inside. "My heart hurts, Mizuki..."
"Your heart?" Mizuki had never experienced a heartache before. She was strictly against love, finding more comfort in closely knit friendships instead.
"Every time I breathe, I'm painfully aware of a sharp ache in my chest. It hurts so badly..." Akari was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.
She got up to get the door, but was stopped by Mizuki. "Ah, you're the guest, Akari. Stay here while I get the door. I wonder who it can be, this late at night?"
Mizuki gasped when she saw the visitor outside her door. "Yuuchi?! What a surprise..."
Akari scrambled to her feet when she heard the name. Thanks for the warning, she silently thought as she slipped into the bathroom and flattened herself behind the back of the door. She watched the scene unfold; luckily, she had a fantastic view of the entrance even if it was through a narrow crack between the wall and the door.
Yuuchi laughed. "What is there to surprise? You must have known I was coming. Akari's here, right?"
Akari narrowed her eyes slightly. There was something different about Yuuchi. He seemed too... casual.
"She's not here." Mizuki crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly and leaned sideways, against the wall.
He smirked. "You're really bad at lying, Mizuki."
"What do you mean I'm lying? She's not here. What do you think you're doing-Hey!"
Forcefully, Yuuchi pushed past Mizuki and entered the apartment. His voice softened when he called out Akari's names countless times. Akari automatically stopped breathing when Yuuchi neared the bathroom; her breathing was too conspicuous in the silence of the room. She pressed herself firmly against the wall and even stood on her toes when Yuuchi paused and leaned into the bathroom door.
However, it seemed that Yuuchi was searching for the bathroom for another purpose. He lurched forward and spilled out all of his stomach's contents into the toilet. The stench seemed to fill the air instantly. Akari took a whiff and had a horrible realization; Yuuchi was... drunk.
This close proximity to Yuuchi combined with the caring aspect of her personality and the fact that he had succumbed to alcohol to lessen his emotional pain almost caused Akari to withdraw from her hiding place. She felt her heart beat increase when her body seemed to, out of her own will, move forward on its own to comfort Yuuchi. She felt herself wanting to wrap her arms around him, feel his familiar figure, and to believe that everything was okay.
At that moment, Mizuki arrived at the scene. With her furious eyes, irritated posture, and threatening words, Mizuki was the very embodiment of wrath herself. "How dare you enter my house without my permission?!"
Mizuki stopped short and sniffed the air. "It stinks of alcohol in here." Her eyes widened. "Have you been ...drinking? What would Akari say?"
Yuuchi ignored her question and reached for toilet paper, wrapping it around his hand, wiping his mouth, and then disposing of the paper in the trash can next to the toilet. He stood up from where he was doubled over.
Thinking that it was best to stay where she was, Akari remained behind the door. She had to strain her neck to continue watching Yuuchi.
"So, answer my question. Have you been drinking?"
"Akari's not here, right?" Instead of answering Mizuki's question, Yuuchi locked his arms around Mizuki's waist, pulled her extremely close to him, and tried to press his lips against hers. Predicting what was coming next, Mizuki raised her hand and sharply smacked his face, leaving an angry, bright red imprint of a hand behind.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Yuuchi?" She demanded, her right hand curling into a fist and punching him squarely in the chest. He stumbled back into the hallway, surprised. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" Mizuki was breathing heavily at this point. "Get. Out. Of. My. Apartment. You are definitely not welcome here. Even if Akari was here, I'm sure she wouldn't want to see you or what you tried to do, you asshole."
Yuuchi was already standing outside the door, having backed out as soon as he felt Mizuki's punch. She promptly took the door by its handle and slammed it shut. "Great. Good riddance," she muttered, stalking back inside the apartment to find Akari.
Shocked for a minute, Akari didn't realize she was still holding in her breath. She finally exhaled and sucked in some air greedily. She hadn't realized that she was suffocating. There was no use dying over Yuuchi, anyway.
Mizuki entered the bathroom and flushed the toilet. "Damn Yuuchi. Stank up the whole place. Hey, Akari, where are you?"
Akari pushed the door in front of her to let herself out of the tight enclosure. "Right here." Her voice sounded strange in her own mouth. Was she still shocked, perhaps?
Mizuki jumped backwards slightly. "Right. Please don't scare me like that again." She gingerly placed a hand on Akari's shoulder. "Are you alright? I smacked him, you know. Sorry about that. I should've killed him instead for even trying that on me."
"Mmh, that's alright... At least you gave him a smack to remember." Akari grabbed her phone from the top of the kotatsu.
Mizuki raised her eyebrows. "What are you doing now? Calling Yuuchi? You're too good for him."
"No... I'm deleting his phone number from my list."
"Good girl. You're learning the way of being me," Mizuki jokingly said with a laugh. She plopped herself onto her black couch that was situated behind the kotatsu. "Let's just relax and watch the television. I don't think you'll be able to sleep tonight, anyway."
Wordlessly, Akari sat next to Mizuki on the couch. She deleted Yuuchi's number without any hesitation, but in the back of her mind, she faintly wondered if she was just acting rashly. Out of habit, she checked her inbox for new messages.
Surprisingly, there was no text from Yuuchi, but from... Takaki?
"What happened? You're just staring at your screen without saying anything. Don't tell me." Mizuki held her hand up to pause Akari from talking. "Yuuchi sent you a message? You can't blame the guy that much; he was after all, drunk."
"N-no. It's not Yuuchi," Akari stammered.
"Oh? Who is it then?" Mizuki was Akari's closest friend and knew that despite Akari's amiable and pleasant character, she never bothered to get her other friends' phone numbers. Were they even considered friends if they constantly talked negatively about Akari when she wasn't there? If anything, they were only acquaintances; acquaintances whom Akari didn't talk to unless she had to.
"It's from a childhood friend I met today."
"I see. How is she doing?"
"It's not a 'she...'"
"Oh?" This time, Mizuki's question was accompanied with a coy smile. "Who's this special guy from your childhood then?"
A delicate blush graced Akari's cheeks as she answered quietly, memories already flooding back to her. "Tohno Takaki."
"So, who is this 'Tohno Takaki' person to you?" Needless to say, Mizuki enjoyed tormenting Akari with questions like these; seriously, the girl was very easy to fluster.
"He's..." Akari struggled with an answer. Who was Takaki to her? A friend? They were closer than that. Her best friend? There had been something between them though, that was far more than a mere friendship... but she couldn't call it a relationship.
"He's what, Akari?"
He's someone special.
He was my first friend.
He was who I spent all my schooldays with.
He was my first kiss.
He's who I missed for a long time.
He's more than a memory.
She chose the safe option. "He's just a childhood friend," she firmly said. But the question was already securely lodged in her mind. Who was Takaki really?
Mizuki reached for her own mug. "Just a childhood friend," she quoted. "Sure. If I didn't know you any better, Akari, I could've sworn I saw you blushing."
Chapter Notes:
(1) Right off the bat, I apologize if any of this sounds too out-of-character. I reasoned that since this fanfic will be set in modern times, that the characters would talk very modern-like as well; with harmless, provoking questions, a semi-casual tone, and behavior common to nowadays.
(2) Yuuchi is still Akari's fiance. However, like I have said, his status will change to ex-fiance very soon.
Author's Notes:
Again; sorry for the long wait! Thank you for taking the time to read this! Reviews are greatly appreciated, they have encouraged me all this time even when I thought I had other matters to attend to.