KKA: Edited 6/20/12 (almost a month later, luuulz)
Chocolate Covered
Chapter Eighteen
Chocolate Covered Strings
In the little apartment bathroom, Mimi stood in front of the sink, one hand clutching the counter with a white-knuckled clench. Her whole body as shivering, not even the warm, fuzzy blue rug under her feet made her feel anything less than freezing. She watched with wide eyes, the small plastic item in her hand trembling sporadically. Her breath was caught in her throat, waiting anxiously. Blue slowly began to form… It darkened slowly, darker and darker, until there was no mistake. She fell back against the wall and slid onto her butt, staring wide-eyed at the small length of plastic.
"I'm…I'm pregnant?" she whispered. She jumped as a knock sounded on the bathroom door.
"Mimi-chan? Are you all right?"
"Ah, y-yes," she quickly answered. She glanced back down at the small over-the-counter test she held in her hand.
"I have school today, so I can't stay with you. Are you sure you're okay?" Jyou was asking from far, far away.
"Hai! Go on! I'll be fine! Promise!" Her voice replied, echoing oddly in her head with his normalcy and cheerfulness.
She listened to his footsteps fade away and the front door open and shut. She sighed in relief. What am I going to do? I can't tell Jyou! He's still in school! Medical college to boot! He won't be able to help me! He'll just make it worse trying to help me. She smiled fondly. He's so stupid sometimes.
"Mimi-san? I made some breakfast. It's yogurt and granola, you think you can keep it down?" Koushirou asked anxiously.
"Yes, that'll be perfect." She rose, frowning down at her hand. How am I going to hide this in the bathroom trash?
"I don't have class until noon today, so I'll be able to watch you."
"Thanks. I'll be out in a minute." What do I do with this stuff? Argh! Mimi stuffed the test and all the instructions back in the box. Pockets…do I have pockets? No…no pockets! Uh… Her brown eyes glanced wildly around the tiny bathroom and landed on…nothing. There was nothing she could use to hide the small, damning, cardboard box. She settled for hiding it behind her back.
She glanced out of the bathroom down, looking around quickly. Koushirou was in the kitchen…Tai was at school…good. Free to go. She tiptoed out the room and backed up down the hallway to Jyou's room. Just before she made, Koushirou walked out of the kitchen and their eyes met. Mimi blushed vividly and the box burned in her hands.
"Eh…good morning…?" Mimi smiled weakly. Koushirou glanced at her with a bemused expression. His eyes flicked to her arms and hidden hands before he met her gaze again.
"Are you hiding something behind your back?"
"NO!" She spun around, barely keeping the box hidden by bringing it around to the front of her. "I'll be right out!" She flung herself into Jyou's room and slammed the door behind her. "Th-thank God…" she sighed in relief, leaning back against the door as her shoulders slumped. Now, she would just shove the evidence in her backpack and get out of here. She all but screamed as a hesitant knock sounding right behind her shoulders.
"Mimi-san…you dropped something." Mimi blanched bone-white at the tone of Koushirou's voice.
With growing trepidation, she glanced down at the box…and her jaw dropped. She hadn't noticed she was holding it upside down! With a sigh, Mimi squared her shoulders, reaching for the doorknob. The knob twisted beneath her palm as she turned. Koushirou standing in front of her with a worried frown and a long, white, plastic stick held in his hand.
The blue line was visible even to her. She gulped audibly, light brown eyes locked with his frowning ones. He looked pale and uncomfortable, but his mouth was in a firm, rigid line as he handed the test over to her.
"Does Jyou-san know?" Koushirou finally inquired, his voice tight, but even.
Mimi mutely shook her head. The younger, smaller boy sighed.
"What are you doing about this, Mimi-san? He will detect this eventually. You cannot just conceal it from him," Koushirou pointed out wearily. "This is a prodigiously serious conundrum."
"I…I have more than just one option, Koushirou-kun!" Mimi snapped, shoving the test back in its box, bending the thin cardboard awkwardly. She gripped the box tightly in her hand as she glared at him.
"You-You do not plan to…?" Koushirou's eyes were wide with shock.
"I don't know!" Mimi shrieked at him. "I just found out five minutes ago! Do you think I've already figured out what I want to do?" She threw her arms around him and began to sob. "I'm so scared! I'm still in high school, Koushirou-kun! What am I going to do?"
He rubbed her back soothingly. "I don't know, Mimi-san. But…I'll help you, no matter what you decide." She looked up at him with big, teary, brown eyes.
"R-Really?"
"Yes," Koushirou assured her, smiling softly and valiantly ignoring the sharp corner of the box digging into his spine.
"Thank you!"
He also valiantly ignored the spreading stain of tears and snot on his shirt as Mimi sobbed against his chest.
.
"So then, you wouldn't believe it! He tried to, like, do this slide block, you know?"
"Yes, you did it a couple of times. I saw you."
"Yeah, yeah, well, this baka really thought he could pull it off and like, I just, like, grabbed the ball with my feet, ya know, and hopped over him. His face! HA HA! He looked like such an idiot!" Daisuke finished, clutching his stomach while he laughed. Hikari covered her mouth and laughed with him.
