A/N: Psst. Over 5,000 views now! HELLYEAHGUYS!~ *runs around the room screaming, wooping, and hollering like an idiot* HELL YEAAAAHHH! I feel so accomplished! *is now jumping up and down on couch* WOOOOOO!
Hummmmmm. A warning.
The start of this chapter involves a thoroughly pissed Aika, which of course involves verrrryy *ah-hem* colorful language.
Yeah, I had so much fun writing it! :D actually, it's not just the start of this chapter... it's basically every time Aika appears in this chapter...
Anywho, not for little ears to hear. Actually, this whole fic is M, so no little ears- or, I guess- little eyes- should read any of this.
Also, just, if you can't handle rich, uncensored language, then I suggest you not read. It gets pretty damn colorful.
LEARNING MORE NEW VOCAB! \|^-^|/ *Yaaaaaaayy!*
Red Herring: something intended to divert attention from the real problem or matter at hand; anything that diverts attention from a topic or line of inquiry
Fallacy: any of various types of erroneous reasoning that render arguments logically unsound; a deceptive, misleading, false notion or unsound argument
Red Herring Fallacy: a fallacy in which someone introduces a new topic/argument that distracts from the original topic.
Also, real quick: it has occurred to me... okay, maybe it's been pointed out to me... okay, maybe I've felt pretty guilty about it for a long time now...
that I tease just a liiittle too much. Okay, a lot of a little too much. I am... ...sorry... I guess. i'lltrytostopwiththeteasingnow *grumbles*
Chapter Twenty. Red Herring Fallacy
"Sir, there's a young woman who wishes to speak with you."
"Hn? Who?"
"I'm not sure sir. She says she has to see you right away though..." Came the nervous reply.
Tora gave the servant standing at his door a rather bored look, realizing quickly that it couldn't be who he hoped it to be.
"I'm not interested." He waved a hand. "Make up some excuse for me and tell her to leave."
Just as the servant nodded and turned, he made a surprised noise, causing Tora to look up for a moment to watch the next events take place.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"M-miss! I asked you to wait in the front room-"
"LIKE HELL I WOULD WAIT IN THE FRONT ROOM! Why would I do what you tell me to?! Especially when I'm told to do it be some rich bastard's henchman! MOVE!"
No sooner had all that happened, then Tora stood up behind his desk as he was approached by the raging young woman that he vaguely remembered meeting once before.
"Where is she you bastard?!" She glared, while the servant behind her looked scared stiff.
"Can I help you?" Tora asked as she stopped right in front of him, her pretty face flushed as she fumed at him.
"You fucking bitch boy, don't fucking play dumb with me! Did you lock her up again like before?!"
Her language could use some serious censoring. Tora smirked at this thought, and she glared harder at him.
"Could you leave? I'm busy." He turned around, but stopped when she started mouthing off again.
"Don't you dare ignore me! I'M NOT LEAVING UNTIL YOU TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO KNOW, DAMMIT!"
He turned around to face her again, a plain, unreadable look on his face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have stated that as a question. Leave. Now."
"DON'T YOU FUCKING ORDER ME AROUND!" She took a steadying breath as he just stared at her, clearly uninterested and unwilling to listen to her. She sighed, trying to become more serious. "Just tell me where Akari is and I'll leave, okay?" And then, of course she mumbled. "Little fucker..."
Though his expression didn't change, she could see the sudden glimmer of light that filled his eyes. And then he turned his back to her, his shoulders shaking uncontrollable as he chuckled.
"Hey! Fucking STOP LAUGHING! What the hell is so funny? What'd you do, huh?!"
Tora shook his head, scoffed, and craned his neck to look back at her. His grin was enraging in all its mocking, sinister glory. "You don't know where she is?"
"Why the hell would I be here if I did know?!" She raged.
"Because you find yourself, like every other woman in this world, helplessly drawn to me." He turned fully around to face her, hands sliding into the pockets of his pants. "But that can't be helped, I suppose."
"Please." She snorted. "A rich cunt like you is hardly my type. I'm in love with an honest man."
Tora stopped for a moment, his gaze settling right on hers. She looked away, as if she was scared of him, as if his eyes on her were too intense.
"How can you use that word so freely? Love." As he said it, the word felt all too foreign on his tongue.
"Because, unlike you, I have a heart." She clearly insulted, her rage making her tremble. "Now tell me where the fucking hell my friend is or so help me god I'll-"
"You'll what?" Tora smirked, ignoring the part about her calling him heartless. He got over that claim about him long ago. "Use the power of your 'love' to make me?"
He watched her with a highly amused, yet still disinterested gaze, as she became overly-enraged and her face turned nearly purple, the vein in her neck clearly displayed and throbbing.
"Fuck you." She clenched. "Give me answers. Did Akari drop out of Seika High?"
He sighed, and then gave her what she wanted- a nod. This was getting to be a long visit, and it was getting on his nerves now.
"Okay... but, why?" She pondered to him.
"Has it not gone through your pretty little head to ask her yourself?" He sneered, becoming very impatient with having to tolerate her.
"She hasn't been answering anyone's calls or texts..." The girl paused, finally taking out the ear buds she'd had in her ears this whole time. How she was able to converse with him with music blasting into her skull, he didn't know.
