If I reach to where you are
While wandering...
Samayoi nagara omae e to
Tadoritsuketara...
Takeru stared at his brother nervously, feeling a strange sense of panic and embarrassment creep up the back of his neck at being caught. The other god watched him calmly as Yukino looked back and forth between them, her ocean eyes wide.
"...Come with me," Tsukito said simply, turning and walking out of the room. With a grimace the sea god followed him, gripping Yukino's hand tightly as she followed a step behind him.
"That's your brother, Tsukuyomi?" she whispered, looking up at him. He nodded and sighed heavily, mad at himself for not expecting the moon god to appear after he'd basically ditched his own world for a few days.
I was having too much fun here to even think of going back, he thought to himself, trailing after Tsukito as he led them out of the arcade and karaoke and headed for a small cafe across the street.
"...Are we in trouble?" the girl asked, voice laced with the same nervousness he himself felt.
"I don't really know," he answered honestly, stopping as his brother came to a halt in front of the cafe and nodded at the door, indicating that they should go first. Takeru let go of Yukino's hand and opened the door for them, letting her go in before him.
Tsukito immediately walked up to the counter and looked up at the menu, blinking. "I'll have one green tea, nothing in it, and an..." He squinted, trying to decipher the word. "E..eclair?"
"Yes sir," the cashier jotted it down and looked at the couple. "And for you and your girlfriend sir?"
Yukino blushed and sputtered, but Takeru merely scratched the back of his neck. "I guess I'll take some water."
"And you miss?"
"..." Yukino eyed the board carefully, trying to decide. The god looked at her, wondering what she would pick.
"I'd like a hot chai latte with whipped cream, some cinnamon on top. And a slice of that chocolate cake right there as well," she said, pointing to a sinful looking cake with dark brown icing.
"Coming right up." The cashier held her hand out for the total, and Yukino paid her. They all moved to a table to sit down, Takeru and Yukino on one side, Tsukito on the other. He looked at the two of them silently, making both of them fidget uncomfortably.
"S-so, brother..." Takeru started, only to stop when the purple haired man spoke.
"I didn't know you could sing like that."
A light made itself known on his cheeks, and the blunette coughed. "Well, I wasn't really trying, it was just part of a bet I lost to her..."
"A bet?"
Yukino nodded, and then bowed her head slightly. "I'm Manabe Yukino, by the way."
"...Totsuka Tsukito," was the quiet reply. He looked at his little brother with his golden eyes, and Takeru glanced away, not sure of what to do next.
"Your order is ready!"
"Ah, I've got it!" he said, quickly standing and running over to the counter, eager to escape the tension.
I looked after Takeru in slight amazement, wondering just how bad this was going to be if he was acting this way around his older brother.
"...Manabe-san?"
I jerked my head back to the god in disguise seated in front of me. "Y-yes?" I squeaked out.
"How did you meet my brother?"
Tilting my head slightly, I couldn't help but grin at the memory. "Oh. I met him after I found a cave hidden along the beach I like to go shell-hunting and watch the sunset. I was just rambling on about my day to the pool when he suddenly appeared from it." I giggled, covering my mouth. "I didn't believe that he was a god either, I thought it was the fools at school trying to pull a prank on me."
"...I see," he said simply, accepting the tea his brother handed him as he came back. I got my cake and chai, wondering if I had said something wrong. I pulled a bite up to my mouth of the cake and bit down on it, eyes closing at once and murmuring happily at the taste.
"Is it good?" Takeru asked, leaning over slightly to peer at it while he sipped on his water.
I nodded, and speared him a bit. I held it out to him. "Try it, it's really good. I rarely get to have it too."
Blinking in slight surprise, he opened his mouth and I popped the cake in, watching him chew it with a grin. He swallowed and smirked. "Yeah, that's pretty good."
Tsukito moved in his seat slightly, drawing our attention once again. I blushed and realized that he'd just watched our little exchange, taking a sip of my lovely smooth chai to cover my red cheeks.
"So, bro," Takeru said after a few more seconds. "How are things back home?"
"Everyone is making assumptions of where you went for the past few days. They gave me the mission to find you." The god sipped his tea leisurely, seeming in no hurry.
"O-oh, sorry about that. I kind of got caught out here cause of this jellyfish."
"Hey, because of me?!" I gasped, shooting him a small glare.
"Who was the one who fell asleep while studying in the cave, and then forgot her phone the next morning?"
"And who was the one who appeared at school that afternoon then spent the night with me?" I shot back, but my grin belied my sharp tone, and he chuckled.
