She stared hard and long to make sure she was not seeing what she was seeing right now. Wordlessly, she pinched herself and yelped at the pain. Nope, it hurts, so she's still in reality.
Oh Hell.
Takashi Makise sat there in front of the projector screen, overdressed in a red silk shirt and white suit. Throw in his intimidating and not very good looks, he looked like a Yakuza. Sora wrinkled her nose. Between hell and dating this guy, she'll choose hell.
"If I don't get a girl out of this, our deal is off." Makise threatened.
Sora gulped. Genji better be prepared for failure. He's definitely not getting a girl out of this.
She turned around and grabbed hold of Ken and Genji. "I have no idea what's up your sleeves but whatever you pull, it better be damn spectacular. Thank god I can still jump boat and be with the Ebizuka Trio."
She moved to a table a few feet away and brought out a book. The waitress sat down her orders and left just as the ladies for the goukon turned up.
Showtime...
"There there… Come on, man…" Sora comforted a crying Genji. She tried not to smile but now that the whole goukon is over, she actually saw the funny side of it. From now onwards, she swore never to let Makise in on any secret. That guy just cannot hold his mouth under pressure. Still, the way he shot his mouth off was damn hilarious. "It's not that bad."
"Are you crying?" Makise asked Genji incredulously. Genji let out a shaky breath. Makise turned away from him. "You sure are weird..."
Sora bit her lips as Genji pinched his own thigh. "Stop crying!" He ordered himself. His face contorted into a fierce expression that spelt trouble.
Ah… so Genji wanted the goukon not just for Makise as well. Someone has a little crush...
"Come on... Enough, Genji. Don't be too hard on yourself." Sora tried to comfort him. "Tell you what. Next time, I'll organise a Goukon for you guys. How's that?"
Makise and Genji looked up at her hopefully. "With Ruka and some other girls." Sora promised. "I may not look like it, but I'm Goukon Guru!"
Genji stopped sniffling, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "You sure?"
Gods, why does it feel like she's handling kids? "Yes, definitely."
"Yo guys, I've sent Chuuta home." Ken hurried up to them. "Sorry about today."
"Forget it." Makise shoot his head and drank deeply from the can of beer in his hands just as Genji pinched himself harder. Sora swore he would pinch his own flesh out.
"How about I take you guys to a message parlour?" Ken offered.
"Really?" Makise jumped up in shock, eyes wide.
"Sure." Ken looked down at Genji, who appeared to be glaring at him. He gave Sora a questioning stare, and she shook her head, hiding a small smile. "Genji, what are you, mad?"
"A massage parlor?" Makise repeated as if in disbelief, cutting in. "Really?"
"Yeah." Ken glanced at him, distractedly before turning back to Genji. "You crying?"
Genji wiped his eyes on his jacket sleeves as Sora gave him another pat on his back.
Genji did not respond, but Makise spoke again, "A massage parlor?"
"Yeah, first you do it on a bed. Then you do it on an oiled mat." Ken said sagely.
Sora rolled her eyes when Makise cheered up drastically at that. And then something weird happened.
"Ack…" Makise's eyes widened as he bent over, groaning so badly even Genji stopped his sniffling to look at him.
"What's wrong?" Ken asked worriedly. 'You gonna be sick or something?"
"Should we send him to the hospital?" Sora asked worriedly. Could it be all the beer he drank? But that can't be it. He barely drank a few cans. "Maybe I ought to call an ambulance?"
Makise didn't reply but he rushed to the corner of an alleyway. Sora shook her head. That's it. She's calling the ambulance.
"Uh-Oh" That came from Makise and immediately had her attention.
"Makise, You OK?" She asked worriedly as she approached him.
"I need a new pair of pants." Makise said embarrassedly, face sweaty and red.
"Why? What's wrong?" Sora asked. And then it hit her. All the weird groaning and the need for a new pair of pants. "Oh hell!
