Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Hello, everyone. Sorry for vanishing for a month, but some aspects of this chapter were giving me fits and life kept getting in the way. Hopefully this chapter is well worth the wait. We finally address the love triangle and see what Naomi ultimately does.
Enjoy.
Yuki swallowed the knot in his throat. This was the most nervous he had ever been in his life. Nothing he had ever done before this got his heart racing to levels he had never reached before like today. Not even the fact he was about to play in a playoff game did that.
His palms were clammy as he struggled to hold the de-thorned rose in his hand. The carrot top stood outside the locker room wearing his warmup jacket and kit shorts. His teammates were inside waiting to be called out onto the pitch, but Yuki wanted to take care of this before anything else. Once he did, then he could focus on the game.
Naomi stood across the way, behind the bleachers just like he asked her to. Yuki was so transfixed by the sight of her that everything else faded away, including the nerves. They had been pretending to be together for almost three weeks now, and it was the most fun he'd ever had. It was just for pretend, of course, but as they went along, the lines between what was real and pretend blurred in his mind. He wanted to make their being together a reality.
Without a second to waste, the boy took a deep breath before walking over to his friend.
"Hey, Nomi," he said as he stepped in front of her. "Thanks for meeting me here."
Naomi smiled back. "Sure. Let's make this quick because you have a game to focus on, mister," she replied.
Yuki chuckled. "I know. I do too." He looked down at the rose in his hand, twisting the stem back and forth in his fingers as he did so. The boy took a deep breath and gave it to her. "This is for you."
Her eyes widened with joy as she took the rose from him.
"Thank you!" she said. "It's beautiful. I love it, Yuki."
Yuki smiled. "I'm glad to hear that." He rubbed his arm nervously. "Just a little token to show my appreciation for you after these last couple of weeks. Now that everybody has seemed to forget about those rumors."
"Thank goodness," Naomi sighed. "It was totally annoying, but I think we fooled them just enough to make them forget about it. Now, tomorrow we'll tell everyone that we broke up and that'll be the end of it."
His face fell. "But Nomi–"
"Yeah, I know. You wanted to go another week just to be extra sure," she said. "Yuki, we agreed that you'd pretend to be my boyfriend until the rumors go away, and guess what? No one's talking about them anymore."
Yuki chewed on the inside of his lip. He was worried she'd say that. A part of him wanted to just sink away and accept her position because they were best friends and he wanted it to stay that way. On the other hand, the fact he didn't do what he wanted to do would be on his mind the whole game, thereby detracting from his performance. His team was counting on him to come through, and he couldn't let them down.
He swallowed. "Actually, Nomi, I was wondering if we could actually make it real this time."
Naomi's face went blank. "Huh?" She then giggled. "There you go, at it again with that humor of yours. You're hilarious, Yuki." She threw a flirty winked his way with a chuckle. "Liked making out with me that much in school, huh? I don't blame ya. Those kisses were kinda hot. I might get jealous when you get a girlfriend."
"I'm not joking," he said firmly. "Please. Just hear me out."
Naomi's chuckle slowed as it appeared to dawn on her that she misunderstood. Her eyes widened and mouth dropped.
"Wait. Is this a confession? Are you really -" she looked away uneasy, not finishing her question. "The kisses, the hugs, the flirting - They were all fake. It meant nothing."
"Please?"
Naomi reluctantly nodded.
This was all he needed, and now he was really going to sell the pitch. He was short on time, so he really needed to make this count. His whole life could potentially ride on these next few words he would say.
"These last three weeks have been awesome," Yuki said. He scratched the back of his neck. "Even if we were only pretending to be together to help you out, it showed me just how compatible we could be as a couple, Nomi. So, even though we agreed to drop it after the rumors died down, I think I want to make this a real thing."
His face turned as red as his hair. He had finally said it. Hopefully she accepted it. With every kiss and every display of affection they had during that period, Yuki found himself falling more and more in love with Naomi than he previously thought was possible. He never wanted to be apart from her ever again. She was everything to him.
Naomi looked down at the rose then back up at him, seemingly conflicted. That didn't look good. He briefly panicked, thinking she was going to laugh in his face and tell him "Yeah, like I'd date you" or something to that effect.