Tsukito looked between us, then looked at Takeru. The blue-haired god looked back. "What, brother?"
"...So technically you were pleasuring yourself this entire time."
Takeru immediately started to choke on his water, and I patted his back to try and help him breathe. He glared at the other god with his amber eyes.
"What the hell, Tsukito! Where did you get that from?"
"Pleasuring yourself?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at the blush that was now adorning his face. What in the world?
"Well, you're in this lady's company," Tsukito said, both ignoring my question. "And you're enjoying yourself. Isn't that pleasuring yourself as well?"
"Bro," Takeru sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "That's not what pleasuring yourself means..."
"What are you guys talking about?!" I asked, totally lost. Takeru waved his hand slightly, telling me to never mind. His brother, on the other hand, decided to answer.
"He's been disappearing in the afternoons and weekends for a month or two now, and said that what he does is a secret. I thought he was pleasuring himself, and he is."
A bright red blush appeared on my face as I sputtered and jerked my gaze to the highly embarrassed god beside me. He waved his hands in front of him and shook his head in denial.
"Bro, that's totally wrong!"
"Then what is right?" Tsukito asked, looking at the two of us with that unflappable calm.
"Yukino-chan and I are on a date, that's all!"
"..." Those golden eyes blinked, and his purple hair moved with his head as he tilted his head slightly. "You're courting her?"
It was my turn to choke on the piece of cake I'd mistakenly put in my mouth at that moment. I coughed and patted my chest, trying to breathe.
"Where did you get that from 'date?!'" Takeru demanded, the situation quickly taking an odd turn once again.
"I heard that if you date someone, you're interested in marrying them. Are you?"
"Wait, that's only in the West!" I said, feeling like my blush would never go away at this point.
"Tsukito, why are you reading books like that again..." Takeru sighed heavily, clearly having dealt with something like this before.
"It was a very informative read," was the response. Tsukito sipped his tea lightly, very elegant and proper. I couldn't help but try and fix my own posture to make a better impression on him. He looked at me all of a sudden.
"What do you think of my brother?"
I blinked in surprise, sensing the stiffening of the god at my side. "U-um, well...he's very stubborn, rash and loud," I said, remembering the way he'd acted yesterday when he picked me up from school. A small smile appeared on my lips at the sputtering protest I earned, and I poked my tongue out at him. "I'm not done yet, stupid sea monkey!"
"Of course you're not," he grumbled, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms sulkily. It just made him look adorable, and I giggled before continuing.
"And you have the habit of giving silly nicknames too. He's always calling me jellyfish, which is why I call him sea monkey." He'd also called me 'pearl,' but I didn't see the need to share that. "He's very honest and straightforward, and doesn't take any lip from anyone. He knows exactly what to do to cheer me up or get me to respond, and honestly? He's the greatest guy, er, god, I've ever met."
Tsukito looked at Takeru sharply. "She knows you're a god?"
"Well he did appear in front of me in god form," I answered, giving a shrug. "Doesn't matter much to me, he still doesn't exactly act like one. More like a spoiled brat," I teased, winking at the blunette.
"You're calling me a spoiled brat?!" he demanded, his tone harsh but his eyes filled with laughter.
"Yeah I am, you spoiled rotten man!" I laughed as he growled and moved to give me a noogie, to which I darted a hand out to his belly and wiggled my fingers. "You give a noogie, I give you a good tickling," I threatened, a mischevious grin on my face as he actually hesitated.
Tsukito watched us silently, mostly training those golden eyes on me as we interacted with each other. We were starting to lose our nervousness and act like we normally would, and the moon god seemed pleased with this. He finished sipping his tea as me and Takeru finished our own, me shoving the last bite of cake into my mouth before standing and going to throw our trash away.
The three of us walked outside and stood there for a minute, wondering what exactly to do. Tsukito looked at us, tilting his head slightly. "May I join you for a while? It is refreshing to be away from our world, to be honest."
"See why I come here now, brother?" Takeru grinned at him, and received a nod. I smiled at them both.
"How about we walk around and do some shopping?" I asked, getting a yes from them both. I turned and led them both towards a nearby shopping mall, standing in the middle of the two as we walked through the doors.
We browsed for a long time, with most of it being me pointing out and explaining human things to them that they'd never seen before. Tsukito threw me off a few times with his roundabout way of thinking, and Takeru ended up laughing at a few of my attempts to correct him.
We wandered around, slowly adjusting to each other and relaxing as we got to know each other better. Tsukito was actually rather shy about some things, but on subjects where he was totally clueless it ended up being one funny mess.