It was nice, talking with him again. He was so loud and exuberant with his arms wheeling through the air as he got excited. The sun was warm on her face and the grass beneath her hands tickled. They had managed to find a relatively private spot under a bridge on the Tokyo side of Odaiba. The ocean channel waved in front of them as barges steamed past. The only people they could see were the large blots on the barges in the bay, though they could hear vehicles racing past on the road above their heads, the bells on bikes, and the shouts and laughter of passersby.
"So, did you make it? Or did you fall flat on your face with that stunt?" Hikari asked as her giggles subsided.
"Nope! I landed like a cat! Tai-sensei was so proud of me! You should've been there!" Daisuke's chest puffed up, his eyes shining as his cheeks billowed, his whole demeanor obviously proud of himself. Hikari's eyes saddened.
"Ken-san had a game that day, too," Hikari muttered, running her palm over the neatly mown grass.
"Oh, really? He does summer sports?" Daisuke inquired so very nonchalantly.
"Mm hm. He does soccer, just like you."
"Oh, right. You said that yesterday… Well, what's his name again?" Daisuke asked as he thought really hard.
"Ichijouji, Ken," Hikari repeated for the hundredth time, rolling her eyes and smiling.
"Oh, hey! I know that name! He's supposed to be real badass…I think…oh, yeah, I played him once!" Daisuke exclaimed, dark eyes lighting up.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Got on my nerves, acting so cool. I did the slide thing on him and prevented him from making the last goal. His team still won 'cuz he was crazy fast, but I managed to block him when nobody else had. I wish Tai-sensei had been on my team. We coulda wiped him off the field." His eyes glowed brightly at that thought. Hikari frowned. She knew it wasn't personal, that Daisuke-kun just hated someone being better than him, but everyone seemed to be having a problem with her boyfriend.
"Did you ever…meet him?" she asked. He turned to see her frowning slightly.
"I didn't mean to diss your boyfriend," Daisuke muttered angrily, tearing up a handful of grass. Hikari's peevishness disappeared as she touched his hand gently. He met her contrite smile with a grin of his own.
"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant to imply. I know you didn't mean it that way. It's just…Miyako-san and Takeru-kun really dislike him. They won't tell me why. He's always been so sweet to me…" she trailed off thoughtfully, letting her hand fall away from his. "Do you think he and Miyako-san used to date?"
"What? Why would you think that?" Daisuke squawked. Hikari continued to consider it pensively.
"They both refuse to talk about it. She once told me she had a bad experience with a guy…though, I think she meant that incident in fifth grade…" Hikari trailed off, frowning again.
"Hey, let's not think about it," Daisuke interrupted suddenly. She looked up at him a little confused.
"Excuse me?" He stared hard at his feet.
"I don't want to think about them right now. I'm here to be with you, Hikari," he whispered. Hikari stilled and sadness returned to her eyes.
"Daisuke-kun, we're dating other people. We can't pretend otherwise."
"I really like Miyako-chan! I really do! But when I'm with you it's because I want to be with you. We're friends, we have been for years! It's not cheating on them if we're just chatting about ourselves!" he protested loudly. Hikari smiled at him, though they both knew his words were rather flat.
"I feel so guilty when I want to agree. Ken-san has been so good to me and for me. I hate the fact I can't love him…" she quietly silenced herself. Talking about that was taboo between. A rule they made up yesterday over blueberry muffins. The silence stretched on awkwardly.
His fingers tugged at her hair. She glanced out the corner of her eye at him to see his bright sunny smile that made her heavy heart instantly grow lighter.
"You're growing it out," he noted, breaking that awful silence.
"I…wanted something new. Do you like it?"
"Yeah, it's really pretty. But if it gets too long it'll get in the way again. Remember when you were seven?"
"Ugh! Don't remind me! My scalp hurts just thinking about it!"
"I can't believe you got it stuck in a door!" Daisuke laughed. Hikari blushed angrily.
"I thought we weren't going to speak about it!"
"But it was soooo cute!" Daisuke teased, tweaking her hair again, laughing more when she swatted at his hand. "You were so upset and blushing and the teacher had to cut your hair because it was so twisted in the hinges."
"Daisuke-kun!" She shoved him hard enough to tip him over. She laughed as he sputtered and laughed. "We're so weird!" She jumped up and threw her arms out to her sides as she spun on her toes. She halted neatly, then turned to Daisuke, her hands clasped behind her. "I've never felt as unrestricted as the times when I'm with you." He looked up at her with his big sunny grin.
"I've never been so happy," he replied. She blushed and turned away.
"We should leave now. We've been breaking taboos." She gasped as arms wrapped around her and hugged her tightly.
"Then don't look, okay? We'll just close our eyes and pretend we're asleep. Then, we can stand here like this," he whispered. She shook her head, though her eyes closed without her meaning to.
"It's not a good idea," she murmured, her hands coming up to wrap around his wrists gently. She could smell him, feel the hard strength of his wiry arms, the warmth of his tanned skin. She reminded her so much of her brother and yet so much of him, how could she not feel safe? How could she not feel loved with him so close to her?
