On to volume sixteen...The Universe of Jewels
[ Uchuu no Houseki ]Volume 15:
The Birthday SurpriseDarkness shrouded his room. Normally one would be able to see every sort of luxury and symbol of wealth, but now all that could be seen was a figure standing by a tall sliding glass window, peering out of it to no place in particular as night swept over the land. The moon was glaring in, shining a blue majesty on Ryuichi. He didn’t take the time to admire it, there were too many other thoughts swimming through his mind.
Slowly, he reached his hand down and opened the door to step outside onto a small balcony. He could see the city’s shimmering lights below from the third story his room was upon, shining like faint jewels in the distance. He set a cigarette in his mouth and lit it, its tip glowed like dying embers every time he inhaled. Taking a long drag, he rested his arms on the railing and continued to think. Hitomi’s words incessantly invaded his thoughts, it was those words he could not believe. No, it was those words he did not want to believe…
Hitomi was in tears as she left the mansion. She peeked back after stepping away and spied Ryuichi upon a balcony. That only made more tears stream down her cheeks as she remembered how he reacted to her. She didn’t know what to do, but she did know that Ryuichi now wanted nothing to do with her. “Ryu-chan…” she whispered, her breath slightly clouding in the night, “goodbye,” she turned and ran. For the first time in her life she felt helplessly lost and hopelessly alone.Osamu’s eyes flickered open at the first sign of morning. At first he felt disoriented as he looked upon a setting he was not used to waking up to, but then remembered he had spent the night on Daisuke’s couch. He sat up, yawned and stretched. His back ached slightly.
Daisuke had also just woken up and threw a T-shirt on to be a little more descent than in just boxers. He came out of his room and saw Osamu on the couch. “Hey,” he greeted and went over to him.
“Mornin’ Shark Man,” he said back while smiling.
“Sleep well?”
He cracked his back and neck, “I can say I’ve had more comfortable mattresses,” they both laughed. “Thanks for letting me crash here. After last night I just didn’t have the energy to go home.”
“No problem,” he shrugged and then a more serious expression came over his face. “I just can’t believe it, man I had no idea Hamada and Hitomi were… ‘so close.’”
“Yeah, I didn’t either `til she told me the big news. You’d think they’d be smart enough to use something to prevent this at least!” Daisuke agreed. “But anyway, this isn't something we should take lightly. It’s serious.”
Daisuke thought for a moment, “Do you think there’s anything we can do to help?”
Osamu looked appalled, “What? You actually want to help your arch nemesis?! Are you feeling alright, buddy?” he set a hand on Daisuke’s forehead. Daisuke just rolled his eyes.
“Come on, granted I don’t like the guy… really don’t like the guy at all… he’s going through a really tough time. Helping him out would be the right thing to do.”
He nodded, a crooked smile on his face, “You really are noble, you know that?”
Daisuke scratched the back of his head sheepishly, “I’m just a guy trying to do the right thing… I’m nothing special.”
Osamu disagreed, but kept that to himself. He knew Daisuke would only continue to try and downplay his eminent greatness. “We should just try and be supportive of him, that’s what he really needs right now. And another thing, let’s forget about that promise we all made a long time ago, ok? We can still keep it, but Ryu-kun seems a bit beyond it now.”
Daisuke frowned, “So you don’t think he should be booted from the team cuz of this?” Osamu shook his head and Daisuke huffed, “So he gets off easy… why couldn’t you guys have don’t that to me? I mean, I didn’t even do anything wrong!” he remembered that huge misunderstanding that nearly cost him his place on the swim team.
Osamu felt bad, “Sorry… but that’s one more thing he doesn’t need in his life. Let him keep swimming at least, it’s really important to him. Who knows, it may be the only thing he’s got left.”
“I guess you’re right…” Daisuke lowered his head.
Osamu set his hand on his back, “Just try and be his friend, alright? That’s the best way we can help him through this, I think.” Daisuke looked to him and nodded.
Shingo was the next to emerge from a bedroom and saw the two without them noticing. He was in a very good mood and felt like teasing them because he felt the situation just screamed for it. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Taka-kun has invaded your bodies.”
They heard him clearly and sat up straight. Daisuke turned to him, a sickened expression on his face. “Shingo-kun! I resent that!!”
Shingo just laughed and walked up to them. He looked very cheery this morning, they noticed. “Sorry! Oh, Osamu-san! What are you doing here so early?”
“Stayed the night. Had some important news to tell Shark Man.”
“What kind of news?” he seemed very interested.
Daisuke stood up, “Never mind for now. Do you want to help me with breakfast?” it was obvious he was trying to change the subject.
“Sure,” he answered suspiciously. They were hiding something from him and he was determined to find out what it was somehow. “Oh, and do you think I can borrow a bit of money? I’ll reimburse you someday, of course.”
“For what?”
Shingo raised an eyebrow in alarm, “You don’t know what today is?” Daisuke just stared blankly. “It’s Satoru-kun’s birthday!!” he burst out with excitement.
“Really?” he asked in surprise.
“Yep! He’s the first one of us to turn 13. It’s kind of a big thing, now he’s a teenager!”
“Wow,” exclaimed Daisuke, bringing a hand to his head, “can’t believe I forgot that… I thought it was coming up soon. Hey, do you know if he’s having a party or something?”