At one point when we passed a women's lingire shop, he actually stopped and asked me to put some on to show him how it worked! Takeru ended up choking on nothing but air at the extremely skimpy, lacy blue corset his brother was holding up and I snatched it out of his hands, put it back, and shoved the two of them out of the shot with a raging red face. Though to be honest, I made a mental note to save some money from this adventure and go back to the store, hoping that it would be a good future investment.
When we got hungry we all sat down at the food court, putting the few bags of items we had bought beside us, the little trinkets and souvenirs inside clinking together softly. Takeru had found a nice upper armband that he had taken a liking to, while Tsukito had chosen a small bunny statue and a zen garden.
I myself hadn't found anything just yet, but I was going to keep my eye out, just in case. I wanted a memory of this day, of being on a date with Takeru for the first time.
We all joked and laughed as we ate our snacks, though Takeru kept stealing some of mine, so for revenge I grabbed a good portion of his food and stuffed it underneath part of mine, laughing at his astonished face. Tsukito kept mostly quiet as he watched us, those golden eyes of his thoughtful.
After a while we all started to tire of shopping and started to head for the entrance when something caught my eye. I stopped walking and looked over into the trinket shop, the brothers walking just a little bit ahead before realizing I wasn't with them. Takeru came back and looked into the shop.
"You see something, jellyfish?" he asked, eyeing the little items to see what had caught my attention.
"Yeah, I do," I said, moving forward and entering the shop. The cashier greeted us warmly, and I nodded in response without taking my eyes off the shiny object that had caught my attention.
Tsukito and Takeru trailed behind me as I reached forward and picked it up, turning it over in my hands carefully with a smile on my face. Deciding to get it, I turned and walked to the cashier, holding it out. "I'll take this."
"Oh, a very nice choice. The swirls are so pretty on this."
"They are," I agreed, missing the glance the brothers gave each other behind my head. She rang it up and offered to bag it, but I declined. "I'll just wear it out."
I took it from her and wrapped the silver bracelet around my wrist, clamping the little hook so that it wouldn't fall off. I turned and held it up for the boys to see, Tsukito blinking in surprise while Takeru looked impressed.
A small carved shell dangled from the silver chain, the outside of it smooth as sand and white as bone. The other side of it was so beautiful though, with a mother of pearl inlay that swirled and sparkled with many different colors in the light. A large grin appeared on Takeru's face.
"Just like you to get something related to the sea, you jellyfish," he said affectionately, and I found myself blushing and giggling.
"Come one, let's go," I said, leading the two brothers out of the mall happily. As we stepped out into the sunlight once again, I realized that it was getting on in time, the sun lowering itself closer to the horizon. I felt bitter disappointment at the realization, not wanting our time together to end just yet.
Tsukito turned to Takeru and I, drawing our attention. "I must be getting back to our world now, and tell the others where you've been."
"Ah, wait a minute, brother. Must you tell them about Yukino as well?" Takeru asked, seeming worried.
"Yes. It is my mission to tell them what is going on."
"What's so bad about others knowing you've been here with me, Takeru-kun?" I asked, something inside of me not really wanting to hear the answer to my question.
"W-well, it's...it's just..." he struggled with the words, rubbing the back of his neck and blushing as he looked away.
Tsukito looked at me. "He's embarrassed by the fact that you've captured his attention so completely with your beauty," he stated, voice ever calm even as he dropped that little bombshell.
I blushed and looked over at Takeru as he stammered, eyes wide and a light dusting of pink on his own cheeks. "Brother!"
"Manabe Yukino." Tsukito ignored his brother, grabbing my hands in his and holding them close as he looked into my eyes. I blinked, taken aback by this sudden move. "I implore you to treat my brother well. I will leave him in your capable hands and wish you nothing but happiness."
The way he sounded was like Takeru was a bride I was going to marry, and my blush increased tenfold. "E-ehhh?!"
"Brother!" Takeru almost shouted, the pink on his face darkening to a bright cherry red.
Tsukito looked at his brother and smiled slightly before releasing my hands. "Takeru, I would prefer you to return to our world by the end of tomorrow, but I will understand if you get...sidetracked. Just please do 'it' safely." And with that, the moon god walked off, quickly vanishing into the crowd before I could ask him just what he ment by 'it.'
"W-well then," I said, turning back to a flabbergasted blunette, staring after his brother incredulously. I couldn't help but laugh at his face, and he turned a slight glare on me, though it wasn't effective when he was so embarrassed. "I like your brother," I commented with a grin.
"Ugh, he can be such a pain when he gets something into his head though." A heavy sigh came from him as he looked away and stuffed his hands into his pockets again. I giggled and moved closer.
