Disclaimer: As everyone knows, I do not own the characters from Hana Yori Dango/Boys Over Flowers. However, I do own Neko, my OC. (Yay! I own something! Mine! Don't touch!) It's still not worth suing me; I am but a humble fan.
Thank you, Kamio-sensei!
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AN: This is completely AU. Not canon! Things are different--deal with it! Don't like, don't read!
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Tea and Saké
A Hana Yori Dango FanFic
By Janice Rips
Chapter 15: Morning Routine & Lost Temper
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"Doumyouji," Tsukushi said softly, tugging on the arm wrapped around her midsection, "Doumyouji, let me go."
"No," he murmured sleepily.
"Let me go," she said more firmly, struggling a little.
"Never going to let you go again," he insisted, squeezing more tightly.
"Doumyouji Tsukasa, if you don't let me up, I'm going to wet the bed!"
"Oh... Oh! Okay, you should have said so in the first place," he replied, loosening his hold.
Tsukushi got up and headed to the bathroom. When she was finished, she continued on to her own bedroom. She wanted to look out at the sunrise on the ocean, but she didn't want the light from the balcony to disturb Tsukasa, in case he wanted to sleep a bit more. There was no need for either of them to be up much before nine, but she really wanted to look outside while things were so peaceful.
At least, that was her intention. But when she opened the balcony door, she was greeted by the sound of lively music. Looking for the source of the music, she found herself temporarily mesmerized by the sight below her. Pulling herself back to awareness, she ran back to Tsukasa's room.
"Doumyouji! Get up! Get up, you've got to see this!"
"What is it, Makino? Is something wrong?" he asked, getting to his feet.
"No, nothing's wrong, but you've got to see this, it's amazing!" she repeated, pulling him to the balcony.
Out on the beach, where the sea meets the sand, Neko and Antonio were engaged in an odd combination of ritualized fighting, dancing, and gymnastics, all in rhythm with the music pouring from a small boom box further up the beach. They were dressed in what looked like striped pajama pants, Neko in a matching sports bra and Antonio bare-chested. The pair on the balcony watched raptly as the pair on the beach flipped and spun through the air, seemingly defying gravity as they feinted kicks and punches, lunging at each other then drawing away.
"What the hell are they doing?" Tsukasa asked, watching Neko and Antonio gyrate and tumble.
"They're sparring," Rui answered from behind him, startling the other two.
"Rui! What are you doing on our balcony?!"
"Hanazawa Rui? I thought you would still be asleep. You were up late," Tsukushi wondered.
"Who can sleep with all the noise you're making, Makino?" he replied, ruffling her hair.
"Rui!" Tsukasa glowered at him.
Rui reached over and mussed Tsukasa's curls. "There. Still jealous?" he asked with a chuckle.
"Damn it, Rui," Tsukasa muttered. "Hands off."
"So, as I was saying, they're sparring," Rui went on, as if he'd done nothing. "That's good. Neko probably doesn't get to practice with anyone very often."
"Chotto, that's that capillary stuff? Like when she smacked me in the face? But they're just jumping all over the place-- there's no reason to it! How do they keep from running into each other?" Tsukasa asked, puzzled.
"First of all, it's Capoeira. Secondly, watch closely," Rui pointed to the sparring partners on the sand. "The roda has it's own rules and etiquette. They are always aware of their opponent/partner, and the rhythm of the music keeps their movements orderly," Rui explained. "It just looks chaotic to us because we're used to the straight lines and direct attacks of our own martial arts. Capoeira is very effective in a street fight precisely because its moves aren't telegraphed. It's hard to avoid what you don't see coming at you; you should be able to attest to that, Tsukasa," he chuckled," most of the times I've seen you get hit, it was by a girl who caught you off guard." He paused thoughtfully. "Why is that, anyway? One would think that growing up with Nee-chan, you would know better than to underestimate the female of the species."
Tsukushi couldn't help but giggle as Tsukasa blushed. "Don't laugh at me, Makino!" he groaned, mortified. Tsukushi just laughed louder.
Rui shook his head, then yawned hugely. "Ne, it's been fun, but I'm going back to bed. As you pointed out, I was up late. Ja mata," he said, ambling back to his room.
Tsukasa followed him with his eyes, then turned back to Tsukushi. "If you don't mind, I'm going to get some more sleep, too. You coming?"
"Actually, I'm pretty much wide awake. I think I'll go see if Neko wants some company after her workout," she answered. "See you at breakfast." Then she surprised him with an impromptu hug before heading downstairs.
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Tsukushi walked out of the house and onto the deck just as Neko finished brushing sand off her feet and came up the stairs to the deck from the beach. Neko sighed contentedly, looking disheveled and sweaty, but happy. She flopped into a cushioned wrought-iron chair adjacent to a matching glass-topped table, and waved Tsukushi to another seat. Lolly came out with a tray bearing onigiri, a glass carafe of grapefruit juice, a thermal carafe of coffee, and a plate, glass and mug. Seeing Tsukushi sitting there, she smiled and ducked back in, returning with a second place setting then going back inside.
Neko poured two glasses of juice, handed one to Tsukushi, then drank deeply of her own. "Good morning, Tsukushi-chan. You're up early."
"Not as early as you. What's up? Aren't you joining us for breakfast?"
"Huh? Oh, you mean this?" Neko asked, motioning to the table. Tsukushi nodded. "This is just what I eat after my workout every morning. If I waited until nine for breakfast after all this exercise at five, I would be ravenous. Or I would pass out. This is just a little something to replenish lost nutrients. Help yourself, there's plenty," she offered. "Lolly always makes too much."
"Okay, if you're sure," Tsukushi said, reaching for an onigiri. "What kind are these?"
