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How the straight line curves.
Chapter One
“Anno, Naimo-kun…” the teacher muttered as said teen walked into the classroom. The teacher had her head down, and was clutching her textbooks to her chest. She reached up one hand and brushed away the hair from her face as she tried again. “Naimo-kun, I need to speak with you a moment, please.”
The long-haired teen excused himself from his previous conversation and whirled around to face his teacher. “Yes, Hawataki-sensei?” he offered her his best smile “What do you need?”
Hawataki nervously pulled at her shirt, and looked up at her previously straight A student. She glanced at her desk and sat the textbooks down to grab a manila folder. The teacher flipped through the pages wedged inside, every-now-and-then cautiously sneaking peeks at the teen in front of her. “Ah, here it is.” She held out a paper clipped packet and handed it to her student. “Now, Naimo-kun, please don’t get too disappointed at the grades. You can always redo them later.” She placed the folder back on her desk.
The long-haired teen pulled a chunk of his thick, black hair forward and wrapped it around his finger as he accepted his packet. Worry etched into his flawless features. He turned over the packet and nearly dropped it when he saw the figures written in red ink.
A 12%??? How? “Sensei? I don’t understand. I know I studied for these tests. How did I get such terrible grades?”
“Naimo-kun… like I said, you can re-take them if you wish. But, I’m going to need to assign you a temporary tutor. At least until you can pull your grade back up to a C+. Those scores brought your over-all grade down considerably.” She took the tests back and filed them into her folder. “Is that okay? If I get you a tutor, I mean?” She looked at the still shocked ebony-haired teen, waiting for an answer.
He crossed his arms and leaned on one foot in thought. “Sure, that’s fine.”
He walked to his seat as the last bell of the day rang for the second time. He could feel everyone in the room staring at him on his way. As he plopped down in his chair in the back, he pulled his hair out from under his butt and placed it over the back of the chair.
The rest of class happened without incident. On his way out, the ebony-haired teen was called, yet again, to the teachers’ desk. “Naimo-kun, I’ve decided on a suitable tutor for you. Would you like to be introduced to him?” She gave a little wave directed at the door. The teen turned to be face-to-face with his new student-teacher. The tutor was noticeably taller than him. “Naimo-kun, I believe you’ve already met Akawa-kun. He sits in the back of the room, too.” She paused to let the information sink in. “Well, I’ll let you boys plan out what you’d like to do. Please take your time. I’ll be in the copier room if you need anything.” She smiled at them both and headed out with some paperwork.
The taller boy spoke first. “Hello, I’m Souta Akawa. Nice to, uh… meet you.” He held out his hand in greeting. The ebony-haired boy shook it.
“I’m Atsuki Naimo, nice to meet you too. Now, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t remember seeing you in this class before. Sorry.” He shrugged apologetically.“Nah, that’s okay. I hardly ever speak unless I’m answering a question.” He turned and pointed to a seat opposite from where Atsuki sits. “I sit pretty far from you anyway, and we don’t sit near each other at lunch, so I figured you wouldn’t know me.” He turned back to Atsuki “But we can get to know one another better now, I guess.”
The ebony-haired teen nodded, smiling ever so slightly. This was the first time anybody was ever nice to him before shunning him. He had always been an outcast. In home, school, anywhere. He was the known as the quiet, ‘I don’t know you so go away’ type. Atsuki took a pencil from his uniform pocket and took a seat near Souta. “So, how old are you anyway?”
Souta was inscribing something in his little notebook when the question was asked. “What?” he looked up to find the other boy playing with his pencil.
Atsuki looked away, twirling the pencil in his fingers. “Uh, I mean… I just turned seventeen, so I was wondering how old you were.” After seeing the blank stare from his tutor, he spoke back up “You don’t have to answer that; forget I said anything.” The pencil was spinning even faster than before.
Souta smiled and chuckled in spite of himself. “I’m still sixteen. I won’t be seventeen for a few more months.” He then pointed to the blank paper on the desk in front of him. “C’mon, let’s figure out when we want to study together.”
“But I thought you were like some ‘super smart’ kid. Why do we both need to study?” Atsuki had scooted the desk he was in closer and was halfway leaning on Soutas’ desk. “I thought you were just supposed to help me.”
“Where’d you get that idea from? I might have better grades than you, but if we’re ever gonna do better, we’re doing it together, alright? Now let’s figure out the times we can meet.”
“Oh.” Atsuki stopped spinning his pencil and laid it down on the old, wooden desk. “Well, I’m good after school every day.” The long-haired teen repositioned himself and sat up straight. “I don’t care about the times, just fix it to whatever works for you.” He slumped down in his chair again and looked over as the other boy ran his hands through his short, brown hair.
“Okay, I guess we can meet up after school and go to my house for oh, how ‘bout two hours every school day? ‘That sound good to you?”
“Sure.” Atsuki bent down, gathered his things and headed for the door. Souta slipped the paper in his notebook and grabbed his coat.
“Hold up there. Why don’t we start tonight? My parents don’t get home ‘till late, so there should be no interruptions. How ‘bout it?” Souta said
Atsuki sighed. All he really wanted to do right then was go and get a nice, hot shower and take a nap on the couch. But, now that it was offered, maybe doing something different could do him some good. Besides, that way he would have a good excuse for being late for dinner when his mom nagged at him about ‘where have you been?’ and ‘what have you been doing this whole time?’ He figured he could deal with studying for an hour or two. “Whatever…”
As the boys walked down the sidewalk, the sky started gradually getting darker, and thunder crashed and rolled. “We’d better hurry. I think it’s going to rain.” Souta pointed out.
The long-haired boy turned to face his companion. “Really?” his question was laced with sarcasm. “Boy, I guess it’s a good thing that you’re so sharp with noticing these sort’a things!” He ran up ahead of Souta and turned around, walking backwards. “Or we would’ve been soaked!” And just as he said those words, the clouds opened up and let out all their stored tears down upon him.
The two burst through the door of Soutas’ house dripping wet, cold, and hungry. Why they were hungry, neither of them knew. But if they ever wanted to re-tell the story, it just seemed to fit. Souta slipped off his shoes and ran down the hallway and disappeared behind a door. Atsuki also removed his shoes and used this opportunity to explore a bit. He placed his wet bag on the floor near a chair and opened a door on his left. So this is the kitchen? It’s so clean! Almost like nobody lives here… The long-haired boy made his way to the refrigerator and pulled it open. The crisp, clean light filled the room as he squatted down to look at the lower shelves, searching for something to eat.
“So, we know each other two hours and already you’re mooching offa me.” Souta announced from the doorway “I see how it is.” he said playfully as he quickly cleared the space between them to hand a towel over to Atsuki. “Here. Dry off a bit, then we can study.” He walked back out leaving the ebony-haired boy standing there holding a big, white, fluffy towel.