She bit her lip with her eyebrows furrowed. "You…really like me?"
He nodded without hesitation. "I do like you. I adore you. Ever since we were little, it's always been the two of us together. We've had lots of great times together, and now I want to take things to the next level."
Yuki took her hands in his and held them. His eyes locked onto hers and stared deeply into them. He wanted to stay lost in those honey brown eyes forever.
"I never thought falling in love with my best friend would be so amazing," he said. "But I did. And after this pretend period, it confirmed everything I thought being with you would be. I want to make this real. I want you to be my girlfriend."
His blush deepened.
"I love you, Nomi."
Yuki let out a sigh of relief. He had finally done it. He had just confessed his love to Naomi Izumi, the most beautiful girl he had ever met in his life. Rather than being racked with anxiety, he now felt like an elephant had just been lifted off his shoulders. Just like his dad did when he asked his mom out, he had found the courage to do the same with Naomi.
His best friend, however, didn't respond right away. She looked down at their hands and then glanced to the side. Yuki swallowed nervously. That didn't seem like a good sign. The anxiety returned as she still didn't say anything after almost a minute.
"Say something," he said. "We don't have a lot of time here."
Naomi took a deep breath.
"I appreciate the kind words, Yuki. I really do," she said, "but this is all so sudden, you know? I need a little bit of time to think about this before I tell you anything. I'm not saying no, but just give me a chance to think it over. Okay?"
Yuki sighed sadly. It wasn't the answer he was hoping to hear, but it was still better than her rejecting him outright. That would have ruined his whole day. Without much of an option, he conceded.
"Okay. But try to give me an answer by tomorrow, please?"
She nodded. "Sure. I can do that." Her hand pushed on his shoulder. "Now get your butt back in that locker room. You've got a game to play, mister."
Yuki chuckled. "Yes, ma'am."
He gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading back to the locker room. It was now time to show off in front of Naomi and make her say yes.
He was going to win this game just for her.
Naomi held her breath as she knocked on the door to the Ishida apartment. She needed to speak to Kazu right away. After sitting through Yuki's entire soccer match – Bunkyo United won 1-0 with Yuki scoring the lone goal just before halftime – she avoided him at all cost while leaving to not give him a chance to corner her and browbeat her for an answer.
He'd do it too.
This was so weird. Yuki liked her? All those times he told her that he loved her, he really meant it? He was a lovable goofball most of the time, but during the three weeks they pretended to be together, she noticed a change in him. Maybe they had gone on too long, and it resulted in him actually catching feelings for her.
Naomi almost cursed herself out loud before hearing the door open.
"Naomi, what a pleasant surprise," Meiko greeted with that warm smile of hers. "How wonderful to see you."
The Izumi girl bowed slightly to Kazu's mother. At least she was the one who answered and not her blonde-headed son. Naomi wasn't sure what she wanted to say to him yet.
"Hi, Mrs. Ishida. Is Kazu back from Yuki's game yet? I had to run an errand for my mom, but I promised I'd come by to talk to him afterward."
Meiko nodded. "Yes, he's here."
She stepped aside for Naomi to come in, which she did.
As the two of them walked into the apartment, Naomi drowned deeply into her thoughts. How was she going to break this to Kazu? Would he be upset with her for not rejecting Yuki's advances? She knew how protective Kazu was over her, which she deeply appreciated. Naomi didn't want to start a war between the two of them. These were times where she normally would go to Shun for help, but she needed to know something from Kazu.
She found the blonde sitting in his bedroom playing a song on his bass. Matt stood in the corner, listening attentively to it. Neither of them seemed to notice her arrival. The older blonde's face was neutral with no discernable expression on his face. Contrary to him, Naomi found the song to be a real banger. She believed it was one of the best Kazu had written by far.
"So what do you think?" he asked his father once the song stopped.
One look at Matt told Naomi that he didn't seem particularly blown away by what he had heard. To her, it didn't matter what he thought; the song was amazing. She watched with sadness as Kazu's father shrugged.
"I think it sounds fine," Matt said. "I know that's what you want to do, but you're only twelve; keep your options open. You never know what'll come around."
His son frowned. Naomi could tell he was hurt by what he said, but didn't say anything.
