Broken Fragments
Chapter 44: Merry Christmas
It was December 24th and for the only job he had for the day before Christmas, Hiroto was the guest of a famous variety show that broadcasted live at noontime. For their special Christmas episode, a few famous idols appeared in the studio for an interview on holiday romance. Some of the questions they had to answer included what kind of gift they would give their partner, where they would take them on a date, or how they were going to spend it with their partner. However, for the last question, the producer decided to shaken their audience's curiosity by asking the present idols as to what type of person would they date.
Since some agencies didn't allow their idols to date, some answered the question only because they had to or just to give the show and their own popularity a boost. A few actually described the person they were dating, hiding their identities, however. A part of that few was Hiroto.
Though the MEC entertainment agency allowed their idols to date, Hiroto couldn't release the secret relationship he had with Yuuhi because of the amount of fans they both have. Nowadays, fans were willing to keep their idols all to themselves, some even resorting to violence.
When Hiroto's turn came, he answered the question without a single hesitation in his voice.
"The type of girl I would date is fearless. She doesn't care what anyone would say, especially if it's something that she knows is right. She's hardworking and always determined. She also knows when it's time to get serious and when it's time to lighten the atmosphere. She always shows me how tough and strong she is, but she also has a shy and naughty side that she'd only show to me and only me," Hiroto's gaze was kept on the camera as if he knew that Yuuhi was watching.
His face showed pride while Yuuhi, who was taking a break from the modelling gig she had in the studio, had a face that was as pink as a strawberry and eyes as wide as a platter. Her cheeks were warm from embarrassment as she watched the live interview in her phone's TV application while resting in the dressing room of the studio. She knew that Hiroto was talking about her because, after all, she was his girlfriend, though in secret.
"Oh, and she'd try to give me a kiss while I'm asleep, but I'd end up catching her in the act," Hiroto also sent a wink through the screen, confirming Yuuhi that he was actually talking about her.
She turned off her phone and shoved it in her bag, pouting. She pressed her hands on her cheeks, feeling its warmth. Yuuhi's eyes remained on the surface of the vanity in the dressing room to calm herself down. True, it made her day, but with that, Yuuhi knew she wouldn't be able to focus anymore.
"Moron," she mumbled, still pouting even if her heart fluttered in joy.
The skies were getting dark even though the time was only 5:45 pm. The Christmas wind blew as several idols got escorted out of their cars to enter the Miyabi Hotel for MEC Entertainment Agency's Christmas Ball. Chairman Muranishi had sent out the invitations to all of the artists, celebrities, idols, and staff that worked under his agency a few days after Hiroto and Yuuhi accepted the job from Genevieve Laurent and Christopher Ray. The invitation stated that the ball was going to start at 6 and end at 9 pm, and that they were required to wear formal dresses. It wasn't mandatory for the Chairman knew that some of his employees were going home for the holidays, but the turnout was still pretty well.
Though it was cold, Chairman Muranishi waited outside to greet his guests as the valets opened their car doors. The smile on his face was kind and humble, showing all of the people he worked with that his power as the head of the agency did not and would never get to his head.
A familiar car just stopped in front of the hotel's entrance, making the Chairman smile even brighter.
"I'll do it," the Chairman held the handle before the valet could.
As soon as he opened it, a little girl that looked like him jumped out and wrapped her tiny arms around the Chairman's leg.
"Papa!" the little girl exclaimed.
"Wow, my Kirika-chan looks like a princess!" the Chairman complimented his adorable daughter.
"I wanted to look like Cinderella, so Mama got me this dress," Kirika pointed at Kumoi-san after she was escorted out by a valet.
Chairman Muranishi's eyes sparkled to see his wife in a beautiful dress. The long black gown that draped over her body was simple yet elegant. Her usual ponytail was replaced by soft curls and her eyeglasses also disappeared with contacts to replace them.
"Kasumi Hoshino," still in awe, Chairman Muranishi called his wife.
"Jeez, that was so long ago," Kumoi-san smiled when she thought about her past as the former idol, Kasumi Hoshino.
"It's Kasumi Kumoi-Muranishi now, right?"
Taking his arm, the Chairman and his small family walked in the hotel to escape the cold winter winds that blew by in front of the hotel.
Inside, the party had already began. The people invited had started socializing, the waiters and waitresses were serving drinks and food, and the orchestra was playing soft classical music.