"That's not my problem." He said, turning around and walking out the door. He stopped in the doorway and nodded to the servant waiting there. "Make her leave now. She's not anyone important."
"WHAT?! Hey- wait a minute- Igarashi-!"
Tora waved a hand carelessly behind his head, continuing on his walk down the long hallway. Behind him he could hear the argument and struggle beginning to take place between the annoying girl and the servant, but it wasn't his problem.
"GETCHER FILTHY HANDS OFFA ME YOU DUMB ASS!"
Akari sat alone in her room, staring out the window like some lonely princess from a fairy tale. Gently, almost without her own notice, her fingers brushed over her lips. She was thinking about Tora.
God dammit, she was now ALWAYS thinking about that bastard! He had invaded her mind!
And she was not just thinking about him, but, she found herself curious as to what he was doing at every moment she spent away from him. She wanted to be with him, which was strange, considering that he had been nothing but trouble for her ever since she'd met him. But now that they were separated... with her not living with him and all... now that they didn't see each other as often... well she didn't know. She just... sorta... missed. Him.
Her head fell down into her awaiting hands. Why was she being like this?
School today had been... well, she had been running around like an idiot, desperate to get her mind to focus on everything other than him. She'd only caught sight of him once, and before he could see her she had immediately bolted. Then she had proceeded to vigorously write notes in each class, her hand cramping and her ears hurting from the strain of trying to listen so closely to the teacher. She had, more than once, been asked what was wrong with her. She only insisted that she was trying to focus on her studies- which was actually true. Though she didn't tell them the reason why.
She sighed, heavily. To get my mind off of Tora... and now I'm stuck with nothing to do, but think of him. Maybe I could read a book? No, that'd be my third one today... Dammit self! Why are you such a fast reader!?
"Miss Michiyo, you have a visitor."
She didn't jump at the voice, because she had clearly heard the knock on her door and then the sound of it opening. But she did roll her eyes at the deep, sickly-sweet tone that was-
"Ikehara. I told you never to come in my room."
But at least he can distract me from my Tora-invaded mind... if only for a few moments.
A hand on her shoulder nearly scared her out of her own wits. When had he crossed the room and gotten so close!?
"And I don't care." He whispered into her ear.
She started to cough, shaking him away from her as she stood up. "You've been smoking."
He grinned as she cringed at the scent surrounding him. "You should take up the habit. It's soothing."
"How on earth is damaging your lungs anything close to soothing?" She muttered, a hand held to her nose now.
The man stepped forward, clasping her other hand before she could properly pull back. "Ooh~" He smirked. "Are you worried about my health now?"
"No." She growled softly, trying to pull away from him. But when she tried that, he just brought her closer to him, gripping her arm tightly in his grasp and laying his other hand firmly on her shoulder. She winced at the slight pain still leftover from her half-brother's abuse, (and from being pulled around be Tora- dammit! Thinking of him again!) and he caught on quickly. Though besides letting go, he held her tighter.
"Aww, did Hayate do something hurtful to you? What a bad older brother." He falsely sympathized, his tone made of mockery as she struggled in his tight hold, still wincing out of pain.
"Let me go already! You said I had a visitor, right? So I have to go."
Suddenly, his head was tilted right beside hers, and his eyes were boring into her own gaze. "That can wait..."
No sooner had the words left his mouth, then he was pressing her up against the desk behind her, causing a sharp pain in her lower back that distracted her. As she winced at the feeling, he suddenly dove on her, like a hungry wolf ready to rip into an animal's flesh. His nose was suddenly buried in the top of her loose shirt, and she yanked harder in his hold when his tongue slipped out and licked over the skin above her neckline.
"To-" She began, but her own tongue stilled the words in her mouth and she found herself feeling foolish.
Shut up mind! She internally insisted to herself.
Unlucky for her, Ikehara had caught on, and he started laughing, pulling away from her chest long enough to look up at her reddened, shameful face. "Were you going to call for Igarashi?"
She refused to meet his gaze, instead staring at the dark carpet. "No."
Suddenly, he leaned her further back, bending her over the desk behind her, and she felt uncomfortable with his hips pressing up into hers. "I think you were. I think you were about to call out his name." Suddenly, he ducked down at whispered directly into her ear. "Why?"
"I wasn't going to call for-"
"Nuh-uh, no lying." His nose glanced her cheek as he moved over and down, his breath stinking against her skin. "So, what is he, then, your 'knight in shining armor'? Or maybe you were calling out his name because you wish he was the one doing this to you." He licked up her neck, not failing to notice the strange taste coating his tongue. Akari started to breathe harder when he did that, sweat collecting at her temple. "Huh... Is this...?" He rubbed a finger over her neck, thoroughly smudging, and then he pulled back slightly and lifted the finger to her face for her to see. It was covered in a pale color that didn't match to his own darker skin tone. "Make-up?"
"It- It's perfectly normal for girls to wear make-up, Ikehara." She tried to keep her voice even, but the worry there was very evident.
He moved his hips harshly against hers, making her shudder beneath him in his grasp. "On their neck? And..." Another finger wiped around her collarbone, and came back with the pale foundation smeared onto it again. "above their chest...?"
