4. I Won't Sit Around; I Can't Let Him Win Now…
"I'm home..."
"Oh, you're back!" Taichi greeted from the living room where he and Aoi-chan were watching the television. Taichi was peeling and slicing apples and Aoi-chan was eating them. "Mou, Aoi-chan! By the time I'm done, I won't be able to taste any if you keep eating them!"
Aoi-chan giggled and the two argued some more before the little girl gave up and fed her brother a slice of apple lovingly. Hikari smiled and joined them.
"Here, one for onechan!" Aoi-chan said, feeding Hikari a slice of apple. She said thanks and began to chew thoughtfully.
"So," Taichi began, "Aoi-chan's told me what happened at the kindergarten."
"Mmm..."
"I heard the guy's name is Ishida?"
Hikari glanced at Taichi before looking away. "Umm, yeah." Did her brother find out that Takeru was in town? Hikari wasn't sure what would happen if Taichi knew – he had always been that defensive big brother who cared for his sisters.
"So it's really them? Dad's told me yesterday that the neighbours are planning a welcoming party for them," Taichi went on before putting a large slice of apple into his mouth. "I 'eard they're nice 'eople!"
"How can you call them nice if the little boy attacked our sister?" Hikari said rather crossly, taking over the peeling-the-apples task. Taichi waved a hand dismissively.
"He's just a kid," he said. "I mean, come on – I stole an Easter egg from our neighbour back when I was six – d'you remember that, Hika? It was so funny! Everyone began to blame that one kid instead—"
"—And then dad scolded you when he found out," Hikari cut in, grinning at the memory.
"Well, yeah. I deserved that, heh," she said sheepishly. "Anyway! I was saying, the Ishidas seem nice, or so Mr. Matsuda said. Besides, Aoi-chan's forgiven that Hiroki boy, right? Right, Aoi?"
"Mm-hm!" said the girl cheerfully, her eyes glued to the TV as a a trio singing group, JYJ, appeared on stage.
"So...so when exactly is this welcoming party?" Hikari asked wearily.
"Dunno. I think dad said something about combining it with the annual Sports Day."
Oh great, thought Hikari. The community in Kurokuro village always held a Sports Day each year, just to strengthen their bond and stuff. If they really did combine the welcoming party with the annual Sports Day, then it would be almost impossible for her to avoid Takeru. She had volunteered to help with the food and drinks, and since people would definitely want food and drinks on that day, they would most certainly visit the tent and meet her.
"I think it's a good idea," Taichi said absent-mindedly as he and Aoi-chan watched JYJ performed their song, "I mean, it'll be a great way to get to know each other through sports!"
"Yeah, of course you'd say that. You're obsessed with soccer!"
"You said that as if it's a bad thing!"
"Well, yeah, it's kinda bad when I have to wash your muddy socks."
"Sorry," said Taichi, grinning. "Anyway – why is it that I feel like you don't like the Ishidas? Did Hiroki-kun's cousin say something bad to you?"
"No, he didn't," Aoi-chan suddenly piped in, "he was really kind! Wasn't he, onechan?"
"Err – yeah, he was polite. It's just that – well, I'm still pissed off. Those crayons were good crayons, okay?" she said furiously, slicing the apples rather violently. She finished up quickly before Taichi could say anything, and stood up. "I'll be in my room," she mumbled before stalking off.
"What's with her?" Taichi asked Aoi-chan, who simply shrugged.
—X—
Yamato Ishida lazily made his way upstairs towards his room (well, at first it was a guest room, but after making a big fuss out of it ("How come Idon't get a room? Because I have my own house elsewhere? Not fair!"), that room became his). His stomach was full and he was feeling very sleepy at the moment — his mother was always a good cook, but never really cooked often. He was about to go straight into his room and sleep, but when he passed his brother's bedroom, his steady march was turned into slow, soundless steps.
He crept closer towards the opened door, and peered inside. He saw Takeru on the bed, lying on his stomach and looking at something in his hands.
"Reminiscing the old times, are we?" Yamato said, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe. His brother quickly turned to look, and hid the item – a photograph – under his pillow.
"I'd love it if you knock my door before startling me," his little brother mumbled, getting into a sitting position.
"Then it wouldn't be called 'startling' someone, would it?" he replied, entering the room and sitting down next to Takeru. "What's that?" he simply asked (more like demanded), pointing at the pillow.
Takeru calmly shoved the photo farther under the pillow. "Nothing."