"I know…but when I'm dreaming I don't care," Daisuke joked, chuckling a bit. She sighed and relaxed into his embrace.
"We're going to be in trouble."
"Shh, this is supposed to be good dream," he whined. She giggled.
"All right. But just for a second."
.
Miyako left the classroom and locked the door. She grinned as she pocketed the keys. The first meeting of the Computer Club had gone well. All the hard work she had put in yesterday after school paid off. She stretched, raising her arms high above her head. With a yawn that brought tears to her eyes, she started on her way out. Hmm, tea, something sweet, and a phone call to Daisuke-kun sounds perfect. I'm sure he'll be real proud of me! Twelve freshmen recruited in one day, aaaaawwesome! She thrust her fist in the air with her index finger extended as she mentally cheered.
Suddenly, a tall figure slammed into her, sending her hurtling towards the ground. A loud, cut-off squeal escaped from her. A hand wrapped around her wrist and yanked her back onto her feet, only the hand pulled her too hard, and she stumbled off her toes into a flat, sweaty chest.
"Oof! Gomen nasai!" Miyako exclaimed. She looked up at the person who had caught her…and almost gagged.
"You should keep your eyes open, Inoue," Ken stated coldly as he set her on her feet.
"You shouldn't be running around like a lunatic in sweaty jockey shorts, Ichijouji," she snapped back.
"You should be thanking me, not insulting me." His pretty velvet eyes narrowed on her. She stuck out her tongue, pulling herself away from his steadying hands.
"I would've if you were any sort of worth it." She flipped her braid over her shoulder and bounced away.
Ken sighed as he watched her go. How did this happen again? We would've been great friends if she wasn't so…immature! It's sad how disappointing she is. He ignored the tightening in his gut he always got when she flipped that braid. I better hurry. I'm already late to meet Hikari-san.
Miyako sighed as she rounded a corner and leaned up against the wall.
"What does he have to be such an ass? I was so interested in him. It's so disappointing." Miyako hugged her backpack against her chest, tightening her arms slightly. "Whatever. Forget that bastard, Miyako, time to go catch up with Daisuke."
.
Sora sighed as she stared at the flower-filled room in front of her. She would hate to admit it, but she missed Yamato in these long, lagging moments alone. That weekend would be his first concert of the school year again- and it would their third year anniversary. She had no idea if they were going to go all out, or just snuggle and catch a movie. She blushed thinking up all the different things they could do to celebrate. A fancy restaurant with lobster and steak tartar (whatever that was) and Yamato in a silk shirt and black slacks briefly flittered through her mind.
The bell over the door chimed softly. Sora blushed brightly and stood up.
"Konnichi wa!" Sora greeted. A young girl stepped in with a beet-red face. Iori stepped in right behind her.
"Iori-kun! Um, your name is?"
"Akizuki, Saiwa!" the girl squeaked.
"Oh, well, konnichi wa! Why are you two here today? Is middle school already over?"
"Yes, just half an hour ago. I wanted to get a bouquet. Something elegant and soothing. Do you have any ideas?" Iori asked as his eyes wandered the shop.
"Hmm, let's check the book…" Sora flipped through the large catalog of flowers and skimmed down the pages. "Let's see, a cosmos mean 'peaceful'… and they're very pretty. We have some in stock on the lower shelf there. Let's see… jasmine mean grace and elegance, but we don't have jasmine in stock… Poppies are very pretty little flowers and mean consolation…I don't know if that's what you want…"
"I think poppies and cosmoses will be perfect. Saiwa-san, what colors do you think would look best?" Iori asked, looking up from the catalog to look for her. Saiwa was already at the flowers, kneeling at the shelf full of soft, fragile looking blossoms.
"I…I think this cosmos is the loveliest." She touched the soft petals of dark red-purple, almost fuchsia. "For the poppies, I think these dainty pink ones will be very pretty. If we wrap them in that transparent rose-colored plastic and add some baby's breath for tradition's sake, it should look just right."
"Wow…you have an eye for flowers, Akizuki-chan," Sora complimented as she slowly closed the book.
"I…It's just a bouquet. It's not very hard put a handful of flowers in a pretty bundle," Akizuki disagreed with a slight shake of her head.
"She's right, Saiwa-san, you're very good with colors. You were the president of the Flower Arrangement Club in elementary school for a reason," Iori pointed out with a half-smile.
"You were in the Flower Arrangement Club?" Sora inquired, her strange reddish eyes wide.
"Hai. I'm going to be in it in my new school, too. I heard they have a Gardening Club, too, so I wanted to try for that, too. And, of course, kendo." Iori and Saiwa shared a smile.
"Well, let's wrap of these flowers and ring them up, shall we?" Sora suggested as she walked around the counter.
"Hai! I'm supposed to meet Takeru-kun in an hour," Sora quickly plucked a few cosmoses and a larger amount of poppies. As she reached for the baby's breath, Saiwa stopped her.
"I…I actually think…we should get Forget-Me-Nots," she said.
"Forget-Me-Nots…?" Iori-kun queried as an eyebrow rose. Saiwa ran her fingers over the tiny blue flowers.