"But- well it's for-"
"You're going to say," He smirked. "That it's for covering up the marks you get from Hayate beating you. But then, guess what?" He leaned over her again, grinding his hips more firmly this time against hers. She let out a hiss, and his lips brushed her cheek. "I'm not going to believe you."
"Ikehara-" She warned.
He ground his hips again, using a hand at her back to pull her up against him as well.
"Don't lie to me, sweetheart..." He said sternly, hands traveling over any exposed skin she had to show.
"I'm not lying- ah!"
He moved against her another time, increasing the pressure and making things all the more uncomfortable. "Do you know what I do to liars?"
"Let me talk, just liste-nngh!"
Their hips moved together once again as he pushed her with him. At the same time, he moved to bite her neck.
"Do you know where liars go?"
This time, she knew better than to try talking back, so she decided to answer him. "...Yes. Sure." She panted out.
He rewarded her with a smirk, and halted their movements. "You do? Where do they go, then?"
She grumbled out the word. "Hell."
Which is definitely where you'll end up if you continue this, bastard!
"So stop lying, or I'll have to send you there." He lapped at her skin again, causing her to, again, struggle in his firm grasp. "Well," He leaned into her neck, licking the spot right below her ear and causing her to shiver. "Maybe I don't have the power to send you to hell, but I can sure make your life a living hell..."
"I'm-" She gritted. "Well aware." Pushing her hands against his chest, she tried to get him off of her. He was loads heavier than Tora, somehow, though maybe that was just the weight of the uncomfortable situation bearing down on her.
Really, Tora just HAD to cross your mind, once again?!
"No, I don't think you are. I'll have to show you better." He bit her neck, harder than before, much harder, causing her to cry out. Chuckling into her skin, he started to move down, growing once again, closer to her chest-
"Kichiro."
Suddenly, his hands were off her and he was pulling back, though his hips pressed into hers still, keeping Akari leaning uncomfortably into the desk behind her.
For the first time, when Akari looked at the door and saw her half-brother standing there, she almost- ALMOST- felt relieved, nearly- NEARLY- happy, to see him.
"What the hell are you doing?" Hayate sounded furious.
"Just playing around, is all-"
"I asked you to bring her to meet with Fuirutsu, not so you could have your way with her."
Akari perked up at this, out of curiosity. "Fuirutsu? Orochi?"
Hayate made it a point to ignore her as he continued. "You can do whatever you want with her on your own time, I could care less. But right now she needs to go greet her guest. Get your dick under control for once." Then he was turning, and with his walk out the door he mumbled lastly; "Idiot."
Ikehara leaned away from her finally, sighing and running a hand down his suit. When Akari let out a huge breath she'd been holding in and tried to scurry past him though, he grabbed her arm, spinning her back to face him again.
"Until next time, sweetheart." He said with narrowed eyes, causing her to scowl and rip away from his grasp.
"There definitely won't be a next time." She spat, fixing her shirt and walking out the door.
Behind her, Ikehara stayed in her room, chuckling lightly to himself, his thoughts filled with evil intent.
"Orochi, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
Akari was sitting in the darkened parlor of her home, with softly-lit orange-glowing lamps all around on the tables and walls, and a long, sleek black coffee table that separated where she sat and where her guest sat, each in their own comfortable lounge chair. After being sent here to greet the young man, she had found him just as he was now- dressed, still, in his school uniform from earlier today, and with his face pulled into a relaxed smile as he watched her, his body comfortably settled upright in his chair.
Suddenly, he sighed, sitting back a little bit in his seat. "This is my form of apology."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Apology...? You mean for..."
For what happened between us right before Tora found me and he took me away and we finally... oh god, don't think like that Akari, stop it, stop and FOCUS! Get him out of your head already dammit! Orochi came along as the perfect distraction for you... for you to STOP THINKING ABOUT TORA! Accept the distraction! Focus, on not focusing, on that golden-eyed bastard!
He spoke up, completely oblivious to the turmoil in her thoughts. "For the incident at school... I wasn't- I wasn't thinking. Actually," He paused, frowning. "I was thinking, but just not with a clear mind. So I want to apologize to you."
She blinked.
"It's fine." She quickly assured, trying her best to clear her mind. All she had been thinking of was Tora, and she had to stop. Especially when she was having a serious conversation with another person.
"But if I embarrassed you-"
"It wasn't that bad, really." She assured again, desperate to change the topic.
"Hey," A hand found her chin, and her eyes were suddenly met with two deeply brown orbs. He was leaning over the coffee table completely, reaching out to her with a long arm. His hand, she couldn't help but think, felt a tad too warm against her cool skin. "I'm still sorry. That was ungentlemanly of me. I lied about helping you, and led you into a dark room with me..." He cracked a loose smile. "Ha, if I didn't know myself better, I'd say I had something unsavory in mind."
Her eyes widened at his words. Something unsavory? What the heck did that mean...? Oh who was she kidding, she wasn't dumb, she knew what that meant! Akari remembered his face nearing her chest, the moment before Tora had spoken up, and she found herself pulling her chin out of Orochi's grasp and looking away from him. Who was this guy? She barely knew him, and he was already so involved in her life. More like, he was making himself be involved in her life. Forcing it. Forcing himself onto her. Again, she found herself shivering.
