Unexpected Love
Chapter 8
Yuu was playing a game on the playstation with Miki's father. Yuu was winning. Miki's father was losing badly.
"The winner is Player 1" the voice from the video game announced.
"Aw, shucks! Lets play another round, Yuu. Okay? One more time?" Miki's father pleaded with Yuu.
Yuu groaned inwardly. Miki's father was really bad at this game and to be quite frank, it was getting boring. No matter how many times they played, the winner always turned out to be Yuu. "Maybe some other time," Yuu tried to find an excuse.
"Dad, you're just not good at this game. Give it up!" Miki who was sitting at the dining table, called out, a grin on her face. Their moms and Yuu's dad were sitting at the table as well.
Earlier during the game, he heard Miki and his father making their way to the dining table. Yuu's dad was trying to help Miki with her Maths homework.
"Is that the homework from today's math's class?" Yuu asked.
"Yep," Miki replied, a friendly smile on her face. She was wearing a rather cute pair of pink pajamas. The colour suited her. She looked cute to him right then. Actually, that's not true, she always looked cute to him, no matter what she wore.
"Great! Let me copy it!" Yuu made a move to leave the couch. Actually Yuu didn't need to copy it from her. But he thought maybe he could use the excuse to stop playing the computer game with Miki's father. And, what better way to get closer to Miki?
Miki stuck her tongue out at Yuu, "No way! You can finish your homework on your own. You're smart enough."
Yuu paused,"Cheh, stingy." Well, so much for that plan.
"Why don't you join us, Yuu? We can finish your homework together," Yuu's father offered.
Ah, that option was better than nothing. Yuu made a move to leave the couch again. But Miki's father suddenly pleaded again,"Aw, Yuu, don't leave! Come on, one more game, please?"
Yuu winced a little,"Give it up, Jin. You just don't have the skills." Yuu called Miki's father by his first name because to call him Mr. Koishikawa seemed so impersonal. But to call him dad, seemed too personal. So, in respect with his mother's new relationship and his father's feelings, he chose another alternative by calling him by his first name instead. Jin didn't mind. In fact it made him feel like he was Yuu's buddy. Unfortunately, that's what started the gaming session.
"Dad is rather pathetic in this, isn't he?" Miki's cheerful voice sounded from the dining table. Then she laughed and everybody joined her. She looked so bright and cheerful, Yuu had to laugh along with her. They were laughing as if they were a family already.
But a sudden look of realization came to her face and she paused, no longer laughing. Yuu stopped laughing as well. Suddenly he remembered what she had said about not wanting to accept their families situation even though she agreed to it. She must have been reminded by her own promise as well.
Miki suddenly got up, started to gather her homework and said, "Er, I think I can finish my homework on my own now. Thanks for the help, Mr. Matsuura," and with that, she left the dining room, running up the stairs to her room.
Yuu stared after her and so did everyone else. Like him, they noticed her use of the formal name. It seemed pretty obvious now that she still had problem in that score.
Well, it had not been easy for her. She was against their parents' relationship from the start. Yuu had already accepted it earlier. But his attraction for Miki complicated things a little because it would mean that when their parents marry they would be brother and sister. Miki already had trouble accepting their parents' unconventional arrangement as it is. Yuu was pretty sure she would be against incestious relationship as well.
Yuu sighed. It didn't matter to him, really. They weren't blood related. But perhaps he ought to help Miki accept their parents' relationship first. He could work on his attraction for Miki later.
But for now, it was back to playing the game with Jin. Yuu groaned and was careful not to let his expression show as Jin gleefully started the game again.
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The next morning however, Miki had already left for school without him. She was avoiding him and their family.
Yuu felt a little bereft without her company. He was planning to remind her about her mom's birthday today and then it was part of his plan that they would shop for a gift together. He wondered whether she had forgottened?
The entire day, Miki pretended that Yuu wasn't there. It irked Yuu a little. When school ended, Yuu went in search of Miki. Miki had ran out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang. She had tennis practice this afternoon. Yuu walked towards the school's tennis court and there she was. Already changed into her tennis clothes and playing with all her heart. Yuu stood just outside the fence and watched her play. It reminded Yuu of the first time he saw her at the park. Beautiful and graceful.
A look of concentration was on her face. She must have been truly upset about yesterday. But for her to be this upset would only mean that her walls were starting to crumble. Now, she was determined to reinforce it back.
Yuu was going to help her. But not to reinforce it back though. He was going to help break that wall of hers until there were no more bricks left.
Yuu waited for her practice to end. He stood at the school's gate, thinking about Miki. Soon, he heard Miki's voice as she talked to her friends. Yuu stepped up to her and she stopped talking.