It took Atsuki three tries to find Soutas’ room. The house didn’t make it very easy to find your way around. The only open space in his house was the entrance way and the long hallway that stretched the length of the place. So, Atsuki figured he could just open the doors until he found the correct place. He had found the dinning room, the bathroom and what looked to be Soutas’ parents’ room. Said boys’ room was at the very end of the hall. After he walked through the right door, he shut it, figuring that’s what would’ve been asked of him. Souta looked up from his papers and beckoned Atsuki over to the bed where he sat criss-cross with papers spread out in front of him in a rainbow-like manner.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you where my room was. Slipped my mind I guess.” Atsuki noticed that he had changed out of his navy blue school uniform and into some loose fitting grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. “So, what do you want to work on first?”
Atsuki placed his things on the bed and patted the leg of his pants. They, along with the rest of him, where still wet. “Uh, this might be weird to ask you this, but would you mind it if I borrowed a change of clothes? I mean, we still have two hours here, and these wet pants are starting to rub…” he looked down, and shuffled his feet.
Even before his partner had finished, Souta was already up and digging through his drawers. “One sec.” he starting flinging clothes out now and one pair of shorts almost hit Atsuki square in the face. “I know it’s in here somewhere.” He flung one last thing and then turned around with an “Ah-ha!” he handed Atsuki a pile of messed up clothes and shoved him out the door and pointed. “Bathroom. Be back before I finish this next math problem.”
“But which-“
“The third door from the end on the right.”
Atsuki stood out there in the hall thinking about the course of events that had brought him to his current situation. The way everything had started off indicated that things where going to get even more interesting as time continued to tick on by.
Chapter 2
A few weeks have gone by, and the final quarter of the year for the students of Blue Valley High was coming to a close. The days were slowly getting warmer, and the students were all up and ready for summer break to start. Atsuki had finally managed to raise his grades back up with the help of Soutas’ tutoring. The two had become pretty good friends since then. Hawataki-sensei was rather upset at hearing that she didn’t need to have anyone help Atsuki anymore. She had watched Atsuki make his first friend this entire year, and now she had to split them up. Maybe the studying time was all they had together, maybe they’d drift apart, and Naimo-kun would be lonely and depressed again. She couldn’t bare that, and she dreaded this Monday; the day she’d inform them of no longer needing to study together.
As she walked into the empty classroom at some ungodly hour of the morning, her little speech to the boys ran through her head. She would approach them and smile brightly then say ‘First, Naimo-kun, I’d like to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule everyday to study with Akawa-kun. The principals and I, as well as your other teachers, feel that you no longer need a tutor. And Akawa-kun, thank you for tutoring him. This improved both of your scores greatly, just make sure you keep it up okay?’ then she’d smile again and dismiss her students to their desks. Simple as that.
When the last bell of the day rang for the first time, students began to pile in to their respective classrooms. The long-haired teen and his tutor were chatting happily as they entered the room. Seeing this, Hawataki-sensei felt her heart drop a little as she got ready for what she was about to do. The boys split up as they went to their seats at opposite ends of the room. The teacher stood up and slowly made her way to the center of the room as the final bell sounded.
“Well I don’t care if you’ve asked me out four times already! I said no you jerk!” A blond-haired girl shouted from where she stood, pointing an accusing finger at a nearby boy. “How many times must I tell you? No! No, no, no, no, NO!” She made her way to the boy she was pointing at and leaned over his desk shouting in his cherry-red face. He looked mortified. Atsuki had covered his ears and looked over towards the exploding girl, happy he wasn’t in that guys’ place. The blond huffed and sat back down with her arms crossed and flicked her head in the direction opposite the boy she’d just been yelling at. Hawataki-sensei shook her head and sighed. That girl, Yasashii-chan, Nami Yasashii, just ruined her only chance to break the news to the boys. She hoped that she’d build up enough courage to tell them tomorrow. Somebody coughed, waking her from her thoughts and causing her to look the waiting class and thus return to teacher mode. Atsuki was unusually tired after school today and lazily gathered his belongings after class ended. He was about halfway to the door before the blond that had been screeching earlier popped right in front of him, smiling widely. “Hello! You’re uhh… Naimo-kun right?” she looked at his face and frowned “You don’t have to look so disgusted. I just asked you a question.”
Atsuki rolled his eyes. He really wanted to be somewhere else right now. “Look, I don’t know who you are, so can I please just go home? I need to meet up with Souta later anyway.” He tried pushing his way by her, failing terribly when she blocked the door using her friends as a barricade. The line of three girls, all giggling, made the ebony-haired teen nervous. He was searching for an opening when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him in surprise.
“Can you girls please excuse us? We have to go.” Souta moved in front of a confused Atsuki and directed his question to the blond in particular. He seemed serious.
Atsuki leaned forward so that his mouth was closer to Soutas’ ear. “I didn’t know you were still here. How come you haven’t left yet?”
“I was trying to finish a paper.” Souta said over his shoulder. Atsuki nodded knowingly. “So,” he said to the girl “What is it that you want ….. uh..”
“It’s Nami.” She stepped forward and tilted her head in a flirty manner. All I wanted to ask is if you boys could tutor me for the final tests that the teachers are going to pile on us in the last minute. You see, I heard that your grades were really going up, and I wondered if it might work for me also.” She moved even closer to Souta “Please?” she asked sweetly
Souta furrowed his brow and took a step back, turning around as he did so. ‘What do you think? Should we help her?” he asked Atsuki. The long-haired boy crossed his arms and thought.
“It’s not like we can just deny her our help. I guess it couldn’t hurt.”
“Sure. We’ll help you.” Souta announced.
Nami smiled a huge smile and spun around to her friends. “Hey, great news girls! They accepted my offer! They’re gonna help us!” the girls all squealed and jumped up and down. They continued this for quite some time before Soutas’ question interrupted them.
‘’Us’? We only agreed to help you out, Nami. Not your friends too.” Souta tried hard not to feel sorry for the blonds’ friends when he saw their once lit-up faces turn sour.
Namis’ mouth opened up and then went all pouty, Atsuki observed. “But, but… I thought…” she shrugged her shoulders, and with a disapproving glance towards Souta, she turned back to her friends and slowly shook her head ‘no’. The two girls looked sadder then ever as they left the room. Once Nami was sure they were out of ear-shot, she smiled and said, “Well, that takes care of them, I guess!” she paused, noticing the strange glances the boys were giving each other. “Oh, really now. How can three girls and two boys in one bedroom possibly get anything done?” She scooted closer over to Atsuki and smirked “If ya know what I mean, that is…” she giggled quietly before slapping her hands together and saying “So, where to now? Show me the way guys!”