"The color is a little radical compared to the pinks and reds of the poppies and cosmos, but…the meaning…for Takeru-kun…makes more sense," Saiwa hesitantly tried to explain. "Maybe if we left out the cosmos…"
"What do you mean?" Iori asked, still bemused. Saiwa glanced up, blushing slightly as she looked away.
"So…she doesn't forget…the good memories…and her love…for him," Saiwa stammered. Iori's eyes widened.
"That's…a very good idea, Saiwa-san," Iori agreed. "We'll get Forget-Me-Nots and those lighter pink cosmos," Iori told Sora, who nodded, smiling. Saiwa kept her eyes glued to the while tile, her cheeks bright pink.
"…just a little extra thought," she protested under her breath.
The finished piece was beautiful, with the soft blue Forget-Me-Nots and bright, pastel pink cosmos wrapped in transparent dark pink cellophane. Sora arranged it so the leaves framed the petals becomingly. Silver tinsel wrapped the bouquet in place.
"I'm sure he'll love it," Saiwa assured Iori as he handed over his money.
"I hope they do the trick. Thank you for you the help, both of you." He bowed to Sora, the bouquet held gently in his hands. She waved her hand nonchalantly.
"Not a problem, Iori-kun," Sora said easily. He nodded at her and then turned to Saiwa again.
"Do you need me to walk you home?"
"You go ahead and run for it. I'll walk by myself," Saiwa ordered firmly and making 'shooing' motions with her hands. Iori smiled slightly.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Saiwa-san." The bell over the door rang as he left.
Sora wiped down the counter and threw away left over tinsel and wrapping tissue. She watched out of the corner of her eye as the young girl wandered around her shop. She didn't make any noise, really, just kept on hand around the handle of her schoolbag as her free hand stroked flower petals lovingly. Flowers filled the room to bursting, mixed with dark ferns and carefully pruned bonsai trees. Every color under the sun glowed and shined from every corner and shelf. After a few moments, Saiwa knelt down and touched a tiny, yellow carnation, smiling.
"Konnichi wa, Sunshine. You look so happy, even though you're so small. Is it nice here? You must have so many friends." She giggled and touched each carnation on the shelf. "I have to go now, but you have a good day." Her finger lingered on a striped carnation, white and hemmed with pink.
"You seem to be drawn to rather sad meaning flowers, Akizuki-chan," Sora finally spoke up. Saiwa blushed and spun around. She bowed quickly.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to dawdle. I'll leave now!" She raced for the door.
"OI! I never said you had to leave!" Sora exclaimed. Wow, she's like a mouse!
Saiwa's hand fell on the door handle and slowly turned with her face still to the ground. "I…I…uh…what did you mean…before?" she whispered.
"What?" Sora blinked.
"You said…I was… drawn to… sad flowers…" Saiwa repeated, shuffling quietly under Sora's gaze.
"Oh…well, the carnations you greeted…a yellow carnation means 'rejection' and a striped carnation means 'I wish I could be with you' or 'refusal'. It just struck me as a little odd." Sora eyes widened in confusion as the young girl's shoulders began to shake.
"Heh… it looks like rejection is my fate," she whispered. Sora frowned. She glanced over the shelves, then, walked around the counter. She went over the carnations and plucked a pure white one from the group. With a sunny smile, she approached Saiwa and held out the blossom.
"Here, Akizuki-chan, this is for you. A carnation for luck."
Saiwa's brown eyes flew up and met Sora's. Tears were clinging to her eyelashes. "F-for luck?"
"A white carnation symbolizes 'woman's good luck gift'." Sora unclipped a barrette from her own hair and quickly slid the white flower over the girl's ear. She brushed Saiwa's bangs off to the side and clipped the flower and hair in place. "This flower also symbolizes sweetness and loveliness. Remember, Akizuki-chan, you have a sweet heart and a lovely face hidden under those tears. I can tell."
"You-You can?"
"Of course. It's what I do. I can see into the heart of everyone I meet." Sora winked. "And the one I see in your eyes is a sweet one, full of love and fear. Don't let the fear crowd out the sweetness."
"Th-thank you very much…" Saiwa reached up and touched the silky petals just over her ear.
"Have a good day, Akizuki-chan."
"H-Hai! You too!" she squeaked. She raced out the door.
Sora smiled and returned to the counter. She had to get the store ready for the afternoon. She had college classes to attend and her mother needed all the help she could get these days.
.
Tai struck the last chord and felt the note thrum in him. His fingers felt a little battered, but pleasantly so. Feeling music come to life beneath his fingertips was exhilarating.
"Oi! Tai! You awake over there?"
"Wh-Wha? Yeah, what's up Tomo-kun?" Tai drew the guitar strap over his head and set it on its stand.
"I was wondering if you were actually going to come to an after-concert party this year. You're eighteen, ne?" Tomo double-checked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, just a coupla weeks ago. Cool, huh?" Tai grinned and gave Tomo-kun a thumbs up.
"So, you gonna finally come to a party, then, shortie?" Yotsuya teased. Tai was actually just as tall or taller than most the members of the band, hence their long-running, not-quite-funny joke.
