Kitty: I'm slowly editing this story. I've started editing chapter seven, so it'll be up soon, too, but none of the others are done yet, so it's starting from here, first. I should be able to repost them every other day. I'm mainly doing this for ToonLink (love you, dahrlin~), but this story deserved a bit of touching up.
04/04/12
Chocolate Covered
Chapter Ten
Chocolate Covered Promises
Sora half-heartedly arranged the flowers so their heavy heads didn't droop over their containers and break their stems. The Lily of the Valleys swayed lightly as she passed her fingers over them. Through the store she walked slowly, yet efficiently, readying the flowers for their daily debut. School would be starting soon. Something she almost dreaded. No Mimi-chan, no Tai-kun…who would she laugh with, eat with, hang with, or even do homework with? One selfish mistake, just one, after a lifetime of responsibilities and trying to make everyone happy, and she lost everything.
She frowned angrily. Then, with a guilty sigh, she calmed herself and dragged the aching sadness back. Though stupid, silly, girly tears sprung from the emotion she revived, it was better than blaming everyone else for her mistakes. Mistakesss, more than one. Those simple, small mistakes began a big major mistake that screwed with more than one heart, not including her own.
"You're not flying this morning, Birdie?" asked a muffled voice from outside the window. Sora jumped high in the air, squeaked embarrassingly loud, and spun around.
"D-don't do that!" Sora gasped. Yamato-san laughed.
"Can I come inside?"
"No." She turned away to the begonias on the other side of the store. He rapped loudly on the glass, which she promptly ignored. She gritted her teeth as that infernal tapping continued on and on. She glanced up at the clock.
Five minutes!
She turned to the window and saw him smirking and tapping away. She rubbed her temples before straightening her shoulders and stalking towards the door. She flipped around the 'closed' sign to 'open' and pulled open the door.
"I'm only opening the door because we're about to open anyway," Sora ground out angrily.
"I thought I was charming and persistent."
"Those two words should never be used together," Sora retorted shortly. She hurried to place the counter between herself and the beautiful blonde celebrity whom sauntered coolly into the florist shop, hands shoved in his pockets.
"All right, next time I'll just be persistent." Yamato-san grinned as her mouth twitched involuntarily.
"Please leave. I…I'm not in the mood to flirt or make nice-nice."
"I'm not here to flirt," Yamato demurred, raising a fair eyebrow and leaning on the counter. "I'm here for a job."
"What?"
.
Koushirou yawned widely and immediately felt contentment fill him like sunshine. He smiled sleepily and looked around looking for the reason of this unaccustomed feeling within him. His dark eyes fell upon bright purple and his smile widened.
"I'm with Taichi," The words tasted sweet on his cottoned-up tongue. He hopped out of bed and twirled like a ten-year-old girl, placed both feet on the ground, breathed a deep steadying breath, and left his room with heavier feet.
That skipped just before he entered the bathroom.
Jyou-sempai blinked wearily from his doorway and grinned. "That's something I need to see more often. Serious young redheads skipping." He chuckled as he shuffled his way to the kitchen and orange juice- his first cup of coffee before the real stuff was done brewing.
.
Mimi rose groggily blinking heavy, gritty eyes. She got to her feet, rubbing her eyes with her fists and yawning. She trudged towards her dresser, gaze bleary and still unfocused.
"I feel like crap," she muttered. She looked down and saw she was still in the clothes she wore the day before. Two cups of unfinished cocoa were congealing on her nightstand and her mirror made her scream. Two puffy, red-rimmed, and red-veined eyes met her in a face surrounded by tangled masses of pink hair.
"I look like crap!" She wailed. "STUPID BOYS! STUPID SORA!" She threw herself back on her bed and pummeled the mattress, screaming angrily into her pillow. For good measure, she kicked her feet rapidly on the springy bedding. In the midst of her tantrum, she missed the small, red, blinking light on her nightstand.
.
Tai walked through the sun-filled avenue. A few other early risers- many he had never seen before in his life- walked or jogged past.
Crazy people, jogging at nine in the morning, damn.
He conveniently forgot he was awake at nine in the morning and walking towards his new boyfriend's with an amazingly light stride. He hadn't been able to wait until the afternoon to see Izzy, and so had decided to wake up the rest of the way after his early morning pee and eat breakfast at Izzy's.
"His food will be better than mom's anyway," he decided aloud.
A familiar sign caught his eye and he turned, slowing down his quick pace. It was the convenience store he had kissed Izzy in days ago. On impulse, he stepped inside. The bell jangled pleasantly over his head. He looked around expectantly, but no quirky, four-eyed purplette was in sight. He frowned slightly and decided to look around as no cashier at all was at the counter.
