Yo. *peace sign* Back again. I updated a little earlier for a special friend of mine. :D
Funny story of the day:
*We make paper cell phones in class*
Me: Ahahaha! *holds phone to face* Can you hear me now?
Teacher: Brrrrr-rrrring! Deina(My name in chinese)!
Me: *blinks* Ehhhhhh...?
Teacher: I'm calling you, say "Wei."
Me: Oh! Wei...?
*My teacher and I have a full conversation*
Teacher: It's good to know you're having a good day!
Me: TAI HAO LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! JIA YOUUUUUUU! *strikes a he-man pose*
*everyone starts laughing*
Ahhhhhh...Chinese class is the best. ^.^ Jia you (Pronounced Jah-yo) means "Go!" and Tai hao le means "Great." I do enjoy screaming them though. It's the best :3
On to the reviews!
Yunagi no machi: You let me know when you've figured out what seems off. I'm curious to know.
Keeper Aki: *laughs evily* Eishun and Konoemon? In this fic? I dunno. You'll have to read to find out. :3
LoneWolfx03: You already know how I feel about you, buddy. ^.^
mYsTeryWitHinHerSelF:K.S.G.K.E is in action now! JIA YOUUUUUUU! A few of your questions shall be answered in this chapter as well. No clue as to where the hint is either. ^.^
Closetotaku711: Thank you very much *bows* I'm about...4 chapters ahead, so I'm trying especially hard with this one.
Thanks everyone!
Runaway Baby
Part 3
I'm literally sweating bullets when I show up at her doorstep...well, kinda.
I walked from my house to here, and I just realized that Kinsey Street belongs to the upper class side of town a few seconds ago. After a few minutes of walking down the street, my phone has been taken apart and put back together so many times I've lost track.
I'm not really sure where I got this nervous habit from, I just noticed a couple years ago that I do this.
1401...
1403..
1405.
My jaw drops when I look up, and I'm really envious of Setsuna now.
Her house has to be the largest on the block, and the backyard has to be double the size of my house.
It's a plain white, and to describe it simply, looks like a mansion. So, let's just picture your standard mansion here and be done, besides a few little extra details.
There's a huge drive going up from where I stand to a garage set off to the side of the house. The porch is large, with marble columns supporting the roof, and I think I see a big oak door with a brass lion knocker on it.
I'm really hoping Setsuna doesn't walk out here dressed like a British croquet player, because that's the impression her house is giving me of her if, if I didn't know better.
Shaking my head, I finally notice there's a barred gate stopping me from actually walking to the door, and I wonder how in this world I'm supposed to get in.
After minutes of looking stupid, I see a little walkie-talkie thing off to the side, and nervously push a button.
Within seconds, a nasally voice breaks through clouded with static, "Hello. What businesses do you have with the Sakurazaki family today?"
"Ummm..." I say, wondering how in the world I'm supposed to respond to that. Sighing, I step a little closer, and summon the little courage I have and say, "I'm here to see Setsuna Sakurazaki."
"Very well."
Brtzzzzzzz
Creak
The gate swings open for me, and I dart through before I have to answer any other questions.
"No wonder Setsuna is so in shape...walking up and down this drive must be a mile or two.." I grumble, hesitantly grabbing on of the lion knockers, and bang it a little louder than necessary.
A pale, frail woman dressed in a robe opens the door, and I can see where Setsuna gets her features from. This has to be her mom. She's the spitting image of Setsuna, despite the height difference, and she looks so sweet.
Until she opens her mouth.
"Hello. What business do you have with my daughter?" she asks coldly, and it sounds like no matter what I say, she doesn't care one bit. She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes, and I can see she's wishing she was somewhere else.
Calmly, I say, "She asked for me to come over."
Please, let that be enough.
"Very well." she sighs, and she points to something to my left.
"She's in there, like always. I'll never understand that child." she growls, slamming the door shut when I finally see the garage she was pointing at.
Wow, what a nice welcoming.
Wondering how in the world Setsuna is related to her, I walk down another drive, leading past the one attached to the house, and down to a sturdy brick one.
Once I get closer, I can hear the clicking and whirring of tools, and I'm pretty sure it's Setsuna making all of this racket.
I peek my head inside the door, and I smile at the sight of Setsuna messing with something under the hood of her car. What was it again...a Camaro?
I stand quietly off to the side, not wanting to distract her from her task, because she looks really focused.
Setsuna grunts, as she bends over, and I can see she's messing with her engine. Her grease stained hands are snapping together a collection of wires, and when she plugs in the last one, she smiles and wipes her hands on a towel in her back pocket.
