Saturday, September 06, 2008
Posted: Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Edited: Tuesday, December 28, 2010
In the previous chapter: Takeru paid the price for not contacting Miyuki earlier to apologize for their fight. After spending a day suffering through the same sort of treatment Hikari gets, he spends the evening groveling. Meanwhile, Hikari formally makes Ryuji's acquaintance.
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. I do own Miyuki, unfortunately, which means I have no one to blame for her annoyingness but myself. Sadface.
Happy reading!
All-American Girl
By ebacusta
Chapter 6:
Making Up and Making Out: Part 2
Star-struck eyes followed Mr. Kuriyama's pacing figure. "He's so hot," the girl behind Hikari sighed. The girl leaned forward, trying to get a better look, breathing her hot, sticky breath on the back of Hikari's neck. As subtly as she could, Hikari scooted her desk forward, crinkling her nose a little. Despite the frown marring Mr. Kuriyama's face, she had to admit he still looked absolutely gorgeous. His shaggy brown hair slashed across his face, covering the left side of his face like a curtain, behind which shined intense blue eyes. His skin was tanned and perfectly unblemished, and of course, who could forget the six-pack, only vaguely visible whenever he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I shall be telling this with a sigh/ somewhere ages and ages hence:/" he said, holding up an extremely worn paperback book. Hikari tried not to crack a smile at his deeply dramatic and raw sounding voice. 'I guess Japanese teachers are just like English teachers when they read great literature,' she thought, perching her chin on the palm of her hand. "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—/ I took the one less traveled by/ and that has made all the difference." He paused to let the final words of the poem sink in and then turned back to face the class. "So tell me, what does this mean? What is Robert Frost trying to tell us?" The class remained silent, watching Mr. Kuriyama expectantly, waiting for him to answer what they hoped was a rhetorical question. "Anyone?" His eyes raked over the class again. "All right, Miyuki. What does this poem mean?"
Miyuki jolted at the sound of her name and stumbled to her feet. Flattered by his "favoritism" (evidently, he only tortures the people he likes with his absurdly difficult philosophical questions), Miyuki's cheeks flushed a deep red as she stammered, trying to move her thoughts away from an image of Mr. Kuriyama's body dripping with water as he came up out of the sea. Clumsily, she (semi-)focused on the poem. "W-Well, I think, um, that… it, er, means…hmm…" Hikari watched her with disinterested eyes, drumming her fingers against her cheek.
"Well, it means that when you're presented with two roads, you can't take both. You have to make a choice. And sometimes the best choice is by going with the one less traveled," Miyuki said, watching the teacher's face carefully. The silence settled back over the class as Mr. Kuriyama and Miyuki stared at each other keenly.
Finally, when it became apparent that Miyuki didn't have anything else to add, Mr. Kuriyama spoke again, "Right. Thanks for that summary of the poem, Miyuki." Miyuki's visage brightened visibly at the self-perceived compliment and turned to face Hikari as she sat back down, smiling smugly once she'd caught bored brunette's eye. Hikari knew what Miyuki was gloating about before the girl even opened her mouth. 'Mr. K called on me, and I got the answer right,' her eyes seemed to say. Hikari looked back in slight amusement. As if she cared that her Literature teacher called on Miyuki, and Miyuki summarized the poem. 'Beat that,' Miyuki mouthed, before turning back to face the front. Hikari chuckled slightly as her eyes flicked back to the front.
"So, Miss Yagami, please enlighten us to your interpretation of the poem," Mr. Kuriyama said, turning his attention to her. Pushing back her chair, she stood. She hadn't exactly planned to show Miyuki up. In fact, she was just going to put in her personal opinion and sit down, but this was a poem she had studied at St. Claire's, so she already knew more than her classmates. "It seems as though this poem could be interpreted at least two different ways," she said before she could stop herself. "Literally, in which case, the poem promotes independence and individuality, or ironically. In places, he chooses intentionally vague words, yet some of them seem to hide a measure of regret."
Mr. Kuriyama arched an eyebrow, and leaned back on Miss Kinoki's desk, crossing his arms. Half the class erupted into hushed giggles and sighs. "Interesting. Can you give us an example of one of his ironic word choices?"
Hikari paused and thought back to her freshman English class. "Well, as he begins the fourth stanza, he says he will relate this experience with a sigh, because he took the road less travelled, but in the second stanza he admits that neither path had an advantage over the other. He knows what is down one path, and in retrospect, wishes he had taken the other, not necessarily because he knows what's on that path is better, but perhaps it would have been more interesting."
"Very good, Hikari, thank you," Mr. Kuriyama said, dropping his arms to his sides and standing upright again. Hikari sat down, and in spite of herself, shot a shocked, slack-jawed Miyuki a confident smile. 'Beaten,' she mouthed, and then turned her head away before the other girl could respond. The teacher continued, "Which brings me to your assignment for the week. You will be assigned a partner, and together, the two of you will write a composition that contains at least two different meanings. Ironic, literal, symbolic, or even a meaning only certain people will understand—though you will be asked to explain both meanings to the class after a short discussion of your work. It will be due on Monday." He grabbed Miss Kinoki's pencil jar and pulled from his briefcase and plastic bag filled with scraps of paper. Dumping them into the jar, he picked it up and walked over to row of desks by the window. "The teams will consist of one boy and one girl, though a couple teams will just be boys because there aren't enough girls in this class to give every boy a girl for partner. You should know that if any of you switch partners during the course of this assignment, you will automatically get a zero."