She refused to go near Makise after that. Genji managed to get a pair of ladies' pants and underwear for Makise, after banging on the doors of a few stores. A few minutes later, all four of them doubled over in laughter as Makise emerged from the dim alleyway, dressed in a fresh pair of flowered, elastic lady's pants.
"You're a fashion leader!" Ken howled.
"No Doubt!" Makise agreed, holding on to the steel pipe.
"Which side's the front?" Ken continued to taunt.
"I'm wearing woman's pants!" Makise panted lightly from his laughing effort. Gradually, they managed to recover from their laughing fit.
"I'll see you later, Makise." Genji was the first to take his leave, his tearful disappointment over his failed date forgotten. Likewise, Sora nodded her head, grinning away like a chesire cat.
"Later," Ken added.
Makise crouched down against the wall, watching them.
"Oie, Genji!" As one, the three of them turned to Makise, and he stood. "Class C—it's yours."
Genji nodded, satisfaction evident in his dark eyes. Makise nodded back. "Let's take it all." Genji raised a fighting fist, and Makise pointed back at him – symbols of their joint alliance.
Step 2 of Operation Conquest – complete.
Genji couldn't stop smirking all the way as they went home. Ken-san was the first one to leave their group as they ventured closer to, citing that he needed to return to Kabuki-chou to run some errands.
"Dude, you haven't stopped smirking since just now." She couldn't help but try to burst his bubble as they walked along. "Give it a rest will you?"
"Shut up." Genji grumbled, punching Sora lightly on the shoulder. She dodged lithely.
"Don't mean to be a wet blanket." She continued onwards as if nothing happened. "I saw Serizawa beating the crap out of a 2nd year."
His smirk vanished at the name of his rival. "So what about it? I can take him."
"I know you can." Sora said patiently. "What I'm trying to warn you against is pride. Pride comes before a fall and all that. Don't get too cocky just because you recruited Makise. The next step's not going to be as easy."
Genji glanced at her sideways, lighting up a cigarette. At least she has his full attention now.
"The next senior we have to recruit is Izaki Shun, right? I've seen him. He's... not a simple person. In terms of brains and brawn, he definitely triumphs Makise. He won't be an easy opponent. " She wanted to mention that he definitely out class Genji in terms of brains as well, but on second thoughts, better not. She doesn't want Genji to get too depressed about himself. She's trying to warn him, not put him down.
"So what? I'll just take him on as usual." That was Genji's gruff reply.
She could feel a vein at her temple throbbing in agitation. Hasn't he taken in what she said? Maybe she ought not to hold back what she thought about him after all.
"Take him on? How?" She asked, trying not to sound so sarcastic. "Even with Makise on our side, at most, our strength is equal. We need some kind of strategy!"
His only answer was to grab her into a noogie. That was so uncharacteristic of Genji that she was stunned momentarily, immediately silencing until the pain his knuckles inflicted onto her scalp drew her out of her shock. She let out an indignant squawk, arms flailing around before she managed to grab hold of his sleeves and twisting her head out from his grasp.
"What was that for?" She demanded, straightening her hair and scarf.
"Trying to knock some brains out of your head." Genji deadpanned, a small smirk dancing around his thin lips. He chucked his cigarette onto the floor, extinguishing it with his foot. "You think too much. That our respective gangs are of equal strength only make it a fairer fight, ain't it? 'Least, it'll be a good fight. A fight that I will win."
She gaped, blankly watching him stroll forward. That was it? That was his strategy? Have his gang meet Izaki's gang and see who wins?
"Sora," Genji called backwards. "You coming?"
She hurried forward to catch up with him.
"Don't worry about it." Genji said, blowing grey smoke up into the cool night air. "Just sit back and relax and join in the fun, if you want. Worry anymore and you end up turning your hair white."
He ruffled her hair, and she slapped his arm away, growling in annoyance. Still, his words lightened her heart. Maybe he's right. She worried too much. Mum had said the same thing about her. When she had been alive.