She starts to open the driver door, but stops when she sees me standing shyly outside.
"Hey, I didn't see you there. Have you been standing there long?" Setsuna asks, wiping her forehead with her forearm, and luckily, she misses me blushing when her shirt rises up a few inches.
Man, are her jeans low-cut today.
..Did it just get hotter in here?
I carefully step over a toolbox at the entrance, cheering at my little victory, but I forgot all about the sledge hammer looking thing right in front of it, and I fall flat on my face into the cement floor.
But, since when does cement feel soft?
"You okay? I should probably move that before my mom comes out here and cusses me out." Setsuna chuckles, picking me up in her arms, as she walks over to her desk.
Blushing miserably when she sets me down, I nod and stare at the tires laying in the corner.
Sniffling, Setsuna kicks her tools away from the entrance, and walks back over to me and hops on top of the desk.
"What were you doing just now?" I wonder out loud, peering at her curiously from under my bangs.
Setsuna picks up a notebook, checking something off with her pen, and sets it down beside her and stares off into space. "I was just changing from a carburetor to a fuel injected system." she says, still caught in her thoughts.
Laughing at the confused face I just made, Setsuna fixes her tank top, "Think of how a shower head works, it squirt water out on us, and in this case, it squirts fuel onto a valve that's going to let it in and make an explosion. It's much easier than I can explain."
I nod my head, "But why were you doing it?"
"Eh, I need a more fuel efficient engine for something I'm doing. I've managed to get it up to 50 so far, and with that, who knows what the heck I'll have. I wasn't planning to do this today, but all of the stuff I ordered came. If you want, we can go inside." Setsuna offers, gesturing in the general direction of the house.
Cringing at the thought of dealing with Setsuna's mom again, I shake my head quickly, and she laughs.
"I guess you met her already." Setsuna states matter-of-factually, as she hops down, walking over to a large pile of boxes in the corner I didn't notice earlier.
"Whoa, what did you order? The whole store?" I ask, gaping at the large amount of boxes she's busy digging through.
"I tried to. Now, where are you comfortweave seats? Heeeereeee, comfortweave." she sings, checking the labels, as she paws through them. I walk behind her, checking for her seats too, and I giggle when I look at the two beside me.
"You mean these '1968 Comfortweave Deluxe bucket and rear' seats?"
Deadpanning, Setsuna walks over, tearing the tape with her finger, as she peels back the pieces of cardboard on the box next to me.
"I'll get this one." I murmur, dipping down to open the other box that contains the back seats.
Dang, this tape is really strong. I feel a little stupid saying I would help and can't even do it.
"Can't believe I missed them and they were right here." Setsuna pouts, moving over to help me with the tape.
Her hand brushes against mine, and it's like electricity.
Judging by how Setsuna isn't moving either, and how she's staring at our hands, she must have felt it too.
Blushing, I thank her, and we pull out the seat covers. Setsuna sits for a moment, utterly confused about what just happened when our hands touched.
"So, what do you do with these?" I ask, glancing back at her, as I walk towards the her car.
Quietly brushing past me, Setsuna opens the door, leans her seat forward, and starts taking out her old interior. "Replace these with those." she replies, nodding her head to the covers in my hand.
"Why? Those look fine."
Curse my big mouth. I blame Yami for this.
Setsuna brushes some hair out of her eye, and tosses the old covers off to the side, "It's all for the purpose of comfort. Most of those boxes are empty, or filled with spare parts I ordered. So, this is all I have to do. I already installed the new stereo system and air conditioner."
I place the new covers in her hand, watching as she goes to work at installing them, and this time I'm careful to avoid her touch.
Well, Konoe, you've already badgered her enough, might as well continue.
"How in the world did you afford all of this?" I question, pointing to the touch screen stereo monitor.
"My parents." she responds simply, stepping out of the car, as she slides the seat back into place.
"They're money mongers. That's all they seem to understand and care about." Setsuna adds, coming back with the front seat covers, and beginning the installation process again.
I stare at her for a second, "Isn't that a little harsh?"
Setsuna stops her movements all together, and she balls her fists up, "That's being nice actually." she hisses, glancing at me from the corner of her eyes.
Uh-oh, don't look her in the eye! Find something else to look at...
Has this car always been yellow? I swear it was darker that night... Maybe I was just looking at the black racing stripes on the body.
She finishes the seats up, and she climbs into the passenger side, patting the driver's seat for me to sit.
I slide in, sinking in easily to these surprisingly comfortable seats, and shut the door.