Chairman Muranishi placed Kirika back down and she joined the other kids that came with their parents. Still locked arms, the Chairman and Kumoi-san walked further in to socialize, too.
"I'm glad you made it, Fubuki," Kumoi-san smiled at the idol.
"We decided this was a great time to announce something, after all," Fubuki looked at Seiji, who had a kind expression on his face.
Based on the gesture that the two idols posed, the married couple were aware of what news they were planning to announce to their fellow workers. Chairman was really glad that everyone was starting to move on after such a long time.
"Congratulations, you two," the Chairman greeted.
"We wanted to tell you sooner, but we never really had the time," Seiji explained even though the married couple already understood Seiji and Fubuki's circumstances.
The four of them continued to chat until their conversation came upon Hiroto and Yuuhi. Realizing that they haven't seen them, the four's eyes started roaming around to see if they'd spot the secret couple.
"Hey, have you seen her?"
Seiji turned around when he felt a hand pat his shoulder. He found Hiroto with a troubled look on his face.
"Yuuhi-san? We were actually just looking around for you two," Seiji answered, a little confused.
"Did you ask Subaru?" asked the also-concerned Kumoi-san.
Taking her advice, Hiroto started looking around for Yuuhi's older brother. After walking around in the loose crowd of people, Hiroto found Subaru with his girlfriend, Akane Minami.
"Sorry to bother you two," Hiroto greeted while he placed his hand on the back of his head, feeling awkward.
"Oh, Hiroto! You look great," complimented Yuuhi's manager.
Hiroto wore a crimson polo shirt with the two top buttons undone. He also wore black pants and a warm blazer, his shoes leather. He had planned his attire with his girlfriend, who planned to wear a red gown. Hiroto thought that their color-coordination had no use since he couldn't even find his girlfriend.
"Have you seen Yuuhi?" Hiroto asked, getting straight to the point.
"After she came out of the dressing room after her break, her face looked really flushed. I asked her if she was alright, and she said she was, but she seemed to breathe heavily after I dropped her off at your place. Since then, I haven't seen her," Subaru informed with a hint of concern.
"Maybe a fever?" Akane added.
Hiroto thought that what Subaru's girlfriend said could be possibly true since Yuuhi always got sick. Yuuhi had forgotten her thick coat many times before, so Hiroto didn't see why she wouldn't catch a cold or even a fever.
"I'll see if she's still there," Hiroto excused himself and ran to the parking lot.
Driving in a hurry but with caution, Hiroto dodged the traffic that began to form as people prepared to celebrate Christmas. It didn't take a while for him to arrive at his condo despite stopping at the drugstore to get some medicine, just in case Akane was right.
After turning the key in the lock, the door opened and Hiroto walked in to find Yuuhi's purse on his couch.
"Yuuhi?" Hiroto called out, hoping to get an answer.
He placed the plastic bag full of medicine on his counter and made his way to his room. On his bed was Yuuhi's dress and undergarments laid out, ready to be worn. Her stilettos had also already been prepared on the floor by his king-sized bed.
Hiroto didn't hear the shower from his bathroom, so he thought Yuuhi was taking a bath. However, he found it strange that she didn't answer him when he called out her name. He made the guess that she didn't hear him, but to check up on her, Hiroto knocked on the bathroom door, hoping to get an answer. With only his first set of knocks that had gone unanswered, Hiroto was already worried.
"Yuuhi!" he barged into the bathroom to find Yuuhi in the tubful of warm water.
"Yuuhi!"
Hiroto quickly took off his blazer and picked up his unconscious girlfriend out of the water. Her body was warm and her breathing was heavy. Her pale face was redder than the polo shirt that he wore.
"Dammit, her body's burning hot!" he thought, completely frustrated.
After pushing the dress aside and making room for Yuuhi on Hiroto's bed, he rubbed Yuuhi's soaking wet hair with the towel he grabbed and wrapped her body with three towels. Then, she tucked her under the thick blanket and left the towel underneath her still-wet head. Hiroto changed the heater's setting so that the room would get warmer before he rolled up his sleeves and picked up another thick blanket to place over Yuuhi. Still panicking, he grabbed one of his cotton t-shirts and dressed Yuuhi with it, then tucked her underneath the two layers of thick blanket again.