"Look, Orochi, we don't know each other very well, but from what I can see, it was just an- accident."
"Actually," His voice had lowered an octave. "I know you better than you think, Akari."
Her eyes flickered upwards to meet his, and he walked around the room and sat himself next to her, his leg propped on the arm of her chair. He suddenly reached over, clasping their hands together. She looked down, shocked, and then when her eyes met his again, she could tell he was withholding information. Important information.
"What exactly-"
"Do you remember what I was trying to tell you at the cafe in school?"
She thought back to the moment they'd met, when he had approached her and begun conversing. For the most part, it had just been idle chit-chat; he introduced himself, talked about what his family does, who his parents are, and mentioned near the end that their families were actually quite close. She had just been about to ask exactly what he meant by that- before they had to split up and leave for class.
"You were... talking about... something about our families, right?" She looked up at him, and he nodded, with a small smile thrown her way.
"Yes. I was trying to explain about how our families have gotten to know each other so well. It happened just before- before your mother... passed away."
She could feel him glancing at her uneasily, but she only stared back at him, willing him to continue with the blankest expression she could muster. She didn't want him to see any type of weakness in her.
"I never knew that. I'm not exactly involved in our family's business affairs. But I remember you explaining... that next to the Igarashi Foundation, the Fuirutsu Company is second-best, right? If that's true, then it definitely makes sense for my father to be interested in you and your family." She replied honestly.
Orochi cleared his throat. "Yes, exactly. Your father became... very interested, in our family."
Again, she blinked. "What are you talking about very interested. Did our families come up with some sort of special agreement that I don't know about yet?"
"All good things," He suddenly interrupted. "to those who wait." He winked, smiling with some big secretive smirk on his face. She wanted to argue with him, but she wasn't fully sure if he was the enemy or a friend. He sort of acted like both.
"Orochi-" She stopped when he suddenly groaned, looking away from her. "What?"
"Don't say my name like that." He insisted, clasping their hands more tightly together. "It makes me feel like you hate me."
She shifted her eyes on his shoulder, not knowing how to explain what she felt. "I... I don't. Hate you, that is. I just don't know you all that well, I mean, I met you just yesterday, and I hope that you can understand my suspicions that have formed since then. You've been acting strange, I mean, you basically attacked me at school-"
He glanced at her, and she paused to stare into his eyes. "I thought you said you thought of it as just an accident?"
"Well, I-" She looked away from him. "It was an accident that I tripped, but what you did after that... a-anyway." She wanted to curse loudly at herself for stuttering slightly. "Anyway. The point is, I hardly know you, and now I've suddenly found out that you know all about me and are fully involved with my family? Even more so than I am? I just don't know what to think of you." She shook her head, glancing up at him. His eyes were as dark and beautiful as ever, and yet... unsettling. "So yes, I might distrust you, but I don't- hate you."
He nodded along with her words, keeping eye contact with her. "I know that. It's just, I wish you knew me as well as I know you. I want us to be better acquainted, Akari."
The look he was giving her suddenly got her blushing. Staring immediately away from him and down at their hands, seeing his planted firmly over hers, grasping it tightly, Akari tried to pull her hand away. Though he only held on even more tightly than before. "What are you talking about? You don't have a reason to become so involved with me..." She sounded unsure of herself, despite her words, though.
He looked more closely at her, nearing her face, causing her to look up and inhale sharply at the look in his eyes. Dark, with a warning behind them, and then... something else. Something like a big secret he had to hide from her. "I can't very well explain it to you all at once. That would probably scare you off." He pulled their hands closer, and then leaned in so that his breath tickled her face. "And I'd rather not scare you off so soon."
"You're scaring me right now." She insisted, jerking her head back and tugging on her trapped hands.
He chuckled, but didn't release her, and only pressed his face closer to hers again. "Well I'm not trying to. You asked me what this visit is for, right?"
She didn't know if it was a good idea to answer that. But she sort of had to. "I- thought you told me it was so you could apologize-"
Suddenly, a sneaking hand she hadn't yet noticed was behind her head, and then he was pushing her towards him. She gasped, thinking he was going to kiss her, but then, her face was pressed into his chest instead.
"I just wanted to finish our conversation that went unfinished before. I wanted to be close to you." He said, while he embraced her. His strong arms wrapped tightly around her, almost possessively squeezing her, holding her to him. "You've been gone from society too long, you know?" He breathed in her ear.
"What?" Her voice was muffled as she awkwardly hugged him back, trying to be polite. Her face was flushing all shades of vibrant pinks as it was pressed, nestled into his shirt.
"Well, this would all be so much simpler if you hadn't left your family. If you hadn't gone off to live with-" She swore she felt a grumble deep from inside his chest as he said the next words. "The Igarashis."