“Today after school at his house,” said Shingo.
Daisuke groaned, “Dang, I have swimming today! Maybe I can show up afterwards or something,”
“Yeah, that should work…” Shingo made a small gesture with his fingers which Daisuke understood.
“Ok, I’ll lend ya ¥10,000, will that be alright?”
“Sure, thanks!” Daisuke got his wallet and gave the money to Shingo, who seemed very happy to be able to get some of his money, but he didn’t have to worry too much. It would be used to buy a gift for Satoru, he made sure of this.
Osamu stood up and walked over to them, “Wow, that cute little kid is already 13? Now I feel like an old man!” he could have sworn he began to feel his joints weaken.
Daisuke laughed, “He’s only three years younger than us, but it really doesn’t seem like it.”
“Yeah, he’s more childlike than Shin-kun here.”
Shingo scowled, “What is THAT supposed to mean?!”
Daisuke and Osamu laughed again. “Nothing, little man. So, something tells me its time to make some breakfast!” Daisuke and Shingo agreed and both went into the kitchen. Osamu followed, but didn’t dare get in the way. He knew how protective Daisuke was of his kitchen and he wanted to let the master chef work with no interruptions.
Eventually everyone came out and all enjoyed a really good breakfast. Well, everyone except Koji… Osamu had it with them too and would have to rush home to get ready for school. Like Shingo, they wondered what he was doing there so early, but Daisuke would just try and change the subject again. Yoshiko knew why and she kept silent. They felt that it wasn’t time to tell them the news.“Happy birthday, Satoru-chan!” Mayuki held a neatly wrapped pink package to Satoru.
He took it with a huge beaming smile, “Thank you!” she urged him to open it, he was just admiring the shiny pink paper and the excellent wrapping job. Soon though he began to pull back the paper with great excitement. His heart raced, he just loved presents! Inside layers of white and pink tissue paper under the pink wrapping paper he found a porcelain figure of a teddy bear in a pink tutu. He gasped and his eyes lit up as he held it in his hand and ran his finger along the smooth surface. He looked to Mayuki, practically in tears with happiness lit all about his face. “I love it!”
“I know you like ballet, so I figured you’d like this,” she said with a giggle.
“Oh Mayuki-chan, you’re so sweet!” he hugged her quickly.
“Well, you’re the first one of us to become a teenager. This is a big event!” Satoru just giggled and looked back down at his cute present. Mayuki noticed more kids appearing in the front of the school where they were standing. “Now where are those twins?” she asked, but didn’t expect Satoru to know either.
Just then, ironically enough, the twins came into view. Tenko spotted Satoru and ran to him full speed, holding something tightly to her chest. “Satoru-chan!” she said happily, a blush creeping to her cheeks. Satoru smiled at her, which only made her blush more. She lowered her eyes and tightened her grip on the bundle against her chest. “Um… I have something… for you…” she mumbled and nervously held him the bundle, keeping her head down.
Satoru blinked. It was pink and blue with little moons and stars all over it. “Kawaii,” he said softly and took it, their hands meeting for a split second. That made him blush too, along with the fact that Tenko was giving him something.
“Umm… I’m sorry if it’s bad… I just made those yesterday when Misami-chan and Jemena-chan were making cookies and I’m really not that good…”
Satoru slowly opened the cloth and saw lots of tiny cookies inside. Some looked burnt, some looked more like blobs than cookies. It made him smile and look back to Tenko, who still had her head lowered.
“They’re really ugly and probably taste worse… I’m sorry, I’m just a terrible cook…”
“No, they look great!” he said, Tenko looked to him in surprise. He had a cute smile on his face and nodded. He took one out and looked at it, it appeared to be shaped like a heart. Some of the others were shaped like kitties, moons, stars… “Looks delicious,” he said and popped the cookie into his mouth. Tenko gasped—she thought he’d be killed for sure! Satoru chewed it, it was pretty crunchy due to being a little big overdone, and swallowed. Instead of hacking and curling up to die, he smiled again, brighter than ever. “Yummy!” he exclaimed.
“R-really?!” Tenko inquired, thinking he was just saying that to be nice.
He nodded, “Yes! This is my favorite kind of cookie! And I kinda like them when they’re almost burnt…” he looked into her eyes, blushing more. She began to smile widely. “Thank you, Tenko-chan. I love them. You are a really good cook,” he said with a sincere smile. She was soooo happy to hear that! Satoru liked it, she was afraid he wouldn’t and would think less of her, but the exact opposite happened! Satoru secretly started to like her even more, which was true for her as well. Like certain other people we’re aware of, they were shy and didn’t exactly know what to do about it. But they’re young and cute, so we’ll let them get away with it!
Shingo then stepped up to Satoru, “Happy birthday!”
“Thanks!” he still kept that smile.
“So, what does it feel like to be 13?”
He paused, “It doesn’t feel much different actually.”
“Oh, but you’re a teenager now! There’s gotta be something different!”
He shook his head, “Well, maybe it’ll hit me someday. But I really don’t feel any different at all right now.”
“Well you guys, I don’t want to interrupt, but we should get to class. It’s going to start in a minute…” Mayuki looked to her watch. The time was ticking away. They agreed and started to walk to their classroom. Before they got too far, Satoru stopped and looked back to the entrance of the school.