"That's fine, Dad. I guess this is just something we're going to have to disagree on," Kazu said in what Naomi knew to be a bitter tone of voice. "Nothing you say is going to stop me from doing this."
Matt sat down and wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulder. "Kazuma, as someone who's been through that whole thing, I know what it's like to be in your shoes. You have your whole life ahead of you. Don't commit yourself to something yet." He smiled. "I'm only saying that because I love you."
Kazu gave a small smile. "I love you too, Dad."
Naomi waved when Matt looked up and saw her. He nodded in greeting and stood up, seemingly taking the hint.
"Keep the door open, you two," he teased.
She giggled.
"Dad!" Kazu cried, his cheeks a light shade of pink.
Once Matt had left, Naomi went straight for Kazu's vanity. She snatched his comb out of the holder and held it up in front of her mouth like a microphone. A song came rushing out of her mouth as she pranced around like she was an idol on stage performing for her legions of fans.
Kazu covered his mouth. Under it, Naomi heard him snort as he tried to suppress an inevitable torrent of giggles. She didn't mind, as she was self-conscious enough to know that her singing was nowhere close to being good enough to warrant the kind of reaction idol fans would have. Her mother was definitely the only songbird in the family, which was perfectly okay to her. Even so, the point of it wasn't to show how good of a singer she was. It was to make him laugh.
The façade of control collapsed on Kazu as he exploded with laughter. His laughter was so infectious she was having a hard time keeping control over her voice. Before long, she couldn't hold it anymore and laughed along with him. Her arms wrapped around his back as she fell on top of him, still laughing together.
"I'm sorry, Nomi, but if you think you're going to be an idol with me as your bass player, think again," Kazu gasped, rolling around in hysterics. "That was so bad."
"If it means getting you to laugh, I'll do what I have to do," Naomi replied. "And it worked. I got you to laugh."
"That you did."
The two soon stopped laughing. When she came down from the cloud she had been on for the past few moments, Naomi realized just how close she and Kazu were to each other. Though she was no longer on top, the Izumi girl still held onto his side. She was so close that she could smell the Axe body spray that the blonde used. It smelled like a bed of roses mixed with mint. Naomi liked it.
"It doesn't matter to me that your dad doesn't like you wanting to be a musician," she said. "I'll always be your number one fan in your corner cheering you on. No matter what."
Kazu grinned while raising an eyebrow in a teasing manner. "Because you'll always choose me?"
A smile crept upward. He remembered.
"Yep. I'll always choose you."
Her heart skipped a beat as their foreheads touched. This felt like the most natural thing in the world. Naomi felt in her heart that Kazu was the one she wanted to be with forever. There was so much to like about him that she didn't know where to begin.
Everything in her knew Shun was right. She needed to tell him how she felt. The unknown outcome was scary. It wasn't until after Shun explained why Kazu turned her down from helping with the fake dating that it made sense. At the same time, Naomi knew she couldn't handle rejection a second time.
Then again, if it wasn't for Yuki, they would've kissed during lunchtime. She was sure of it. Kazu had to have feelings for her. Shun practically told on him too.
And then there was the matter of Yuki. How she never saw that he liked her, and that Shiro was right this whole time, was beyond her. He was a flirt. So was she, but Yuki was also her best friend who joined her in whatever scheme or fun she got into.
This was going to hurt Yuki if Kazu said yes to her. Their perfect little best friend group may be forever altered. Was she ready to risk that?
She closed her eyes, enjoying being next to Kazu and feeling her forehead on his. Yeah. He was worth the risk.
"I have something to say," Kazu said in a hushed tone.
"Me first," Naomi responded in the same way.
He teased with a chuckle. "This is more important than wanting french fries again."
"First of all, nothing is more important than french fries," she joked while he grinned. "Second, mine is so much more important."
"I doubt it."
Naomi slightly pulled back laughing as she questioned. "Oh, really?"
"Really," he said, then held her at the waist. "It's something I've been wanting to say for a long time."
"Good. Then you can wait a little longer," Naomi said trying to contain her nervous excitement.
Kazu let out a weak groan of protest, in which Naomi commented.
"I'm not trying to tease. It's really important and I need to pick your brain."