When he'd allowed every male in the class to draw a name, Mr. Kumiyama returned to the front of the room and picked up his class roster. "All right, let's see who you got. "Aoichi, we'll start with you."
"Rita," he said, looking up from the paper he was staring at in his hand. Mr. Kuriyama jotted this down on his roster, and without looking up, indicated the next boy in line. "Katsu."
Katsu, a boy with red hair and bright blue eyes, grinned as he glanced across the room at his partner. "The lovely Ayame," he said, only a hint of sensuality detectable in his voice. Immediately, Ayame erupted into giggles, hiding her face with her hands and peeking through as if she was embarrassed, yet eating it up at the same time.
"What the hell?" Hikari heard the girl behind her whisper to her next door neighbor, finally backing off the nape of Hikari's neck.
Her neighbor responded without missing a beat. "I can't believe you haven't noticed. They've been flirting all week." Hikari's eyebrows creased slightly together. The flirting had been shameless too.
"Takeru," Mr. Kuriyama continued, ignoring Ayame's flirtatious purrs in Katsu's direction. Hikari sighed and glanced around the room. Miyuki smiled, sure that fate had brought her and her boyfriend together, Daisuke looked at her apologetically for some reason, Yumi was glaring Ayame down, either about to kill the girl or completely lost in thought. Some kids were doodling or passing notes, others were gossiping like the girls behind her.
"Hikari."
Everything stopped. His voice had been perfectly clear, but the world suddenly seemed fuzzy. Had she heard correctly? Had anyone heard correctly? Was it truly possible that Takeru and Miyuki wouldn't be doing a project together? Startled, Hikari glanced at Takeru, who merely shrugged as if he didn't understand it either. All eyes turned towards her. Hikari shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and looked around, wishing everyone would go back to their doodles and conversations, but clearly people found this much more interesting. Especially when Hikari caught Miyuki's eye from across the room; one look told the brunette all she needed to know: Miyuki was not happy. Hikari gulped as the blood drained from her face.
Hikari sighed and leaned back in her chair, relieved. Class had finally been dismissed for lunch, which meant she could clear out before Miyuki returned from wherever she'd stomped off to after Mr. Kuriyama had refused her demand to let her change partners. He must not have liked her as much as she thought. She glanced over to where Akari sat at his desk, holding his head in his hands, looking thoroughly defeated. Either that or extremely pissed. "So, I guess we're partners," a voice said from beside her. Hikari perked up and glanced to her left where Takeru was sitting.
"Yeah, guess so." 'At what cost?' she wondered. Still, she was surprised he'd said anything at all. Aside from her name, this was virtually the first thing he'd said since the math test that morning. "When should we get together to do the composition?"
"Well, we can't do it tomorrow, we have sports fest practice, and I have basketball practice today, tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday," Takeru said.
Hikari nodded. "Yeah, and I have swim practice today, Thursday, and Friday."
"That leaves the weekend then," Takeru replied.
Hikari thought for a minute. She had been planning to stay in all day and watch movies with a big bowl of popcorn on Saturday, but she'd promised Sunday to Tai for another photo shoot for his next advertisement project…. Which meant she'd have to give up her movie day. Sighing internally, she spoke, "Will Saturday work for you? I'm going to be busy all day Sunday."
"Oh yeah, sure," Takeru replied airily, as he began to feel around in his desk. "I'm free all weekend."
"All right," smiled Hikari, reaching into her desk and removing her lunch. "Then we'll meet Saturday morning at the park. Around, say, nine-thirty, ten o'clock?"
"Sounds good," he replied before turning back to his desk with a frown and feeling around in it a bit more fervently.
"Takeru, are you coming to eat with us?" Akari called from the across the room, where he was standing by the door talking to a pretty dark-haired girl about a foot shorter than him.
"Yeah, one second," Takeru call to his friend, before cursing under his breath.
Hikari looked between the two friends and turned in her seat, preparing to stand. "Everything all right?"
"No, I forgot my lunch," Takeru answered, pushing his chair back and standing. He glanced at the clock and sighed, "And it's too late to go get bread; it'll be all sold out by now."
"Oh no," Hikari gasped. "You could have some of my lunch if you want."
"That's all right," Takeru smiled. "But thanks for the offer." He began walking towards the door, waving at the petite, doll-faced girl standing beside Akari as he did so, but Hikari grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks.
Takeru turned his face to the brunette, astonished. "If you're playing sports this afternoon, you need to eat. You can't expect to do anything on an empty stomach," Hikari chided. "We can split it, I don't mind." She was genuinely worried about his well-being? Heat rushed to his face until a sudden pain in his stomach caused him to grunt and clutch his midsection. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he responded, dropping his arm. 'Why do those keep happening?' "And I'll just get something from Miyuki, thanks."
"Just as long as you eat," Hikari said, satisfied. She released his arm and turned to pick up her lunch from the desk, she came face-to-face with the girl who'd been standing beside Akari a few seconds previous.
"Would you like to eat lunch with us?" she asked. "We always have room for a good athlete."
"Er, um…" Hikari stammered, glancing around to see if Miyako had shown up yet. "Well, I was—"
"If you were going to eat with another friend, why don't you just invite her to join us too? I'd really like to get to know you," the girl replied without skipping a beat.
"Sure… I guess," Hikari acquiesced, and instantly found herself being led from the room and down the hall.
"Great," she replied. "My name is Izanagi Fumiko. I go by Fumi."