“I wonder where Taka-chan is…”“Oh, I can’t believe I slept in so late and on this important day too!!” Taka was blazing down the street, trying to get to school as fast as he could. Today was very important to him, it was his beloved’s birthday! That meant so much to him and he couldn’t wait to congratulate Satoru and hold him in his arms. But at this rate, he’d be late for sure…
Today he was wearing black pants with red pin stripes, tall black shoes with what looked like the British flag on the front (hehe I have shoes like that ^_^), black sheer dress shirt with the top three buttons undone, black gloves with the fingers cut off, silver necklace with a pendant of a dragon, lots of earrings and of course, a brand new shiny belly button ring, which could be easily seen through the sheer shirt. His hair was perfectly spiked, fingernails perfectly painted black. He was enough to stop traffic once or twice.
He continued running, careful not to trip over his feet. He had to get to school, so he decided to take a little short cut around a busy corner. Unfortunately, he wasn’t aware of the car which also decided to turn that corner from the opposite way. When he saw the car, he froze as it sped toward him. The people in the car screamed and slammed on the breaks. Taka fell backwards onto the pavement.
“W-what was that?!” the woman at the wheel cried.
“I think you just hit a guy!” Emi screamed from the passenger seat. She looked over the dashboard and could not see anyone.
“Nonsense, I didn’t hit anyone!” Emi looked to her sourly. The woman buckled, “Well hurry and see if he’s alright!”
Emi sighed and rushed out of the car. She saw Taka lying on the ground and rushed by his side. “Are you alright?!” she was so worried!
Taka opened his eyes slowly. He could barely make out her face looking down to him against the bright sky. Many other people began to circle around at a distance, but he didn’t notice them. “Are you an angel?” he asked slowly.
She gasped quietly, “Uh… I don’t think so…”
He scratched his head, “But you must be. I just got hit by a car and died. This must be Heaven…” Emi couldn’t keep it in any longer and started to laugh. Taka looked to her oddly, “Why are you laughing?”
“I’m sorry,” she wheezed, “but you’re very much alive.”
He hoisted himself up and saw the front of the car and all his surroundings. “Oh, guess I am.”
“Sorry, my stepmother is a psychotic driver. In fact, she’s psychotic in all regards. Here, let me help you up,” she offered, trying to stop laughing. He took her hand and was pulled to his feet. Emi felt a rush of energy shoot through her as she held Taka’s hand—it was like nothing she’d ever felt before!
Taka brushed himself off and gathered his school things back together, they had scattered a little bit on the ground. “Well I guess I’m alright. Must have just been startled by that car speeding toward me.” He looked over to her. She was staring forward, almost like she was in a trance or something! He waved a hand in front of her face, “Hello?”
She snapped out of it, “Oh, sorry! Just spaced out there for a moment, hehe…” Taka looked to her oddly. She looked back to him and felt another rush of energy come over her. She thought back and remembered that it was the same energy she had felt when she saw Daisuke for the first time… “My name’s Emi.” She said quickly, trying to mask her girly giddiness.
“Nice to meet you, Emi-chan.” She loved the sound of her name when he said it and felt herself becoming more and more captivated by this charming black-clad stranger. Of course, Taka didn’t feel anything like that back, he glanced over to a clock in a nearby shop and nearly panicked, “Oh no! Now I’m going to be really late!” he looked back to Emi and bowed his head, “Sorry, I must be going. It was very nice to meet you though! Maybe we’ll bump into each other again sometime, but hopefully not literally again,” Emi laughed and then saw him begin to run away.
“Wait!” she called after him desperately, making him stop and look back to her. “… What’s your name?”
He smiled. “Kamedaki Taka.” That name carried in her ears like a soft summer breeze. She smiled to him also, satisfied, and he turned and ran down the street.
Emi stayed there until he was no longer in sight. “Taka-chan,” she whispered and giggled. She loved saying his name and repeated it again to herself. Feeling very happy, she returned to the car, her stepmother meeting her with an odd gaze. She knew an interrogation would ensue…
“Well, I’ll assume he’s alright, considering he just got up and ran away.”
“Yeah, he was just startled. You really should be more careful when you drive…”
She snorted, “Well excuse me! I was only trying to get you to your dentist appointment on time, dear.” She started to drive again, no more carefully than she had before.
Emi sighed and stared out the window. She kept thinking about Taka and wished she could have stayed to talk to him longer. Something about him was just so appealing to her. At that moment, she didn’t feel quite so depressed about loosing Daisuke. Feelings for Taka were unconsciously beginning to take over and replace the pain and loss.
Her stepmother noticed that she was being unusually quiet. “Oh no… you like that guy, don’t you?”
Emi blushed madly and shot a look of exasperation back to her, “W-what? No!!”
She smirked, “Ah come on, you’ve got that dreamy look in your eyes. There’s no denying it.”
Emi looked out the window again, a little bit miffed at her stepmother, not to mention very embarrassed. But then she realized that it was the truth. She had a crush on Taka. Emi smiled when she thought about him again and wondered when and if she’d ever see him again.Mr. Kiyomura had just finished collecting everyone’s homework. He noticed the glow around Satoru and knew that this was a very special day for him. “Happy birthday!” he said as he walked past his group of desks.