Pulling back slightly, she tried to look up to see his face. He eased back a little, though his arms were still wrapped around her. They were standing now, between the coffee table and her chair. Wait, when had he pulled her up like that? Her mind was too confused to notice it, it was spinning like mad. "Orochi, I'm confused. What would all be so much simpler? What aren't you telling me? I don't know you hardly at all, and yet, you're already so involved in my life. You know my family well, and you seem to have all the information on me that you need. I don't know what to think."
He smiled, an charming, yet mischievous grin on his face that made her start to feel all the more suspicious. "I believe you've said that already. And, also like I said before: all good things to those who wait."
She practically growled at him, her anger and anticipation for answers rising. "That's hardly fair! How long to I need to wait to get any answers? If it's an important matter about my own life, I feel like I should know about it. Everything about it."
He released her, and looking at her, he let another smile cross his face- though this time, his eyes were soft and his smile was sincere. "I've given you proper hints. Maybe you can figure it out on your own now." Then he sighed, running a hand through his hair and looking away. "I have another matter to address with you now... Akari, I was wondering..."
Akari didn't like his answer, he had not given her proper hints, he'd given her unspecified information.
"Akari?"
She shook her head. "Hold your tongue for a moment, Orochi. You have hardly given me the enough information to go off of."
"I wanted to ask, tomorrow at your party..." He continued, not pausing, keeping his voice even, and essentially distracting her.
That's tomorrow?! She suddenly recalled, thinking it had come all too soon.
"...would you save the first dance for me?"
"Uh, of course." She had to consent. It was only the polite thing to do.
"You're sure?" He leaned in closer to her, his eyelids lowering. "I would've thought for sure that Igarashi had already asked you."
"Why are we talking about him all of a sudden?" She was suddenly getting defensive.
"So he hasn't asked you?"
"Yes, he asked me, but it was nothing as specific as the first dance. So... I guess..." She caught the look on his handsome, boyish face, the look of curious interest, with a hidden undertone in his dark gaze. Not knowing why, it somehow made her say yes. "...of course I'll dance with you, first, if you want me to."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you sure Tora would be okay with that? Someone stealing you on the dance floor before he got the chance?"
"Who am I to care what he thinks!?" She could feel her face burning red once again now. "I can dance with whomever I like."
"So then," He was suddenly stepping closer to her, eyelids still lowered, and a lazy grin on his face. "You like me? More than him?"
Akari became absolutely flustered at this. "What is this to the both of you, some rivalry? Are you two both enemies or something? Am I a competition, is that yet another big secret you're keeping from me?!"
Orochi raised his arms, trying to look like he was backing off, though he did no such thing. In fact, he was leaning even closer to her now. "No, no, of course not. You're a lady, and should be treated as so. I'm just speaking on behalf of the fact that he seems very... into you... as do you, him."
Her brow shot up at his words. "Into me? What are you talking about now?"
He shrugged. "Hopefully, nothing. I just thought I sensed something between you two, though maybe I'm wrong." His eyes glinted on hers, sharply examining her face. "There isn't any big secret that you are hiding, is there?"
What, the fact that I can't stop thinking about him? That HE is always what's racing through my mind now, for some odd reason? That I can't get over what we did together? That I want to kiss him, so badly, so very very badly that I have to constantly distract myself with a thousand other activities just to make sure I don't go in search for him in order to do just that?
"I don't have any secrets. Unlike some people." She glared, with a pointed look, up at him.
He leaned even closer, grabbing for her arm. Once in his grasp, Akari was pulled against him, so that he could easily lower his head and whisper; "Everyone has secrets." Then, his lips moved, brushing the edge of her cheek, making her shudder involuntarily. "It's cute, how bad you are at lying, Akari." And then his lips were moving down more, and she started to struggle in his grasp.
Damn all these strong men! I should really take up some self-defense classes! But even then... well, it's not my fault I'm small!
"O-Orochi," She breathed heavily when his lips settled themselves... directly above one of Tora's love-bites.
His nose tickled the crook of her neck, causing her to squirm. "Orochi, get the hell off of me." She demanded sternly, trying not to freak out as she remembered that all her marks might be visible, after Ikehara was rubbing her make-up off.
To her surprise, he actually pulled back, albeit slowly, and with a low chuckle. "No secrets, huh?"
Their eyes met. There was a certain connection forming in that gaze, and then, Akari knew. She knew, that he knew. HE KNEW!
"See why I don't trust you?" She viciously pulled away from him, taking a good three steps back. Was it hot in here now, or was it just her?
"You're right. I've been acting stupidly, once again." He sighed, and the features on his face immediately changed to that of his usual innocent, charming boyishness. What was he, good or bad?! He'd looked at her with dark, haunting eyes just seconds before.
"...It's... I think you've overstayed your visit." She looked away from him, to the floor.
"I think you're right. But," Suddenly, he was stepping up to her again, and he lifted her chin to connect their gaze. "You will still save that first dance for me, won't you?"
She grunted, giving him a suspicious glare for a moment. But, seeing as he was just blinking with big, brown, wide puppy-dog eyes at the moment, she caved. A little.
"...Only if no one asks before you do. I'm not going to be impolite and refuse someone just because you haven't turned up yet." She muttered.
"Tsk, tsk," His tone was light and joking now. "Very impolite. You really need to work on becoming a lady once again." Then he smiled. "But even so, if that's the case, then I'll be sure to be the first to arrive."