"Maybe I should get a bun or something to tide me over 'til I get to Izzy's?" he wondered to himself as he traveled through the small store. Izzy's house was maybe five minutes from the store. There was no way he could walk there without something to tide him over. His stomach was already beginning to rumble. As he walked past the cooler section, his eyes fell on rows of triangles wrapped neatly in cellophane. A certain line of triangles, dark brown in color, drew his hand forward.
A package of three chocolate covered onigiri was soon in his hand.
"I've never had chocolate or candy."… "I've never had a friend before and I've never had chocolate. And now I have both. A kiss seems like the right thing to do."
Tai chuckled and, once again trusting his instincts, he went to the register to buy his find. A taller woman with purple hair, chewing gum and flipping through a magazine, was at the register.
"Good mornin'. Do you know Inoue, Miyako?"
"She's my lil sister," the woman popped her gum bubble and rang up the onigiri. "Have a nice day, dude."
"Right. You, too," Tai gave a half-hearted wave and left quickly.
.
"You can't just decide to work here!" Sora squawked.
"Why not? I need a job that won't conflict with band practice or school. You aren't open very long and it's nearby. It's perfect. I only have two classes a day this semester and I'm sure I'll be able to wrangle a shift in between them. Whaddya say? A longer break for you and an opportunity for more business. You and your mom are the only workers, you know. You should hire some help. Like me." He smirked at her as she began to take him seriously despite herself.
"What do you mean more business?" she finally asked suspiciously, eyes narrowed.
"Well, flower shops only get so much money nowadays. With me, however, a bunch of crazy, rabid, fan girls will be in here every day to buy flowers and stare at me," Yamato explained looking at his fingernails with avid interest, his smirk still hovering on his lips.
"Big head much?" Sora snapped, fighting her own answering smile.
"Of course not, just realistic."
"Realistic would be realizing crazy, rabid, fan girls would tear this place apart, and maybe not even buy flowers. You don't need to be at the counter to stare," Sora retorted, pulling out a raga and spray bottle.
"I'll work on that, no worries. I'm charming, remember?"
"And persistent, a trait I dislike." She glanced hard at him. "Immensely." She sprayed right next to his elbow as her mother barged in, making them both jump.
"Sora! What are you talking about? This young man is right!" Her mother interrupted, walking the rest of the way into the shop. "He's right about every point, including the longer breaks part. I would love the help myself. I feel so much more tired these days and you'll be starting high school this year," Takenouchi-san reminded her as Yamato check his coat sleeve to see if any spray got on him.
"Motheeeeerrrr!" Sora whined. "You can't be serious! This guy's a bigheaded jerk."
"Hush. Ladies don't talk like that." Sora scowled darkly, but her mother continued on undeterred, addressing Yamato directly. "What's your name, young man?"
"Ishiida, Yamato." He bowed quickly and smiled charmingly up at her.
"Takenouchi-san is fine for me. Why don't we step into my parlor and discuss your hours and wages." She led him towards the door leading into the house. "Stop scowling, dear, you'll get wrinkles. And don't stick your tongue out, children do that."
Sora kept her tongue out anyway. As the door closed, she sighed in defeat and began to wipe down the counter with a little more vigorous effort than usual. "Stupid pretty boys with blonde hair and cat-shaped blue eyes," she muttered darkly.
.
Jyou-sempai rose from the kitchen table.
"You're not going to have more?" Koushirou asked with surprise.
"Nah. I need to go see someone today. You want me to stay and clean up?"
"Oh, no. Go on ahead. I'll pick up when I'm done, thank you."
Jyou-sempai nodded and quickly went to bathroom to brush his teeth. Koushirou continued eating his breakfast of rice porridge and fried eggs. He had his palm pilot open, arranging his class schedule and seminars as he ate. Jyou-sempai left seconds later, which he barely noticed, until a knock sounded at the door. Koushirou rose, mildly thinking Jyou-sempai had forgotten his keys and locked himself out. His mind was still weighing the benefits of joining the Information Technology Club versus the Computational Science Association as he opened the door. He blinked, struck dumb when he saw Tai sanding there, grinning.
"Taichi!" Koushirou gasped.
"What did I do?" Tai asked wildly.
"Nothing. Why?" Koushirou replied automatically, stepping back to let Tai in. "I was just startled."
"You called me Taichi. My mom only calls me that when she's angry." He kissed Koushirou quickly, relishing the fact he could do that whenever he wanted. "You still taste like chocolate-covered onigiri." Tai moved into the apartment and Koushirou closed the door behind him, his ears rather red.
"I do not! I haven't had any in years!" Koushirou protested as Tai kicked off his shoes and followed him into the kitchen.
"You always taste like it, I guess. Which reminds me, here." Koushirou turned to take what was offered. He halted in the middle of the hall, staring down at the package. His dark eyes lit up like Christmas lights, a wide smile curving up his lips.
"Chocolate-covered onigiri?" Koushirou asked, looking up at Tai's grin and feeling his own shy smile grow in response.