“Thank you!” Satoru radiated and soon everyone in the class was congratulating him. They proceeded in singing the happy birthday song and wanted to have a party. Some students had secretly brought treats since everyone just adored Satoru and knew it was his birthday, thanks to Shingo and Tenko.
“Alright, we can have a small party for Satoru-kun and then start our lesson,” said Mr. Kiyomura, the students loved that agreement! They set up the treats and got out some games to play. Satoru was the center of all the attention, all the girls flocked to him like a mini Daisuke, he showed them all his nice present from Mayuki, which they also adored. The boys seemed to be more occupied with the food.
Kenichi and his henchmen were there too, but they were sitting in their seats, glaring in disgust at this. Kenichi hissed at them when they wanted to go get some cookies. “You guys are staying right here! There’s no way we’re gonna give into that little pansy boy’s party!” the henchmen just sighed.
Mayuki and the twins were standing to the side eating some treats and just watching everything. Satoru was still with the girls and they all laughed at his jokes and really looked taken by him. “Would you look at that? Our little Satoru-chan is sure a lady’s man,” commented Mayuki.
“Yeah, and he doesn’t even have to try! It’s so unfair!” complained Shingo.
“Oh, he’s sooooooooo cool!” Tenko’s eyes became starry.
“Yeah… too bad he has to be gay…” said Mayuki quietly.
Shingo’s ears perked up, “WHAT?!?!”
She looked to him, “Well isn't it obvious? He acts so feminine all the time and he’s got Taka-chan hanging off of him whenever he’s around.”
Shingo furiously shook his head, “No, you’ve got it all wrong! He’s not gay! He’s just… confused..."
“… Are you sure about that? Just wait and see how he acts when Taka-chan’s around. Too bad he’s not here today.”
Ironically enough again, right at that moment Taka burst into the classroom, nearly breaking the door down. He was breathing heavily, sign that he had to run all the way there. Everyone in the classroom looked to him in astonishment, no one thought he was going to show up! “I…” he panted, “I made it…”
“Taka-kun!” said Mr. Kiyomura. “How nice of you to join us!”
“Sorry I’m late. I had a little accident coming to school,” he didn’t mention the fact that he also woke up late…
“Well come on and join us! We’re celebrating because of Satoru-kun’s birthday!”
“I know,” Taka tried to spot Satoru. The group of girls surrounding him moved out of the way so that Taka could finally spot his beloved. He smiled and walked over to him, silence filled the classroom as everyone watched. Satoru watched him approach—he was happier then than he’d been all day. “Sato-chan,” Taka was standing right in front of him, “happy birthday.”
Satoru was overjoyed and thrust his arms around him. Taka held him gently, he had longed for this all night and day. The class continued to stare in silence. Kenichi and his henchmen nearly felt sick. Mayuki looked over to Shingo, he didn’t want to admit that she may very well have been right.
“I’m so glad you’re here!” said Satoru with tears welling up in his eyes. “I thought you weren’t going to come.”
Taka smiled, “This is the only place I’d want to be today.” Satoru pulled away and looked up into his majestic jade green eyes. “I’m just sorry I forgot your present at home… I was in such a hurry this morning.”
“It’s alright. Just having you here with me is the best thing I could ask for.”
All the girls proceeded in a long heartfelt, “Awww!” at this point. They surrounded them both again and Taka and Satoru looked to them warily. They seemed to be enjoying themselves too much…
“How cute! This is just like in my favorite manga! Keitaro and Yuji, two boys who find true love!” squealed one of the girls.
“Oh, I love that one! Taka-chan and Satoru-chan are just like them, aren’t they?” said another. All the girls began to say things like that, Satoru and Taka didn’t exactly know what to do, but Taka felt deeply flattered.
“Uh oh, you hear that?” asked Mayuki. The twins clearly heard what all the girls were blabbering about.
Shingo felt angry at all of them, “No, they’ve got it all wrong! They don’t know anything about the situation!”
“Shin-chan,” Mayuki looked to him tenderly. “do you even know anything about the situation?”
He was going to say something, but then couldn’t. Satoru was his best friend, but lately he felt as if he really didn’t know him too well. He hadn't really talked to him in a long time so he had to admit that he really was unsure about the situation. Mayuki understood how he felt and set a hand on his shoulder. It was hard to be unsure about your best friend…
Satoru looked up to Taka and wondered why they all kept talking about them both. He noticed that Taka looked very happy.
Then, a girl came up close to the two and couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “So, you two really are together then?”
“Eh?” Satoru’s eyes widened. He looked to the girl and then at Taka and didn’t know what to say. “Umm… what exactly do you mean by that…?”
Taka smiled, “Yep.” All the girls gasped and looked up to him, Satoru included. Taka leaned his head on Satoru’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around him, “We’re boyfriends.”
The girls all gasped again and squealed. Shingo had heard that loud and clear. He couldn’t believe it. He stared blankly at them, his mouth hanging open slightly. Mayuki noticed how disturbed he was and tried to comfort him. “I’m sorry, Shin-chan… maybe you should try and talk to him.” Shingo lowered his head and knew he had to talk to him. He had to get this thing worked out.