"People look at me and don't see me as the typical rich kid. I don't dress in the latest fashions or anything," Setsuna says softly, turning the nobs on the stereo aimlessly, "I don't want to be thought of that way, as your typical rich kid. My mom has been trying to get me in that 'money gets you anything' mindset, and my dad has been worse than her. It's all they care about. Seriously. I'm not even a concern to them, and-" she breaks off, and I look over because I think she's crying, but she's pulling out a photo book from the glove box. Without meeting my gaze, she flings it into my lap saying, "Tell me what you notice."
Nodding slowly, I trace over the soft felt embroidered with 'Setsuna' in gold stitching, and peel back the cover.
The first picture is of a smiling man, I'm guessing it's her dad, and he's holding a baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket in a Japanese hospital. I think it's safe to assume it's Setsuna as a baby. She's pale, and already has a large tuft of black hair growing on her head, and I smile a little.
"The day I was born." Setsuna comments blankly, staring into space.
I flip the page. The caption reads "Hikari and Setsuna-1 year old" and it's of Setsuna and her mom. Her mom, Hikari, is tickling her daughter's bare belly, and Setsuna is giving her mom a toothless smile. I can actually hear the little one year old screaming, squirming, and laughing when I look at it.
"Awww. You were so cute, what happened?" I tease, sticking my tongue out, as she playfully elbows my side.
"The hotness gene kicked in I'm afraid." she responds, lazily rolling the kinks out of her back with a sly grin.
"Right." I say sarcastically, but inside my head I'm agreeing with that statement, and I flip to the next page.
"This is my adopted uncle, more like adopted father, Takamichi. He raced motorcycles back then. So, one day my parents took me to see him while he was at a race, and I fell in love with anything involving an engine." Setsuna says, pointing to the man holding her steady on the seat, as her little hands stretched to reach the handlebars in the picture.
"Does he still race?" I ask, curiosity getting the best of me, as I trace over the red racing outfit the dark haired man is wearing.
"No. He's well off though, invented a better shifting mechanism, and moved back to California once he got his money. My mom and dad followed shortly after for a chance at making money, but we came here." she trails off, choosing her words carefully, as she traces over the grease stains on her hand.
"So, you came over here for that reason too? How old were you when you moved?" I spout off, gingerly flicking the page over, and I fall silent, taken aback by the image on the page.
Hikari (mommy), Tomi (daddy), and Setsuna at a meeting- age 2, the caption reads, and Setsuna stares at the picture sadly.
"When I was two."
The image depicts Setsuna, dressed up in a white dress, hair pulled back into a low ponytail, and decorated with a matching bow. Her expression is blank, and her eyes look dead, a flat black. Her parents are each gussied up in a suit and dress respectively, and each holding a large wad of cash. The looks on their faces are the exact opposite of their child, completely happy.
"I don't remember anything before moving here. All I mostly remember my parents being like is obsessed with the thought of having large amounts of green in their pocket. I don't feel loved by my parents. Kotaro," she trails off shakily, and my eyes widen as all the pieces click.
"He was the only person to make me feel that way. Of course, I can't say I felt the same way about him, but still. I don't think I have anyone now. Wait, I have one person." Setsuna says, grinning at me.
"Who?" I ask without a clue, slapping the photo album shut.
"I have you. I think you actually care about me, even though we just met." Setsuna replies, grabbing the book out of my lap, and setting it back in the glove box.
Ignoring the blush on my face, I smile, touching her bare shoulder, "Me too."
"What's the story behind your eye?"
I cringe a little at the random question, hiding my hands in my lap, as I stare at the emblem on the steering wheel.
My stomach feels sick at the thought of Yami, and all I have the courage to say is, "It's a long story."
Her hand covers mine, and I shiver at the contact, but even more so at her words.
"Konoka, I have enough time for you. I will also break a clock if needed." Setsuna whispers in my ear, brushing locks of hair away, as she looks me dead in the eye.
She's dead serious right now, and the looks in her eyes says it all. I can trust her.
Wait, what am I saying? I just started talking to her. I can't do this!
"Please?"
Dangit Setsuna, why must you be so adorable?
"I was born and raised in Kyoto. My dad left when my mom got pregnant with me, and as a result she married my step-dad, Yami. My mom died when I was six, and because of that, Yami packed up everything and we left for this stupid little town." I breath out, closing my eyes, because I can't stand to see her face right.
"Go on." Setsuna says gently, and even though my eyes are closed, I can see her piercing gaze.
I take another deep breath, telling myself I can do this even though tears are building on my eyelids. "Once I was old enough, it was like I was the woman of the house, like in the old days. He expects me to cook, to clean, and cater to his every whim. If I don't...I-I..."