She breathed in deeply, then let it all out, collecting her good manners. Giving him a smile, not a very bright one, but still a smile, she spoke her answer.
"Then I'll see you on the dance floor, Orochi."
"Where the fuck have you been?!"
"Just, calm down, for a second- let me-"
Suddenly Akari was engulfed in a shroud of black hair, with a single honey-colored streak passing into her eyes, covering her view of everything as her friend squeezed the life out of her.
"Heeeyy, stop hogging Mana-chan~!"
Suddenly, new arms were around her, and she found herself being squeezed into the middle of a sandwich-like hug, with no way of escape. She felt a nose at the back of her neck, and then a deep chuckle from behind that told her- Kai was back once again.
"Can you guys release me, please?" She managed out in one breath. "I can't... breathe..."
"Not until you explain."
"Yeah~ explain where ya've been, Mana~chaaan. Or do I have to punish you?"
"Shut up jack ass, I'm doing the questioning here!"
"Jeez, who got your panties in a bunch eh?"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP KAI!"
"GUYS!" Akari yelled, startling both her friends. Then, leaning slightly over to Aika, she whispered, "What exactly triggered him this time?"
"Oh," Aika, almost calming down, sighed. "He ran across the street with me earlier and we almost got hit by a car."
"That triggered it?"
"I guess. I think whenever something dangerous is about to happen he changes. Something about anxiety-"
"What are ya talking about?"
Both girls groaned, and Akari quickly slipped out of both her friend's reach.
"Never mind that. I guess I have some explaining to do." Akari barely got the words out before both her friends were staring her down expectantly, with crossed arms and judgmental gazes. "Okay, okay I get it. I just up and left without telling you guys. But- it all just sort of happened-"
"Did your priss-ass father force you to move back home? I bet you're gonna have to marry some rich bastard, like Igarashi."
Akari immediately paled, then blushed, then her mind basically exploded out of her mouth.
"Listen Aika," She sputtered. "I- Look, I called you guys to talk to you so I can get my mind off of Tora. Sorry, but I just NEED a distraction, and since I haven't talked to you and all..." She winced. Both of their glares were killing her inside. "...And, well anyway, I would really appreciate it if you would not talk about him, or think about him, or even remember who he is. Just pretend that he doesn't exist, okay?"
Suddenly, Kai stepped forward, his long hair swaying as he laughed and put an arm around her shoulders. "Oh, you've finally realized how much you hate him? GREAT! Now we can focus on us..."
"There is no 'us'..." Akari mumbled, scooting out of his grasp.
"So, I guess you don't go to our school anymore. Bitch." Aika was obviously angry still, ignoring most of what had come out of her friend's mouth.
"Look, it wasn't my choice-"
"I know. I figured. Anyway, what the hell does it all have to do with Igarashi?"
Akari groaned. "I told you not to bring him up-"
"Doesn't matter. 'Don't give a fuck." Aika reached forward, her hands landing on each of Akari's shoulders. Her gaze was brutal. "Now. What the hell are you involved in with him?"
"Nothing." Akari wasn't budging on her decision to get him out of her mind. "Really, Aika, stop mentioning him-"
"No, I won't. Look, I talked with him today..."
Akari's eyes widened. Well, that was a major shock. "How did you-"
"His house is kinda hard to miss," Kai interjected, still pouting to himself off to the side. (He didn't like the lack of attention he was getting.)
"Yeah. And I wouldn't exactly call that big-ass slab of marble a house." Aika muttered, and then her eyes were zoned back on her friend. "He was acting weird. I mean, he was still pretty fucking annoying, rich cunt that he is, but I noticed one thing was different about him. I mentioned my undying love for Ryuunosuke-"
"So ridiculous..." Kai muttered, and Aika sent him a terrifying glare that made him shrink back in horror.
"ANY FUCKING WAY," She began again. "He was all caught up on that for a second. It was weird. He was somehow acting interested for at least two seconds in something I had said, and I took note of that. And you and him lived together for a while, right? And that one time at the estate, he was acting like you were his girlfriend or something. He was acting jealous. Of us, being with you. He was being all possessive of you. Then he locked you in your room and stuff-"
Akari sighed heavily. Aika payed more attention to her life than she had thought- normally, Aika was all about Aika. "I don't care what you think you see, it's really nothing. He's just an idiot. An idiotic tiger."
"It's something."
"It's nothing."
"Do you like him?"
"I don't."
"Yes or no."
"I said I don't, isn't that an answer?!"
"AKARI!"
Both girls stopped yapping at each other as a strong hand suddenly found itself landing heavily on Akari's head. They looked up at Kai in bewilderment, and his darkened gaze held a warning that was so intensely serious, it was startling.
"We're your friends," He began, and though he was still Kai, he was sounding a lot closer to Seiji now. "And we just want to know the truth. Stop lying, because you suck at it. If you're involved somehow with that guy..." He growled, in obvious hate of the guy he was mentioning. "...and if that guy hurt you in any way, you better tell us. Because I will personally shove his head up his ass and grind his dick into little piec-"
"He didn't hurt me!" Akari quickly interjected, looking between her two friends. What, they saw Tora as a problem for her? The only problem she had with him is that he wouldn't leave her thoughts alone. What the real problem was, was everything else happening around her! Orochi, and her family, Hayate and Ikehara! THEY were what was trouble for her! Tora was just... a minor nuisance-slash-love-interest. "No guys, you've got it wrong. He didn't hurt me at all, I promise, okay?"