"I guess. I dunno, though. Izzy's not much of a party person." Tai frowned thoughtfully. "I like hanging out with Izzy after a concert." He grinned suddenly, a perverted little grin. "He's gets real flustered seeing me up on stage."
"Man, shut up! I don't want to hear about you and your boyfriend getting it on when I still don't have a girl!" Kizue exclaimed. Tai barely managed to dodge the punch sent his way.
"Hey, losers! What are you doing? This is rehearsal, not 'chat-like-girls' time," Yamato interrupted with a scowl.
"C'mon, we've been practicing for hours!" Tai whined.
"We've already done the set twice and the concert is still four days away," Yotsuya added. He set his drumsticks down and stepped around his set. He was just about Tai's height, with brown hair and slightly darker eyes. He had already graduated from college and was working on his Master's in engineering.
"Yeah, we did great today! Why are you still pissy?" Tomo sighed. He fell with a flop unto the stage. He pushed black hair out of his almost-girly brown eyes and pouted pretty lips. Tomo was the undeclared pretty boy of the group. He was also their electronic guru and a junior in college.
"I'm not pissy! You guys are just lazy!" Yamato snapped. He fell onto the stage next to Tai and grabbed a water bottle from the ice chest they left near the edge of the stage.
"Toss one over here, boss," Kizue called out. Yamato tossed one and Kizue grabbed from it the air and twisted off the top. Hi neon green hair flared under the spotlights. He had two piercings on his left ear and was the most physically fit besides for Tai. Of course, they were both going to colleges on sports' scholarships. Kizue for baseball and Tai for soccer, though Kizue had already been scouted for the Giants. [1]
"Well, Tai, are you going or not?" Tomo persisted while Yamato gulped down the cold water.
"I might, but just for, like, an hour." Tai tried his best not to let his grin show. Me n' Izzy have plans this weekend! I can't wait for Saturday night!
"So, we done chatting yet?" Yamato asked with a pale blond eyebrow rising.
"Oh, shove it up yours, Ishiida," Tomo sighed.
"I have to go you guys," Kizue said suddenly glancing at his watch. "I've got an interview with the Giants tomorrow morning."
"You're not going to be able to stay in the band much longer, will you?" Yotsuya asked as Kizue grabbed his bags.
"No…not for much longer. The season doesn't start 'til April, but training will start a little sooner than that."
"So…until next semester?"
"Pretty much, yeah. See you guys!" Kizue jumped off the hip-height stage and left the warehouse.
"We're going to have to find another guitar player, what a drag," Tomo complained.
"Well, at least a back-up guitar isn't as hard to find as a bass. I can fill in for both of us for a while, too, so we'll have more than enough time to find another player." Yamato rose and stretched his arms over his head and cracked his neck. "I guess practice is over."
"All right! Dinner time!"
"It's only four…twenty. You eat dinner this early?" Yotsuya's voice was a little surprised.
"Eh…no… well, I'll have some sort of…snack." Tai shrugged. Moving to pack up his own gear as the others did. "You going to walk with me, Yamato-kun? Or you going to go to Sora-chan's?"
"Sora's in class right now. She does her classes a little later in the day," Yamato reminded Tai as he put his guitar in its case. "I have a class in an hour, so I'm just going to go to the library and study for a while. See you later tonight."
"Yeah, see ya!"
Tai whistled to himself as he wandered through Tokyo, a briefcase in one hand and a guitar case over his shoulder. This year, he was able to move his classes around a bit to give himself free time in the middle of the day to go to band practice. All five of them managed to get Tuesdays and Thursdays, twelve to four-thirty free. They met up at about one or so and played until time was up. They still did evening practices, too. It was pretty neat being in college.
"I wonder if Izzy would want to go to the party…I heard from Yotsuya that there was alcohol… Not like we have to drink it or anything, but still, Izzy doesn't like stuff like that," Tai muttered to himself as he walked towards the metro station. He fumbled with his bags and attempted to dig his metro card out of his pocket.
.
Iori's green eyes managed to find Takeru's blond hair in the crowd. He waved in response with his free hand and tried to hurry towards his boyfriend without squashing the flowers.
"Wow, flowers? For me?" Takeru's blue eyes twinkled.
"Iie! They're for your mother. Do you think she'll like them?" His dark eyes glanced at the flowers anxiously.
"She loves flowers, hell, all girls love flowers. Thanks, Iori." Iori blushed as Takeru brushed his lips over Iori's forehead. "My mom was real energetic this morning. I'm sure she won't have an anxiety attack over this." Takeru led Iori out of the metro station.
"I hope so. I'd feel horrible if I hurt your mother…" Iori trailed off anxiously.
"Ah, I'm sure it'll be fine. My mom really loves me, ya know? We got real close after that…day she…had a seizure." Takeru's blue eyes seemed to darken. He forced a smile and continued. "I know how much I mean to her. I'm sure she'll accept this."
"What…what will happen if she doesn't?" Iori murmured, repeating a question he had asked so many times.
"It won't change the fact I love you, Iori," came the answer that Takeru always had. Iori blushed.