“Did he say boyfriends?” Tenko asked Mayuki, who nodded slowly. Tenko looked back to Satoru and felt very sad. “But… I wanted him to be my boyfriend…”
Mayuki looked back to Satoru also, “Well don’t give up. I’m sure Satoru-chan is just as confused as you are. He probably doesn’t even know what’s going on with this whole thing. I hope…”
“So how long have you been together?!” asked a girl to Satoru.
“Uh, well I don’t exactly know what you-”
“Have you been on any dates yet?” another asked.
“Dates? Well I-”
“So it doesn’t matter to you that you’re both guys?”
Satoru paused. He looked up to Taka, “What is this all about?”
Taka sensed that Satoru didn’t exactly understand everything that was going on. “Ok, that’s enough questions for now,” he took Satoru over to his seat and they both sat down alone. The girls looked to them and wondered what that was all about. Taka met a confused look on Satoru’s face and smiled. “Are you alright?”
“What’s going on here? Why were the girls acting so weird around us?”
“They were just really interested in us because I said we were boyfriends.”
“Boyfriends? But…” Satoru thought. “Well, I guess we are that. I mean, we’re both boys and we’re both friends.”
Taka was a little discouraged. He was hoping that Satoru would have understood it a little differently than that. But, as long as Satoru was happy he’d go with it. “Yeah, that we are.”
“Alright, let’s clean up and get ready for class,” Mr. Kiyomura thought it was about time. He had been listening in on what was going on and knew it was time to stop things before they got a little too personal, if they hadn't already.
The twins and Mayuki went back to their seats all in the same group and no one really knew what to say to each other. Especially Shingo, he didn’t know what to think about Satoru anymore. Nonetheless, Satoru looked as happy as ever. He was blissfully unaware of the real issue that he had unknowingly started with Taka.At the high school, everything seemed pretty normal. Daisuke glanced behind him and noticed that Hitomi was sitting all alone and Ryuichi was no where to be seen. He noticed that Hitomi looked so sad and lonely and he felt so sorry for her. Her friends weren’t even sitting with her, he wondered if maybe they knew and were disgusted by her. Daisuke turned back and looked to Yoshiko. They were both thinking the same thing.
Hiroshi knew they were keeping something from him, “Ok, what’s going on here? You two have been acting weird all morning!”
“Uh,” Daisuke slowly looked to him, “I don’t really think I should tell you now…”
“What?! What kind of friend are you?!” he was outraged.
“Alright, come on Hiro,” he stood up and approached the teacher. Hiroshi followed him and Yoshiko hoped he knew what he was doing. “Excuse me, could we get a pass to the bathroom please?”
“Sure,” the teacher filled out a pass for them both and handed it to Daisuke.
“Thank you,” they turned away.
“Going to the bathroom together? That’s pretty gross Dai, just what is it you’re going to tell me anyway…?”
“Hiro!” Daisuke yelled at him once they were in the hall. “I just got that pass so we could come out here and talk.”
Hiroshi nodded, “Oh, smooth move! I didn’t know you could be so scandalous!”
Daisuke took that as a compliment and tried to think of the best way to break the news to him. "When I tell you this you have to promise me you won’t tell another soul, alright?”
“Ah come on, Dai, just tell me already!”
“Hiro, I’m serious,” he put his most serious expression on, a kind Hiroshi hadn't seen very often. It sorta took him by surprise.
“Whoa, alright I promise. I swear to not tell another soul, cross my heart and hope to die.”
“Good,” Daisuke took a deep breath and looked around the hall to find that they were alone. “Hiro, I…” he began and looked deeply into his beautiful blue eyes. Hiroshi just stared at him and waited for his words. Daisuke closed his eyes and whispered softly into his ear while running his fingers through his soft blonde hair, “I… I love you…”
“WHAT THE HECK?!?!??!?!” he yelled and ran back against the opposite wall, hyperventilating. He looked more scared than he’d ever looked before!
Daisuke tried to keep a straight face. “Well, now that that's out of your system,” he looked back to Hiroshi. He looked like he had just witnessed the most terrifying thing a person could ever witness. “Ah come on, Hiro, I was just kidding!”
“owuiblusaksyaslsicnqisakuseai,” he couldn’t get any coherent words out.
Daisuke couldn’t help it and burst out laughing. “You actually thought I was serious?!” Hiroshi whimpered, making Daisuke laugh more.
Eventually, Hiroshi calmed down a little. “You-you weren't serious?!”
“No! Why would I be in love with you? I just can’t believe you actually believed me!” he laughed more.
Hiroshi glared at him, “Well you played it so well!! That was really disturbing!”
“Sorry,” Daisuke tried to stop laughing, “Shingo-kun said something about Taka-kun invading my body this morning… anyway, I had to do something to get that classic Hiro reaction out of you before I told you the real news. I don’t want you to yell like that for it, alright?”
Hiroshi’s lip was quivering, “Alright… but you didn’t have to do THAT!” he whimpered again. He cautiously walked back over to Daisuke.
“Don’t worry, I like girls.” He assured him.
“O…k…” Hiroshi was still deeply disturbed.
“Anyway, what I have to really tell you is quite serious.” He paused and looked back to Hiroshi. “Hitomi is pregnant and Hamada is the father.”
Hiroshi’s glasses nearly fogged up, “…You serious?”
Daisuke nodded. “Remember, don’t tell anyone.”
