Disclaimer: Takaya Natsuki is the rightful owner. I'm merely borrowing her creations for my own diabolical ideals. No, really.
Life's Many Indulgences
Chapter 8: Let's Party?
"Are you serious?" Naohito asked, face becoming frighteningly pale.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Yuki replied.
"Oh, come on, Yuki, stop being such a spoil-sport. We need someone to do this sort of thing to enlighten the party." Kimi flung one of her arms around Yuki's shoulders and pulled him close to herself. "I tried to persuade Kakeru to do it, but he came up with an even better idea! I can't believe I didn't think of it myself!"
"I absolutely decline such an offer," Yuki said.
"Me, too," Naohito added. "What you want us to do seems a little too immoral in my standards."
"Stop complaining, you two. Just be glad that you don't have to do it with Kakeru, because he'd--"
"I don't wanna know, Kimi, really," Naohito was getting even more pale, his face looking so white now that his complexion can be compared to that of a cloud in the sky, "your freakishness scares me sometimes."
"You don't understand the meaning of the word, "party" and "fun". When you combine the both of them, it becomes a fantastic thing, and I'm merely trying to make this a reality. You're not going to back out on me, too, are you, Mr. President?"
"It's Yuki . . ."
"Mr. President."
"Yuki . . ."
"I won't call you what you want me to if you back out of this, Mr. President."
"Damn, she's good," Naohito made sure to take note of.
"I think I already have, Toudou." Yuki was trying to spite her, but it didn't seem like it was going to work. She was not as bothered about the name thing as he was. The student council president is merely a pawn for the student council vice president to mess around with. Alas, Yuki's tragic fate was going to be sealed, and he was dragging Naohito with him - there was no way he was going to brave this alone - Naohito was an intended target to begin with, as well.
"Are you still considering on backing down?" Kimi asked.
"No." Yuki turned to look at Naohito with burning determination within his eyes. "As long as Nao does this with me, then I will not back out."
"What! I haven't agreed to this! Yuki, how could you!"
"All right! It's all settled now! Good job, Kimi!"
It was as if all time stood still for Naohito and Yuki. Kakeru decided to make his presence known as soon as the deal was put into place - little sneaky bastard - Kakeru was smiling from ear to ear while Yuki and Naohito were literally snarling at him for being such a coward, because it was originally Naohito/Kakeru, not Naohito/Yuki. Naohito snarled all the more because he was going to be a part of this no matter what anyway.
"Come give me a kiss on the cheek!" Kimi squealed when Kakeru did as she asked, and kissed her on her right cheek.
"Is there no way out now? Are we stuck in a pit hole?" Naohito asked.
"I'm afraid so," Yuki answered.
XOXOXOXOXOX
"Usuda and Sakuragi are going to do a play about the values of friendship and school unity," Saki suddenly said, pretty much surprising everyone around her.
"How do you know that?" Arisa asked.
"My electric waves told me."
"I can see something." Tooru squinted her eyes as she brought the flyer she was holding closer to her face. "I can barely read it, but it describes what the play is going to be about."
". . . So you didn't predict it, Saki." Arisa sweat dropped when her dark-haired friend nodded. "And who the hell would put in such small writing for such an important thing as the description of a play?"
"Party! Party! Party!" Momiji's voice floated down the hallway.
"Oh, there goes Kishida and Shimazaki right now! Over here, guys!" Tooru waved her arms back and forth until she got their attention. Hatsuharu seemed hesitant to approach the trio, but since Momiji was walking on ahead of him, he had no choice but to follow. "Aren't you guys excited?"
"Not really," Hatsuharu replied.
"I am!" Momiji exclaimed.
"By the way," Hatsuharu pointed to the small writing on a flyer he himself was holding, "do you know what this tiny text says, because I can hardly read it. I only picked up the names Usuda, Sakuragi, and values."
"They're gonna do a play for us about the values of friendship and school unity!" Momiji smiled, feeling proud that he could answer his friend's question.