"Wait, Izanagi? Are you related to Akari somehow?"
"Oh yeah, he's my older brother," she said. Hikari examined her again. She was very pretty. She had long, thick, wavy black hair that fell to the middle of her back, and a blunt that hit at the arch of her eyebrow. She was short—extremely so when compared to her brother—and frail-looking, almost as if she'd fly away if Hikari so much as blew on her. Her big, expressive eyes glimmered with a mischievous glint, as her perfectly-shaped lips spoke her next sentence, "I'm a first year. I heard you were pretty, but I don't think the rumors did you justice."
It took only a second for Hikari's face to turn bright red. "Th-thank you. I don't think I can hold a candle up to you."
Fumiko flashed a smile at her. Perfect teeth, amazing smile. While she did not exactly possess the same Amazonian goddess genes Yumi did, Fumiko was in a league of beauty all her own. Hikari could not understand why Miyuki didn't feel threatened by Fumiko's beauty. Maybe it was because the girl was a year younger than the social Queen Bee, but judging from all the boys waving, grinning, and calling out her name as she passed by Hikari suspected that wasn't the case. "Thank you. You are an amazing athlete. I was there when you tried out for the swim team, supporting a couple of my friends; I was shocked. And then Akari told me about your performance at the Sports Fest practice yesterday, and he tells me that you're really smart. So that's what? Beauty, brains, and athleticism. Is there anything you don't have?"
Hikari laughed. "You make it sound like a much bigger accomplishment than it actually is. Thanks for the compliments, but there's a ton of stuff I'm not good at."
"Like what?" Fumiko asked as they pushed open the door and stepped into the courtyard.
"Like soccer. Watching me trying to headbutt a black-and-white ball is truly amusing," she replied with a grin.
Fumiko giggled. "I'd like to see that sometime."
"Maybe you will someday," Hikari replied amiably as they selected a spot underneath a large shady tree. Glancing around Hikari could see Ryuji and Daisuke approaching as well. 'Guess this is the usual spot,' Hikari thought. She turned to Fumiko. "Thanks again for the invite."
"No prob," Fumiko answered, waving her hand dismissively. Something caught her eye as she moved toward a spot to sit down. "Though…I'm not sure you should thank me yet."
"What?" HIkari asked, and Fumi pointed at something behind her. The brunette turned around. Miyuki was storming towards the ever-expanding group under the tree. As more of them noticed the incoming time, the friendly banter trickled to a stand still. By the time the raging social butterfly arrived, the group was totally silent. Shoving past Hikari, she moved to greet Takeru with a peck on the lips and a quick snuggle before finally rounding on the swimmer and taking several steps towards her.
Her eyes glinted angrily as Hikari returned her glare with a smile. Wasn't the slut scared of her? Because she should have been. Miyuki had the power to make her life a living Hell. If she was anyone else, Miyuki could have made her an outcast too, but unfortunately, Hikari's pretty face prevented her from doing that—another small fact that pissed the angry brunette off to no end.
The rest of her lunchmates were quiet, waiting for one of them to make the first move, but when it became apparent that Hikari wasn't going to do anything, Miyuki took it upon herself to teach the new girl a lesson in intimidation. "What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded, fixing Hikari with an icy stare that matched the sharp edge in her voice. She folded her hands across her chest, waiting for a response.
"I invited her," Fumiko replied airily. Miyuki shot the younger girl a death glare, but flicked her eyes over to Akari, standing tensely by her boyfriend, ready to pounce at any moment, and reconsidered. The fact that he towered at least a foot over her helped reinforce her decision to leave Fumi out of the discussion. Miyuki set her jaw, but said with a falsely pleasant tone, "I'm not talking to you, Fumiko. Let Hikari speak for herself." She turned her attention back to Hikari. There wasn't a hint of niceness when she next spoke. "Well?"
Hikari considered her words carefully. Since it was clear that nothing she said or did would make Miyuki like her, there was no point in trying to be kind about it. She folded her arms delicately and responded, "Well right now, I'm here pissing you off, but in about two minutes, I'm going to be eating my lunch. You?"
Miyuki's cheeks flushed red. The bitch was mocking her! She wanted to kill her. No one mocked her—it was social suicide. Instead of threatening to have her beat up, she snapped, "What makes you think you're allowed to sit here after you stole Takeru for the composition project? He's my boyfriend. We should be working together."
"Look Miyuki, I had nothing to do with the pairings. It's not like I used any freaky mojo on him to make him choose me. I don't even have freaky mojo to use! He picked a name out of a hat and that name just happened to be mine. Get over it," Hikari sighed, pushing passed the steaming brunette and plopping down on the grass with her back against the tree.
Miyuki followed Hikari with her eyes and flared her nostrils in an unflattering manner. "Trade with me," she ordered.
Fumiko crossed between the two girls and sat down beside Hikari, closely followed by Akari, who settled himself beside her. "No," Hikari said flatly. "Didn't you hear Mr. Kuriyama say that anyone who traded partners would receive a zero? I'm not interested. If you want to be with your boyfriend so bad, take it up with Mr. K again."
"I think I will. And since Mr. Kuriyama still loves me more than you, don't expect to be with Takeru much longer!" she snapped, and flounced across the courtyard towards the building.
Hikari watched her go before starting to unwrap her lunch. She picked up a sandwich from her box. The others regarded it curiously as she raised it to her mouth and took a bite. "Who's Miyuki's partner anyway?" She'd been so shocked and self-conscious after hearing Takeru say her name that she'd completely tuned out the rest of the class.