Atsuki and Souta looked at one another from the corner of their eyes and both said, “Bubbly isn’t she?” they turned their heads and stared behind them at the blond, giggling, smiling-up-to-her-ears-girl that they had to tutor. Oh joy. Chapter 3
Nami followed closely behind Atsuki and Souta, constantly switching her glace from the long, flowing black hair to the short brown hair in front of her. She repositioned the strap of her over-the-shoulder bag and made an impatient noise deep within her throat. Atsuki rolled his eyes and Souta just sighed. They’d only been walking maybe ten minutes and already Nami was getting on their nerves. She hadn’t said anything yet, but the boys were expecting something from her soon. Nami stopped outside the old coffee shop when they passed by it. The building had been around far longer then anybody in town. It was made out of rusty colored bricks and dark wood. The inside always smelled rather stuffy and of coffee beans and old people. There were large rounded tables situated in such a way that if you scooted back your chair more than five inches, you’d always back up into someone. The wallpaper was ancient, probably the original stuff they put in when the place was built. The walls were a pale green with ghost images of coffee cups and old 30’s cars. And even with all those faults, it was the best place to get coffee. They had so many flavors and types of coffee; you could order something different for every day of the year. And it was cheap, too. Nami looked behind her at the still walking boys and shouted “Hey! You guys! Wanna get some coffee for the road?”
Atsuki turned around and shouted back over the traffic “Yeah, sure! I’d love something to drink right now.” He reached back and grabbed Souta’s arm and pointed to the shop to answer his confused look.
The boys opened the old door and were greeted with the smell of someone’s freshly made cappuccino. They searched for Nami, stopping when they spotted her sitting at a table in the back, fixing her light-pink lipstick. She looked up happily when she heard them approaching. “Good idea huh? I love coming here after school. Don’t you?” she patted the seat next to her and smiled at Atsuki. He looked at Souta a brief second before shrugging and sitting down. Souta took the seat across from them.
“I hope your buying, Nami. I don’t have any money on me.” Souta announced while gazing at the small menu propped up next to the cream, sugar, etc.
“Oh! Of course I have money silly! See?” at ‘see’ she held up her fuzzy, dark-pink wallet with tiger stripes in a lighter shade of pink.
“You’ve got to be kidding….. that’s your wallet?” Atsuki asked
Nami smiled brightly and waved it in front of his face. “Yup. I bought it on sale a few months ago.”
“That’s probably why it was on sale….”
“Hey look you-“
“Excuse me; what would you like to order?” A waitress holding a small pad of paper asked
Souta took one last look at the menu before saying “Um, yes. I’d like a ‘Mocha Cappuccino’, please.” He smiled at the lady and went back to work at the miniature trench he had been carving into the wood grain with his thumb nail.
Atsuki sat in thought a moment before saying “Maple Macchiato, please.” He looked around the restaurant while waiting for Nami to make her decision. She had plucked the menu from its stand and was staring at it intently. Finally, she looked up and said “Well, I guess I’ll just be boring and get the usual, Kisa. Thanks!” She smiled and waved at the dark-haired waitress as she walked off. She turned back to the boys and received some odd looks. “What? I already told you I come here every day after school. So what’s your problem?” Nami seemed rather annoyed.
Souta just shook his head and dug around in his school uniform pockets for something. Atsuki noticed this and watched him, completely ignoring Nami. Souta pulled a red bandana from his pocket and twisted it in his hands. He folded it like a bracelet, a blindfold, and even a flag before the coffee arrived. When ‘Kisa’ handed him his coffee, he shoved the still folded bandana in his pocket and accepted his drink, smiling at her.
The three drank their coffee and talked about anything but studying. Soon enough, it was time to leave the shop and start heading home, well to Souta’s home anyway. They’d spent way too much time at the coffee shop because the sun started going down even before the got to Souta’s place, and they still had two hours of studying to do. There was a crisp wind rolling through the streets and into the trees; stirring the creatures dwelling there. The cracked concrete under the group’s feet was cooling down from a day baking in the sun. The three arrived at Souta’s front door relatively soon after almost getting run over by some drunken freak who decided driving on the sidewalk was a good idea. Nami stood gaping at the size of the house and Atsuki sympathized with her, remembering his first visit here, and getting terribly lost. He walked over to her and whispered in her ear “Just ask Souta where a certain room is ‘cause I still get lost in this place. Okay?”
She looked over at him, a bit startled, and shook her head ‘yes’. They walked inside once Souta bothered to get his keys out and open the door. He placed his pack alongside the entrance way with his shoes and wandered off down the hall. Nami watched as Atsuki joined his pack with the other one and stood out of the way and waited for her. She paused for a moment then placed her bag on the floor as well. “I guess we should just go to his room and wait for ‘em there.” Atsuki said, turning around. He slipped off his shoes and started walking down the hallway. She followed, shoeless as well. At the end of the hall, Atsuki stood in front of Souta’s bedroom door and knocked. No answer. He opened the door and went inside.
His bedroom was very neat and tidy. Everything was in its proper place: books in the bookshelf, pencils in a little cat-shaped holder on a desk, the chair pushed all the way in, the bed made like a hotel worker would have made it, clothes in the hamper, and all drawers in the dresser pushed in and none overflowing. If only my room looked like this all the time… Atsuki thought.
He took his books and papers and placed them on the desk near the door and plopped himself down on the navy blue bed, ruffling the sheet a bit. Nami looked horrified that the ebony-haired boy would dare do such a thing; at least until Souta waltzed in and did the same, almost bumping into Atsuki as he did so. The bed sheets were a complete mess now. Nami shrugged and jumped on the bed, joining in on the fun as well. She ended up to the right of Atsuki, who was momentarily being smothered by a pillow (courtesy of Souta), and joyfully took part in the-killing-of-the-long-haired-boy. Atsuki struggled and finally broke free of the two would-be murderers. Souta and Nami both looked at Atsuki and burst out laughing.
His hair had come loose of it usual ponytail during the goofing around and now he looked like a girl. His hair was free and flowing around his face and body. He didn’t seem to notice why they were laughing so hard until he turned his head and was greeted with a mass of thick, black hair. Wonderful… He stood up off the bed and grabbed his hair in both hands and said “Can you guys calm down for a minute and help me find my hairpiece, please?” Souta and Nami quieted down enough to hear him then started giggling again. Nami looked down and groped underneath the pillows. “Guys, I need that hairpiece, can you please look for it?” Nami grasped something in her hand and held it up.
“Oh, you mean this hairpiece?” She swayed the black rubber band back and forth in front of Atsuki, making him grab for it. This caused him to let go of his hair and it once again fell into his face. “Well, I’m sorry, but you can’t have it.” She brought the rubber band up to her blond hair and made a small ponytail with the top layer of her hair. Just to spite Atsuki. He huffed, grabbed his hair again and sat down on the edge of the bed. Souta looked at the clock and smacked a pillow to get everyone’s attention.