"Okay, okay…uhh…cold towel!" he remembered another procedure he needed to do to take care of the feverish Yuuhi.
He placed a towel in a basin full of ice water, letting it soak. Before placing it on Yuuhi's warm forehead, he wrung out the extra water back into the basin. He returned to the kitchen to grab the medicine he bought and a glass of water. Hiroto opened Yuuhi's mouth and placed the pills on her tongue. Then, she slightly tilted her head up and placed the glass's rim by her lips. Realizing that it was hard to let her drink water while she was unconscious, Hiroto sipped some water and kissed Yuuhi, transferring the fluid into her mouth. After a few times, Hiroto checked Yuuhi's mouth and found that the pills had been successfully washed down.
After he gave her medicine, Hiroto waited for the pills to do their magic as he sat on the floor, his back on the side of the bed. His heart continued to beat quickly, his head still not at ease. To take his mind's anxiety away, he began to clean up the mess, starting by draining the water in the tub. He hung up Yuuhi's dress and put away her undergarments, also returning her heels in the closet. With everything cleaned up, Hiroto grabbed a chair and sat by the bed, his hand holding Yuuhi's.
"Please be alright," he prayed in his mind as he softly pecked the back of Yuuhi's hand.
"Good evening, everyone," Chairman Muranishi greeted his guests while he stood on the stage in the ballroom.
"I hope that you are all enjoying this Christmas celebration that I have prepared for all of us to share our times with each other," he smiled with gentleness.
Everyone clapped their hands, and the people that held a glass in their hands raised up their drinks. The room got quiet once again as Seiji and Fubuki took the microphone from the Chairman. Seiji and Fubuki waited for Chairman Muranishi to get off the stage before they began their announcement.
"Merry Christmas to all of our fellow idols, artists, and celebrities," Seiji raised his glass of champagne, his other hand holding the microphone.
Seiji passed the microphone to Fubuki while everyone also raised their glasses in reply to his greeting.
"Since the Chairman was also going to announce a great news for tonight's celebration, we also decided to take this opportunity to announce," Fubuki paused and held Seiji's hand while she placed the microphone in between them.
"That we are dating," in synchrony, the couple said.
They received applauses from everyone who supported the couple's decision. Chairman Muranishi and his wife were the happiest among the crowds because Seiji and Fubuki were like their own children.
"Kira-nee-chan said she's really happy that they're happy," Kirika tugged on her dad's sleeve with a cheerful and enthusiastic smile on her tiny face.
"Was she with Hiro-nii-chan?" asked the Chairman, knowing that Kirika was actually referring to Kirari's twin sister, Yuuhi.
The Muranishi family had pictures of the late Kirari in their home and office. Since they named their child after Kirari, they thought that it wouldn't hurt anybody if they were to talk about Kirari to their child. Kirika, who would always look at Kirari's pictures, just one day started calling the late idol 'Kira-nee-chan.' The Muranishis, even Hiroto, Fubuki, and Seiji, got used to hearing Kirika miscall Yuuhi with the name 'Kira-nee-chan' because after all, they were identical twins, so whenever they'd hear Kirika say Kirari's name, they knew that the child was talking about the auburn-haired idol.
"No. She was by herself, so I stayed with her for a little bit," Kirika looked at the corner where she was, her arms embraced around the Chairman's neck.
"I'll contact Hiroto to see if he's found Yuuhi yet," Kumoi-san softly placed her hand on her husband's shoulder before she excused herself to make a phone call.
After walking out of the ballroom, the Chairman's wife opened her clutch purse. She took out her phone and scrolled down the list of people in her contacts and clicked on Hiroto's name. Placing the phone by her ear, she waited for Hiroto to pick up his phone.
"Hey, Kumoi-san," the voice on the other side of the phone answered after three rings.
"Hey, Hiroto. Did you find Yuuhi yet?"
"Yeah, I'm with her now."
"Oh, alright. That's good, then."
"Well, I have to go, Kumoi-san. Yuuhi's waking up."
Before the former idol could say something, Hiroto hung up on her.
"Wait…waking up?" Kumoi-san thought, confused as to what Hiroto had said.
"But…Kirika saw—"
"Kasumi, come and join me on the stage," Chairman Muranishi broke Kumoi-san's train of thoughts.