"Me," Akari said, ruefully. Hikari's head snapped around at the sound of his voice, and he looked at her regretfully. They stared at each other a moment and then dissolved into laughter.
"Finally, practice is over," Miyuki sighed, sitting on a bench in the boys' locker room. "I thought it would never end. The coach really works you out there."
Takeru came around the corner, smiling as he wiped his hands on his pants. "Yeah, well… He doesn't play around, that's for sure."
She nodded and watched Ryuji pull on his uniform jacket and grab his bags. "Still," she started, turning her attention to Takeru. "You were working so hard out there. You looked so good. It was sooo sexy." She smiled at him, and ran her tongue along her teeth, looking up at him through her long, thick lashes. Takeru's grin widened as he crossed the room and lifted her chin, planting a kiss on her soft lips. "Well thank you," he said, quietly after he'd pulled away.
"Ew," Ryuji interrupted.
Takeru laughed. "Oh dude, chill."
"Yeah, 'dude,'" Miyuki added, standing up. "You're just jealous. You boys ready to go?"
"Oh, you know me," Ryuji said, picking up his bags. "I'm always jealous of my best friend sticking his tongue down his girlfriend's throat, especially when he does it right in front of me. Please, it's muggy enough outside without the two of you making your own steam." Miyuki fixed him with a stare and rolled her eyes as she turned away and lead the two males outside towards the main gate.
"Ugh. I can't believe, Hikari," Miyuki complained. Ryuji's eyes flashed in dawning comprehension. "Who does she think she is? Obviously, she's done something to Mr. Kuriyama. She's probably got a swelled head because she's with you."
Takeru glanced down at his girlfriend, an expression between apathy and annoyance on his face. Was she seriously still thinking about that? "Well, Mr. Kuriyama can be something of a hard ass sometimes."
Miyuki pouted, folding her arms across her chest, sullenly. "He never was before she came along." Ryuji cleared his throat loudly until Takeru looked at him. He rolled his eyes in his infamous imitation of a miffed Miyuki who wanted something material to appease the guilty one's sins. The message was clear: fix it. Or in this case, her.
"Hey, Miyu, why don't you come over and I'll make you some hot chocolate, just the way you like it," Takeru said, comfortingly pulling her back into his well-built chest. He nuzzled the side of her face and traced her jaw line with butterfly kisses, feeling her tense body relax slightly as she sank into him. "Hmm?" he asked, his voice a near whisper as he hovered centimeters away from the crook of her neck. "What do you say?"
"Okay," she sighed, melting into his grasp. Takeru kissed her one last time and straightened, taking care to keep his arms wrapped around her, casting a glance at Ryuki to see if he was satisfied.
Ryuji was by a bush about three yards back pretending to puke out his guts.
Takeru blanched and frowned. Wasn't this the idiot who insisted he should stay with Miyuki when Takeru had been ready to give her up? And now he couldn't even take the PDA? Takeru was about to punch him. "Ryuji," he called, and his best friend whirled around. "If you're finished, would you like to hurry up now?"
A whistle echoed across the grounds. Ryuji hesitated. "Ryuji, come on!" Miyuki demanded, snuggling into Takeru's arms.
"Actually, I just remembered I forgot something. Why don't you guys go ahead? I'll catch up with you later, Takaishi," he replied and turned on his heel, jogging back towards the locker room.
Shrugging, Takeru turned the pair back around and spoke into her hair, "I guess it's just you and me, sexy."
"Hikari, are you going out tonight?" Miyako asked from where she stood, bent over stepping into her skirt.
"Nah," Hikari replied, running her hand through her wet hair and clipping her bangs back out of her face. "I think I'm gonna go home and crash. Do my homework, maybe watch a movie. You?"
"I was going to go catch a movie and some dinner with friends. I was gonna ask if you'd be interested. Are you really that tired?"
"Exhausted," Hikari replied, the word sweeping from her mouth in a gust of air. She rummaged around in her locker for a plastic bag.
Miyako watched her and frowned. "Well, if you change your mind, call me."
"I will," Hikari agreed, flashing a smile over her shoulder. She dropped her wet swimsuit into the bag and tied it closed, shoving it into her athletic bag. She swung the sagging navy blue bag over her shoulder, grabbed her brown school satchel, and swept from the locker room. She frowned slightly as the hot, humid air settled around her thickly. "Ugh. Ew," she sighed, pausing momentarily to glance up at the darkening sky. The clouds hung heavily in the heavens. As she strolled towards the school's front gates, kicking a pebble down the path in front of her, Hikari's mind wandered back to lunch. What exactly had happened then? Aside from the obvious, that is. When Miyuki had returned, something was different. Aside from her bottom lip, that is, which protruded from her face in a picture perfect pout. It was almost like—
"Hikari!" a voice exclaimed, yanking her from her thoughts. She jumped in surprise and whirled around.
A laugh as sweet as honey bubbled across the courtyard. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Hikari's pounding heart calmed when she saw Ryuji standing several yards ahead of her by the front gate.
She removed the hand clutching her chest and hurried forward, smiling. "Don't worry about it. I should have seen you, but I was—"
"Lost in your thoughts?" They met halfway. "I noticed.
"What?" Hikari asked, a blush creeping across her cheeks. He was watching her?