"Fine. Shoot," he sighed. There was a pause until he followed with a confident smile, "You'll owe me french fries for making me wait."
"What?" Laughter sputtered from her.
Naomi could feel him tightening his hold on her waist as he responded with confidence.
"Yeah. Because I think I already know the answer."
Everything in her knew the question he was going to ask…but then again, what if she was wrong? Or, Kazu could chicken out and ask something from left field. She pressed her lips together in a thin line forcing herself to stay on track. Fear of rejection couldn't stop her.
"Until then," she teasingly flicked his arm, though his only reaction was a constant smile.
Naomi took a deep breath in.
"So here's the deal. I really like this guy. He's hot, blonde, got an amazing voice."
Kazu's eyes widened with joy. "Sounds familiar."
She smirked. "What I really like about him are things like this."
"Things?"
"Yeah. Like this. Laying next to each other like this. Or, yeah, I know sometimes I can get wrapped up in something, like you said today at lunch about tunnel vision. But he always snaps me out of it. I can be myself and rock out to anything while he's my audience. But my favorite thing?"
He cupped her cheek. His eyes had softened by this time. "Tell me."
Naomi blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her right ear.
"When I'm with you," she looked away for a few seconds, panicking that she referred to Kazu, but pushed through, "my heart found its home. You're the only one I've ever felt like that with. When I'm out in the world, everything is colorful and vibrating and exciting. Then I'm next to you and everything is calm and safe and…and I'm home."
Oh, man, she actually confessed! As much as she wanted to run away and scream from embarrassment, all it took was Kazu's thumb caressing that same cheek to calm herself.
"As much as I want to respond to that, why does there feel like there's a 'but'?"
A nervous smile appeared. "A but? There's no but."
"Nomi."
She cringed and used her thumb and pointer finger to indicate a small amount. "Well, there's this small issue."
"Uh-huh."
"Well, it's not even a small issue, really," she backtracked.
"Nomi, just tell me," he assured her. "I bet you're making it bigger than it really is."
She closed her eyes still cringing and blurted, "Yuki kissed me."
"Yeah? So? He's been doing that with this whole fake dating thing."
"No," she shook her head. "This time it was on the cheek and it was the real deal. And he confessed to me. I didn't know he actually liked me. I thought this whole time -"
"Nomi," he sighed, shaking his head, "he's liked you for a long time. You're the only one that hasn't realized it. When you asked him to help you with that, he was excited. Those kisses may not have been so innocent on his end."
"Yeah, I see that now," she admitted.
"So help me out here," Kazu said as that same hand that held her cheek slid down to hold her waist again. "If it's not even an issue, what does that have to do with us?"
"I'm…confused."
He paused with an eyebrow raised. "How?"
"I still mean everything I said about you, but there's a small part of me that's confused about Yuki now. I thought maybe if you and I kissed -"
Kazu instantly pulled away and sat up avoiding eye contact. He looked upset.
She sat up too. "What did I say?"
A brief shot of air from the blonde's nose hit her neck.
"Nomi, you're about to tell me that you want to date Yuki for real, aren't you?" he said.
Her mouth fell open confused. "What? No. That's not what I'm -"
"Then what is it, Nomi? You can't tell a guy you like them, but then say you're confused."
"My words are being twisted," she pleaded and reached out for his closest arm. "If you'd just listen -"
"I am listening," Kazu argued while yanking his arm away. "What's the point of getting my hopes up?"
Naomi jerked away shocked. Since when would he reject her touch? She repositioned herself to sit on her knees. This wasn't going as planned. He wasn't listening. How could he think she'd play with his emotions?
"Can we talk about this? I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm being honest. Haven't I been obvious? I want to pick you. I will always choose," she gently pressed her right index finger on the center of his chest, "you."
Kazu kept his gaze to the floor. He grimaced as if having an internal debate.
She couldn't tell what her best friend was thinking for the first time in her life. There were times she watched him place a wall up around others whether to zone out to recharge emotionally, or when Kazu wasn't a big fan of someone. But to see the one boy she cared deeply for do the same to her out of anyone else was truly heartbreaking.
"Kazu, tell me what you're thinking. Don't keep it inside," she begged and reached out for his arm again.