“Pregnant?!” Daisuke nodded again. Hiroshi then looked even more disturbed, if that was possible. “So that means… that means that he’s done it before me?!” he was about to cry.
Daisuke sighed, “Hiro! Would you please stop that? This is serious!!”
Hiroshi lowered to his knees and looked physically drained. “That’s so unfair…” he cried.
Daisuke felt like smacking him. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told him…” he said to himself and then noticed someone coming down the hall. Before long he could tell that it was Ryuichi! He gasped and nudged Hiroshi. “He’s coming! Now act like you don’t know anything about this, alright?”
“So… unfair…” he was still in his own little world of self-pity.
Ryuichi walked closer and closer and didn’t even seem to notice the two standing there. Daisuke noticed that he looked more hostile and introverted than he’d ever known. Even still, Daisuke remembered what Osamu had said about just being his friend and gave him a smile. Just before he entered the classroom, Ryuichi stopped and looked back at Daisuke smiling at him. He gave him possibly the coldest glare in history and walked inside. His eyes penetrated Daisuke to his soul.
Daisuke was left speechless for a time. His heart was racing like he couldn’t believe. “His eyes… were so full of hate…” he said to himself.
Hiroshi stood up and just now noticed Ryuichi had arrived. “Look,” he and Daisuke peeked into the classroom to see what would happen now that he was there.
Ryuichi handed a pass to the teacher to excuse him for being late and headed to the back of the room. Yoshiko kept her eye on him and also noticed he didn’t seem to be his usual cocky high-strung self. Hitomi looked up and saw him approaching, a tiny smile came to her lips. She cleared off her things that were on his desk so that he could sit there with her. She was glad and thought that maybe he was feeling better about it all. “Ryu-chan, good mo-” she started to say, but stopped when he turned and walked to the edge of the row and sat in an empty seat well away from her. It took her a moment to accept that he had just done that. She looked forward again and tried not to cry. Yoshiko was just as appalled by this, as were Daisuke and Hiroshi.
“Did you see that? He just totally blew her off!” said Hiroshi, outraged again.
“Yeah, so it is true. He wants nothing to do with her now,” added Daisuke sadly.
“That punk! Even I wouldn’t do something like that! What should we do about this, go and beat him up?”
“No, I really don’t know what we should do, but Hitomi shouldn’t have to go through this alone.” They both looked back into the classroom. It was such an awful scene! “I’ll try and talk to him today. Maybe I can knock some sense into him.”
“But what if he knocks some sense into you… literally?”
Daisuke looked worried, “I guess that’s a risk I’ll have to take.”
Hiroshi saluted him, “Dai, you are a brave, brave man!” That really wasn’t as reassuring to Daisuke as it probably should have been. He had been in fights with Ryuichi before and knew how hard he could hit. He was beginning to wish he could take back what he just said.School ended with only one small homework assignment. The group in the sixth grade gathered all their things together. Shingo looked across his desk to see Satoru and Taka smiling and talking together, like a real couple. It made him sad, but geared him into wanting to talk to him even more. They had the party now, so he wasn’t sure when he’d be able to talk to him, unless…
“Satoru-kun?” he interrupted their conversation.
Satoru looked to him, “Yeah?”
Shingo paused, “Could I… talk to you?”
“Sure!”
“Uh,” Shingo avoided all eyes, “in private?”
Satoru blinked, then nodded. He and Shingo quietly left the classroom, Satoru didn’t exactly know what he wanted. Neither did anyone else, but when they left, all eyes fell upon Taka as if to say, “you’re not even going to run after him?” Taka suddenly thought he knew what Shingo wanted, those two were best friends after all. He realized Shingo didn’t get to talk to Satoru as often as he’d like. In the back of his mind he had a chilling thought that he hoped was nothing more than just a thought: he didn’t want things to change.
Mayuki and Tenko sat back in their desks to wait for them. Like Taka, Mayuki felt she knew what was going on. She knew how concerned Shingo was, it showed whenever he was around Satoru and Taka. Tenko didn’t think to question what was going on. Like Satoru, she was extremely naïve.
Shingo led Satoru well away from everyone down by the empty tennis courts. He paced back and forth, not really sure how to begin. He was feeling pretty uncomfortable with the whole thing, especially having to talk to Satoru about it. All Satoru did was sit on a bench and watch him.
“Is something wrong?” he asked cutely.
Shingo stopped and looked to him directly. He sighed, trying to gather his words together. “Actually yes.” Satoru straightened up, looking concerned. “It’s about you and Taka-kun.” He paused, Satoru’s heart skipped a beat. “I’m just… I don’t know… the way you guys act… it’s really starting to worry me.”
“What are you talking about?” he cocked his head to the side.
“Satoru-kun,” Shingo didn’t want to hold back any more, Satoru needed to hear the truth form someone, “do you realize the feelings Taka-kun holds for you?”
“I think so, he’s always very nice to me. He’s one of my best friends.”
Shingo shook his head. “There’s much more to it than that. Taka-kun… he… he’s in love with you.”