"I waved, but you didn't respond," he explained, smiling down at her. The heat subsided, though the redness of her face remained. An awkward silence—awkward for her, anyway—settled between them. Hikari searched his face, taking in his almond-shaped amber eyes, surrounded by long eyelashes. His nose and mouth both shaped the perfect size for his face. His tanned skin seemed to glow despite the fact that the sun was covered by dark gray clouds. And then there were his perfect teeth. She felt her heart speed up as heat rushed to her face again and quickly turned away, facing forward, staring at the ground.
"So Ryuji, what are you doing here so late? I thought basketball ended early today," Hikari asked, plowing forward as she changed the subject.
"Whoa, wait!" Ryuji exclaimed chasing after her. "It did end early. I was waiting for you actually."
"What?" Hikari squeaked, her face turning as red as a cherry.
Ryuji continued, passing the high-pitched sound off as a bird, "I thought we could talk." He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, turning her around in the process. He turned her red face up towards his.
"Talk?" she asked, her mouth slightly agape.
"Yes."
"About what?"
"About you," Ryuji stared at her a minute and then continued with a question. "Do you want to grab a cup of coffee with me?"
Takeru threw his front door open and spilled into the front hall with his girlfriend, both of them sopping wet. Outside, the torrential rain pounded against the ground as the sky rumbled angrily overhead.
"Whoa," Miyuki gasped from where she was prostrated on her hands and knees. Her chest heaved up and down as she gulped air desperately.
"I agree," Takeru said, breathlessly. "That came out of nowhere." They took one last look at the torrential downpour, and then Takeru kicked the door shut.
Another moment of stunned silence passed between them before they got to their feet and headed to Takeru's bedroom. "We should get out of these as quickly as possible so we don't catch colds." He embraced her already shivering body and rested his chin on top of her head. Together, they clomped into his room, at which point he forsook her to get dry clothes out of his closet. "Here," he said, tossing a shirt and pair of shorts her way. She smiled and pulled the stack closer to her, pausing to watch as Takeru took off his shirt. She bit her lip and grinned, suppressing a growl. He was so hot the way his muscles rippled as he reached for his shirt and leaned back to pull it on.
Slowly, he slipped off his pants too, as if he knew she was watching. As he rested his hand on the band of his boxers, she turned away and began unbuttoning her blouse. Though, she couldn't resist a peek… Just out of the corner of her eye. He had such a nice bum. She smiled to herself and purred. And he was hers. All hers. Discarding her shirt on the floor, she then stripped off her tank top and let it dangle from her fingers a moment before letting it go.
Takeru glanced over his shoulder as he heard the soft sounds of wet clothes hitting the floor. He looked a moment and then bit his lip and turned away, concentrating extra hard on buttoning his pants. He didn't look at Miyuki as she changed. He knew she wouldn't mind—perhaps she wanted him to. Maybe he even wanted to see. Not that it mattered. His conscience wouldn't let him look anyway. He'd feel bad. 'Damn, Takeru. Grow some balls already.'
Slowly gathering his clothes, he turned when he was sure she had finished changing and held his hand out for her wet uniform. "You done? I'll go put these in the wash and we can watch TV."
Miyuki nodded and smiled. "That sounds great." He headed out of his room, beckoning her to follow him. After a pit stop at the utility closet, he joined Miyuki on the couch and flicked on the TV. "What do you want to watch?" he asked.
"Hmm, nothing in particular," she replied, snuggling against him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder in response and they sat in silence, Takeru watching the TV and Miyuki watching Takeru. She loved the way his eyes spoke volumes about the way he felt about the things he was seeing and hearing. The shape of his jaw line and the way it tightened when he clenched his teeth in thought. The way his Adam's apple moved when he swallowed. Takeru, as if finally noticing her gaze, inclined his head towards her curiously.
"Hmm? What's up?" he asked.
"You are just so cute," she whispered, caressing his cheek before leaning up to kiss him. He smiled at her when they pulled away, searching her face before returning the kiss himself. It quickly escalated. Between tongue wrestling and swapping spit, Takeru, somehow, ended up on his back, Miyuki on top of him, his shirt hanging from the corner of the bookshelf in the corner. She was so fervent in her advances, discarding her own shirt as well.
Enticed by the supple skin, he kissed down her jaw line and buried himself in her neck, leaving little butterfly kisses in his wake as he moved down towards her chest. Her skin was on fire. She wanted him, needed his cooling touch or else she'd overheat. He was so passionate. Even though she had to draw him out, he was exactly what she needed. She chalked it up to the passion of the writer's spirit in him. She gasped slightly, her head tossed back as her hands moved from where they rested on his muscular shoulders up his neck and tangled themselves in his hair. She loved when he was so assertive. But then all of the sudden, he stopped. His lips hovered inches from her cleavage as he stared, seemingly dumbfounded.
He couldn't. He knew she wanted him too, but his conscience… He wasn't ready for that type of commitment with her. It would be as good as a marriage proposal to her. He suddenly felt queasy and flinched as painful cramps claimed his stomach. He grunted involuntarily and fell back, slightly embarrassed, but also relieved. "Miyu, I'm sorry. I'm not feeling too well, all of the sudden." And all at once, the spell of fire was broken. But that was okay. It would be self-centered of her to expect him to perform when he was feeling sick. He'd already indulged her that much. Gently, she scooted down on where she straddled his body and lowered her hands to his flat stomach, massaging it slowly.
"It's probably because you worked so hard in basketball today, love," she replied, leaning down for a quick kiss. He obliged and after another moment of massaging, she lay back on top of him and he wrapped his arms around her bare shoulders, resting his hands on the small of her back.