“Okay people! Play time’s over! We have an hour and-a-half to get studying. Let’s get to work!” He took the spread-out pillows and squished them between his back and the wall. He put the papers on the bed and got some clipboards to right on. Nami followed his example and began working on an assignment. Atsuki sighed and pulled all of his hair over his left shoulder. At least it will be out of the way. He too began working.
The time passed quickly during Nami’s first visit. (she even got a free hairpiece.) Souta had offered her to stay over for dinner. Atsuki normally did because his mother didn’t get home 'til late, and she wouldn’t let him turn on the gas to cook something. He normally ended up eating cold rice, or some bread or something. He hardly ever had meat on weekdays. But when he told Souta this, (who told his parents) the brown-haired boy insisted that he stay for dinner. Atsuki couldn’t argue with him, so he just accepted the offer. Nami had declined, saying that if she didn’t get going just then, she’d be late for her own dinner. Souta told her that after a study session, she could stay for dinner whenever she’d like.
Souta’s mom got home about twenty minutes after Nami left. She was a woman of slight build, had brownish-blond hair down to her shoulders, and was wearing what looked to Atsuki to be a woman’s business suit. Atsuki noticed that Souta looked very much like his mother. His father was a much bigger man than he’d ever be who stood 6’5”. He was the burly type, even if he was a lawyer. This man also had sort of strawberry-blond hair, very different from Souta’s. Even so, his father’s temperament was very much the same. His mom’s name was Shieri, and his father’s Youki. They were very nice people, Atsuki had come to learn.
Souta helped his mother cook while Atsuki set the table. They had to change out the pillows on the chairs to something more suitable for a guest, even though Atsuki didn’t mind one bit. Shieri was very particular about things when the Naimo boy was over, though Souta didn’t know why.
The dinner consisted of ‘surprise onigiri’ and some steaks. Although it was a rather simple meal, the taste was excellent and it was filling. His hair had come loose of it usual ponytail during the goofing around and now he looked like a girl. His hair was free and flowing around his face and body. He didn’t seem to notice why they were laughing so hard until he turned his head and was greeted with a mass of thick, black hair. Wonderful… He stood up off the bed and grabbed his hair in both hands and said “Can you guys calm down for a minute and help me find my hairpiece, please?” Souta and Nami quieted down enough to hear him then started giggling again. Nami looked down and groped underneath the pillows. “Guys, I need that hairpiece, can you please look for it?” Nami grasped something in her hand and held it up.
“Oh, you mean this hairpiece?” She swayed the black rubber band back and forth in front of Atsuki, making him grab for it. This caused him to let go of his hair and it once again fell into his face. “Well, I’m sorry, but you can’t have it.” She brought the rubber band up to her blond hair and made a small ponytail with the top layer of her hair. Just to spite Atsuki. He huffed, grabbed his hair again and sat down on the edge of the bed. Souta looked at the clock and smacked a pillow to get everyone’s attention.
“Okay people! Play time’s over! We have an hour and-a-half to get studying. Let’s get to work!” He took the spread-out pillows and squished them between his back and the wall. He put the papers on the bed and got some clipboards to right on. Nami followed his example and began working on an assignment. Atsuki sighed and pulled all of his hair over his left shoulder. At least it will be out of the way. He too began working.
The time passed quickly during Nami’s first visit. (she even got a free hairpiece.) Souta had offered her to stay over for dinner. Atsuki normally did because his mother didn’t get home 'til late, and she wouldn’t let him turn on the gas to cook something. He normally ended up eating cold rice, or some bread or something. He hardly ever had meat on weekdays. But when he told Souta this, (who told his parents) the brown-haired boy insisted that he stay for dinner. Atsuki couldn’t argue with him, so he just accepted the offer. Nami had declined, saying that if she didn’t get going just then, she’d be late for her own dinner. Souta told her that after a study session, she could stay for dinner whenever she’d like.
Souta’s mom got home about twenty minutes after Nami left. She was a woman of slight build, had brownish-blond hair down to her shoulders, and was wearing what looked to Atsuki to be a woman’s business suit. Atsuki noticed that Souta looked very much like his mother. His father was a much bigger man than he’d ever be who stood 6’5”. He was the burly type, even if he was a lawyer. This man also had sort of strawberry-blond hair, very different from Souta’s. Even so, his father’s temperament was very much the same. His mom’s name was Shieri, and his father’s Youki. They were very nice people, Atsuki had come to learn.
Souta helped his mother cook while Atsuki set the table. They had to change out the pillows on the chairs to something more suitable for a guest, even though Atsuki didn’t mind one bit. Shieri was very particular about things when the Naimo boy was over, though Souta didn’t know why.
The dinner consisted of ‘surprise onigiri’ and some steaks. Although it was a rather simple meal, the taste was excellent and it was filling. His hair had come loose of it usual ponytail during the goofing around and now he looked like a girl. His hair was free and flowing around his face and body. He didn’t seem to notice why they were laughing so hard until he turned his head and was greeted with a mass of thick, black hair. Wonderful… He stood up off the bed and grabbed his hair in both hands and said “Can you guys calm down for a minute and help me find my hairpiece, please?” Souta and Nami quieted down enough to hear him then started giggling again. Nami looked down and groped underneath the pillows. “Guys, I need that hairpiece, can you please look for it?” Nami grasped something in her hand and held it up.
“Oh, you mean this hairpiece?” She swayed the black rubber band back and forth in front of Atsuki, making him grab for it. This caused him to let go of his hair and it once again fell into his face. “Well, I’m sorry, but you can’t have it.” She brought the rubber band up to her blond hair and made a small ponytail with the top layer of her hair. Just to spite Atsuki. He huffed, grabbed his hair again and sat down on the edge of the bed. Souta looked at the clock and smacked a pillow to get everyone’s attention.
“Okay people! Play time’s over! We have an hour and-a-half to get studying. Let’s get to work!” He took the spread-out pillows and squished them between his back and the wall. He put the papers on the bed and got some clipboards to right on. Nami followed his example and began working on an assignment. Atsuki sighed and pulled all of his hair over his left shoulder. At least it will be out of the way. He too began working.
The time passed quickly during Nami’s first visit. (she even got a free hairpiece.) Souta had offered her to stay over for dinner. Atsuki normally did because his mother didn’t get home 'til late, and she wouldn’t let him turn on the gas to cook something. He normally ended up eating cold rice, or some bread or something. He hardly ever had meat on weekdays. But when he told Souta this, (who told his parents) the brown-haired boy insisted that he stay for dinner. Atsuki couldn’t argue with him, so he just accepted the offer. Nami had declined, saying that if she didn’t get going just then, she’d be late for her own dinner. Souta told her that after a study session, she could stay for dinner whenever she’d like.