Satoru gasped softly. He was silent a long time. Shingo hated breaking it to him like this, but it was about time he came to understand what was really going on through the real perspective. “But,” he finally spoke again in a very weak voice, “we’re… both…”
“Guys?” Satoru thrust his eyes to him. “I know. That doesn’t matter to him at all. Taka-kun loves you more than I’ve ever seen anyone love anybody. Do you understand that?” He was quiet a long time again and then faintly nodded. Shingo started to feel bad for saying it, even more so he started to feel bad for how Satoru must have felt. “Hey, sorry to break it to you like this. I just felt that it was about time you knew so you could make an important decision.”
Satoru looked at him again, “What decision?”
Yep, Satoru was as naïve as ever. “The decision about where you wanna go, what you wanna be.” Satoru just stared at him, his mouth open slightly. “Ok, let me put it a different way. Now that you know about Taka-kun’s feelings, what will you do next?”
Satoru brought his head down. He was more confused than ever. “I don’t know,” his voice sounded shaky.
Shingo took a deep breath. “Well… do you love him?”
“I… I don’t know…” he answered again, tears stinging his eyes.
He walked up to him, setting a hand on his shoulder, “It’s alright. This has probably come as a big shock to you, so it’s obvious that you’d be confused and unsure. Just think about it. Ask yourself what you really feel and believe.”
Satoru was glad to have such a great friend. A small smile came to his lips for just a split second, but then it vanished, overtaken by his impounding confusion. “Does it bother you?” he asked, keeping his head down. Shingo couldn’t make out what he said very well. “Does it bother you? The way this is going?”
Shingo brought his hand back to his side. “Yeah,” he admitted. “But I’ve never been one to agree with that alternative lifestyle.”
Satoru sat up again, looking onto a tennis court. “Then it sounds like you don’t want me to be with Taka-chan.”
“No, but… It’s not what I want. It’s your life, your decision. It’s what you want.”
He brought his head down again, “But I don’t know what I want,” he sounded like he was going to cry. “I like Taka-chan a lot, but I’ve never been in love before. I don’t know what love is supposed to feel like, so what am I supposed to do?”
“Just give it time. Let your thoughts and feelings sort out, they’re all jumbled up right now. You’ll know in time, don’t worry so much.” Satoru looked to him, tears in his eyes. Shingo smiled warmly, “But whatever you decide, just remember I’ll always be there. I may not agree with your choices, but we’ll be best friends forever.”
He smiled too, a tear streaming down his cheek. “Shin-chan…”
“Well, we should probably get to that party of yours! It’s not everyday you become a teenager! Well I gotta make a little stop at the store first…”
“Yeah,” he giggled and stood up, “but… what should I do about Taka-chan? I’m so confused.”
He tried to think of something provocative to say, “Do whatever your heart tells you.”
Satoru nodded and thanked Shingo. Together they walked back to the classroom and were surprised to see Taka gone. “He had to go and get your present,” Mayuki explained to Satoru. “He said he’d be at your house in few minutes.”
Shingo looked to Satoru, he knew something new must have stirred inside of him at the mention of that name. “Ok, let’s get going then,” he gathered his things together and lead his friends to his house for the party. All the while, Taka and Shingo’s words danced on his thoughts.Daisuke came out of the pool and took his goggles off. He dried his face on a towel and smiled when he saw Guchi approach.
“Hey, Shark Man! Great practice today! You gonna jet now?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a friend’s birthday party to get to.”
“Alright, see ya mañana then!” he hobbled off to some of the other swimmers who were still working. He was such an awesome coach, Daisuke thought.
Once he was substantially dry, he looked around the pool and saw Osamu talking and laughing with some of the other guys near the entrance to the locker room. He was about to go and join them when his eyes were pulled a different direction. He looked near the spectator area and saw Ryuichi sitting on a bench, looking like he was in deep thought. He remembered what he had told to Hiroshi and felt quite leery to try and approach Ryuichi again after that death glare he had given him earlier. But… he knew Ryuichi was headed on a long walk down a short pier. He had to be helped while he still could.
Daisuke slowly approached him, Ryuichi didn’t seem to notice. He put on his most positive face, he hoped Ryuichi wouldn’t be able to see through it. “Hi!” he greeted. Ryuichi turned his brilliantly blue eyes up to him, they were still as cold as stone. He then looked back to the water, Daisuke figured since he hadn't yelled at him to go away, it was alright to try and talk. He sat down and for a while just stared at the pool also. He really didn’t know how to begin, he was so nervous. He and Ryuichi had never held a good conversation before, it always ended in yelling and someone getting a black eye. He decided to try and break the ice with some meaningless ranting, it’d make the situation less tense, he thought. “The water is pretty, isn't it? It’s all blue and shiny and warm too. You know my favorite thing to do in this pool? I like to dive off of the tallest diving board and swim all the way down to touch the bottom of the really deep end. It’s fun, but I used to loose my breath whenever I tried. I don’t anymore though, I can hold my breath for really long now. Isn't that cool? I guess it comes with swimming a lot. You know what else is fun? Playing with those foam tube thingies. No matter what you do, they don’t sink! Like one time I tried to-”
“MIZUNO!” he yelled. Daisuke immediately shut up. He looked at him, his eye wilder than ever. “What the hell do you want?”