Not even getting the time to connect the dots, Chairman Muranishi pulled his wife in like an energetic kid. Kumoi-san had no choice but to clear her mind of her conversation with Hiroto and focus on what she had in front of her.
The married couple announced Yuuhi's being chosen by Genevieve Laurent to model for her New Year's Day fashion show. The also announced Christopher Ray's upcoming short film that featured their newly-returned idol, Hiroto. The Chairman called for Yuuhi and Hiroto to come on the stage, but Subaru walked up instead to inform them that Hiroto had gone home and Yuuhi couldn't attend. With Subaru's added information, Kumoi-san's mind got even more jumbled even though she tried to forget the confusion she had in her head.
"Wait…if Yuuhi couldn't come…then—"
"Kumoi-san?" Subaru called out.
Again, Chairman Muranishi's wife had her thoughts cut off once again. Not breaking her professional stature despite being confused, she turned to the audience and finished their announcement with a short speech to enjoy their holidays in safety.
The young idol's eyes began to open as a trickle of cold water ran from her forehead down to her cheeks. She propped herself up with her elbows, having a little difficult time from being covered with heavy blankets. After her mind started functioning properly again, she realized that she was wearing Hiroto's t-shirt, also finding the basin of ice water and the small medicine bottle that sat by the half-full glass of water. The wet towel that had stuck onto Yuuhi's forehead also fell off after she sat herself up and laid her back on the bed's headboard.
"I had…a fever?" though her mind was still a little blank, she was hinted by what she saw around her.
The silence calmed Yuuhi, but she couldn't figure out what exactly happened to her. Before she could get up, a small throb pained Yuuhi's head as she turned to look at the digital clock on the nightstand.
"11:45?" she thought, hand on her head.
"The ball!" gasping, Yuuhi got up despite just recovering from her fever.
She walked out of the dark bedroom and found Hiroto sitting on the couch in the dark living room, his polo-shirt unbuttoned. Even with the only source of light coming from the light post outside, Yuuhi was able to notice that his body was sweating from the excessive heat that came from the condo's heater. The rolls of sweat seemed to glimmer on the sleeping Hiroto's body. Yuuhi took off her boyfriend's shirt and used it to wipe his sweat. Without her noticing, tears were rolling down from her eyes as she stared at Hiroto's sleeping face.
"Yuu…hi?" he mumbled, feeling her soft touches on his chest.
Hiroto opened his eyes to see tears that stained Yuuhi's cheeks. He was glad that her cheeks were no longer warm and red from the fever she just had, but he was even more worried to see tears on her face.
"What's wrong?" he quickly asked, placing his hand on her face and wiping the tears away with his thumbs.
"I…uhh…I don't know," Yuuhi turned her gaze from Hiroto's chest to his eyes, revealing her confusion.
Hiroto embraced her tightly as he rested his head on top of hers. He gave her a kiss on the top of her head, then stroked her damp hair.
"It's Christmas Eve…and yet…we couldn't even celebrate…because…I got sick. I always...I always get sick...and you always...end up...always end up t-taking care...of me," Yuuhi sobbed in between her words.
Hiroto hushed her and tried to comfort his girlfriend, who felt horrible for something she couldn't do anything about.
"It's okay…it's okay. It's only Christmas Eve. Tomorrow's the actual Christmas Day," Hiroto smiled.
"But…but—"
"Hush now. It's okay."
Out of nowhere, Yuuhi toppled herself over Hiroto's body and kissed him as he laid his back on the couch. His eyes showed shock at first, but he closed them and enjoyed his time with her. He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, taking note that her body temperature had gone back to normal.
"Merry Christmas, Hiroto," Yuuhi's eyes shimmered from the tears she just shed.
"Merry Christmas, Yuuhi," Hiroto placed his right hand on Yuuhi's cheek, his other hand stroking her hair.
The two shared more passionate kisses as they merrily spent Christmas together.
Author's note:
Hi, guys! So...I know it's not even close to December yet, but it's Christmas in the 'Broken Fragments' story. XD Well, again, I was going to update sooner, but due to school, the season in our story got delayed. Lol. I'm sure none of us want to wait until December for this chapter, am I right? ;D Okay, well, I hope you guys liked this chapter, though it's actually just really short and also like the last chapter. Don't forget to review! :3 -Mayumi Selnia