Souta’s mom got home about twenty minutes after Nami left. She was a woman of slight build, had brownish-blond hair down to her shoulders, and was wearing what looked to Atsuki to be a woman’s business suit. Atsuki noticed that Souta looked very much like his mother. His father was a much bigger man than he’d ever be who stood 6’5”. He was the burly type, even if he was a lawyer. This man also had sort of strawberry-blond hair, very different from Souta’s. Even so, his father’s temperament was very much the same. His mom’s name was Shieri, and his father’s Youki. They were very nice people, Atsuki had come to learn.
Souta helped his mother cook while Atsuki set the table. They had to change out the pillows on the chairs to something more suitable for a guest, even though Atsuki didn’t mind one bit. Shieri was very particular about things when the Naimo boy was over, though Souta didn’t know why.
The dinner consisted of ‘surprise onigiri’ and some steaks. Although it was a rather simple meal, the taste was excellent and it was filling. “Thank you very much. Your cooking is as good as ever Shieri-san.” Atsuki said as he gathered his things by the door, preparing to leave.
“Oh, it’s no problem. We like having you over, right Sou-chan?” she directed her question at Souta who stood there embarrassed at the use of nickname if front of his friend. He nodded at his mother. She looked a little displeased that he didn’t say anything, but she just turned back around to Atsuki. “Alright now. I’m going to clean up the kitchen. Sou-chan, see him off won’t you?” With that she stepped through a doorway, closing the door behind her.
Atsuki swung his pack over his shoulder and opened the door. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at school.” He opened the screen door and glanced back at Souta.
“See ya, ‘Sou-chan’.” Atsuki was then pushed out the door by one very upset Souta. He was laughing when he heard the door slamming behind him.
Chapter 4
Atsuki took in a lung-full of the crisp night air. Even if it was going to be summer in a little while, the nights were still as chilly as ever. Atsuki pulled the hood of his jacket up and jammed his hands in his pockets. He could hardly see the dim light of the street lamps lining the sidewalk he was currently on. Some passing cars zoomed by him as he found a light to stand under to check the time. He removed his left hand from the warm pocket and squinted at the little hands. 8:30 already? Geez, I need to get home before Mom gets hysterical. She’ll probably think I got kidnapped or somethin’. He gave his hand back to the warmth of his jacket and continued on his way back home.
It was nearing 9:00 by the time Atsuki started opening his front door. Even before he got a chance to completely unlock it, his mom yanked the door open and pulled Atsuki inside. He dropped his bag and spun around to face his fuming mother, bracing for the admonishment that he knew was coming. She stood, her short hair slightly standing, like an alarmed dog, with her hands on her hips in a threatening way. Then, it started.
“How many times do I have to tell you? You can’t be staying out like that whenever you please! Do you know how worried your Father and I get? Why I never-“
Although Atsuki knew he shouldn’t have, he cut her off. “Dad’s never home anyway. It’s not like you people actually care…”
His mother’s eyes flamed with madness. “What!? What did you just say to me? You ungrateful brat!” At first, he didn’t feel it. All he saw was the quick flick of his mother’s hand. Then the stinging settled in. Atsuki’s eyes widened as he brought up his palm, gingerly cupping his cheek. His eyes were watering; he was on the verge of tears. Not just from the hot, burning pain, but from several years of hurt, battered feelings. He finally broke down and grabbed his bag. He spared one moment to glare at his mother before she got the chance to strike him again; then ran out the door. Infuriated, she screamed several curses at his retreating back until he was out of sight. Atsuki just started running down the sidewalk, not knowing where he was heading to, although he had a pretty good idea. Souta was in his living room reading an old novel that once belonged to his great-grandfather. The book was weathered and old. The cover had no lettering, it was just plain forest green. The binding was very much worn and looked as if it might just disintegrate right there in his hands. It was a rather dark book for the time. It dealt with the horrors of war and ghosts and all that. Souta was always engulfed within the pages of his great-grandfathers books that he’d left behind. He turned to page two-hundred-four before accidentally tearing out the preceding page. “Oopsie…” He casually swung his feet off the couch and stood up heading for the drawer holding some tape located at the opposite end of the room. As he neared the drawer, walking in his own leisurely pace, he heard some frantic knocking at the front door. He turned himself around to go and answer it.
“Sou-chan! Could you answer the door for me? I’m in the bathtub!” came his mother’s voice from somewhere deep inside the hallway.
“Yeah, I was just heading over there now.” He stopped at the cream colored door and un-latched it. He placed his hand on the knob and was almost knocked back when the door suddenly swung open. “A-Atsuki?” he stammered, still clinging to the old sheet of paper. “What-“ He stopped himself after her got a good look at his friend. His hair still wasn’t up, and he was soaked to the bone. It must’ve started raining again… And another thing that Souta noticed was that it looked as if he had been crying, although it was hard to tell with the rain and all. He also noted that his left cheek was slightly discolored.
He placed the paper on the side table next to the door and bent down to study Atsuki’s face, considering he was kneeling. Souta was now on his knees and was looking up under the sheet of black hair that covered Atsuki’s face. He looked greatly pained; in all senses of the word. “Hey, what happened to you? Are you alright?” he reached over and touched Atsuki’s darker left cheek. “Who hit you?” his voice had a touch of venom in it. He wanted to know what had happened, and get revenge, that was for sure.
When he answered, the ebony-haired boy’s voice was small and meek. “I-“ he swallowed thickly “I got home a bit late tonight.” He looked up at Souta, who now stood hovering over him, offering him his hand. Atsuki accepted it and followed him into the living room after the front door was shut and locked.
“Here,” Souta said, gesturing towards the couch “Sit down.” Atsuki gratefully took the seat. He sighed and sat there a second before taking in a deep breath and continuing.
“My mother was upset. She struck me.” He paused and glanced at Souta’s concerned expression. “That’s all.” He busied himself with studying his fingers, trying to ignore his friend’s unimpressed look.
“That’s not all of it. You wouldn’t ‘ve come here if that was the first time, Atsuki.” Souta said in a sure tone. “How long has this been going on?” he demanded
Atsuki continued to stare at his hands, then he finally answered, “Once my dad got a different job, he became a completely different person. He used to spend time with me, and Mother. We were happy, like you are with your family now. My dad used to help me with school work and help Mom with her household chores. But,” his voice cracked slightly “But ever since he got that job about six years back, he’s been gone. And he changed.” He stole a quick glance at Souta before going on. “Mom got over protective of me, so I had quite a lot of trouble trying to cope with all the sudden changes.
This got my mom mad; saying that Dad’s job paid very well and that we should support him all that we can. But I opposed it full out. I guess that’s how it started.”
He looked up again and smiled “But when the opportunity came to me where I could get away for two plus hours at a time, I was happy. So, I told my mother; she said that I hated her and Father and that I just wanted to leave. Although it was the truth, I denied all of it. She hit me that day too. But, I guess I deserved it. I had yelled at her earlier.” Atsuki turned his head when he noticed that Souta had moved from the armchair to join him on the couch. “Why did you move over?”