"All right." Iori sighed deeply. "This is harder for you than it is for me. I should stop being such a worrywart for your sake." Their hands met and squeezed tightly.
After fifteen minutes, Takeru turned onto a driveway. Iori almost winced at the sudden tightness to Takeru's grip. His slanted eyes looked up and saw the thin line his boyfriend's mouth had become. His moss-colored eyes glanced around him. It was a small house, hidden behind a wall. There was a small rectangle of lawn to his right and flowers filling the small garden dug into the dirt just in front of the porch. He followed Takeru onto the wooden veranda. His palm felt sweaty and he was abruptly scared he was going to drop the flowers.
Takeru pushed open the door.
"Kaasan! I'm home. I brought Iori with me!" he called towards the back of the house. As the two boys slid out of their shoes, Iori heard footsteps come down the hall.
His green eyes flew up to meet the same big blue eyes as his boyfriend in a feminine face surrounded by gently curling blonde-brown hair. Her slender hand rose to touch her chest lightly, her mouth, just lightly covered in lipstick, parted in shock.
"Wh-What?"
.
Tai let himself into the apartment he now officially shared with his boyfriend and two friends and kicked off his shoes. He ignored the slippers and wandered into the kitchen. After a few minutes of foraging, he came away with rice crackers, soda, and a hidden bar of chocolate…that might have been Mimi's…
"Izzy?" Tai peered around the bedroom door and smiled as Koushirou turned his dark-eyed gaze his way. As Tai entered the room the rest of the way, Koushirou saved the document he was working on and closed the screen.
"Is that Mimi's? Again?"
"I dunno. I found it," Tai replied with a shrug.
"How long did it take you?" Koushirou queried pointedly.
"Not long. It was in the bologna package. Weird, huh?" Tai grinned and peeled open the candy wrapper.
"It was hidden in the bologna package, from you." Koushirou plucked the candy bar out of Tai's hands and set it on the desk.
"Oh, c'mon, I'm hungry," Tai whined, pouting.
"Eat the crackers." Koushirou kissed Tai's forehead and grinned. "They're good for you."
"Yeah, yeah…"
"I bought some carrots for you."
"I am not a rabbit!" Koushirou laughed at Tai's outraged expression.
"They don't taste bad, Tai." Koushirou pulled a cracker out of the package and walked over the bed, Tai close behind him.
"I can't stand healthy food. Remember, I was traumatized with 'health food'." Tai lifted up his hands and made quotation marks with his fingers.
"Exactly, 'health food'." Koushirou imitated him. "It was not real health food, so you will not be able to discern if you truly enjoy it or not unless you test it."
"Where's Mimi-chan, anyway? And Jyou-kun?" Tai hastily changed the subject with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop as he munched on crackers and leaned back on the bed. Koushirou stared at his knees.
"They went out to a belated lunch. She hadn't managed to eat today, thus by the time Jyou-san returned home, she was famished. They went out for burgers," he explained quietly. He wanted to spill out everything, lay out this burden with his boyfriend's steady shoulders to help bear it. He kept his mouth shut, though, but instead of being relieved for keeping Mimi's secret, he felt he was betrayed Tai for keeping the secret. It was much too befuddling.
"Burgers? Mimi-chan hates burgers! Remember, when she came back from America after that foreign exchange trip? She swore never to eat burgers again," Tai exclaimed in shock, fighting envy as the idea of burger suddenly sounding delicious.
"She had a craving for burgers."
Tai looked down at Koushiour with a slight frown. "What's wrong? You seem upset."
Koushirou forced a smile even as he inwardly panicked. Lying- outright lying- that was going to be difficult. Koushirou loathed lying and found it almost physically painful to attempt it. "It's nothing I care to talk about," he hedged uneasily.
"HEY! You can't do that!"
"I believe I can, and will. Do you want some real food? I can make some sushi." Koushirou rose.
"Izzy! Sit back down!" Tai snapped, grabbing his wrist. "Tell me what's wrong."
"I can't. It's between Jyou-san and Mimi-san."
"Oh…okay, I guess." Tai frowned and tugged on Koushirou's arm. The redhead let himself fall onto Tai's lap, sighing in resignation. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, just a little confused," Koushirou finally admitted, rubbing his temples. He glanced up, suddenly accusatory. "Don't you have a freshman seminar today?"
"At seven, I'm good."
"Oh, yes, because of practice. How was it?" Koushirou asked, munching on another rice cracker. He felt Tai's slight shrug, felt the rhythmic lift and fall of his chest beneath his ear.
"Good. Kizue's leaving the band next semester." Tai ran his hand up and down Koushirou's spine.
"Oh." Koushirou pressed himself closer to Tai's chest. He felt like stretching like cat under Tai's gentle petting.
"Yeah. What do you think about going to a party?" Tai remembered, though his hands didn't stop moving.
"I don't like parties." Koushirou tucked his nose under Tai's chin and kissed his neck.
"We won't go for long. We'll just go for an hour or something. It's for the concert," Tai wheedled without much effort. It wasn't often Koushirou made the first move, and whenever he did it was always slow and hesitant and utterly intoxicating.