"I promised, didn't I? I figured I'd buy these for you today anyway. They're the only thing I could think of to top that bear, ya know? But I saw the strawberry mochi first. Then, I passed the store today and though, heck, why not?"
"I believe I comprehend," Koushirou said, teasing his blundering sweetheart mildly. "You're really strange, Taichi." He continued on to the kitchen, still smiling.
"Why do you keep calling me that?" Tai whined as he pulled himself out a chair when they got to the kitchen table. He reached for the extras Koushirou had cooked as Koushirou placed the onigiri in the fridge. "Did you cook this?" he asked after a quick swallow.
"Yes." He sat down at his seat and pulled his bowl forward once more. "Didn't you eat at home?"
"No way. Remember my mom's idea of cooking? Nasty, hasn't gotten better. Especially since it's been getting healthier which means more complicated and weird and more burnt. Why can't she just fry an egg for breakfast and whip up rice porridge? It's awesome!"
"Nonsense, it's egg and porridge." Koushirou flushed. Tai grinned.
"It's much better than spinach-wrapped tofurkey."
"That doesn't sound inedible," Koushirou murmured, frowning. "Perhaps you just do not appreciate healthy food like you should."
"Yeah, well, then try eating it when not only do you burn the spinach and tofurkey, but you also burnt the corn gruel you're supposed to dip it in and then blend three different veggies and three different fruits, a touch of beef jerky, and say it's a breakfast shake," Tai retorted as he helped himself to last egg. Koushirou blanched. Tai slurped down some porridge and nodded at Koushirou. "Exactly. Too much of a good thing with lotsa burnt added." Tai finished his breakfast in record time. With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, he rose from his chair and stood behind Koushirou's chair. He draped his arms around Koushirou's shoulder and leaned his cheek against Koushirou's soft hair and ear.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
"Cuddling. I haven't done this before."
"Neither have I," Koushirou whispered. He blushed and leaned back. His small hand grasped Tai's wrist lightly. "Good morning, Taichi."
"G'mornin, Kou-koishii." He kissed the side of Koushirou's bright red face. "Why are you calling me that?"
"I don't know." Koushirou pulled away to the side a bit to meet Tai's eyes. "I…I like it. I…I wish I had a name for you that I could use exclusively, something special for me. Silly, isn't it?"
Tai thought about it. "Nah. I don't want anybody else to call you Izzy. It's my name that I gave you. I feel all sorts of possessive about you, ya know?" Tai grinned. Koushirou smiled back.
"I believe you do because of the challenges we already had to face. It was hard to be together. We had to fight for it. Those sort of trials result in a deeper relationship and, maybe, one that endures longer," Koushirou hypothesized.
"Oh, okay. I guess I get it. You done with breakfast?" Koushirou looked down at his half-finished meal, then back at Tai's hopeful face. He bit back a mental sigh and chuckle.
"Yes." He began to set down his chopsticks to make room for Tai to eat when suddenly his seat was being pulled backwards and his butt was leaving the wooden chair. His feet were flung up into the air and he quickly wrapped his arms around Tai's neck. "What are you doing?"
"We're going to go cuddle, for reals," Tai announced simply.
"What?" Koushirou squirmed trying to at least look at Tai's face, but it was impossible.
"I want to cuddle now. I like it and I want to do it some more while I'm sitting down. We'll be more comfortable."
"You can wait until the dishes are put up then!" Koushirou snapped, cursing once more his petite build. Any other freshman college student wouldn't be manhandled towards his own couch by his high school first-year boyfriend.
"Nope!" Tai began to walk towards the living room.
"Put me down, Taichi!" Tai just grinned.
.
Jyou tapped hesitantly on the front door.
This is stupid! I'm twenty-one, not a teenager! I shouldn't be here! I should be studying for my classes or- His mind was wiped blank as she answered the door.
Her pink hair was flying every which a way, glowing in the mid-morning sun. She licked her lips quickly, leaving them shining and bright. Her skin was glowing as gold as her hair was pink. When color began to flood her cheeks and cover her nose, he felt his own blush rise. Everything about her seemed cute and adorable and… young. Suddenly, he felt awkward and goofy and thirty years old.
"G-Good morning!" Her voice squeaked and her pretty, slender hands flew to her wild hair. "I look a mess. I'm so sorry."
"N-no," was all he managed to say. He noticed freckles under her blush. He shook his head quickly. "S-Sorry. Did you get my message? I left one on your answering machine."
Her blush became brighter. She was thinking about her earlier tantrum which resulted in storming around the house snapping at everybody, even the can opener that wouldn't open her can of condensed sweet milk fast enough. It also resulted in her lack of shower- something she vaguely thought of as a rebellion against everybody. In other words, she was being five years old. Standing in front of her tall, older, and more mature friend, male friend, she began to feel even worse. She began to shrink lower and lower in her mind as her morning tantrum began to resurface with blaring clarity.