"You want to walk around for a while and see what we can do before going to watch the sunset?" I asked, delighted when he nodded. I turned and walked in the direction that headed for the beach, Takeru falling into step beside me as we fell into a comfortable chatter, mostly commenting on how his brother could be so weird at times.
As we passed by a cafe near my school, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck raise in premonition, and I found myself looking around warily.
"Something wrong, jellyfish?" Takeru asked, noticing my sudden distress.
"I'm not sure..." I said, only to stiffen as I turned my head to see a very familiar brown-haired boy running towards me. "Oh shit."
"Yukino-chan!" Kouta called out, waving and slowing as he got closer. I heard Takeru grit his teeth in anger, removing his hands from his pockets and moving closer to me as the other boy smiled down at me kindly. "Hey, I was hoping to run into you today."
"Wh-what do you want, Fujiwara-san?" I asked, frowning at the interruption. He seemed a little taken aback by the fact I used his last name instead of his first, but brushed it off as he started to talk.
"I wanted to apologize about yesterday, with Nayomi. She and I were really rude to you and your...friend." He bowed slightly. "I wanted to ask your forgiveness."
I stared at the boy in slight shock, wondering if he'd hit his head or something since I'd last seen him. When I didn't answer he straightened, a worried expression on his face as he glanced at a very irritated looking Takeru.
"Um, am I interupting something?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but the god beside me cut me off. "Yes, you are. And you're not forgiven," he added, making me turn my head to look at him. "I want you to stay away from Yukino from now on. It's clear she doesn't want you around, yet you hover like a fly."
Kouta took a slight step back at the sudden hostility, and I saw the flicker of the same emotion from yesterday in his eyes. Was that...rage? Frustration? I didn't know.
"Takeru-kun..." I murmured, gently placing a hand on his arm. He glanced back at me with a hard look in his eyes, but pulled back on his emotions.
"You leave her alone, bastard, or you'll have me to deal with." With that Takeru turned and started walking off, grabbing my hand and pulling me away from the stunned teenager. I spared a single glance back, shocked to see a face I'd never seen before on the gentle boy. His features were contorted in hate, directed at the god I followed away from where he stood.
Shivering in horror, I turned and faced forward, trying to keep up with the fast pace Takeru had set for us to get away from Kouta as quickly as possible. His back was stiff and his jaw obviously clenched, and I squeezed his hand slightly to calm him.
"It's fine, I wasn't going to forgive him anyway," I told him, sighing from all the tension.
"I don't care if you did or not, honestly," he said, voice low and tense. "I just don't want him around you. That bastard rubs me the wrong way." I heard as his teeth grind together and frowned, moving a little closer together as we walked towards the sea as the sun started to turn the sky different colors.
"He did seem like he wasn't himself today," I admired, an image of that hateful expression flitting into my mind. I shuddered some, not happy with the fact that I had seen it.
Takeru mistook my shudder as something else and sighed, making his body relax as he squeezed my hand. "It's fine. I'll protect you from anyone and everything that tries to harm you," he promised, giving me a soft smile that set my cheeks on fire and my heart racing in my chest.
"U-um, thank you," I stammered, having to glance away from that handsome face of his, or I felt like I'd melt. He was just so sweet and kind, even if a little rough around the edges. I could feel myself falling faster and harder for him the more time I spent around him, and these last few days with him in human form had just made it so much worse.
I was totally love-sick, but in the best way possible. Because if it all went well, then I would be able to be beside him from now on, with no chance of another betraying me and snatching him away. He was a stubborn one, and I knew he wouldn't be fooled by pretty words and a calculated bat of the eyelashes. I knew him, just as he knew me.
I smiled at him, gripping his hand in a surprisingly strong hold. He chuckled and walked with me to the beach, the tense air that had appeared with Kouta vanishing almost instantly as we talked. The warm feeling in my chest bloomed ever more, and I couldn't help but wish that time would stand still on this moment.
He lifted me over the guard rail at the edge of the beach, so that the wind wouldn't kick up the hem of my dress too high and expose my panties. I watched as he clambered over himself and looked at me. "Where's that one place you told me about before that you used to watch the sunset on?" he asked.
"This way," I said, quickly turning and walking towards down the familiar beach, the rocks just a minute or two away. I climbed up onto them carefully and looked back at him. "Come on, I want you to see the view."
"Hold on, jellyfish," he grumbled playfully, climbing up after me. I grinned and settled myself down at the top of the pile, looking out towards the west where the oranges and purples were painting the sky, the bright red glow of the sun warming the rocks. Takeru sat down beside me, one of his arms coming down behind me to rest as he gave an impressed whistle.