"I didn't know you could read such tiny font, or else I would have asked you sooner," Hatsuharu said.
"Two people is really pushing it, don't you think?" Arisa scratched at her head when the others all have her blank stares. It was as if a cold chill blew through the hallway then. "I mean, wouldn't they need more than two people to pull this off? The play doesn't look like it can be done without more cast members, with the way the plot sounds."
"Who knows," Saki and Hatsuharu said at the same time. They turned to look at each other and say, "did you just say the same thing as me?"
The intercom came on just then. "Excuse me for the interruption," Usuda's voice wafted out all around the school campus (excluding the grassy fields outside) - his fanatics were literally melting at the sound of his voice. "The flyer that has been passed out this morning is no longer valid. On behalf of the student council who have organized for this event, we'd like for all of you to disregard whatever information is on there about the play. Our first student council vice president, Toudou, has made a mistake and would very much like to apologize."
"Is this thing on? Oh, it's on? Oops! Okay, everyone, I'd like to apologize for giving out the flyers. It's just that our student council president Usuda, and third student council vice-president Sakuragi refuse to play their roles, after all. It's a shame but we'll come up with something else, so expect the unexpected! Bye-bye!"
"You didn't have to tell everyone that." Yuki's temple was throbbing and he wouldn't mind hurting Kimi right about now.
Naohito, on the other hand, didn't seem to be as bothered by this as Yuki. His only question was, "since we're not doing that play, what are we going to do now?"
"Are you implying that you wanted to do the play Kimi had in mind for us?" Yuki questioned.
"No."
"Then why ask such a thing?"
"Relax, Mr. President--"
"Yuki . . ."
"--I'll assure you that the next play we're gonna attempt do is going to include you, Sakuragi, and Kimi."
"What about you?" Yuki had an inkling feeling Kakeru was leaving himself out for some sort of reason, and he wanted to know.
"Ah, well," Kakeru grinned and placed his hands onto either sides of his hips, "I don't think I'll be needed, that's why."
Yuki narrowed his eyes at him, and was about ready to shoot daggers out of his eyes at the other teen if he really could. "I insist upon this, though; the three vice presidents can play the roles of whatever new characters you've come up with."
"No, no, it's much better if you do it, Mr. President."
"Call me Yuki . . . How many times must I remind you, Kakeru?" He is literally the male version of Kimi. No wonder they are a good match for each other . . .
"Um, not enough?"
"Don't make me hurt you . . ."
"Ahahahaha, like you really would!" He knew by now that most of Yuki's threats were empty, because he was not that much of a violent person. In fact, Kakeru nor any of the other student council members have ever seen Yuki get physical with another person, for as long as they all can remember. "Please don't say things to me that will make me laugh at you! You're going to make me feel bad!"
"Stop picking on him," Naohito hissed. "Just do as he wants for once."
"Fine, Nao, but you owe me then," Kakeru replied. "Because we'll later see that his role is not as bad as he thinks it is."
§BACK TO TOORU AND THE OTHERS§
"I love surprises!" Momiji was getting all giddy over the prospect of what was to come. "Aren't you excited too, Haru?"
Hatsuharu forced a smile and says, "yeah!"
The pains he was going to have to go through for his friend now. It never occurred to Hatsuharu that within one year, he could change so much and Momiji remained . . . so the same. He once liked the same things that Momiji did, although his tastes weren't as girly, but he definitely liked surprises, some bright colors, and talking cheerfully. Some of these qualities within him have faded away - Rin's influence on him must have been quite strong. Besides, she was his first crush . . .
"Don't force yourself, Shimazaki." Saki placed a hand on Hatsuharu's right shoulder. "Your friend would like it better if you were honest to yourself, and that in turn, will reflect your honesty towards him."
". . . . ." Hatsuharu knew she had a point, but he couldn't find the voice to thank her.
"No need to thank me. I do not do this out of self-satisfaction. Helping others is just something nice people do."