"N-No. I was…I was hungry, really hungry, when I woke up, so I went straight to kitchen." Gawd, now I sound fat, Mimi mentally groaned. She struggled for some sort of excuse. "I had forgot to eat dinner."
"You had forgotten to eat dinner." Jyou corrected automatically.
"I'm sorry?" Mimi blinked in confusion. Jyou blushed and covered his eyes with his hand.
"I just wanted to come by. I wanted to make sure you were okay. I bungled it, of course. I've never been very good at this- talking to girls, I mean. I mean, I can, but not very well. I never had a girlfriend before-I mean, I never said you were, I mean, not that that's a bad thing…" He continued to ramble and chastise himself.
She had stopped listening long ago. I wanted to make sure you were okay. "You…You know about Koushirou-san being…being gay?"
"I just found out last night for sure. I wasn't sure before, but Tai-san was bringing him flowers and he wouldn't tell us why," Jyou explained quickly.
"Tai-san brought him flowers?" Her voice was catching, choking. It was coming, now, fast.
"Yeah, a while ago. The first one made Koushirou-kohai cry. I was glad I had decided to stay then," Jyou remembered vaguely.
"They made him cry? Why?" Mimi blurted out, wishing she hadn't but being unable to stop herself.
"I don't really know. He was saying something about- Oi, are you crying?"Jyou ground to a halt, horrified.
"N-No!" Mimi squeaked. She shook her head fiercely to hide the glittering drops on her eyelashes.
"I'm so stupid! I shouldn't have- I came over here to help you! I'm so stupid!" Jyou patted at her shoulder, then stopped himself and let his hands drop awkwardly at his side. His face twisted in regret and self-distaste. He really shouldn't have come.
"N-No, I…I w-was asking qu-questions," Mimi stuttered. The tears were falling faster now. "I already look horrible, now I'll look worse!" Mimi cried out pathetically bringing the back of her hands to her eyes.
"No, no, hey, don't say that!" Jyou reached forward and drew her into an embrace. Mimi stiffened with surprise and then relaxed as his clean Jyou-scent filled her nose.
He makes me feel so comfortable and safe. He's so much bigger than me, it's like he shielding me from the world when he holds me… She wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed softly as the tears slowed and became cleansing. He rocked slowly, his large hand stroking her wild hair softly. He didn't seem to mind she hadn't showered that morning or that her hair was oily. He didn't even mind that snot had dribbled onto his shirt. He might not have noticed, however, seeing as she refused to sniffle and it could easily be tears until he actually looked.
She smiled as a giggle filled her throat. She pulled away, wiping her face and nose discreetly before smiling tremulously up at him. He was blushing slightly, looking awkward and confused. "Come on in for some tea, Jyou-kun. I'll clean up real quick while it's boiling and I'll ask you questions you have to answer."
"Yeah…yeah, that sounds good," he mumbled following her inside.
.
Tai and Koushirou walked up the steps, hands clutching each other tightly. Their first test done. They had walked across town holding hands and no one had pointed, jeered, or called out rude names. They smiled with relief at each other. Koushirou then knocked on the door with his free hand.
"KOUSHIROU-SAN!" shouted an over-exuberant voice. The two boys winced as the door flew open. "I was right. It is Koushirou-san and with Tai-san, too, good boy!" Miyako-san squealed.
"Uh huh," Tai said finally after staring at her frightfully-joyful face.
"Miya-"
"Tai is here?" Hikari-san suddenly appeared behind Miyako-san and smiled brightly. "Finally!"
The two boys glanced at each other filled with confusion.
"What's going on?" Tai bluntly asked. The two girls' smiles became strangely frozen.
"NOTHING!"
"Uh…huh…"
"Come on in, sillies!" Miyako-san crowed grabbing their entwined fingers.
The two boys barely managed to kick off their shoes before she forcibly dragged them into her bedroom. They briefly took in the pale yellow walls, posters of celebrities and bands, and a large pile of stuffed animals before they saw the other two guests. A tallish, slender blond boy wearing a white cloth hat and a short, dark-haired, green-eyed, even younger boy were sitting on the floor.
"Hida-kun, Takeru-san, it is good to see you two again," Koushirou greeted them politely. They both smiled back, Iori's smile a bit more forced than Takeru's.
"Do you know these guys, too, Takeru-san?" Tai asked hopping onto the bed covered in wolves howling with frosty breath.
"No…Hikari-chan spent the night over at my house and asked Miyako-san if I could come over to her party as well," Takeru answered with an easy shrug.
"I didn't mean to be a bother, but I felt rude just leaving Takeru-kun alone. His mom went out of town yesterday and I promised to hang out with him until she came back tonight," Hikari quickly put in as the two older boy's confused expression. Tai and Koushirou raised their eyebrows.
"What about Daisuke-kun?" Tai asked tactlessly.
Her beautiful amber eyes began to shine. Her lips again formed that fake smile.