"Oh, come on, what is it?" he insisted, leaning across Takeru to reach the pillow. The younger Ishida quickly pulled him by the sweater, but Yamato was quick: he triumphantly held up the photo as he jumped away from the bed. "Oh? I've never seen this before!" It was a photo of a bunch of teenagers posing in front of some grand garden or something, and quickly, Yamato spotted the fifteen-year-old Takeru, standing next to a girl with brown hair.
"Hey, give it back!"
Yamato held it up above his head, just to taunt his little brother a bit, but one of the annoying things about Takeru was the fact that he was a basketball player. He jumped, grabbed the photo, and quickly went to his study table to keep it away.
"How long are you staying here?" Takeru asked after he had safely tucked the photo into one of his books. Yamato grinned as he lay down on his brother's bed, both hands behind his head as a pillow.
"Can't wait for me to leave, huh?"
"Yea, kind of," Takeru replied with a grin of his own. "Nah, I'm just asking."
"I might be able to stay for the welcoming party – mum wants me to be there," he said. Ever since their parents remarried, his mother had always wanted to do things together. "But I'll leave soon after that. You know, to prepare for the small concerts." After a while, something came to his mind. "Oh yea!" Searching his pockets, Yamato took out four tickets. "Here, these are special behind-the-stage tickets, you know, to go and watch our rehearsals… I got four — for you, mum, dad and Hiroki-kun — but mum and dad don't wanna come, so I hope you and Hiroki-kun will go."
He handed the tickets to Takeru, who read it for a while. "But what am I supposed to do with the other two?" he asked, looking up.
"As for that, maybe you can give it to your new friends or something — girls, preferably," Yamato replied with a wink. Takeru groaned.
"We just moved in, I don't have any new friends yet…"
"Aww, nonsense…there'll be a 'Takeru Ishida Fan Club' pretty soon, I'm sure," Yamato said. His little brother turned pink and looked away. Perhaps he had someone in his mind? He observed Takeru for a while before casually asking, "So...what happened at the kindergarten today?"
Takeru ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Uh. Hiroki-kun – I dunno...he won't tell me why he did what he did."
"And the little girl?"
"She was upset, but she forgave Hiroki-kun in the end," said Takeru, smiling a little.
"Hmm," was all Yamato said. So – he didn't want to tell him the whole story, huh? "I heard the girl's name is Aoi Yagami."
And now, watch the magic do its work. Takeru reddened almost at once, and avoided his brother's eyes.
"Couldn't be a coincidence, could it?" Yamato went on. "Hiroki-kun told me the kindergarten teacher called the older Yagami 'Hikari-chan'."
Takeru was silent for a while, and Yamato decided that it was best to let him initiate the conversation from now on. His little brother had been searching for Hikari Yagami for years, but for the past two years, Yamato had noticed this I-think-I'm-gonna-give-up attitude coming from Takeru. It was as if he had gotten used to the idea that he would never be able to find Hikari Yagami again. But Yamato knew that his little brother still couldn't forget her: he had actually rejected every single girl that came confessing their feelings to him for five freakin' years.
"She's grown out her hair," said Takeru, breaking the silence. He was smiling. "It's pretty."
"So it's really her?"
"Mm-hm."
"...Damn."
"I know, right?" Takeru said with a small laugh. He then rubbed his forehead, looking a little bit agitated.
"Well? How did she take it? How did you take it? You must've been so surprised, your face turned blue."
"She was quick to avoid me, I'll tell you that."
"That's good – means she still feels something for you."
"Yeah, like what? Hatred?" Takeru said, rolling his eyes. "I...I just – I dunno, niisan. It has been five years, after all..."
Yamato didn't say anything for a moment, but then, he frowned and got up from his lying position. "Did you stalk her before we moved in or anything?" he asked in a serious voice.
"N-no!"
"Then it's really a coincidence?"
"I...I guess so..."
"Wow," said Yamato, lying down once more. "Well! I think you guys will have plenty of time to figure things out, eh? It's not like she can avoid you forever, it's a tiny village."
His little brother merely smiled and said nothing – and that was when he knew that Takeru had never really given up on her.
Not even after five years.
—X—
Willis sighed deeply.
It was raining again, and what's worse, Hikari wasn't on duty today.
He sighed again. He was half hoping that a customer would appear soon, because he was really, really bored out of his wits. But he knew how things worked here: mothers would stock things up on Sundays, and they'd seriously buy things in large amounts so that they would not run out of it — and so that they wouldn't need to go back and forth to the grocery shop in such a wet weather.
Deciding he was thirsty, he stood up, and took out several yens and placed it into the cash register before going to the back of the shop (where the refrigerator was). When he was browsing over the drinks, he heard someone entering the shop. Fearing it was Mr. Hokama, he quickly called out to make sure.