“Huh?” Souta had ended up on the other end of the couch and was perched awkwardly half on the arm and half on the seat. “Uh, I guess I was so engrossed in your story, Atsuki, that I leaned over the couch too far and fell,” he paused and looked at Atsuki’s incredulous expression. “… or something.” He flashed a smile towards the long-haired boy and finished sliding all the way down to the seat of the couch. “You may continue now.”
Atsuki rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I was already done.”
“Oh.” Souta stood up and left the living room for a moment to return with the torn out page from before. He walked across the room and to the drawer he was heading to and grabbed some tape. Upon sitting back down he said “So, have you ever told anyone else about your home life?” he placed the page into its correct spot in the old novel “Or, am I the first person you’ve told?” the sound of the tape ripping filled in the silence. The book was thus repaired and then returned to the table. “Atsuki?”
“You’re the first person, besides my family, to know.” Atsuki sighed “But-“
“Who was it Sou-chan?” Shieri questioned, walking into the living room wearing nothing but a dark purple robe. “Oh my.” She muttered when she saw Atsuki.
“Mom, you really do have impeccable timing don’t you?” Souta asked of his, now severely blushing, mother.
“Umm… Sou-chan, I didn’t know you were having a sleepover.” She smiled at Atsuki “Just try not to be to loud with your talking ‘cause I’m heading off to bead now. Good night, boys.” She walked out of the only open room. Within a few seconds you could hear her quiet voice from down the hall. “Oh, and I think there are some extra blankets and pillows in the closet, hun.” The door slamming echoed throughout the house.
Souta turned to face Atsuki. He was still looking in the direction Shieri had gone, confusion plastered across his face. “I hope,” Souta began “That you weren’t planning on leaving.” He got up off the couch and strode into the hallway, Atsuki close behind. “I mean, she expects you to stay, so if I were you, I’d do just that.” He paused at a cream colored door, like the rest of the entryway and hall, and opened it up. This was the closet apparently, as it was stocked full of random importances for running a smooth household. Souta reached up and grabbed two dark blue blankets and a matching pillow case. His hands were full before he handed the load over to Atsuki to shut the door. They marched the rest of the way to Souta’s room in silence.
“Atsuki, don’t worry about clothes for tomorrow. I’ll loan you some, considering your clothes are still pretty wet.” The brown-haired boy announced when they reached his room. “What is it with you and water anyway?” he chuckled lightly as he helped Atsuki fix a make-shift bed off to the side of his own. Once the blankets were carefully laid out, he jumped enthusiastically onto his bed and pounced on a pillow.
He held up his captured prey and rid it of its skin, replacing it with a fresh, navy blue covering, and throwing it on Atsuki’s new bed.
Atsuki sat solemnly criss-crossed on his blankets. He looked down and sighed. Souta raised one eyebrow in question. “What?”
“Could you get me some clean clothes, please?” Atsuki almost whispered, glancing hopefully at Souta. He leaped off his bed and landed very near his dresser. “Success!” he yelled out happily. The drawer was opened quickly while shirts and such were being re-arranged. Souta gave the ebony-haired boy a tight grey shirt, and some black house pants. “Hey, do you need boxers too?” Souta asked over his shoulder.
Atsuki looked up in surprise “Huh!?” his eyes were wide and both cheeks were starting to tint a light shade of pink.
“Well, I just figured you would like some sort of clean underwear.” He shrugged
Atsuki looked away and then proceeded to mutter something under his breath.
“What was that?”
Atsuki huffed and looked up and Souta “I said ‘That’s really gross’.”
“How so?” Souta narrowed his eyes at the boy on the ground “They’re clean, and it’s only for one night.” He chuckled “And it’s not like I’m gonna give you the pair I’m wearing right at this moment; now that would be gross.” He returned his attention back to the dresser and tossed a pair of boxers with a red and grey plaid pattern on them. The object of discussion landed on top of Atsuki’s head, which he pulled off immediately.
“Thanks….” When he got up to exit the room and change, Souta stopped him.
“Hey, before you leave,” Souta started “Go to the hall closet and grab a few towels so you have something to dry off with after your shower, okay?” he was fluffing up a pillow on his bed and pulling back the sheets as he said this.
“But I wasn’t goin’ to take a-“
“Yes. You are. You’re still a bit wet. So go warm up under some hot water and then come back so we can get some sleep.”
Atsuki turned the handle and opened Souta’s door. “Fine.” He scoffed.
Atsuki walked into the bathroom carrying a towel and his borrowed clothing. The bathroom was relatively small. Barely large enough to accommodate the sink, toilet and shower/bath combo it had. It wasn’t really much to look at either; with its pale, green walls and grey-green floor tiles. The rest of the room was white. Atsuki placed his towel on the nearby sink and pulled his shirt over his head. He moved over to the shower and grasped the handles, turning them. Hot water shot through the shower head as steam quickly filled the room. He removed his last articles of clothing and stepped into the shower. He let the almost to hot water roll down his back, loosening up his cold, tense muscles. Atsuki raised his face to the stream; feeling the water soak his body. His long, ebony hair was completely drenched now and hung around the back of his thighs. It got much longer when wet. He let out a long sigh and turned to where his back now touched the wall, and slid down until he was poised on the narrow ledge that lined the tub. He ran his fingers through his hair, attempting to comb it out some before shampooing it. Once he was clean, he reluctantly turned off the water and pushed back the shower curtain as he climbed out. He walked over to the counter and snatched up his towel and wrapped it around his waist. He used his dirty shirt to wipe off the mirror so his could finger comb out his hair; his wasn’t going to dare use one of Souta’s brushes and get it full of hair. He stood, facing the huge mirror that adorned the wall, looking at himself. His left cheek still seemed a bit darker than the rest of his face and the old bruise from a week ago still hung around on his upper right arm. That one was his father’s doing. He had just gotten home; it was three, maybe four in the morning when he walked in the living room to find Atsuki brushing his hair in front of the TV watching some documentary on WWII. Atsuki’s father had a fit that his son was staying up this late, so, after waking up his wife, he started to ‘discipline’ his bratty, rebellious son. Atsuki grimaced at the memory, and hurriedly dried off and got dressed. Souta must think I drowned in here or got lost or something… He threw his solid clothes and towel in the hamper on his way out.
Souta opened his eyes slowly as the hallway light filtered in through the open door. He sat up in bed and watched Atsuki’s form slowly shut the door and make his way across the room to his temporary bed. “About time you got back. I almost fell asleep.”
Atsuki glanced up from his task of rolling back the cover so he can slip underneath their provided warmth. “Oh, I thought you were already asleep.”