"Oh? Motomiya-kun? We broke up last night. A silly misunder-understanding. We-we…we were qu-qu-quite differ…differenttobeginwith." Her last words came out in a tumble. "Sorry," she gasped out. She got to her feet and left the room at a forced-sedate pace.
"I don't think she wanted that to happen," Tai quietly murmured to Koushirou. The younger boy nodded slowly, frowning. He wondered if he should get up, but at Tai's frown, realized he probably shouldn't get involved.
"So, how did you two get together at last?" Miyako-san quickly blurted.
"Oh, Izumi-san, you're homosexual?" Iori asked, eyebrows rising in confusion, looking from Koushirou to Tai.
Koushirou frowned. "That sounds strange. That is the first time someone just bluntly asked me that. I am homosexual and I am dating Taichi, however."
"Yeah…it does sound weird, doesn't it?" Tai released Koushirou's hand and wrapped his arm around his shoulders instead. "It's okay, though. I guess that's how it works. That line…um, what was it, 'I am dating Taichi', yeah, that sounded pretty awesome."
Koushirou blushed. Miyako giggled, genuinely pleased. Takeru chuckled as well.
"I had no idea. I'm…I'm gay, too," Hida-kun told them rather quickly. Everyone gaped at him. He paused and, then, a much more relaxed smile broke out on his face. He looked so young and innocent in that moment. "I am… relieved I found a friend who is, too; a friend whom I admire and respect."
"You're so young. Are you positive?" Koushirou asked, smiling back at Iori for the compliment.
"I don't know, exactly. I…I realized it when I told my mother I wanted to marry an angel I found in a book. He was really pretty, with blue eyes…I'd never seen blue eyes before. My mother told I couldn't because he was a boy and I was really sad. I remember crying for days when I thought about it," he told them, his smile now rather awkward and self-deprecating.
"Does that necessarily make you gay?" Takeru asked, snickering. Iori shrugged.
"I think so…I've never had a crush on a girl and kissed a boy in kindergarten."
"Really?" Tai yelped. "You look like the last person to … to kiss anybody!" He burst out laughing.
Hida-kun laughed with him easily, though not quite so freely or loudly. "He had helped me tie my shoe and gave me half his cookie when I skinned my knee and cried. I guess he was my first crush. He was a very nice boy, but I think I confused him," Iori admitted as the three other boys laughed.
"Adorable!" Miyako squealed. Iori disappeared under the blur that was Miyako.
The others laughed harder as Hikari slipped back into the room. Her eyes looked a lot less shiny and a little red, but not much.
"I'm going to get the cake." Iori gasped when he had finally gotten Miyako off him. "My mother made it for her instead of the usual store bought cake her parents get."
"I'll get that tonight during my family celebration after the store closes," Miyako told them, winking.
"Should I help you, Hida-kun?" Takeru offered, his chuckles finally fading away.
Iori blushed vividly as Takeru rose. Koushirou noticed Takeru-san's blue eyes and blonde hair and wondered if Iori realized just how like his earlier "angel" resembled Takeru. He was probably embarrassed now that he realized and Koushirou heart went out to the boy. Takeru was a kind enough person not to rub something like that in, though, and Iori would get over it soon enough.
"S-sure, this way. It's at my apartment where Miyako-chan couldn't wrestle it out of my arms."
"OI! My cake, I get it when I want to!" Miyako defended angrily.
The two boys left, the taller one laughing. Koushirou turned from the two boys leaving just in time to see the two girls exchange glances and quickly look away. He frowned softly in thought, but decided it wasn't his business.
"Miyako-san… how long have you known about Hida-kun being gay?"
"Well, we grew up together." Her eyes were suddenly hooded, making her smile completely useless. "He told me when I was in fifth grade and asked him to marry me." She laughed lightly.
"You did what?" Tai gaped at her.
"I gave him a ring and asked him to marry me. All little girls are obsessed with getting married. I knew Iori-chan so well and thought he would make the perfect husband. I didn't know about the other part, though." Her laugh sounded a little hollow and didn't last very long at all.
"Why does this party seem suddenly sad?" Tai queried staring from Miyako to Hikari. "Why you two are acting so weird?"
"We aren't acting weird, Tai-san. You're so silly!"
"Uh…huh…"
"Did you guys bring me presents?" Miyako quickly attacked, turning the tables neatly.
"We were supposed to?" Tai blurted. Miyako's light eyes narrowed.
"It's my birthday," she seethed.
"Oh, right…" He chuckled sheepishly.
"He didn't know, but I did bring you something." Koushirou searched his pockets. "Here it is. I hope you like it." It was a thin gold chain with a hawk extending its wings and holding the chain together. The small clasp was one that screwed together. "I believe it is a hawk because of the color of the stone fitted into the feathers. Please, examine the wings closely, Miyako-san."