This time he didn't reject her touch.
He looked her in the eyes with distrust. "You'll always choose me, but you're confused. Almost had me there, Nomi."
"For crying out loud," she said exasperated. "All I'm asking is for a kiss! Help me make sure that I got caught up in the moment and that I really don't like him! Aren't you always telling me I need to think things through? For once, I'm trying to do that. I don't think what I'm asking is unreasonable."
Kazu locked eyes with hers. She watched him struggle on what he wanted, but at least he placed a hand on hers that still held his arm. He closed his eyes, fighting with himself again as her nerves rose.
That hurt.
"Forget it," Naomi said upset and backed away. "I guess I was wrong."
"Wait," he said. It was like her rejection was what snapped Kazu from his indecisiveness.
"For what?" Naomi stood shaking her head frustrated.
Kazuma stood and took a step forward. Naomi could've sworn he looked guilty.
"Sometimes I get jealous of what you both have, okay? When I heard you're confused, I doubted that you wanted to choose me."
She scrunched her eyebrows and folded her arms across her chest unsure how to react. Her frustration increased. "I'm not a liar."
He slightly flinched. "Yeah. I know. Can we try this again?"
Naomi didn't answer while observing her best friend. She wanted to say yes, but she was still too riled up from his prior rejection after pouring her whole soul to him.
He sighed, she assumed most likely from her silence.
"Come here," Kazu gently said, pulling her in for a hug. "I'm sorry."
She grunted in protest, but still accepted his hug. Everything in her wanted to stomp off, but Kazuma's hug was calming. This was the boy she knew. This was who she wanted to be with. This was home.
Maybe she didn't need that kiss to confirm after all.
She looked at him after feeling his hand slide to her cheek. He was leaning in closer. She closed her eyes waiting, her heart fiercely pounding against her chest.
Naomi decided then she definitely didn't need that kiss to confirm, but who was she to deny their first kiss?
Right as she could feel his breath graze her skin, her cell phone went off. The ringtone was one that she assigned for when Yuki called. In fact, all her close friends knew she had a specific one for each of them. Out of instinct, Naomi paused.
It was that pause that she would regret.
"Get out," Kazuma commanded after immediately pulling away.
"Huh?" It was the only response she could mutter, unsure of his change in attitude.
"Yuki's calling and you stopped when you heard it."
"Are you kidding me!" She shouted fed up. "It's a natural reaction! Anyone would! What is your problem?"
"Out."
The call ended.
Tears welled in her eyes. Maybe she really didn't know her best friend after all.
"Fine!" she shouted. "I'll leave! And you know what? Since you're so sure that I'd rather jerk you around and be with Yuki instead, maybe I'll do just that."
Kazuma rolled his eyes and stormed out of his room towards the front door. He opened it and motioned for her to leave.
Naomi could see his parents standing in the hallway with concern as she stormed after him, but in the heat of the moment she could care less as she continued her thought.
"I'll head right over to Yuki right now and tell him yes! That way you can keep being this victim and put me at the bad guy."
"Out!" He insisted.
She wiped her eyes as a sob escaped. "You're cruel."
Neither of them moved. Kazuma's facial expression began to soften, that is until she couldn't bear maintaining eye contact anymore as the sobs grew
"Um…Excuse me?" Meiko Ishida stood next to them speaking in a soft tone. Matt was at her side hugging an arm around her waist. "Whatever is happening, can we bring it to the table and talk it out?"
Neither responded.
Yuki's ringtone sounded once more. Naomi didn't bother to look up to see what Kazuma's new reaction would be this time. She slipped her shoes on while still sobbing.
"No, thank you," said Naomi. "I don't think Kazu wants to talk to me anymore."
"Naomi -"
She could hear the change of heart in Kazuma's voice, but Naomi was over it. She whipped around to face him furious.
"You know what really sucks? All it took was a dumb phone call to make you fickle."
"I got jealous again. I didn't mean -"
"I didn't lie, Kazu. I like you. You want me to be with Yuki? Fine! I'll go with Yuki!"
"Fine!" He yelled back. "See if I care!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!" Naomi stormed out.