"Uh — how may I help you?"
He waited. And then a voice came, "Oh, no— I'll manage on my own. Thanks!"
'Oh no, thankyou...!'he thought as he silently sighed in relief. Had it been Mr. Hokama, he was done for ("YOU'RE SLACKING OFF AGAIN, YOU TWIT?").
But he frowned slightly, as he finally made up his mind on which drink to choose, because the customer was a guy, and he couldn't recognise the voice. One of the things that Willis prided himself with was his cool ability to identify someone by their voices. He then went back to the payment counter and sat down again. From where he was, he could actually see the unknown customer browsing over the stationary section.
He was taller than Willis, and was dressed very casually — a simple T-shirt, and a pair of trousers. This guy had shiny blonde hair — but he probably had dyed it, so Willis ignored it. But when he stepped in front of the counter, Willis noticed that he had blue eyes and fair skin. Only then did a thought came across his mind: could this guy be Takeru Takaishi?
Quietly, he observed as the other searched his pocket for his wallet — yeah…this dude could easily be Takeru. Every description that Hikari had given to him matched this person: a very fine look, blonde, shiny hair, a tall figure and a pair of blue eyes...
Well — the eyes didn't quite match what Hikari had told him. She said they were a pair of cold, unfriendly eyes…but the ones thisguy had was nothing like that. Instead, if Willis had known better, he'd say that this guy merely lacked social ability, for he looked kind of shy and quiet.
"A-hah, found it," said the customer, smiling a bit, as he pulled out his wallet. Willis forced a smile in return. Among the things the customer was buying was a box of crayons…
Willis lifted his gaze to meet the other's eyes (Willis was slightly shorter). "You're…"
"New here, yeah," replied the other. Willis nodded a bit.
"Takeru, right?" he asked coolly.
The customer looked surprised, and this at once told Willis that he wasTakeru Takaishi. "Have we met before?" Takeru asked, smiling a bit but looking a little confused also.
"So you areTakeru Takaishi?"
As quickly as he had been surprised, Takeru's expression suddenly changed. What it was, Willis couldn't quite tell, but it was something between suspicion and displeasure. After a while, Takeru spoke rather casually:
"Yeah. You a friend of Hikari's?"
Willis wondered how Takeru had come up with a conclusion that he, Willis, was a friend of Hikari's so soon. Like, everyone in town would've known about the new family by now, for it was a small town — and so everyone could've guessed his name. It didn't necessarily mean that if someone knew Takeru's name, he was a friend of Hikari's.
"Why the sudden conclusion?" Willis asked testily. Smiling slightly, Takeru said,
"Hikari's the only one who still knows me as Takeru 'Takaishi'." At his confused face, he added, "That was my name, yes — my name five years ago. She must've forgotten to give you the recent updates," said Takeru with a small smile. "May I know the sum, please, so I can pay for all that?" he asked politely, nodding at the items on the payment counter.
Willis, too, looked at the items, and then he smiled. "The replacement for Aoi-chan's broken crayons?" And then he added, a little quieter, "…And no doubt it's an attempt to get back to Hikari again, too…"
But Takeru heard it, anyway. And it seemed as if Willis had crossed the line.
"You're giving a bad impression of yourself, you know. It's fine that you know a lot about me (and a little freaky if I may say so), but you only know me through Hikari—"
"Yes, Hikari's told me about you," said Willis, feeling annoyed and angered with the fact that Takeru could still defend himself after what he had done to Hikari. "I know, if not a lot, a bit, about you and your attitude — and about your control freak of a grandmother. But I admit, I don't know you so well yet, but I have to say this to you: don't ruin her life any further."
To his surprise, Takeru suddenly smiled. "Wow, you've got some love issues to settle, mate." Willis blushed a bit, and he silently agreed with Hikari when she said that Takeru was a good observer. "You're a caring friend — I envy Hikari. I've never had many friends myself!" he added rather mockingly.
Willis was not amused. "I will do anything and everything in my power to help Hikari," he said in a deadly voice, glaring at Takeru.
Takeru shrugged. "Okay, if you say so," he simply said. "Now — are you gonna total that up, or am I allowed to walk away without paying?"
With a sour expression, Willis totalled up the price and Takeru paid for it. Calmly still, he walked out of the shop, to his car, and then he drove away.
A/N: Had Takeru been the same Takeru in chapter 2, I think he'd punch Willis already.
The focus of your heart, who is it?
The focus of your heart, is it me?
AAAH. *dies*