Miyako-san squinted and brought the bird closer to her face. She accidentally turned it towards the light and a smile lit up her face. Somehow, tiny slivers of what looked like cat's-eye stone, a mottled brown color, were inlaid into the tiny grooves between the feathers.
"This is amazing! I couldn't possibly accept this gift, Koushirou-san!" Miyako exclaimed, though she clutched it to her chest.
"Please, I would love you to have it. I couldn't possibly wear it." Koushirou laughed. "I happened to see it passing by a street vendor in Tokyo and thought it would make a fitting birthday present."
"I guess… thank you," Miyako-san whispered. She placed the clasp behind her neck and twisted it together. She held the hawk in her hand and rubbed a thumb over the golden and brown wings. "Thank you so much," she whispered again.
"It is really not a problem."
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!" came Takeru and Iori's voices from the hallway. The other three quickly joined in as the two boys walked through the door, Iori carrying the yellow-frosted cake.
Miyako laughed and quickly passed around paper plates and plastic forks. She ran out the door and reappeared quickly with ice-cream. Soon, they were laughing and teasing each other, truly enjoying themselves. Iori and Takeru were sitting next to one another, maybe a little closer than normal. Iori blushed brightly whenever their hips bumped and Takeru went out of his way to get Iori into the conversation whenever he became quiet, as per his norm. Miyako repeatedly touched her flying hawk pendant, though it didn't seem like she noticed it. Her glossy brown eyes seemed to flicker in Iori's direction whenever she touched the golden feathers.
.
Hikari walked into her apartment and slowly pulled her shoes off. She looked down and her eyebrows lowered when she noticed a pair of shoes she'd never seen before. Nice brown loafers about the same size as her own, but undoubtedly masculine.
"Hikari, is that you?"
"Yes, Mom!"
"There's someone here to meet you, Hikari."
"Oh?" Hikari quickly went into the kitchen where her mother's voice was coming from. She stopped abruptly when she entered and let her overnight bag slide down her arm. A tall boy, slender and pale, was sitting at the kitchen table with her mother. He turned towards her, thin eyebrows rising, his utterly perfect lips curving upwards into an even more perfect smile in his perfect face. Was there really another way to describe this boy? He even looked the same age as herself. Hikari inwardly shook herself and stepped into the kitchen, trying not to gape.
"Good afternoon, my name is Ichijouji, Ken," the beautiful young man introduced himself, swiftly rising from his seat.
"He's going to be your tutor. You haven't been keeping up with your studies lately, and I thought a little help would be appreciated. I found Ichijouji-kun's name in paper. He's the top of his class and he goes to a very prestigious school with an elevator program straight into a university just as prestigious as Tokyo U."
"Oh…um…good afternoon. I'm Yagami, Hikari. I'm sorry if I kept you both waiting. I was at a friend's house," Hikari mumbled as she took her hair behind her ear.
"It was no problem, Yagami-chan. I was supposed to meet your mother first," he told her.
Hikari felt something in her grow warm. He's so nice and soft-spoken. It's hard to believe someone that pretty is so smart…
He was indeed pretty, at least as pretty as Takeru-kun if not more so. His silky violet-blue hair framed his pale face and reached his chin. His eyebrows were arched and naturally thin. Under them were slanted eyes the color of violets, darker maybe, but they shined mutely like velvet. He had a straight nose and a beautifully shaped mouth with pale pink lips. He smiled softly with that pretty mouth and held out his hand. His fingers were long and she had the impression that they played music… probably piano.
She grasped his cool hand firmly and returned his shy-seeming smile. "I need to put some stuff in my room. Why don't we get to know each other while I get situated?"
"That's a fantastic idea, Yagami-chan."
They released their hands and she led him towards her room. She paused and looked over her shoulder. "Oh, Mom?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Tai is going over to Koushirou-san's again. I think he's going to have dinner over there, too."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd swear he's been trying to avoid eating here…" Yagami-san muttered to herself. "Oh well, at least he won't be moping around and watching romances all day long anymore."
.
"Did you really have to start today?"
"Today's perfect for a trial period and training. Tomorrow I'm going to open with you."
Sora glared at Yamato. This time, she didn't have to pretend anger. "Are you trying to ruin my life? That's my time."
"Oh…I'm really sorry then. I need to learn how to open, though, and your mom doesn't open when you're not in school."
"I know that," Sora sighed as she moved around the counter. "Please, don't do that, you'll hurt the flower," Sora told a group of teenagers fiddling with an already arranged bouquet of flowers.
"We'll hurt them? We're just looking!" sneered a girl just about Sora's age.
"You're pulling on the petals, Konoka-san. Don't touch unless you're going to buy them."
"There's no sign-"
"No, but you obviously don't know how to handle them, so you're going to buy first and touch afterwards," Sora snapped angrily.
"I don't think I'm going to buy anything with an attitude like yours in my face."