Takeru's thoughts were less affectionate. 'Damn it, dude. Grow some balls!'
Almost as if Miyuki's words had triggered the sensation, all the activity of the day suddenly caught up with him. His muscles ached, his eyes drooped, and his mind became groggy and slow. The even breathing of the girl on top of him told him that she was feeling much the same way. "TK," she whispered, softly, just barely holding on to consciousness. She spoke in a slow, deliberate manner, carefully enunciating each word the way people do when they're almost too tired to comprehend anything. "You are so hot. You and me. We belong together."
The image flashed into his mind before he could fully grasp what she'd said. Miyuki standing in the darkness holding his pulsing heart in her hands. Her voice echoed through his mind. 'It's for the best…. then you won't ever leave me…' "We'll be together forever," she whispered. Forever? Panic! His stomach cramped again, so quickly he didn't even feel the tingling sensation that usually preceded it. Feeling it, Miyuki moved her hands back to his mid-section, rubbing it slowly. But this time, Takeru was certain the cramp had not come because of basketball. From the sense of dread coating his stomach like Pepto-Bismol, Takeru knew it was something else.
SurferBabeXOXO: Hey girl! It's been so long since we talked face-to-face. I miss you so much!
ShoeBunny91: I miss you too. 3
SurferBabeXOXO: Guess who's here with me today!
ShoeBunny91: Um… Chase?
SurferBabeXOXO: No, it'
SurferBabeXOXO: HIKARI! IT'S ME! I MISS U SO MUCH, BEBE.
ShoeBunny91: MIRANDA?
SurferBabeXOXO: Yay! You still remember me. That makes me so happy. :')
ShoeBunny91: Like I could ever forget you. Oh, I miss you so much.
ShoeBunny91: I'm so excited to see you.
ShoeBunny91: Or talk to you at least.
SurferBabeXOXO: Yes. I'm
SurferBabeXOXO: Thank you for cutting me off midsentence, Miranda.
SurferBabeXOXO: Anyway, it's not the same without you. Miranda is still pining.
SurferBabeXOXO: I told her about your little fight with Miwaku, and she said she's coming to Japan to beat the crap out of her.
SurferBabeXOXO: Yeah, I'mma show her how we do in Cali.
ShoeBunny91: I appreciate it, but you don't need to be so violent.
ShoeBunny91: Though on second thought, at least I'd get to see you if you did that. Maybe it's not such a bad idea.
ShoeBunny91: And it's Miyuki, by the way.
SurferBabeXOXO: Eh. Who cares what her name is? She needs a beat down.
SurferBabeXOXO: ANYWAY, speaking of Miyuki, how's life with her going?
ShoeBunny91: About the same. She hasn't inked up anymore of my clothes, thank goodness.
SurferBabeXOXO: That's good. Though actually, she may be plotting to kill me after today.
SurferBabeXOXO: What's up?
ShoeBunny91: Takeru (her boyfriend) and I were assigned to do a composition project together and she couldn't get Mr. Kuriyama to let her exchange partners.
SurferBabeXOXO: Mr. Who?
ShoeBunny91: Nevermind.
SurferBabeXOXO: Wait, why is she mad at you? How is that your fault?
ShoeBunny91: Beats me.
SurferBabeXOXO: I think you mean 'beat DOWN.'
Kari chuckled. Miranda was still the same. Thank goodness for that.
ShoeBunny91: Miranda…
ShoeBunny91: Which reminds me. What is Miranda doing at your house so early in the morning?
SurferBabeXOXO: Talking to you, of course!
ShoeBunny91: No, seriously. I can't imagine her waking up early to come to your house, Angie.
SurferBabeXOXO: I'd do anything for you, bebe.
SurferBabeXOXO: But seriously. She spent the night last night.
SurferBabeXOXO: Now back to you. Seriously nothing of note has happened?
ShoeBunny91: Actually, though, something kinda weird did happen today.
SurferBabeXOXO: Oh?
ShoeBunny91: Yeah. I was leaving school after swim practice and Takeru's friend, Ryuji, was waiting for me at the gates.
SurferBabeXOXO: Is he cute?
Hikari's cheeks flushed with heat at the question, but slowly tapped out a response.
ShoeBunny91: Yes. He's well-proportioned. He's got a baby-like face and large golden brown eyes and brown hair.
SurferBabeXOXO: Oooh. Do you have a pic?
ShoeBunny91: Uh, no. Maybe I can get one?
SurferBabeXOXO: Um, you'd better. Miranda and I get final say on any guy who wants to be your boyfriend. Just because you're halfway around the world doesn't change that fundamental fact.
SurferBabeXOXO: Heck yes! Losers are out!
ShoeBunny91: He's no my byfrind!
ShoeBunny91: *not
ShoeBunny91: *boyfriend
SurferBabeXOXO: Oooh. Typos. So he's not your boyfriend but you'd like him to be.
ShoeBunny91: I never said that!
SurferBabeXOXO: Bebe, it's no use trying to lie to us. We know you too well. Shame on you for trying!
ShoeBunny91: Aren't you late for first period?
SurferBabeXOXO: Tch. Since when do we care about first period?
SurferBabeXOXO: And trying to change the subject now to? Tsk, tsk, tsk.
ShoeBunny91: …
SurferBabeXOXO: Okay, okay. We'll stop. So what happened w/ what's-his-name?
ShoeBunny91: Well…
It had been a surreal experience. They'd gone to that café where she and Miyako always went for tasty pick me ups.