"Yuu? What are you still doing here?" Miki was looking at him but there was something hesitant about her expression. Yuu didn't want her to be hesitant with him. Not ever. He was even more determined now to change her feelings.
"Come on, let's go," Yuu went up and grabbed her wrist before she could reply, dragging her along. Her friends looked on, curious at the exchange.
Miki waved her friends goodby and then turned to look at him questioningly, "Where are you taking me?"
Yuu sighed,"Have you forgottened that today is your mom's birthday?" when Yuu saw her shocked expression, he knew she did. "Well, it's still not too late. We can shop for her present now." Yuu tugged Miki's hand again and she went with him silently looking guilty.
They stopped at the jewelry shop to see what they could find there. Miki was looking around while Yuu just watched her. Miki was still acting strange. There were lines of tension on her face. Yuu's heart tugged at the sight. He wanted to reach out and comfort her. But it was too soon for that.
Instead, he spoke,"I know how you feel, Miki. things are difficult for you to accept at the moment." Miki looked up from her browsing, a look of apprehension on her face. "But things will get better, I promise you," her eyes shifted down. "For now, let's just forget about it and concentrate on making your mom happy on her special day."
Miki looked up at Yuu, studying his sincere expression. Suddenly she smiled. It was as if the sun was shining again eventhough it was close to night time. Yuu's heart did a little skip.
Miki beamed up at him, "You're right, Yuu. I was being selfish. I even forgot about my mom's birthday. That wasn't well done of me. Well, let's go get her that present!" with that, she seemed to have switched to her cheerful mode. Yuu found that he rather liked this mode. He was glad he was able to do that for her.
Miki continued her browsing but this time with much enthusiasm. Soon, they found the perfect gift. A pair of earrings. After paying, they had it wrapped up and then they were on their way back home.
There was a dinner celebration and everybody was happy. More importantly, Miki looked happy. The celebration wouldn't have been complete without her own brand of cheerfulness.
Soon, dinner was over and everybody had retired to their own rooms. Miki had left with a smile on her face and wishing her mom happy birthday once again. Yuu sat on his bed feeling a sense of satisfaction.
Suddenly his gaze landed on the carton in the corner of his room. Yuu got up and walked over to it. It was some of his stuff he missed out earlier and his parents must had left it for him to sort it out. He started unpacking. He was in the middle of shelving his yearbooks when he noticed one of the yearbooks was missing. It was his last year with his previous school. Yuu wondered where it could have gotten to.
He searched all over his room but he could not seem to find it. Finally, he decided to ask Miki. Maybe some of his stuff got mixed up with MiKi's.
He walked over to her room and knocked on her door. "Miki, can I come in?" there was no reply. Puzzled, Yuu knocked again. But there was no reply again. He could have sworn Miki went into her room just as he did.
Hoping she wasn't in the middle of changing, he opened the bedroom door gently. There, in the middle of the room was Miki. Reading his yearbook. She was looking at it with an intense expression, as if she was in the middle of a shock,"Oh, that's mine, Miki. I was looking for it." Miki looked up at him and blinked. The shock expression still on her face but quickly she replaced it with false cheerfulness. She snapped the yearbook close.
"Wh..what? Oh! Right! Here," she thrust the book at Yuu. Miki was back to acting strange. A little apprehension washed over Yuu. He took the yearbook from her and walked out of her room. He turned back to look at her. She was closing the door. But just before the door closed, he saw Miki frowning to herself. And then the door closed.
What was that all about? Yuu walked back to his room. He looked at the yearbook in his hands. He started flipping through, searching for whatever that had shocked Miki. As he flipped through, something flew out of the pages. It landed on the floor beside Yuu.
It was a photo. Yuu bent down to pick it up. It was a picture of him and his old girlfriend back in his old school. His ex-girlfriend had given him that photo as a reminder of what they had. He had forgottened about the picture because their relationship hadn't meant anything to him, only to her. And now Miki had stumbled across it. And then, she was shocked...
Wait a minute. She was shocked? Yuu paused in mid thought. Why would she be shocked? Unless...A sudden look of comprehension dawned on Yuu and with it a little hope. Miki was definitely upset over the picture. Dare he hope that she was a little jealous of the girl in the picture with him?
Yuu grinned. His heart suddenly felt light. As if a burden had been lifted. All this while he thought that he was the only one with the attraction. With this discovery, it would seem that Miki could be attracted to him as well.
The possibility made him look forward to his days with Miki. And for the moment, his plans to search for his real father was momentarily forgottened just like the photo that was in his yearbook.