"Then explain." Aika grabbed her arm, her bad one, and both friends watched as Akari immediately tensed up. The two shared a glance... a glance of worry for their friend. And then Kai was holding her to the wall while Aika was inspecting Akari's body.
"Hey- H-HEY! Get off, let me go, stop- AHH- OUCH!"
Aika had touched a nerve, an especially sore place at her elbow. Also, though it was easy for Akari to ignore for the most part, her wrists were bruised, and Aika had figured that out too, wiping away the make-up there. She had also, following a hunch, made her way up to Akari's neck, and rubbed away the make-up there, as well as on her shoulders. By the time the music-lover was done, all of Akari's marks were visible- the good and the bad. The love-bites, and the bruises.
"I'm going to kill him." Kai and Aika echoed each other at the same time.
"It wasn't him who did this!"
"Fuck, Akari, you think I don't know?" Aika suddenly almost slapped her friend. "You slept with that dunce, right?!"
"Even I know it. It's not all that hard to figure out." Kai muttered, grunting unhappily.
"What?! No, no I didn't-"
"Yes you did."
"How long have you thought that?!"
"Kind of since the beginning."
"Well it wasn't ever true!" Akari insisted. Until recently! Her mind echoed.
"You really suck at lying Mana."
"DON'T call me by the wrong name, Seiji!"
"YOU just did it TOO!"
"Look," Aika paused the arguing, staring into her eyes. "If those are hickeys, then what are the bruises from? And why's your arm all sensitive too?"
Akari stilled. She took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to say it to them...
But of course, in the end, she chose the avoidance tactic.
"Anyone up for some sushi? I know a good place-"
"MANA!"
"AKARI!"
"Is this a bad time?"
Three heads spun around, searching for the new voice in the conversation. Four pairs of eyes glared while the other two eyes just blinked, silver striking with gold, their gazes immediately mixing, neither combating nor submitting to the other, but just- evening out as one.
"Tora."
"Bastard!"
"I hope you like the feeling off your head in your ass!"
As Kai approached his blonde nemesis, fists clenched and ready for a fight, before he could even swing the first punch Tora had him on the ground, his foot on the boy's back while a smirk passed over his features. It happened so quickly, with just a bending blur of Tora's lean body, that it had looked as if Kai had merely teleported to the ground.
"Hey! Kai, get up already!" Aika growled, while Kai ate dirt.
"Tora, how the hell did you know where to find us?" Was all Akari was focused on asking.
Akari had asked her friends to meet her in front of Seika High- knowing that her father would disapprove of them coming to the estate. Though the school was emptied out and the sky was growing dark, they had simply stationed themselves in front of the school at the sidewalk. How Tora had known where to look was beyond Akari. Also, she noticed that her own car was gone, having been replaced by Tora's long limousine. How he had done that was beyond her as well. But then again, it is Tora. And like he's always said, he's an Igarashi. Apparently, they can do anything at all.
Sooo now I'm stuck face-to-face with the guy I've been trying to distract myself from all day? Grrreeaatt...
Tora looked up from smirking at the boy at his feet to instead glare pointedly at the girl across from him. "Really, you'd think that by now you would know what I'm capable of."
Suddenly, and before any other form of conversation could continue, Aika marched up to Tora, fuming like mad. "Do you know about what's been happening to her?!"
Tora stared, disinterested until the words sunk in. His eyes glared at Aika. "What?"
"Listen you idiotic pain in the ass," Aika lifted a finger, pressing it harshly against Tora's sternum. "I want to know, who the HELL has been touching my friend. Was it you, you bastard? She's covered in fucking bruises, all over the place! And let's not forget the amount of hickeys there are." She snarled, disgusted. "Did you really have to hit her, too, though?! Is that how you fuck women? That's SICK! Who the FUCK do you THINK you ARE?! Huh?! Huh Igar-"
Tora suddenly brushed her aside, allowing her to topple over on top of Kai. He rushed to Akari in quick, long steps, and once he was standing in front of her, he examined her so closely she began to fidget uncomfortably in place.
Once done with having his eyes scan her completely, he grabbed her arm, pushed past Aika as she began to stand up with Kai, allowing them both to fall down once again, and then carefully- though forcefully- assisted Akari into his awaiting limo.
Once they were seated and already too quickly driving away, Tora turned to her, his gaze only merely hinting at how furious he was. It was obvious there was a whole lot of tumultuous anger buried deep within.
"So," His voice was incredibly stern. "You're going to talk, and for the next fifteen seconds, I am going to listen. If you have not explained yourself by the time I'm done with listening," His eyes narrowed. "I won't hesitate to force the words from your mouth."
Akari gulped, meeting his gaze with an uncertain look of her own. Her head hurt slightly, with the promise of a head ache, but she could form one coherent thought:
So much for all my distractions...