"Something nice people do, huh?"
XOXOXOXOXOX
"I gotta go now, but I'd really like to hang out with you again. Can you write your home phone and address down for me?" Momiji asked. He produced a small notepad and pen from his back pockets.
Hatsuharu took the offered notepad and pen, and then he began to write. All the while when he was writing, Momiji was looking at him with sparkling brown eyes. "Why are you looking so happy?"
"Because we're going to become friends!"
"Isn't there a reason behind this?"
"No. I'm friends with you because I want to be. It's not really for self-satisfaction, yet I like helping other people and in the long run we become friends!"
"How strange . . ."
"Me? Or my way of befriending others?"
"Both . . ." Hatsuharu wasn't sure that he wanted to believe everything the blonde-haired boy was telling him. ". . . Here." He handed back the small notepad and pen.
"Wow, we live pretty close to one another! This is great! Our prefectures are right next to each other!"
Hatsuharu smiled - for the first time that day he finally felt like his world wasn't dying. Losing a loved one did not mean he'd lose everything else. People are people, death was death, and things can always be lost and gained again and again.
XOXOXOXOXOX
"Come on, Momiji, let's go." Saki's words were still floating around inside his head.
"Okay!"
While they were walking Hatsuharu wanted to start up a conversation about their past year apart. Yet, he wasn't sure how he wanted to start their conversation, but Momiji saved him the trouble of doing so.
"What have you been doing this past year, huh? Your e-mails didn't tell me much at all," Momiji said.
Hatsuharu wanted to say something, but then again he didn't know where to start, anyway. "Well, other than dating Rin, I don't think I've done much of anything else."
"Awwww, come one." Momiji was finding it hard to believe. Surely, Hatsuharu couldn't have done nothing for enjoyment. "Didn't you go anywhere at all with your family? Did you not visit a relative you haven't seen in a long time? Did you not celebrate Christmas, your birthday, Easter, Thanksgiving, anything?"
"Those sound like things that your family would do," Hatsuharu pointed out. Trying to steer the conversation towards his friend, he asked, "and did your family do all these things together with you within the past year? Was it fun?"
"Yeah, my family did do the ones I've mentioned and plenty more! If only you were with me to celebrate!" Momiji's tone of voice lowered just then. "And I know how your family isn't really into the Western celebrations, but they're really fun if you try some of them."
"Oh yeah, that reminds me. I want to give you something, Momiji. I was hanging onto it in the hopes that we'd someday meet each other again, and luck seems to be on our side this time around."
"For me?" Momiji was smiling so widely it seemed rather painful than being considered a happy expression.
"Close your eyes and hold out your hands."
Something cold to the touch was placed in the blonde-haired teen's palm, and when he opened his eyes to inspect his gift, he gasped out of surprise.
"A locket?" You got me a locket?"
"Yeah." Hatsuharu was starting to feel a little embarrassed. "Do you like it?"
"Like it? I love it! You even got monkeys imprinted on the lid! Thanks, Haru!" Momiji embraced his friend in a fierce bonding of arms linked around arms. "I think I should put your photo inside it. It is a picture frame locket, right?"
"Yeah, it is." Hatsuharu returned the embrace by wrapping his own arms around his friend's body. "I got you that so that you could have something to remember me by if we were to be separated for any reason. I was waiting for the day I'd meet you again, and our chance has come."
"I should get you something, too!"
A mutual bond is what they share, really. Nothing more, nothing less. A friendly gift and embrace can't possibly mean anything beyond that, because the two boys did not harbor such feelings for one another no matter what it may look like to spectators (which there were some . . .)
However, don't underestimate the power of gossip, as some people would like to say.
Hatsuharu and Momiji walked by a trio of girls, unaware of what they were scheming to do. Their eyes shone brightly with ambition, and they were completely head-over-heels in passion for boy love, via the manga of magical words and pictures that fill their empty head with funny thoughts.
Chapter 8: END