"Good, get out," Sora sighed. The group of girls gaped. "What, didn't you hear me? Get. Out. Are you deaf and stupid? You weren't going to buy anything anyway. You were just here to flirt with Tai in case he showed up. He isn't going to so Get. Out." Sora glared at them.
The girls scurried out, frightened and acting like they weren't.
"Whoa, angry much, Birdie?"
"Don't call me that!"
"Why? You embarrassed that I caught you acting all cute?"
"No!" Sora accidentally shouted. She took a steadying breath. "My father used to call me that."
"Your father?"
"He called me that when I was a little girl." Sora looked down at the hibiscuses. "He disappeared when I was eight."
"Oh…I'm sorry." Sora looked up into his gorgeous blue eyes and saw true sorrow there for her.
"It's all right. I should've realized he wasn't very happy. My parents got in fights a lot when I was little." Sora stood the hibiscuses up a bit taller and smiled at them. "Hello, pretties, you're so popular today, aren't you?"
"So, do you know what every flowers means?" Yamato-san asked.
"Not all of them by heart, but there's a book under the counter."
Yamato-san pulled out a book and looked up hibiscuses. "Consumed by love or delicate beauty…hmmm…when's your birthday?"
"Oh, shut up!" Sora laughed suddenly. "Not every book says the same thing, though. Take asters, my grandmother told me asters meant contentment and she planted them in her garden for her sixtieth anniversary with my grandfather. But in there, it means…here…look it up." She leaned over the counter and started flipping pages with him. "Symbol of love, daintiness…"
"The Chinese symbol of womanhood…are you Chinese?"
"No!" Sora laughed again. "Stop trying to flirt with flowers!"
"I thought that's what you're supposed to do. With flowers, I mean…that's what these people do, right? They use flowers to show how they feel."
"I guess you're right. It's hard, though, because so many different people say flowers mean different things. Usually, they're very similar, but Tai bought white roses for Koushirou-san, ne? Here, they just mean 'innocence' or 'I am worthy of you', but he meant them to say 'pure love', not quite the same thing. His mother, I believe, told him about white roses."
"Okay…I get it." He smiled at her.
She blushed when she realized how close they were. Their noses were just inches apart, though the counter was in between them. His eyes were so blue, so soft as he smiled at her. Not smirking, truly smiling at her. Her heart pounded in her ears as their gazes remained locked. Sora quickly lowered herself back down to the ground, tearing her gaze away, and backing up. "I better turn on the mister."
"All right." The phone rang just as Yamato-san began to walk around the counter to follow. He grimaced and turned back to phone as Sora walked to the mister controls. "Hey, Sora-chan?"
"Yes?"
"I promise I'll stick around."
Her back stiffened."Th-thank you…" she whispered.
He answered the phone. She hummed quietly and smiled brightly at the next customer to walk in just moments later. Behind her on the phone, Yamato was hissing quickly and lowly with a very, very ticked off look on his face. It lost some of its usual effect, however, because of the big pink apron Takenouchi-san had forced him to wear as his only uniform
.
Ken followed his new pupil to her bedroom and distinctly felt discomfort fill him. He had never been a girl's room, and he just met this one.
Yagami, Hikari. Her mother had showed him her past school records and was confused as to what had happened. She had been top three percent for a number of years and suddenly, two years ago, she began to slack off. Top twenty was above average, of course, but strange when compared to her easy top three percent. When he hesitantly asked her mother, he learned that was the year she started dating a young man named Motomiya, Daisuke whom wasn't half as intelligent as her and needed a lot of help.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and found that story hard to believe. She was very pretty, natural tanned skin, fawn-brown hair that framed a pretty face with big amber eyes and long eyelashes. Her mouth was small and slightly too firm to look as though she smiled easily, but well-shaped and dusky pink. Overall, her appearance was pleasing and calming. Her records showed her to be fairly intelligent and her manners were perfect. She seemed straightforward, not too shy or too blunt, and practical.
"I wanted to ask you a somewhat personal question. I think it's necessary I know, however, as I'm to be your tutor," Ken finally forced himself to say. Exactly, I'm not being intrusively curious.
"Oh? Um, I don't see why not, then," Hikari smiled at him as she threw clothes in a laundry hamper and tossed a plastic bag with bathroom things on her bed.
"Your mother showed me your school records. I was wondering what happened two years ago when you dropped from top three percent."
"Oh…" Her amber eyes glanced down at the now-empty pack in her hands. "This will sound stupid, but it happened because of a boy." Her smile widened, but seemed all the more sad.
"Motomiya, Daisuke?"
Her eyes flew up to meet his and her small mouth formed an 'o' of surprise. "You know him?" Her voice was excited and somewhat pained.
"Your mother told me about him. I thought she told me a false story or made her own assumptions, actually. You didn't seem the person to let your studies slide for a boy." He frowned suddenly. "His name does sound familiar, though."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I did let my studies slide for a boy." Ken blinked when he recognized the stiff tone of voice.