Chapter 8
Yuu was playing a game on the playstation with Miki's father. Yuu was winning. Miki's father was losing badly.
"The winner is Player 1" the voice from the video game announced.
"Aw, shucks! Lets play another round, Yuu. Okay? One more time?" Miki's father pleaded with Yuu.
Yuu groaned inwardly. Miki's father was really bad at this game and to be quite frank, it was getting boring. No matter how many times they played, the winner always turned out to be Yuu. "Maybe some other time," Yuu tried to find an excuse.
"Dad, you're just not good at this game. Give it up!" Miki who was sitting at the dining table, called out, a grin on her face. Their moms and Yuu's dad were sitting at the table as well.
Earlier during the game, he heard Miki and his father making their way to the dining table. Yuu's dad was trying to help Miki with her Maths homework.
"Is that the homework from today's math's class?" Yuu asked.
"Yep," Miki replied, a friendly smile on her face. She was wearing a rather cute pair of pink pajamas. The colour suited her. She looked cute to him right then. Actually, that's not true, she always looked cute to him, no matter what she wore.
"Great! Let me copy it!" Yuu made a move to leave the couch. Actually Yuu didn't need to copy it from her. But he thought maybe he could use the excuse to stop playing the computer game with Miki's father. And, what better way to get closer to Miki?
Miki stuck her tongue out at Yuu, "No way! You can finish your homework on your own. You're smart enough."
Yuu paused,"Cheh, stingy." Well, so much for that plan.
"Why don't you join us, Yuu? We can finish your homework together," Yuu's father offered.
Ah, that option was better than nothing. Yuu made a move to leave the couch again. But Miki's father suddenly pleaded again,"Aw, Yuu, don't leave! Come on, one more game, please?"
Yuu winced a little,"Give it up, Jin. You just don't have the skills." Yuu called Miki's father by his first name because to call him Mr. Koishikawa seemed so impersonal. But to call him dad, seemed too personal. So, in respect with his mother's new relationship and his father's feelings, he chose another alternative by calling him by his first name instead. Jin didn't mind. In fact it made him feel like he was Yuu's buddy. Unfortunately, that's what started the gaming session.
"Dad is rather pathetic in this, isn't he?" Miki's cheerful voice sounded from the dining table. Then she laughed and everybody joined her. She looked so bright and cheerful, Yuu had to laugh along with her. They were laughing as if they were a family already.
But a sudden look of realization came to her face and she paused, no longer laughing. Yuu stopped laughing as well. Suddenly he remembered what she had said about not wanting to accept their families situation even though she agreed to it. She must have been reminded by her own promise as well.
Miki suddenly got up, started to gather her homework and said, "Er, I think I can finish my homework on my own now. Thanks for the help, Mr. Matsuura," and with that, she left the dining room, running up the stairs to her room.
Yuu stared after her and so did everyone else. Like him, they noticed her use of the formal name. It seemed pretty obvious now that she still had problem in that score.
Well, it had not been easy for her. She was against their parents' relationship from the start. Yuu had already accepted it earlier. But his attraction for Miki complicated things a little because it would mean that when their parents marry they would be brother and sister. Miki already had trouble accepting their parents' unconventional arrangement as it is. Yuu was pretty sure she would be against incestious relationship as well.
Yuu sighed. It didn't matter to him, really. They weren't blood related. But perhaps he ought to help Miki accept their parents' relationship first. He could work on his attraction for Miki later.
But for now, it was back to playing the game with Jin. Yuu groaned and was careful not to let his expression show as Jin gleefully started the game again.
--------
The next morning however, Miki had already left for school without him. She was avoiding him and their family.
Yuu felt a little bereft without her company. He was planning to remind her about her mom's birthday today and then it was part of his plan that they would shop for a gift together. He wondered whether she had forgottened?
The entire day, Miki pretended that Yuu wasn't there. It irked Yuu a little. When school ended, Yuu went in search of Miki. Miki had ran out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang. She had tennis practice this afternoon. Yuu walked towards the school's tennis court and there she was. Already changed into her tennis clothes and playing with all her heart. Yuu stood just outside the fence and watched her play. It reminded Yuu of the first time he saw her at the park. Beautiful and graceful.
A look of concentration was on her face. She must have been truly upset about yesterday. But for her to be this upset would only mean that her walls were starting to crumble. Now, she was determined to reinforce it back.
Yuu was going to help her. But not to reinforce it back though. He was going to help break that wall of hers until there were no more bricks left.
Yuu waited for her practice to end. He stood at the school's gate, thinking about Miki. Soon, he heard Miki's voice as she talked to her friends. Yuu stepped up to her and she stopped talking.