The booming sound of a door slamming shut echoed in the sky. She jerked to a stop and dropped to her knees crying. That wasn't the best friend she knew and fell in love with. Who was that? How could she feel at home with him and homeless without him at the same time?
The worst part was that somehow she could sense he was telling the truth that he only acted like that from jealousy. It didn't mean she had to put up with that though.
Yuki's ringtone sounded again. It was Yuki's fault. If he didn't call, none of this would've happened.
She groaned. That wasn't true. Though bad timing, she couldn't blame him. Grabbing her phone, Naomi rejected the call and texted him.
I can't talk.
Brushing the dirt from her legs as she stood, Naomi heard him respond to her text. She checked it to see it asking why.
I got into a huge fight with Kazu.
She wanted to blurt out everything that happened after hitting the send button, but stopped herself short. Yuki was her other best friend, but things were different now that she found out he liked her. Besides, it was usually Shun – her third best friend, the one she always thought of as her older brother – that she'd go to for personal problems like this.
Seconds after sending the text he responded telling her to come over.
Did she want to?
No.
She looked longingly at the Ishida residence, debating if she should go back and apologize. That all changed when she saw Kazu watching her from the window scowling.
On second thought, yes, she wanted to go. Kazuma wanted to let his jealousy override what they have? Fine. And she'd make sure he'd regret every last hurtful word he said too.
What did she have to lose? It wasn't like the boy she was in love with wanted to be with her anyway. She could probably find a new home with Yuki anyway.
Whoa. Where did that thought come from? That wasn't true at all. As much as she wanted to stick it to Kazu and go out with Yuki just to spite him, Naomi never liked to lie to either of them.
She turned and headed home. What she really wanted was fresh, salty fries and sulk in her warm bed.
Another text from Yuki made its presence known. It insisted he knew she needed a hug and a chance to cry it out.
That was true.
Another text. He'd get her fries. Damn. How well did he know her?
A new one. It said he didn't need an answer from earlier and that he just wanted to be there for her.
Tempting. Maybe it would be okay? Besides, even if she wanted to vent to Shun instead, he told her earlier he had to visit his grandparents today.
It wasn't like she'd fall for Yuki anyway. Sure, he was fun and always down to go with whatever scheme she thought of. Sure, he drove her crazy at times, but he understood when she needed to let loose too.
There was no way she'd fall for him. Nope.
A new text. It said he'd be there for her to vent. He wanted to be her shoulder to cry on as long as she wanted him to.
She sobbed again. How could she argue with that? How could any girl argue with that? What if it was really possible that she could find a new home in Yuki?
Promise?
He wrote back one simple word: Promise.
Without a second thought, Naomi headed to Yuki's trying to swallow the sobs that kept coming. This would be an innocent visit. That's it. There wouldn't be any pressure to give an answer. She'd eat fries, vent and cry - only this time she wouldn't be alone.
And if her heart happened to find a new home in Yuki, well, she'd take it one step at a time.
Sora sat in bed reading her novel as she settled in for the evening. She heard the shower turn off in the master bathroom. Her husband was done with his shower and would probably be out any second.
It had been a weird day to say the least.
First, her mom asked her to come by the shop and watch it for a couple of hours. It wasn't long into that shift that she heard Kenya had thrown up at school, so she had to go get him and bring him back home.
Then she had to get Airi from kindergarten because Yuki and Tai were at the soccer game, start making dinner, take care of Kenya, and text Yuto to see how he was doing at school. She missed hearing his voice every day.
To top it all off, Yuki then announced to the family that he and Naomi were going out now.
Being a mom with three energetic kids at home took its toll on her, so she was ready for the day to be over.
The door to the master bathroom opened and there stood her husband with a towel around his waist. Even at forty-two, Tai still looked fit enough to continue playing soccer if he wanted. Her eyes traced the dragon tattoo that went from his left pectoral to the middle of his outer bicep. He told her he was thinking of getting something for the other pectoral, but she tried to nix that idea, saying that he had enough tattoos. It was still an ongoing battle.
Her husband was still the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on.
"Good shower?" she asked, looking back down at her novel.
"It was enjoyable," Tai replied nonchalantly. "Thanks for asking."