"You like to come here, right?" he asked as they grabbed a table by the window.
"Um, yeah," she squeaked, fighting to keep her cheeks from coloring. So he had been watching her. Subtly. She hadn't even noticed. Or maybe he'd been asking around? This seemed to be a fairly popular spot among teenagers at her school. Did he… Was he… dare she think it? Did he…perhaps, by some stretch of the imagination… like her? Her heart pounded at the prospect. He studied her face, carefully, taking in every crease and dimple.
"So what's good here? I've never had anything here before," he asked, finally looking at the counter.
"Their hazelnut coffee is really good," Hikari replied, laying a hand on her cheek. It felt hot. "That's usually what I like to get."
"Okay," Ryuji said, standing up suddenly, pushing his chair back with his legs. "A hazelnut coffee coming up."
"What? Oh—wait!" she protested, but he was already gone. Hikari watched him as he crossed the room and got in line. She was having a bit of trouble believing she was here. His invitation had come completely out of left field. When he'd returned, they talk, about any and everything. He told her about his family (an older sister, who thought he acted like a bum, but they got along well, regardless), how he'd gotten interested in basketball (a camp his mom had forced him to one summer long ago), how he'd met and befriended Takeru (they were both 'ladykillers,' he'd claimed; it was only natural that the two of them drifted together), and what his interests were, aside from basketball (listening to music—g5 was his current favorite, playing video games—he kicked ass in tennis, and spending time with his sister—she was good-natured, he insisted, slightly embarrassed). And then he'd asked about her. All kinds of personal questions, though unlike the first day, she didn't mind answering most of these. There little coffee outing was wonderful, and when a lull in the rain prompted them apart, she thought she caught a flash of regret of their parting on his face.
SurferBabeXOXO: Dang girl! It sounds like he likes you!
SurferBabeXOXO: Even more reason we need to see a picture. Pronto.
ShoeBunny91: Pronto?
SurferBabeXOXO: Shh. Miranda is already giving me flack about it.
SurferBabeXOXO: Anyway, all this talk about talk over coffee made me realize I could go for a cup myself. Miranda and I are gonna go to Starbucks.
ShoeBunny91: Aw. Get a chai green tea in my honor.
SurferBabeXOXO: I will, girl. I'm so glad I got to talk to you.
SurferBabeXOXO: Bye Hikari.
Hikari signed off and closed her laptop. With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. What a strange day. Everything that had happened had been so out of the blue. First, Takeru, then, Ryuji. What would happen tomorrow?
Wait.
What a stupid question. Of course she knew what would happen tomorrow. Miyuki would kill her. Her cellphone burst to life on the desk, blaring Fergie's Glamorous. Okay, so she hadn't yet gotten completely acclimated to life back in Japan yet. She didn't know who the hot young stars over here were. She glanced at her caller ID. Miyako.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Hikari. What's up? Got any boys over, Miss I'm-too-tired-to-go-out," Miyako cooed into the phone. Hikari frowned.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Please, don't play stupid. I saw you in that coffee shop with Ryuji today after you blew me off. You could have told me you had a date, you know."
"Actually, it was a last moment thing. He was waiting for me by the gate and asked me to coffee, that's all."
Miyako laughed, a certain good-natured patronizing tone to it. "You only think that's all. Tell me everything. Start from the beginning."
"All right. That ends the lesson for today," Miss Kinoki said, turning from the board and placing the chalk back into the small container she had on her desk to hold chalk. "I know you're all anxious to see your math test scores, so I'll pass them back. In addition to your homework assignment for tonight, I want you to correct these tests," she added, grabbing a thick stack of papers from her desk and moving through the rows handing them back to their original owners. "Some of you have more correcting to do than others. Unfortunately, that's how the cookie crumbles. Really, however, that 'some' of you should have done a lot better." She paused as she laid Takeru's on his desk face down. Their eyes met momentarily, and Takeru could see it written all over her face. Disappointment. His heart sped up. Oh no, he'd really botched this one, hadn't he? As she moved away, he grabbed the paper and turned it over, the blood draining from his face almost instantly.
51. The numbers were written in the corner of the paper in blood red ink and circled as if to twist the knife. He stared at the paper, shell-shocked before finally reacting, folding it over with his right thumb while his face sank into his free hand. "Oh my god," he whispered.
"Class dismissed. Takeru, I'd like a word with you please." He flinched when Miss Kinoki said his name. Slowly, the classroom emptied to take advantage of break. Students attempted to loiter out of curiosity. But Miss Kinkoi shooed them away as Takeru rose, walking slowly to the front like a condemned man walking to the gallows. How had this happened?
"Takeru," she said. He raised his face to look at her. "I'm sure you're aware of school policy. I'm required to notify your parents of this grade, but this isn't like you. What happened?"
"I don't know, ma'am. I…I fell asleep while I was studying," he replied in a shaky voice. It cracked in and out of a whisper. He felt like ghost having an out-of-body experience. Was that boy standing at the teacher's desk really him? It couldn't be.
Miss Kinoki hmmed thoughtfully, mulling this information over in her mind. "Takeru, you're a good student, a good boy. I know you work hard. Thus, I won't tell your mother of this misstep. If you correct this test, you can get up to half credit back and raise your score to a passing grade, however, I will only do this on one condition."
"Yes? What is it? I'll work harder in the future, I promise."
"You must get your brother to audition for the lead in the school musical. Otherwise, you will have to take his spot."