"Will there be alcohol?" Koushirou slid his arms around Tai's waist.
"Maybe…" Tai grinned as his shy, introverted, genius of a boyfriend began to get flustered, made obvious by the tightening of Koushirou's arm and the heated flush building over his cheeks.
"Well, no for me. I am not about to forbid you from attending, however. You can go if you wish, though I hope you would come back soon. We did have tentative plans," Koushirou decided, his breath exhaling in a rush as Tai leaned down to kiss the tip of his ear, hot breath whirling against the thin skin.
"Yeah. Just an hour, promise."
"Prodigious. Now, cease talking and release the crackers," Koushirou ordered rather breathlessly as he leaned back and narrowed his eyes on Tai's face.
"And do what?" Tai asked with wide eyes, though his crooked grin ruined his almost-innocent act. One red eyebrow went up. "Fine, fine. Needy little bugger aren't you? OOF!" Tai fell back with a thump onto the bed as soon as the crackers touched the desk.
.
Miyako bounced her foot up and down as she waited. She hated waiting. Especially for her boyfriend. Girlfriends are not supposed to wait for boyfriends. She glared angrily as her foot continued to bounce. She glanced around the town square. A coffee place with iron tables and chairs on the sidewalk outside was across the street. A few teenagers and a lone adult male were sitting there, chatting or texting or reading a newspaper. She, herself, was sitting on a concrete post right outside on the side of the road, the Tokyo Bay behind her, and one leg crossed over the other with her foot bouncing. Her hazel eyes slid over to the large clock rising above the sidewalk.
Four forty-five…ugh…how much longer is he going to be? She didn't notice the figure approached as she sighed in annoyance, eyes closing briefly.
"Inoue-san? Why are you sitting on a pole?"
"It's not a pole," she automatically snapped, hackles rising at that smooth, bemused voice.
Velvet violet and light hazel met. Miyako could feel the blood rushing to her head. No, it was not a blush, it was irritation. First, Daisuke had yet to show and second, this bastard shows up.
"Well, what are you sitting on?" Ken asked with a slight smirk.
"Hmph." Miyako crossed her arms and looked away. It was actually a post that was part of a fence that lined the hill to prevent cars from careening into the Tokyo Bay. "Are you blind?"
"Get off the road buffer," Ken amended as he tacked on his insufferable demand.
"What? No!" Miyako exclaimed in shock.
"Get off the road buffer, Inoue-san, or I'll get you off the road buffer," he replied, his voice stern. She curled her fingers around the edge of the metal and hung on.
"I'd like to see you try, Ichijouji-san," Miyako snapped. She blinked as his catlike blue eyes narrowed. Oh…he looks angry.
"You're impossible. You get offended and pig-headed over the stupidest situations," he muttered, running a hand through his silky hair in agitation. It was actually kind of fun watching him lose composure…
"I'm not pigheaded!" The lie even sounded stupid. A blush crept over her nose. "I don't see why you care. You made it more than clear over three years ago what you thought of me," she mumbled, turning away and still holding on to the road buffer.
"Are you still angry about that?" Ken asked, genuinely surprised.
"Of course! You blew me off and insulted me!"
"I just didn't want to be in your stupid club!"
Silence fell.
"I'm not getting off the fence," Miyako stated flatly. Sparks flashed between their gaze.
Ken set his backpack onto the grass.
"You wouldn't." Her fingers curved around the iron even tighter, her knuckles white.
He grabbed her wrists and pulled. Even as she pulled back, it was soon apparent he was stronger. Curse his soccer training! She eventually would have to release the fence or have her fingers skinned, or pulled right off. She released her hold, wobbling a bit as her balance overset. IN a quick motion that left her dizzy, one arm wrapped around her shoulders and his other arm slid under her knees. Miyako let out a small squeal as she was lifted off the post and thrown over his shoulder. She began to vainly twist and kick at his chest.
"Stop squirming," Ken said brusquely through gritted teeth. He bent at the knees to snatch up the school bags there before turning on his heel and heading across the road.
"No! I'm going to squirm all I want! Put me down!" Miyako shrieked. "That's my ASS!"
"I'm not touching your derriere!"
"Oh, don't go using French! C'mon, say ass," Miyako taunted as her face glowed red from anger, humiliation, and blood from hanging upside down.
Ken frowned. He made it across the street to the group of iron chairs and set down the schoolbags. He laid his arm over her back and readjusted his other arm just over her knees. Miyako fell onto the cold, iron chair with an 'oomph', her eyes wide as he straightened. The other customers were staring at them, a mixture of amusement and annoyance on their faces.
"You're impossible. Doesn't your boyfriend control you?" Ken growled in irritation. He immediately knew he shouldn't have said it, but her reaction came faster than his apology.
Slap.
"Sexist pig!" Miyako gasped as he grabbed her wrist before she could pull it away. "Let me go! I'm tired of you manhandling me!"
"You slapped me, Inoue-san." His eyes flashed dangerously. Miyako's flashed back.
"Hell right, I did! You lifted me, against my will, and tossed me in this chair like some baggage! You're a cold asshole every time I see you!" Miyako snarled at him.