"I can see why you like it up here. It gives a perfect view."
I nodded in agreement, leaning against him ever so slightly. He shifted so that I could be more comfortable, and we watched as the colors spilled into the remaining blue of the sky, a companionable silence between us.
I lifted my chin up to feel the breeze coming off the sea, sighing in complete bliss. I heard Takeru chuckle softly, and he moved his arm to pull my body closer to his, and I blushed at how snugly I fit against him. I moved my own arm to wrap around his back, resting my head on his shoulder.
It just felt so right, being with him like this. The moves so natural, the closeness we shared. My heart was beating so fast and I had another blush, but I couldn't bring myself to really care. He didn't seem to either as he looked down at me, that perfect smile on his face.
"Neh, Takeru?" I asked, hoping he didn't mind me using his name so informally.
"Yeah, pearl?"
I blinked at the sudden change of nickname, but smiled regardless. "Want to do this again sometime soon?"
Takeru smirked, looking back at the sunset. "Yeah, I think that'd be great."
My heart nearly exploded in my chest when I heard that, and I buried my face into his shirt to hide the bright red blush on my face. I felt more than heard his chuckle as he patted my side. I moved so that I could watch the sun as well, so happy that I felt like I would burst.
Perhaps the future would be filled with more happy memories like this. I found myself hoping with all of my heart that it would be so.
After the sun set about an hour later we climbed down the rocks, landing on the sand below and heading for the cave farther down the beach. Takeru needed to return to his world if only for a while, but he did intend to come back for an extended stay again. I told him that would make my mother happy, to which he laughed.
At the entrance of the cave we paused, standing there a bit awkwardly for a minute. I didn't want to tell him goodbye just yet, but I couldn't find anything else to say.
"Yukino?" he said suddenly, and I turned my face up to look at him.
"Y-yes?"
"Can you come back here tomorrow? I'd like to go swimming with you," he admitted, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. I smiled at how cute he looked and nodded.
"I planned on it anyway. I'll make sure mom packs a good lunch for us as well!" I added happily, arms going behind my back as I smiled up at him.
He couldn't help but chuckle, and he leaned forward slightly while looking into my eyes. I froze, my blue eyes staring into deep amber, wondering if was honestly going to do what I thought he was...I found myself hoping hard for him to do it.
At the last second he turned his head slightly and kissed my cheek gently, pulling back with a teasing grin. I pouted up at him in disappointment, and he ruffled my hair gently.
"You better get on home, jellyfish, or your mother will be worried."
I sighed in reluctance but nodded. He was surrounded by a sudden flash of light, and his human form fell away, leaving his stunning god form for me to see. Smiling, I leaned forward and hugged him around the waist, taking him by surprise. After a second he returned the hug and I moved back.
"Hey, sea monkey," I said, gathering my nerves as he gave me a questioning look. Quick as a flash, I leaned up and pecked him on his cheek and jumped back, giggling at his shocked expression. "Thanks for today!" I said, then turned around and sprinted away, heart light as a feather when I looked back and saw him standing there with his hand on his cheek, a blush adorning his face.
I take it back about yesterday. Today was the best day of my life.
Takeru watched as Yukino darted away quickly after that little surprise she'd given him, his cheek tingling slightly where her lips had landed. He was happy, but he just hadn't expected his little pearl to be so bold. Shaking his head after she vanished, he turned and walked into the cave, heading home through the portal pool in the back.
What he wasn't expecting when he appeared in his house, however, was the bunch of gods inside waiting on him with a loud cheer and raised sake cups. His eyes widened at the sight of all the others in his house.
"O-oi! What are you all doing here?!"
"Yo, Takeru-san!~" a familiar voice rang out, and the blunette looked over in surprise to see a familiar Greek God of Fertility happily drinking a bottle of sake, his cheeks stained with a classic drunk's blush. "Congrats!"
"Congrats!" the rest of the drunken gods chorused, lifting their cups in a toast before throwing the alcohol back with gusto.
"Welcome home, Takeru." The quiet voice of his brother behind him made the sea god turn around.
"Bro, what are they all doing here? Especially him." He pointed at a laughing Dionysus as he hung off a blushing goddess he happened to be flirting outrageously with.
"They're celebrating the news," he said simply.
"What news?!"
"The news of your engagement, of course."
I have to admit, I love writing Tsukito like this. Such an unintentional trouble maker. xD
I hope you all liked this new chapter, and continue to stick with me to the end!