“No, just ‘resting my eyes’.” He smiled, mostly to himself, because Atsuki couldn’t see him anyway. He was completely buried under the blankets and snuggled close to the blankets overhanging Souta’s bed. He looked like a cold, wet little kitten; at least from Souta’s point of view, with what little light coming in from under his door. Souta laid down now and turned over onto his stomach, clutching at the sheets, and drifting off into sleep.
Chapter 5
“….. and so, that concludes my little speech concerning the fieldtrip.” Hawataki-sensei said. She had just explained to her enthusiastic class the details of the school trip. She informed them that they were going to be in one of those ‘long-term-riding-busses’ as she put it, that was going to take them to a small place out in the middle of the forest for a week. They were going to ‘find their inner selves’ and then write an end-of-the-year essay on their experiences. Hawataki told them that once they arrive to the site, they are going to need to claim a cabin and pick a few activities to do over the week.
She also said that the entire trip would be free, because of the excellent sales on the previous fund raisers the school has had. This, out of all the other news that had been hammered into the teens this afternoon, was the most exciting to them.
“I can’t wait! It sounds like it’s gonna be so much fun, ne Atsuki?” Nami questioned of the long-haired teen. She was sitting backwards in her desk, trying to get a better view of her new friend. He had his arms folded across the top of his desk and was resting his chin on them; completely unaware of the surrounding world. She frowned at him then turned her attention to Souta. He was discussing something about bugs and how to get rid of them when she bounded over to him. “Hey, hey! Souta! What’s up wit’ sleepy over there?” She asked. Souta tore his attention away from his ‘oh so engrossing’ conversation and looked at the blond. “He’s probably just tired.” He said, stealing a glance Atsuki’s way. “He did go to sleep pretty late last night.”
Nami raised an eyebrow “How’d you know that?” she flashed a large smile “Unless, of course, you slept with him…” she said teasingly, putting way too much emphasis on ‘slept’.
“What!? Of course I didn’t sleep with Atsuki!” he covered his mouth as soon as the words flowed out. He said that extremely loud and defensively. It sounded very interesting, in the least, ‘cause everyone quieted down and looked at him. “Uh…” Oh crap.
Nami giggled and reached up to pat Souta’s shoulder. “It’s okay, I feel your pain.” She turned on her heels and walked away, still laughing quietly. She crept up to Atsuki’s desk. Even after Souta’s little ‘confession’, he still hasn’t lifted his head. “So,” Nami began “What did you two do last night? I assume you were over at his house; am I correct?” she poked at his hardly visible forehead until she got some movement out of the ebony-haired teen.
He looked up sleepily. “What do you mean?” He sighed and sat up to get at better look at the nap-intruding Nami. “What were you saying about Souta’s house?”
“I was just asking you what you two did last night. That’s all.” She rested her head in her hands and placed her elbows on his desk.
“Why should I tell you?” he narrowed his eyes at her “Why do you care what we did anyway?”
Her eyes widened “You were at his house last night!” She jumped up out of her seat and announced “Guess what everyone! Atsuki was over at Souta’s house last night!” she paused for dramatic effect “And they slept together!” Now everybody’s attention was on Nami. The class shifted their glances from Souta to Atsuki; several girls were giggling while other boys were looking at them in a sort of disgust.
Atsuki stared at Nami, horrified. “Nami!” he yelled standing up “I didn’t say I slept with the guy! All I meant was that I was at his house last night! So shut-up!”
“Oh,” Nami turned around “I was just messing with you guys. I know you wouldn’t dare sleep with each other. But you’ve got to admit, both ‘your reactions were very comical.” She leaned in closer to his face and whispered “But it’s interesting how you both completely refused the idea.” She smirked “It kinda makes me wonder…”
Atsuki shot death glares at her on his way over to Souta, who stood silenced from Nami’s previous words. “Souta,” Atsuki said quietly, passing by him and quickly gesturing towards the back of the room; Souta’s side. Souta took the hint and followed. The class went back to discussing whatever it was they were talking about before a gossip worthy topic flared up, thanks to Nami. She went back to scheming with her friends.
Souta sat at his desk while Atsuki pulled up a nearby chair. “So, about the field trip,” Atsuki began “Did I hear this correctly? ‘The person you chose to sit next to on the bus will also be your roommate for the duration of our stay.’ Is that what sensei said?” Atsuki asked
“Yes, she did say that.” Souta answered, now curious “What are you really asking Atsuki?” he turned and faced said teen; he was extremely close to his face “Are you saying that you want to sit next to me?” Souta tore his attention away from his ‘oh so engrossing’ conversation and looked at the blond. “He’s probably just tired.” He said, stealing a glance Atsuki’s way. “He did go to sleep pretty late last night.”
Nami raised an eyebrow “How’d you know that?” she flashed a large smile “Unless, of course, you slept with him…” she said teasingly, putting way too much emphasis on ‘slept’.
“What!? Of course I didn’t sleep with Atsuki!” he covered his mouth as soon as the words flowed out. He said that extremely loud and defensively. It sounded very interesting, in the least, ‘cause everyone quieted down and looked at him. “Uh…” Oh crap.
Nami giggled and reached up to pat Souta’s shoulder. “It’s okay, I feel your pain.” She turned on her heels and walked away, still laughing quietly. She crept up to Atsuki’s desk. Even after Souta’s little ‘confession’, he still hasn’t lifted his head. “So,” Nami began “What did you two do last night? I assume you were over at his house; am I correct?” she poked at his hardly visible forehead until she got some movement out of the ebony-haired teen.
He looked up sleepily. “What do you mean?” He sighed and sat up to get at better look at the nap-intruding Nami. “What were you saying about Souta’s house?”
“I was just asking you what you two did last night. That’s all.” She rested her head in her hands and placed her elbows on his desk.
“Why should I tell you?” he narrowed his eyes at her “Why do you care what we did anyway?”
Her eyes widened “You were at his house last night!” She jumped up out of her seat and announced “Guess what everyone! Atsuki was over at Souta’s house last night!” she paused for dramatic effect “And they slept together!” Now everybody’s attention was on Nami. The class shifted their glances from Souta to Atsuki; several girls were giggling while other boys were looking at them in a sort of disgust.
Atsuki stared at Nami, horrified. “Nami!” he yelled standing up “I didn’t say I slept with the guy! All I meant was that I was at his house last night! So shut-up!”
“Oh,” Nami turned around “I was just messing with you guys. I know you wouldn’t dare sleep with each other. But you’ve got to admit, both ‘your reactions were very comical.” She leaned in closer to his face and whispered “But it’s interesting how you both completely refused the idea.” She smirked “It kinda makes me wonder…”
Atsuki shot death glares at her on his way over to Souta, who stood silenced from Nami’s previous words. “Souta,” Atsuki said quietly, passing by him and quickly gesturing towards the back of the room; Souta’s side. Souta took the hint and followed. The class went back to discussing whatever it was they were talking about before a gossip worthy topic flared up, thanks to Nami. She went back to scheming with her friends.