"I didn't mean to offend you. I'm just confused."
Hikari put her backpack on a hanger and hung it up in her closet. She slid it closed and then motioned for him to sit at her desk. As he did so, she hopped onto her nearby bed, next to the bag she'd thrown there.
"I knew Motomiya-san since kindergarten," she explained shortly. "When we started dating, I wanted to help him. He's very smart…just lacks focus, I'm sure you've met people like that? He could absorb anything that interested him, but couldn't sit still long enough to learn the stuff that he didn't." Her eyes were fond and warm. Her whole face lit up as she talked about him, her lips tugging upwards. "I…I loved him very much. I didn't mind letting my studies slide. It was nice having someone need me, someone to teach and help."
"What happened? Aren't you still dating?" he asked, concerned seeing tears build in her eyes.
"N-No. He broke up with me yesterday. I was so stupid!" She sniffled and her eyes looked around trying to find her box of Kleenex.
Ken found it first and handed it to her. "Why don't you tell me?"
"I can't! You see, it all started with a secret I couldn't tell Daisuke-kun!"
"I have no one to tell secrets to. I don't have any friends and I don't know anyone you know. I promise, no matter what, whatever you tell me, no one else will ever hear."
Yagami-chan bit her lip, glanced hard at him, and then nodded. Ken listened silently as her story unfolded.
.
Koushirou and Tai jumped as the door slammed loudly just past five.
"Yamato-kun?" Koushirou called out half-rising from the couch.
"Yeah?" Yamato voice all but snarled back. The couple on the couch glanced at each other.
"Has something happened?" Koushirou tentatively replied.
Yamato-kun entered the living room. His blue eyes were dark with fury and his lips were pulled so tightly they looked like a line drawn across his face.
"Whoa, happened, dude?" Tai choked out, drawing away from the sheer rage emanating from him.
"My bass guitarist ditched us! We have a concert in two weeks! It's our, like, new school year kinda thing! It's one of our biggest ones. All the kids start racing to get tickets because the first coupla weeks back to school after summer vacation always suck and they like rocking out, ya know?" Yamato growled, running his hand through his already messed up hair and slumping against the couch behind them.
"Why did your bass guitarist leave? Didn't he have a reason?" Tai asked, beginning to understand and sympathize. What would be like if one of his most vital team members just ditched two weeks before the first game of the season? He'd be spitting fire, too!
"Just his stupid girlfriend! 'I don't want you to be in that band anymore, Yuu-kun. You don't spend every blinking moment with me and I can't deal. Pleeeeeaase, pretty please, with sugar on top, can you quit for me?' Blithering, monkey-toed, double-crossing-"
"I'm very sorry, Yamato-kun. How about some chamomile tea?" Koushirou offered hastily, getting up, making Tai pout because they had been snuggled up pretty close just moments ago.
"Whatever, sure. Thanks." Yamato-kun fell onto to the couch, in Koushirou's empty spot, with ragged sigh. "How am I going to find new bass and teach him our songs before the concert?"
"I learned how to play bass," Tai said nonchalantly. He was too busy wondering if he could convince Koushirou to pick up where they left off in the relative safety of his bedroom.
Yamato felt his muscles burn and almost tear in his neck as he turned his head quickly. "What?"
"I taught myself a few years back when I was bored. I got to the advanced book, but I just couldn't teach myself anymore. It got really hard, ya know?" Tai leaned back, wondering how he'd get Koushirou to agree when it was already this late in the evening. He was, once again, rudely interrupted by Yamato when his arm was pulled almost out of its socket and his butt left the couch. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, DUDE?"
"You. Are. Learning. Songs. Now." Yamato dragged Tai, loudly protesting, towards the bedrooms. To the wrong bedroom.
As they passed the kitchen opening, Koushirou walked out with a tray of sugar cookies. He blinked and his gaze followed his angrily howling boyfriend down the hallway.
"I thought you wanted tea?" Koushirou called.
"I need a bass more! Your idiot boyfriend told me knew a bit of bass."
"JUST A LITTLE BIT! COME ON! I WAS ENJOYING MYSELF BEFORE YOU SHOWED UP!"
"NO MORE PLAY! IT'S TIME TO WORK, YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING!"
"OI!"
"I guess I'd better start dinner then, instead," Koushirou decided. He grabbed the phone on his way back to the kitchen and dialed Jyou's cell number. He'd better let him know in case he wanted to head home in time for it to be done, instead of having leftovers.
.
Kitty: I don't actually think there is a school with an elevator program straight into Tokyo U, so I went with "very similar to," lol. An elevator program means a school directly affiliated with /connected to a college. You're pretty much automatically accepted into the college when you graduate from the high school. They DO exist in Japan. They might be elsewhere, though I never heard of one in America. If there are, how did I miss out? DX