"I already know." Setsuna murmurs, pulling me into an awkward hug, and I break down a little.
I hate showing weakness in front of others, and tears are just the perfect sign of it, but I can't help it. It's her.
I nuzzle into her tank top, not caring that the material is a little damp and smells strongly of oil and gasoline. After a few seconds, I can hear something, just barely, sounding from underneath.
You know how you instantly fall in love with something? Like, for no apparent reason, you see or hear something, and you love it right away?
Ba-dum.
Ba-dum.
I fell in love with her heart in that instant.
I smile into her chest, and I can hear her chuckle softly. It's like bells to my ears until-
"Hrmph." someone intentionally coughs from outside, and Setsuna and I immediately break apart to see who the hell was ruining our personal moment.
From the corner of my eye, I notice Setsuna's expression turn carefully blank, and when she speaks, her voice is unbelievably distant and cold.
"Father." Setsuna murmurs, addressing the man wearing a suit in an indifferent manner.
What was his name again?
Something with a 't'.
Totoro?
Toya?
..Tomi!
Tomi chuckles at his daughter's attitude, purposefully avoiding the oil streaks and tools, as he walks over to her desk and props himself against it.
"Are you happy with the upgrades to your car?" he asks, brushing some dried hair gel out of his peppered hair, and I can tell he has it cut high and tight.
Briefly, Setsuna's expression falters, and cautiously, she says, "Yes? I'm always happy when I upgrade or mess with my car."
Tomi grins broadly, and I can hear Setsuna growl beside me, because he caught her this time.
"You know what enables you to be happy, Setsuna dear? Money. When it comes down to it, it's what makes you happy, right?"
Setsuna jumps out of the passenger seat, slamming the door shut, as she stomps over to her dad. Now that I see them right next to each other, I notice how much taller Setsuna is than him.
I wonder how she grew to be so tall if her parents are so little...
The other thing I notice is that this has to be the man Setsuna gets her build from. He looks like a boxer, small and explosive, with broad shoulders and little fists. For his size, his legs are long, and he's thin, yet muscular. This is NOT the type of man I would want to fight with, but Setsuna seems to have other ideas.
"Stop this right now!" Setsuna growls, bumping chest to chest with the man in front of her, as she glares down at him.
Tomi looks shocked, but it fizzles into a calm expression. It must be another thing she inherited from him.
"Setsuna, when are you going to realize that money makes the world go 'round? It isn't about the petty things, like love for instance. And if they did, what would you say you love, hmm?" he jeers, puffing his chest out, as he matches his daughter's gaze with a more intense one.
Setsuna remains silent, I can tell she's angry, but she's smart enough to keep herself under control.
Ignoring her silence, her father continues, furiously jabbing his finger behind Setsuna saying, "You 'love' that car don't you? Who bought it for you? We-"
"'WE' NOTHING. I bought that car! I saved for it ever since I was five! DON'T you try and tell me I didn't earn something! Talk about anything else, but DO NOT talk about my car! Get. The hell. Out of my garage." Setsuna hisses, stamping her foot down, as she swings the man around, punctuating her final words with two rough shoves.
Perfectly calm, Tomi ignores Setsuna's reddened face, and mumbles "You'll understand one day.." right before Setsuna slams down the overhead door, and locks it.
Angrily walking back to her desk, Setsuna crumbles to the floor, holding her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry, Kono-chan. I-I-I didn't mean to lose it like that...I just can't stand when he does that, especially in front of someone like you." Setsuna whispers through her hands, and I fly out of the car, and don't even bother to shut the door.
I cling to her backside like a monkey, and I wrap my arms around her waist.
"It's alright." I coo, tracing over the purple veins in the back of her neck with my eyes.
Right now, I'm actually a little scared of evoking her anger. The way she was screaming at her dad was...insane. It was like her voice turned demonic and the flames of hell surrounded her. Of course, that's a little exaggerated, but that's what the scene is playing like in my mind.
Gradually, Setsuna manages to calm herself down, and I just noticed how hard she was breathing. Slowly, she unwinds my arms from her waist, swiveling around to hold my wrists in her hands.
"Thank you, thank you so much for not being mad about that." Setsuna mumbles, pulling me close to her, and I melt into her arms.
She stands up, taking me with her, and she leads me to the car.
"Come on, I have some errands to run. You can tag along."
Yosh. Third chapter done. Things are starting to pick up the pace. *rubs hands together*
Who wants me to do a picture of the drawings I described, and maybe another scene or two from this chapter? I promise it will be better than the first one. I was in the car when I did it ^^;
Anywho~ Let me know what you thought of this one. Until next time.
Zai jian!