Souta sat at his desk while Atsuki pulled up a nearby chair. “So, about the field trip,” Atsuki began “Did I hear this correctly? ‘The person you chose to sit next to on the bus will also be your roommate for the duration of our stay.’ Is that what sensei said?” Atsuki asked
“Yes, she did say that.” Souta answered, now curious “What are you really asking Atsuki?” he turned and faced said teen; he was extremely close to his face “Are you saying that you want to sit next to me?” Souta tore his attention away from his ‘oh so engrossing’ conversation and looked at the blond. “He’s probably just tired.” He said, stealing a glance Atsuki’s way. “He did go to sleep pretty late last night.”
Nami raised an eyebrow “How’d you know that?” she flashed a large smile “Unless, of course, you slept with him…” she said teasingly, putting way too much emphasis on ‘slept’.
“What!? Of course I didn’t sleep with Atsuki!” he covered his mouth as soon as the words flowed out. He said that extremely loud and defensively. It sounded very interesting, in the least, ‘cause everyone quieted down and looked at him. “Uh…” Oh crap.
Nami giggled and reached up to pat Souta’s shoulder. “It’s okay, I feel your pain.” She turned on her heels and walked away, still laughing quietly. She crept up to Atsuki’s desk. Even after Souta’s little ‘confession’, he still hasn’t lifted his head. “So,” Nami began “What did you two do last night? I assume you were over at his house; am I correct?” she poked at his hardly visible forehead until she got some movement out of the ebony-haired teen.
He looked up sleepily. “What do you mean?” He sighed and sat up to get at better look at the nap-intruding Nami. “What were you saying about Souta’s house?”
“I was just asking you what you two did last night. That’s all.” She rested her head in her hands and placed her elbows on his desk.
“Why should I tell you?” he narrowed his eyes at her “Why do you care what we did anyway?”
Her eyes widened “You were at his house last night!” She jumped up out of her seat and announced “Guess what everyone! Atsuki was over at Souta’s house last night!” she paused for dramatic effect “And they slept together!” Now everybody’s attention was on Nami. The class shifted their glances from Souta to Atsuki; several girls were giggling while other boys were looking at them in a sort of disgust.
Atsuki stared at Nami, horrified. “Nami!” he yelled standing up “I didn’t say I slept with the guy! All I meant was that I was at his house last night! So shut-up!”
“Oh,” Nami turned around “I was just messing with you guys. I know you wouldn’t dare sleep with each other. But you’ve got to admit, both ‘your reactions were very comical.” She leaned in closer to his face and whispered “But it’s interesting how you both completely refused the idea.” She smirked “It kinda makes me wonder…”
Atsuki shot death glares at her on his way over to Souta, who stood silenced from Nami’s previous words. “Souta,” Atsuki said quietly, passing by him and quickly gesturing towards the back of the room; Souta’s side. Souta took the hint and followed. The class went back to discussing whatever it was they were talking about before a gossip worthy topic flared up, thanks to Nami. She went back to scheming with her friends.
Souta sat at his desk while Atsuki pulled up a nearby chair. “So, about the field trip,” Atsuki began “Did I hear this correctly? ‘The person you chose to sit next to on the bus will also be your roommate for the duration of our stay.’ Is that what sensei said?” Atsuki asked
“Yes, she did say that.” Souta answered, now curious “What are you really asking Atsuki?” he turned and faced said teen; he was extremely close to his face “Are you saying that you want to sit next to me?”
Atsuki could feel Souta’s warm breath caress his features. And for some reason, this made him feel strange somehow, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He slowly moved his dark blue eyes up to meet Souta’s sparkling grey ones. He held his gaze for a moment longer than he should have because he had to close his eyes and look away.
“Atsuki? Are you alright?” Souta asked concerned by the ebony-haired teen’s odd actions. He moved even closer when he asked this question. Atsuki could do nothing more than scoot his chair back to keep himself from doing something rash.
“Yes, I guess I was implying that we sit next to each other.” He said after he used a moment to regain his breath. “Mainly because if you don’t, Nami will, and I really don’t want to get molested while I’m trying to sleep. If you don’t mind that is.” He looked at Souta sheepishly. “Geez, I probably sound stupid to you. Sorry.”
“No, you don’t.” Souta said “I agree with you about the whole Nami situation.” He turned away, studying Nami and her group of friends. “Besides, I think you’ll be relatively safe from Nami for the week.” He reached down and grabbed his navy-blue jacket that covered his school uniform. He reached into one pocket to reveal a red bandana. Atsuki noticed it and pointed.
“Hey, didn’t you have that at the coffee shop?” he asked
“Yes, I did. And yes I will.” Souta said, standing up.
“Huh?” Atsuki was confused by Souta’s answer. “What do you mean?”
Souta turned and got himself terribly close to Atsuki again. “I said,” he started, looking at Atsuki’s face “That yes, I did have this bandana at the coffee place, and yes, I will sit next to you tomorrow on the bus.” Atsuki could’ve sworn Souta smirked when the last bell rang signaling the end of the day. He left along with most of the rushing class.
Nami bounded up to Atsuki’s side to inform him that she couldn’t make it to the study session because she needed to pack for the trip. Atsuki almost asked what she could possibly be packing that would take her all night, but thought better of it and hurried out the door.
Atsuki made it to his house just early enough to be able to grab a bag and some clothing for the next week. He grabbed a piece of bread on his way out and almost ran to Souta’s house. He didn’t want to have any sort of confrontation with his mother anytime soon, not after last night. Although you couldn’t see it any more, his cheek still stung where she had struck him. He got to Souta’s house and rang the doorbell. Shieri, Souta’s mom, answered it. She had a smile on her face when she saw Atsuki that could even rival Nami’s.
“Come in! Come in! I’m so happy you two are such good friends! I love having company over. We were just about to make dinner. Wanna help?” she asked happily.
How could he have refused? Atsuki nodded in agreement. He placed his week supplied bag on the floor and padded down the hall to Souta’s room. He knocked on the door and heard some shuffling. “Souta? It’s me…” he tried
“Oh! Hold on a sec!” a moment later, Souta opened the door and gestured Atsuki inside. “Are you spending the night here again?” he was sitting on his bed in sweat pants and a white t-shirt; playing with his red bandana.
“Yes,” he watched Souta fold and re-fold the piece of cloth before he added “Your mom seemed happy to see me.”
“She likes you.” He stated “She told me herself about a week ago.” He leaned back all the way until he was completely lying down on his bed. “She always wanted another child, or at least two young people to take care of.” He paused “She likes to cook a lot of food, so we always end up with extra.” Souta added. He placed one arm bent above his head and the other arm now rested on his stomach. He turned his head to the side to better see Atsuki, who was sitting acro
 Phee San · Thu Feb 08, 2007 @ 02:18pm · 0 Comments |
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