Oh my god. Everything was ending. His life, his grades, his relationships. The world was spinning. How on earth was he supposed to convince Yamato to come sing in a high school musical, especially considering he'd graduated three years ago? His head sank into his hands as he rested on the steps going to the courtyard. Sensing he was upset, his meandering classmates left him alone and steered themselves over to the other set of stairs a little bit further down. He appreciated it. He needed to be alone right now.
Steps shuffled up behind him. "Takeru." Akari.
"What?" he moaned, not removing his face from his hands. True to form, Akari took the blond's semi-annoyed response as an invitation to sit down beside him. "Takeru, what did Miss Kinoki want to speak with you about?"
"I failed my math test," he whispered. "She's going to call my parents unless I convince Yamato to participate in the school musical. If I can't, I'll have to take his place." He paused, rubbing his eyes, trying to make sense of the events that had just transpired. "I'm so humiliated."
"Didn't you study?" Akari asked. He'd thought the test had been fairly easy, himself.
"I fell asleep. I was up late last night trying to fix my relationship with Miyuki after I didn't call her last weekend to apologize for our fight." He paused again, considering his next thought. "Who knew having a girlfriend could be so exhausting?"
A long space of silence passed between them, Takeru mourning his misfortune, Akari lost in thought, and then, "It shouldn't be."
"What?" Takeru asked, abandoning his hands and looking up.
"Having a girlfriend should be a refreshing experience, Takeru. It shouldn't be a burden. As long as you were happy, I promised I wouldn't say anything, but you're not happy anymore, so I'm not staying quiet any longer. I don't like Miyuki. She's not the girl for you. You are a very kind, selfless, accommodating person; she is very self-centered. To say she's mean would be an understatement. What do you see in her that makes putting up with all her antics worthwhile? It's not the sex, I know that much, because you haven't had sex with her. And it can't be looks, because she's not that much hotter than other girls in the school. So tell me, because I'm really trying to understand.
"She makes you spend ten hours groveling for forgiveness, because you got mad at a comment she said that was way out of line. She takes you for granted, she walks all over you, she makes you apologize to her, even if it's her fault to begin with, and you don't mind! She's got you trained. Hell, you're like her goddamn dog. You treat her with all the respect in the world and that's how she repays you? And you just take it? There's something really wrong with that picture, Takeru, especially considering there are girls, pretty girls, in this school who would treat you a thousand times better and who practically throw themselves at your feet everyday—not necessarily saying that one of them is for you, but any of them would be better than her. At least they'd care for you. I mean, does the fact that you haven't had sex with her over five months into this relationship send warning bells off in your head. I mean, you're hesitating for a reason, and surely it's not because you've fallen in love.
"I value your friendship. And I wouldn't say this if I didn't think you needed to hear it, but she's got you failing math tests to apologize to her over stupid things like calling her a jerk, which by the way she is, if not worse." Akari paused, allowing what he'd said to sink in, carefully taking in Takeru's shocked and confused expression. "I'm not saying you have to break up with her. That's your choice, but I just want to appreciate what you see in her. And if you see nothing, I think you should reconsider your decision to be with her. If she's really who you want, I swear I will make a harder effort to get along with her. But do you really like being her royal lap dog? She tells you to bend over and you do it without questioning her. I dunno about you, but to me that seems just a little more humiliating than being in the school musical," he finished standing up and going back up the stairs into the building. Takeru turned and stared at his hands in contemplation. Slowly, he brought them to his face and slumped against the wall in defeat. His world was caving in around him.
o-o-o-o-o
Thanks to all who reviewed: gatomon3444, Kiari, Arceumon, Kari King Takaishi, twiinklestar, chienwei, BLAHBLOT, Storyteller of dimensions, Takerus Lost Angel, musiclover9419, butterflyangellover14, Pebbles, rime of the ancient takari, joeshen, and Final Genesis. Thank you so much. I appreciate it and adore you all. If I forgot anyone, please forgive me. It was unintentional and I adore you too.
Arceumon: Haha. So I've been told it's a chick flick and shame on those mean girls who tricked you like that! :( It was still a good movie though. Anyway, thanks for reading, I'm glad you enjoy it. And it depends, what kind of advice do you need? I've been told I'm full of it... Of advice that is. You know, because…oh nevermind.
twiinklestar: o: I dunno~ Maybe. -shifty eyes- And it seems you are the only person who paid attention to the second half of the title. Congrats! Your question will be answered in this chapter. :) Thanks for reading!
chienwei: I'm trying, but honestly, I'm not sure I have time for it right now, unfortunately. We'll see.
Storyteller of dimensions: Okay, I hope this has enough of Kari's POV in it, though it may be Takeru heavy again. The next chapter will be Takeru heavy again, but good things will happen next chapter, so methinks you won't mind it. After that, Hikari's back on center stage.
Pebbles: Thanks for your sympathy. Even though months have passed since you extended it, I still appreciate it. Sadly, another friend is dying from cancer and the doctors think he'll pass soon. And you get paid to burn stuff? o: That is so awesome! And hahaha! Can I just say that you are amazing and your reviews make me laugh? Because it's true.
joeshen: Thanks. Yes, as I was telling Storyteller of dimensions, I think this chapter may be Takeru heavy again, and the next one will be too, but then Hikari will be back on center stage, I promise.
Preview of chapter 7: Takeru and Yamato get reacquainted with each other, and Takeru decides to do something he can't take back.
Check it out!