"Me? You're a snobby bitch as soon as I turn a corner! I don't have time to be polite!"
"Did you actually cuss! Wow, a fucking record for Mr. Tight-Ass!" Miyako crowed, flipping him off.
"You cuss too much! You sound like a whorish sailor!" Ken snapped back.
"DID YOU JUST CALL ME A WHORE? I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW MISTER I TRIED BEING NICE TO YOU AND YOU SHUNTED ME OFF LIKE GARBAGE!" she screamed at him.
"That was three years ago, Inoue! Get over it!"
"H-How dare you? How dare you tell me to get over it!" Ken managed to grasp her hand before it connected, but his grip tightened around her wrist when he saw the tears.
"Inoue…" he said slowly. Her eyes only narrowed in anger.
"You-you…heartless bastard," she hissed. She jerked her hand away.
"You're…you're being overly emotional…" he stuttered. She flinched as if hit.
"YOU DON'T KNOW A DAMN THING! ALL YOU BOYS ARE JUST THE SAME! YOU DON'T EVER CARE! I'M NEVER GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, AM I?" Miyako bellowed, getting to her feet, fists clenched in rage.
"What are you talking about?" He reached for her, seriously confused and worried.
Their hands brushed and- maybe it was just the way the sun hit their touching skin- but they both…almost… saw a thin string.
Miyako jerked her hand away and Ken shook his head. Just the light…there's no string there…
"You broke my heart, Ichijouji, Ken. And I'll never forgive you, you heartless bastard!" She grabbed her book bag and ran away, completely forgetting her date with Daisuke.
"I just didn't want to be in her damn club. What is she talking about?" Ken muttered to himself. He couldn't help but remember the words she left him with. He clenched his fists at his sides to keep from pressing his hand to his chest and rubbing- as if he felt an ache there, in his heart. The younger couples whispered and muttered, but the older man had only sniffed in disgust and returned to his paper.
I'm not heartless…
"Yo! Ichijouji, ne?"
Ken turned to see Daisuke jogging towards him.
"Have you seen Miyako-chan? I'm late!" He bent over, panting and red-faced.
"Maybe next time you shouldn't be." Daisuke glanced up at Ken's overly cold tone.
"It's none of your business why I'm late, jerkoff!" Daisuke flipped Ken the bird and stomped away. He continued to look around as he walked along the sidewalk, scratching his head in confusion, his anger already forgotten.
Ken reached down for his backpack, but stilled. His eyes locked on his left hand.
Miyako burst through the front door and raced to her bedroom. She tossed her backpack in the corner and threw herself on the bed, ignoring the fact her shoes were still on her feet. She clenched her left hand into a fist and bit down hard on her lip. Her glossy hazel eyes glared angrily at her knuckles.
Purple eyes and hazel eyes stared at the thin, red strings wrapped around their fingers. Strings that weren't really there.
I hate you, Ken! I hate you so much! Why do I have to love you? Miyako raged inwardly as she squeezed her eyes shut.
.
Hikari's small fist pressed against her rapidly beating heart as she leaned back on the door of her room. She let her bag fall to the ground as she glanced blindly around the room, at the pink rug on the floor, the pictures tacked to the walls, postcards with snapshots of all over the world in pretty frames, posters with famous celebrities, and a desk with books and pencils all neatly in place. It all seemed to blur in her vision. Her amber eyes closed and her breath came out in a slow, long release.
"The more I'm with him, the more my heart hurts. It's like a thread twisted around my heart that pulls whenever I watch him go." Tears pooled beneath her lashes, but didn't fall.
"I'm sorry, Ken-san. But my heart hurts. I'm going to have to let you go…" Hikari whispered.
.
Ken bounced his pencil on the desk in tune with his foot. He wasn't paying attention to the rambling teacher at the front- which wasn't a first as he only showed up for attendance and taught the material to himself. Cram school was getting too long for him. He needed out. He needed to stop thinking about Inoue-san and her tears and his irrational anger at knowing she was waiting for Daisuke-kun. Of course, his anger was purely because Hikari-san was still hung up over that idiot. What was so special about him anyway? Two smart, beautiful, practical-er, well one practical- and great girls were both after him and he couldn't just pick one and let the other alone? Seriously.
Ken frowned harder and tapped his pencil faster, also pointedly ignoring the glares from students around him.
Damn you, Motomiya. Stop making them wait for you! I couldn't handle it if you made Inoue-san cry, too! I'll kick your less-than-intelligent ass.
.
Daisuke sneezed as he hung up the phone. Miyako-chan was still refusing to talk to him. She apparently wasn't even eating dinner. That alone made Daisuke really, really worried.
"Maybe she found out about me 'n Hikari?" Daisuke mused, rubbing his chin as he shuffled to the kitchen. Thinking about not eating dinner made him really hungry for his dinner. "I definitely need to talk to her tomorrow." With that said, Daisuke pulled open the fridge with crossed fingers. He groaned at the contents before bellowing, "DAMN IT! WHERE'S THE FOOD!"
.
[1]- The only Japanese baseball team I know of is the Tokyo Giants (Major League the movie, anyone?)