"Yuu? What are you still doing here?" Miki was looking at him but there was something hesitant about her expression. Yuu didn't want her to be hesitant with him. Not ever. He was even more determined now to change her feelings.
"Come on, let's go," Yuu went up and grabbed her wrist before she could reply, dragging her along. Her friends looked on, curious at the exchange.
Miki waved her friends goodby and then turned to look at him questioningly, "Where are you taking me?"
Yuu sighed,"Have you forgottened that today is your mom's birthday?" when Yuu saw her shocked expression, he knew she did. "Well, it's still not too late. We can shop for her present now." Yuu tugged Miki's hand again and she went with him silently looking guilty.
They stopped at the jewelry shop to see what they could find there. Miki was looking around while Yuu just watched her. Miki was still acting strange. There were lines of tension on her face. Yuu's heart tugged at the sight. He wanted to reach out and comfort her. But it was too soon for that.
Instead, he spoke,"I know how you feel, Miki. things are difficult for you to accept at the moment." Miki looked up from her browsing, a look of apprehension on her face. "But things will get better, I promise you," her eyes shifted down. "For now, let's just forget about it and concentrate on making your mom happy on her special day."
Miki looked up at Yuu, studying his sincere expression. Suddenly she smiled. It was as if the sun was shining again eventhough it was close to night time. Yuu's heart did a little skip.
Miki beamed up at him, "You're right, Yuu. I was being selfish. I even forgot about my mom's birthday. That wasn't well done of me. Well, let's go get her that present!" with that, she seemed to have switched to her cheerful mode. Yuu found that he rather liked this mode. He was glad he was able to do that for her.
Miki continued her browsing but this time with much enthusiasm. Soon, they found the perfect gift. A pair of earrings. After paying, they had it wrapped up and then they were on their way back home.
There was a dinner celebration and everybody was happy. More importantly, Miki looked happy. The celebration wouldn't have been complete without her own brand of cheerfulness.
Soon, dinner was over and everybody had retired to their own rooms. Miki had left with a smile on her face and wishing her mom happy birthday once again. Yuu sat on his bed feeling a sense of satisfaction.
Suddenly his gaze landed on the carton in the corner of his room. Yuu got up and walked over to it. It was some of his stuff he missed out earlier and his parents must had left it for him to sort it out. He started unpacking. He was in the middle of shelving his yearbooks when he noticed one of the yearbooks was missing. It was his last year with his previous school. Yuu wondered where it could have gotten to.
He searched all over his room but he could not seem to find it. Finally, he decided to ask Miki. Maybe some of his stuff got mixed up with MiKi's.
He walked over to her room and knocked on her door. "Miki, can I come in?" there was no reply. Puzzled, Yuu knocked again. But there was no reply again. He could have sworn Miki went into her room just as he did.
Hoping she wasn't in the middle of changing, he opened the bedroom door gently. There, in the middle of the room was Miki. Reading his yearbook. She was looking at it with an intense expression, as if she was in the middle of a shock,"Oh, that's mine, Miki. I was looking for it." Miki looked up at him and blinked. The shock expression still on her face but quickly she replaced it with false cheerfulness. She snapped the yearbook close.
"Wh..what? Oh! Right! Here," she thrust the book at Yuu. Miki was back to acting strange. A little apprehension washed over Yuu. He took the yearbook from her and walked out of her room. He turned back to look at her. She was closing the door. But just before the door closed, he saw Miki frowning to herself. And then the door closed.
What was that all about? Yuu walked back to his room. He looked at the yearbook in his hands. He started flipping through, searching for whatever that had shocked Miki. As he flipped through, something flew out of the pages. It landed on the floor beside Yuu.
It was a photo. Yuu bent down to pick it up. It was a picture of him and his old girlfriend back in his old school. His ex-girlfriend had given him that photo as a reminder of what they had. He had forgottened about the picture because their relationship hadn't meant anything to him, only to her. And now Miki had stumbled across it. And then, she was shocked...
Wait a minute. She was shocked? Yuu paused in mid thought. Why would she be shocked? Unless...A sudden look of comprehension dawned on Yuu and with it a little hope. Miki was definitely upset over the picture. Dare he hope that she was a little jealous of the girl in the picture with him?
Yuu grinned. His heart suddenly felt light. As if a burden had been lifted. All this while he thought that he was the only one with the attraction. With this discovery, it would seem that Miki could be attracted to him as well.
The possibility made him look forward to his days with Miki. And for the moment, his plans to search for his real father was momentarily forgottened just like the photo that was in his yearbook.