"I'm glad you asked; I don't know if you'll like them all. The ones in the middle are made with bonito."
"That's fairly normal," Tsukushi observed.
"Yeah, but the ones on this end are tobiko, and on the other end are chopped oshinko."
"Really? That sounds good! You sure don't have fussy taste buds like the bonbons!"
"Bonbons?" Neko asked, laughing at Tsukushi's moue of distaste.
"You know, spoiled rich kids, like the F4," she explained.
Neko chuckled. "Gotcha. I had to teach Rui-san how to make popcorn last night-- someone's always made it for him! Sometimes these guys are so helpless!"
"I know! It's unbelievable! One time, Doumyouji and Kazuya-kun caught a bunch of cuttlefish, and Doumyouji wanted the chef woken to make a sauce!"
"A sauce? For cuttlefish? But, don't you usually just grill and eat them with soy sauce?"
"Exactly! That's what we told him!" Tsukushi giggled. "And they're always turning up their noses at perfectly good food! The one time I went to New York City, Hanazawa Rui bought a bunch of food from a deli, then wouldn't eat any of it! He made faces at it, and I ended up eating all of it!"
"What did he bring you?" Neko asked.
"I don't know, exactly... cabbage salad, some sort of smoked fish in sour cream, some kind of liver spread..."
"Wait, he got you coleslaw, kippered herring, and chopped liver from a New York deli, then he didn't like it??" Neko was astounded. "I can understand the liver, he doesn't eat meat, but New York has the best delis! When I'm finally allowed to go home, you'll have to come visit-- we'll get knishes, hot pastrami on rye, half-sours, all the best stuff!" she raved.
"Okay, I don't understand a word you said, but I'm game,' Tsukushi grinned. "As long as you don't drag me shopping again!"
"Aw, you're no fun! Alright, but we have to do something besides eat. We can do touristy stuff, or hit the museums, maybe take in a show," Neko insisted. A cloud seemed to pass over her face, and she sighed deeply. "I wish I could go home now. I'm trying to fit in here, but it's like nothing makes sense. It's just so impossible."
"I kind of understand. For me, it's a class thing. Whenever I get dragged to one of these stupid, upper-class parties, I stick out like a sore thumb," Tsukushi commiserated.
"Those I can handle. It's the other stuff, like public displays of affection, tea ceremony etiquette, even waving to say 'come here' or 'go away'... I always get it wrong," Neko sighed again, absently munching an onigiri.
The girls ate in companionable silence, watching the tide wash up the shore, then Tsukushi gave Neko a sidelong look. "So," she commented as casually as she could, "you and Hanazawa Rui were up awfully late. Anything... interesting happen?"
"That depends on how you define 'interesting'. I already told you, there's nothing going on between us. We ate popcorn, drank beer, and watched a couple of movies, that's all. Well, maybe Rui-san watched both movies-- I fell asleep partway through the second one. I'll have to apologize to him for that, I took up half his bed."
Tsukushi's eyes went wide and round. "You slept with--"
"No, I slept next to," Neko cut her short. "There's a difference. Get your mind out of the gutter."
"Gomen... It's just--" she stammered.
"Look, I don't know what you've heard, and frankly, I don't care. I'm not sleeping with any of the F4, and I'm sick of people talking about me behind my back!" Neko pushed away from the table. "Goddamnit!!!" she yelled, slamming her fist into the patio door. A web of fine cracks spread from the point of impact. Neko sucked on her bloody knuckles, dispassionately surveying her handiwork.
"Ohmigod, Neko, you're hurt!" Tsukushi cried, reaching for her wrist.
Neko pulled away. "It's nothing. Just a scratch. I'm going to go shower. Pardon my temper." With that, she turned and went in through the unbroken side of the door, leaving Tsukushi to stare after her from the deck.
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Tsukushi slowly climbed the stairs and went into Tsukasa's room. She found him half-dressed, frantically tugging a shirt over his head. "Doumyouji?"
"Makino!" he breathed desperately, pulling her into his arms. "Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you? I heard breaking glass, and then a door slammed." He held her out at arm's length, checking her for injuries.
"Relax, I'm okay," she assured him. "I'm okay. I'm not too sure about Neko, though. She just punched a hole in the door to the deck."
Tsukasa eyed her suspiciously. "What did you do to piss her off?"
"What did I--? I didn't do anything!!!" Tsukushi protested. "One minute we were talking about the difference in common and refined tastes, then I asked her what she and Hanazawa Rui did last night, and suddenly she started ranting about people talking behind her back. Then she punched the door and stomped upstairs."
Tsukasa shook his head. "Makino, I told you last night, it's none of our business." With a sigh, he pulled her back into his arms. "I know you're just concerned, but they're both big kids. It's a fine line between worried and nosy, and you just crossed it. Look," he said, cutting off her protests, "I'll go check on her, make sure she cleaned all the glass out of her knuckles. I've got a bit of experience at caring for my own hands after punching something I shouldn't have," he admitted ruefully. "I'll see if she's alright, physically, at least."
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AN: Hello, hello! I am so happy!!! I've been getting loads of positive feedback, I broke 20 reviews, and I'm picking up new interest, in addition to my core group of loyal readers! Also, February is over, Spring is coming, and many positive things have been coming my way recently! --Jan does silly happy dance-- Soooo, I guess I better get off my duff and get writing again! (I have lots of ideas, but only one more chapter typed up. I need to stop reading everyone else's work and get cracking! Bad author, no cookie.) Anyhow, I, too, apologize for Neko's temper tantrum. And Tsukasa giving a damn about others? I know, it's a little out of character, but still... things can only get better, true? See you next chapter!