Sora heard him open drawers to dress himself. Temptation hammered her so hard that she couldn't help but give in and have a look at her husband dressing himself. He really was perfect in every way, no matter how many times she had seen him over the years. She kept her eyes glued to Tai as he made his way over to her and laid down on the bed, followed by his arm resting on her stomach.
"So Yuki and Naomi, huh?" Tai said with a chuckle. "Did you expect that to happen?"
Sora shrugged as she put her book on the bedside table. "Yuki's always been very fond of her," she said. "I can't say that I'm too surprised, but we have to remember that they're only twelve, Tai. These kinds of things don't last too long. I'd give it about two weeks or so, and then we'll see."
"We were fourteen when we started going out, and four kids later."
She giggled. "We were different."
"Not so much, my dear." Tai laid his head down on the pillow.
Taking a closer look, Sora saw his expression had changed. He was no longer being flirtatious. Instead, he looked worried.
"I know that Ken said the results were inconclusive, but I still don't feel safe," he said worriedly. "Someone out there has a grudge against me, and I don't even know who it is or why they do. You don't think it's Menoa do you?"
Sora's blood froze at the mention of their old adversary. Menoa Bellucci had unleashed a Digimon called Eosmon to claim the consciousness of the Destined Jedi so that they could serve her in a place called Neverland. She had been one of the Jedi that were captured before being rescued by Tai, Matt and Davis' team. The woman had been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in America and, according to Izzy, the prison she was housed in had the highest level of security.
"I don't think it's her," Sora said with a shake of her head. "She's in prison, Tai. I don't think they would have allowed her to send something like that out. Plus, wouldn't she want to leave her fingerprints on there, or any other signature of hers, so that way we knew it was her? She was brilliant, but she also seemed to be pretty brazen in her actions."
Her husband sighed and rubbed his face. "Yeah, you're right," he replied. "Other than her, I can't think of anyone else who'd target me directly. Anyone who is still alive that is."
"Maybe it was just a one-off thing. We haven't gotten any other letters since that one, so I don't think we have anything to worry about. People do crazy things for giggles these days."
She then remembered something she saw on television that day. "Have you heard about the thing that's vandalizing world monuments with red paint?"
He nodded. "Yes, I've heard about that. What an awful thing to do. Is nothing sacred anymore?"
"Tell me about it. They still haven't found any clues as to who could be doing it. The paint just appears out of nowhere it seems." Sora let out a sharp breath. "I hope they catch whoever is doing it soon."
She then yawned.
"Me too, but that's not our place."
Tai rolled over to face her as she settled in. He smiled his famous goofy grin at her – looking more tired than usual.
Sora couldn't help but laugh. "That grin of yours!" she cackled.
"What about it?"
"Nothing. I just find it funny. And the fact our kids have it too makes it–"
Sora yawned again.
"I think it's time for us to go to sleep," Tai said with a chuckle.
She reached over and shut the lamp off, blanketing her and her husband in darkness. The moonlight and lights from the city streamed in from the wall of windows on their right, serving as the only light in the room. Luckily, they were far enough away from any buildings that no one could peek in on their nocturnal activities.
"Good night, my orange star," Sora said, giving him a kiss.
Tai chuckled again. "Good night, my sky," he returned.
Sora fell asleep soon after.
Disgusting.
Their very presence was disgusting.
A figure dressed in a black cloak sat on a chair that it brought from the kitchen at the foot of Tai's and Sora's bed in silence. A dark mist fell from its cloak, floating along the floor as it drifted along. It memorized every feature of their faces as they rested in such heavenly peace. Must be nice; getting to sleep so restful knowing that you were loved.
The figure then leaned forward, contemplating their fates. Two hours in and it still wasn't sure what type of death it'd like to deliver to satisfy its thirst that would also fall in line with King Drasil's plan.
If it slit their throats, there was no challenge.
If it woke them for the sole joy of seeing the fear in their eyes as it slit their throats, it was slightly better, but still no challenge.
Nothing it thought of would be satisfying. Without their powers, they were mere humans that could be easily crushed like a cockroach.
It turned its head at the sound of the hallway toilet flushing. That was when it sensed three other beings in the apartment. Each with the same feeling as Tai and Sora.
The dark presence grinned to itself.