"Didn't know you could see without your glasses." Genji remarked. "You look like a girl without it."
"Eh?" she hurriedly felt her temples and merely touched her skin instead of the irritating plastic. Crap! Her glasses! It must've fallen off when Genji gave her a noogie and she didn't even notice!
"Crap! Wait for me!" She turned and dashed back to where her glasses lay, forgotten on the sideway, next to a Mercedes benz. Had that been there before?
"Oy! Wait!" Genji called out. Was it just her or did he sound slightly panicky?
One of the car doors opened and a large leather covered shoe stepped out. Sora felt her eyes widen when the shoe descended directly onto her glasses, smashing it into tiny little pieces.
Oh NO...
The rest of the body that came out was a muscular man with slicked back hair, flamboyant clothes and a goatee. Without even blinking an eye at the shattered glasses, the man swept a careless gaze across her and turned to open the secondary car door.
The man who stepped out was clean shaven, with black hair combed back neatly. He was tall, with a gaunt face and sharp black eyes, and was wearing a sharp black suit with the blazer opened up. Sora could feel a sudden caution infuse into her very being. The man – obviously a leader – was handsome in a sleek and dangerous way. He moved in a careless and cocky manner, as if he was aware of and totally uncaring about his surroundings.
"Why are you here, old man?" Genji sounded irritated. His hands were in his pockets – a sight of relaxation - but his whole body posture practically radiated tension.
On her side, Sora was surprised. This man is his father? She turned to look at the man with a new perspective. Yeah, come to think of it now, they do have a family resemblance. The same gaunt cheeks, sleeked back hair, forehead and eyes. But Genji's lips were slightly fuller than the man's thin ones, and his nose was less aquiline and definitely more well formed. And whereas Genji was tall and lanky, the man was more lithely built.
"Can't an 'old man' stop to give his son a ride?" The man – Genji's father – drawled out. "And no, I ain't stalking ya. I've much better things to do."
"No thanks." Genji said coldly. "I'm still hanging with my friend."
The man's gaze slid nonchalantly to her, almost as if he had just realised she was there.
Sora prided herself on her skill at reading people's body language. It helped her to guess what people are thinking, to separate the genuine and the fakes when people are trying to curry favours with her. She had learnt since young that lies can be hidden behind words but actions and body language? Harder, much harder. Skilled enough at reading people's body language and one can almost be telepathic. In her case, she has been spot on 99% of the time.
So she was disconcerted, to say the least, when she found she couldn't read the blank mask Genji's father put on the moment he noticed her. What? What's wrong with her?
He can't possibly see through her disguise, can he? Suddenly, she was grateful for Genji messing up her hair. It won't make her look like a guy, but it'll help make her look less like a girl, thank God.
Almost too quickly, the man snapped on a casual smirk and said, "Well then. I won't be keepin' ya. Go right ahead and enjoy yourself."
He raised a hand in a casual salute. Genji turned quickly, as if he couldn't wait to get away from his father, and tugged her away.
Uneasily, she followed. It was only a chance meeting that lasted a few minutes, max. But why did it feel like a lot more has been going on? When she turned back, the man was still there, staring after them. Strangely, Sora got the feeling it was really only her he was looking at.
Author's Notes:
My deepest apologies for the long delay. I hadn't known how to continue on the last 'cliff hanger' from chapter 3. After a long time of deliberation, I ended up rewriting to skip that part. Hence, the rather awkward scene switch between this chapter and chapter 3. More than likely I will end up rewriting this entire story but that won't be happening anytime soon.
At least, now I realise why people say reviews are great motivators. They let you know that people are reading your story and then you're pressured to get something out of your head.
A warning to all readers, though. The above chapter is an unedited version and it's because I wanted something up before I have my exams. Coupled with writer's block, work and classes, the next update will definitely not be soon. But rest assured I'm not abandoning this story. It's my first one! And I have a lot of expectations for this story.
Once again, any constructive criticisms as to how I can improve this story?