She sighed, looking away from his penetrating gaze. "How is it that you manage to always pull my attention to nothing but yourself?" She asked, agitated.
But then, it wasn't just him that distracted her. And she had always known it- throughout the whole day today, it was what she'd been trying desperately to avoid. The undeniable, yet simple, fact. The reason. That onething that was why she had been driving herself crazy with anything to distract her.
She had realized she was falling for him just yesterday. But now, the falling had stopped.
And what had come at the end of that fall?
That undeniable, simple fact. That reason- that thing- she had been driving herself crazy with anything to distract her.
She wasn't lying to Aika when she told the girl she didn't like him. Because she didn't like him- it was now more than that.
"All done with your precious prince?"
It was an hour later, after Tora had taken her home, after she had been interrogated by him, after he had told her (more like forcefully demanded of her) to inform him if Hayate or Ikehara made any move towards her ever again.
Akari lay in her room, in her bed, in her pajamas, ready to go to sleep no matter how early it was. And it really wasn't all THAT early- the sky was getting darker and darker outside.
"Aika just tell me why you called." She insisted, too exhausted to argue with her friend.
"Alright... Do you love him?"
At this, Akari shot up in bed, her phone clutched tight at her ear. "Excuse me?"
"Don't be a fucking dumb-ass. Do you. Love him. Answer the damn question."
"...Ha-ha. Who?" She tried to laugh it off, sound unnerved, but she was really close to hanging up out of fear.
"I told you not to be a dumb-ass!" Akari roared into the phone. "Do you love Igarashi or what?!"
Immediately, Akari was jumping into avoidance-mode. She had to completely evade this topic- it's what she'd been doing all day and she wasn't giving in now.
"But what exactly is love, Aika?" She began, using a smooth tone she hardly ever used. "Do you mean the kind of love that you and Ryuunosuke share?"
"Yeah. Well, at least as close to our perfection as you can get." Aika's smirk was all too obvious on the other end of the call.
Akari charged on. "You know, I've never really understood- do you love each other because of your similar interests, or more because of who you are? I know he loves music, and you love music. But then, I guess that's apart of who you both are, so I guess that it's the same thing."
There was a pause on the other end of the line for a short moment. "I dunno Akari, I just love him. I guess it's nice we have similar interes- you know what?! You're right. It counts for the same thing- after all, your interests is part of what makes you who you are, right?"
"Right." Akari agreed. That was almost too easy... she never knew she could pull off such a fallacy. And now, she knew, it was time to turn the question back around on Aika. "So you love him?"
"You know I love him! Everyone knows I love him!"
"You're sure?"
"'Course I'm sure!"
"Then why are you talking to me, when you could be talking to him?"
"Oh my fucking- you're right! And I just realized- I haven't spoken to him all day! I have to go Akari, I'll talk to you later."
The line went dead, leaving Akari to be stuck with only herself and her thoughts for company. Unfortunately, now that she had avoided Aika, she realized that it would be much harder to avoid her own thoughts.
Sighing, she set her phone down and leaned back into bed. "It's not love. Why would she even ask me that?! It's just... I mean- what is love, anyway? It can't be defined. And other than love, what is hate? And are the two similar at all? After all, you can't have hate without love, or love without hate. It's like mother used to say..."
And there you go. She had successfully led herself astray from the original demanding question. But then again, she couldn't do it forever, and in the back of her head, she knew.
She loved him. She had fallen in love with him.
A/N: DO YOU KNOW, HOW HARD, WRITING THIS FRICKIN DAMN CHAPTER WAS?! AND HOW LONG IT TOOK ME?!
OKAY, STARTING OFF, I HAD WRITER'S BLOCK
THEN I WAS JUST DOWN-RIGHT PROCRASTINATING
THEN FOOD CALLED MY NAME
THEN EXERCISE CALLED MY NAME BECAUSE I SOMEHOW ACCIDENTALLY ENGORGED MYSELF (on ice cream and salad... yeah, so I'm a walking contradiction, we already knew that, moving on)
THEN I GOT DISTRACTED AND LET MY LAPTOP SIT ALL ALONE FOR HOURS, DAYS, UNATTENDED
I MIGHT HAVE ACCIDENTALLY CAUSED A SMALL FIRE (I light too many scented candles in my room...)
THE FUMES FROM THE CANDLES MAY HAVE FRIED MY BRAIN (at least I smell good- like vanilla and apple cider, Mmm)
ALSO I GET LAZY
AND THEN I APPLIED FOR A JOB
finger's crossed I get it! Also, HEY, don't judge me. I can be lazy AND hold down a job. I think. Shut up. Peasant readers!
Okay, now that I've freaked out for a good... twelve seconds, *takes deep breath*
I'll see you next update! :)
figurative thumbs up for Harmon's salad bar! (seriously, I took myself on a taste-tastic journey with the salad I made... also, their soup is good too)
Lastly: ICE CREAM! Salad's okay and all, but also, figurative thumbs up for ice cream :3 Go to Cold Stone. And then let your taste buds scream for more.
okay I'm done being an idiotic lil' twit now. ;D
CK :*
p.s- ahem, next chapter = jealous Tora!