Their children. That was their weakness.
It could use the Force to pin Tai and Sora down to watch their children die. It would shiver with delight hearing them beg for mercy as it slit their kids in half one by one. It'd then kill the two of them to finish the job.
And then he'd move on to the Ishidas.
Then the Kidos.
Then the Izumis.
The Ichijoujis.
Davis Motomiya and his son.
The Takaishis.
Then Cody.
It grimaced. Cody not having children screwed that plan. That pathetic excuse of a human had nothing to live for. From what it observed, it appeared as though Cody treated the Ichijouji children like his own.
Would that be satisfying enough?
Of course not. What goes around comes around, and it wouldn't be complete.
Then again, it was willing to bet Cody still loved his ex-wife.
The plan was back on.
It stood and crept over to the sleeping couple with a menacing grin. The chaos that was about to ensue sent delightful shivers down its spine. Unhooking its lightsaber from its waist, it took one deep breath in to steady itself.
Let the show begin.
It stepped into the hallway and faced four doors. Choosing the first door on the left, it opened it and crept inside. No one was in bed. This room must have belonged to whoever it was that flushed the toilet. It waited a few seconds, but no one came through the door. The cloaked figure left the room just as quietly as it entered.
Choosing the next door, it opened it to find a boy with orange hair like Sora asleep in bed.
Perfect.
Right as it lifted its hand to use the Force, it hesitated. A strong energy surrounded the boy. What was this? The Force was strong with this child? How could it?
It recoiled in disgust. This must be the work of Gennai. That damn bastard was still in hiding. The longer they couldn't find Gennai, the higher the chance King Drasil's plans would be foiled, meaning the cloaked figure wouldn't be able to fulfill its part.
It took every ounce of strength in the cloaked figure to not roar in anger.
Perhaps slitting the former Destined Jedi throats as it first contemplated would be satisfying enough until King Drasil could deal with this new Force user and any other new Jedi that Gennai may have had a hand in.
Another flush came from the hallway toilet. It headed toward Tai's and Sora's bedroom again activating its lightsaber. There were about to be three new orphans tonight.
It snarled, raising its arm about to deliver a fatal blow to Tai Kamiya until King Drasil's voice entered its mind.
Stop!
'No!' the cloaked figure responded, pausing in mid-swing. 'I was promised revenge! What goes around comes around!'
Fool! Killing someone in their sleep is cowardly. Wake them however you wish, but do not fight with dishonor.
Before the cloaked figure could argue, it felt the Force push its saber-wielding arm away from the sleeping couple. It gritted its teeth doing its best not to yell its frustration. There was no use in waking them up, because then that would create an assortment of new problems.
'We have bigger problems than fighting with dishonor,' the cloaked figure argued. 'The Force is strong with one of their children.'
What? How is that possible when I've subdued Homeostasis?
There was a pause.
Unless Gennai-
'That is my thought as well.'
Abort your mission. Return immediately. We must investigate how many new Destined Jedi exist other than this child before they can gather and stop us. Then you may do what you wish with them, my noble assassin.
As much as the cloaked figure wanted to disobey, it was better to know all about the enemy before engaging in battle.
'As you wish, my lord,' the figure replied reluctantly.
It disengaged its lightsaber and opened a portal. The dark mist that covered the floor gathered around the figure's form as it backed into the portal. It stepped through and turned to face the couple one last time only to find a small girl, also with orange hair, staring back in complete utter fear at her parent's bedroom door.
A menacing smile emerged as it brought an index finger to its lips and shushed her. Much to its delight, she did the opposite and screamed. It closed the portal just as the adults jerked awake.
Two hours wondering on how to torture the couple only for a child to bring slight satisfaction.
He'd take it.
The hunt was only just beginning.
That it has. What will this mysterious presence do next, and how will the kids be roped into this? Find out as we move along on Destined Jedi: Next Generations.
Hope that makes up for the long absence. I will say that updates will be inconsistent compared to the past, but I am still very committed to writing this story. Hopefully I am over my mental blocks, but I can't guarantee anything sadly. Big thanks to Music Chick for helping with finishing the chapter.
As always, be sure to leave a review and subscribe. Until we meet again next time, my friends.
Tootles.