Daisuke bit his lip and wished he could disappear. “Well, I just wanted to talk to you about stuff. Man to man, you know?” Ryuichi didn’t answer, just looked back to the water, as angrily as ever. “Listen,” he started, “I know about you and Hitomi…” he glanced over and saw that Ryuichi hadn't made a single move. “… And I saw what you did this morning, just walked past her like she wasn’t even there. I know you don’t want anything to do with her anymore, but that’s not the way it works. You’re both in this thing together so you’ve got to be there for her. It’s like a commitment, well I wouldn’t really know or anything… but it involves you as much as it involves her. You get it? Sticking by her in this is the right thing to do, after all, it was you who…” Daisuke started to blush, “well, you know…” his voice cracked. Ryuichi hadn't moved a muscle. “Come on, man, you can’t blow her off forever. You have to take responsibility for what’s happened. It’s the right thing to do!”
“Why are you even talking to me? Since when do you care?” he finally spoke, his words brash and cynical.
“Because, like it or not, you’re like a brother to me since you’re on the swim team. We all agreed on that, remember?” Ryuichi had heard that before. “Brothers are supposed to help each other, even if they don’t always get along.”
He looked to him furiously, “It’s my ******* life, so stay out of my business!” he stood up and was about to leave the pool.
“Why are you acting this way? I’m offering to help you!”
Ryuichi stopped in his tracks. Daisuke watched him keenly, his pulse rising with every second. Ryuichi turned around slowly, “… What could you do?”
“Try and make you realize you’ve got to be there for her. You can’t just run away from this.” Ryuichi didn’t say anything, but again looked like he was in deep thought. “Hamada, I want to tell you something. Even though this has happened, we’re not gonna boot you from the team.” He shot his eyes back to him, “Yeah, it’s going against the promise and all, but I’m deciding to be graceful. It’s one less thing you gotta worry about. And besides that, we really need you this season.”
Ryuichi was skeptical about this whole thing. “Why are you being so nice to me? After all the crap I’ve pulled? What is it you want in return?”
“Nothing! I’m just trying to forgive and forget, move on with things. Is that too hard to believe?” Ryuichi gave him a look which made Daisuke feel stupid, “Ok, point taken. Anyway, all I wanna do is help you through this. Be like a brother, if not… a friend?”
He turned from him, “You and I could never be friends. You’re helping me because it’s an obligation, nothing more.”
“Gaaah, geez, why do you always gotta be so negative?!” he was starting to get fed up with him.
Ryuichi smirked, “Thanks but no thanks, Mizuno. I think I can handle this thing on my own.” He started to walk away.
“Wait! You better promise to stay with her!” He just kept walking, like he was ignoring Daisuke. He swore softly when he went into the locker room, he wondered if anything he had just said would really make a difference. He hoped it would, mostly for Hitomi’s sake. She really needed him, more than anything.
Daisuke stood up, feeling moderately satisfied with the ‘chat’ and walked toward the locker room. He wasn’t in the best of moods, he hoped that would change at Satoru’s party.
“Shark Man!” Osamu bound up to him, bright and cheery as ever.
“Hey,” Daisuke croaked, “I can’t believe that guy! He’s so freakishly stubborn! I don’t think he even cares one bit about what I just said.”
“Tried talking to him, eh?” Daisuke nodded, “Well at least you tried.”
“But trying isn't good enough. He HAS to be with her, there’s no question about it! Hitomi shouldn’t have to go through this alone.”
“You’re right. I’ll go talk to him, see if I can’t make any sort of impression in that squishy pink brain of his. Just hope he doesn’t stuff me in a locker.”
“Alright, I gotta get going. I’ll just go change somewhere other than the locker room, Hamada probably doesn’t want to see my face again.”
“Good idea.”
Daisuke looked into his eye boldly, “Godspeed, my friend.” Osamu nodded and marched into the locker room. Daisuke sighed and left the pool, trying to find some place to change into his normal clothes.
Ryuichi closed his locker and was startled to see Osamu’s bright smiling face appear where the locker door had just been. “Hello, Ryu-kun!” he beamed. Ryuichi groaned, his eye twitching. “How are you today?”
“Go away,” he said coldly and turned toward the exit.
“Wait a sec!” Osamu ran after him and grabbed hold of his hand. This just about made Ryuichi explode. “I wanna talk to you!”
“Let me go!” he screamed, Osamu obeyed out of fear. Ryuichi sighed, “Fine, whatever, what do you want?”
Osamu was thrilled he was actually letting him talk to him! “Shark Man just talked to you, ne?” Ryuichi didn’t move, “You understand all he said, ne?” He began to glare, “You realize he’s right about everything… ne?”
“You are the most annoying person I’ve ever been cursed to know.”
Osamu sulked, his eyes getting all big and round, “Now, that’s not very nice…” Ryuichi continued to glare. “I may cry, you know…” Ryuichi wasn’t in any way shape or form entertained by this. “We want you to do the right thing, so please stay with her. She needs it more than you think.” Ryuichi just sighed in disgust and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Osamu stayed poised in his spot after he left, full of concern. Finally, he stuck his tongue out, making faces in his direction. Then he let down, very serious again. “I hope he does the right thing… for once…”“HAPPY BIRTHDAY SATORU!!” everyone called at once. They were all gathered around the table where the cake had just been set. There were thirteen brightly lit pink candles randomly sticking out of the chocolate frosting, decorated with little toy unicorns and balloons. Satoru was sitting at the head of the table, the candles shining in his curious eyes. They sang the birthday song to him and then told him to make a wish and blow out the candles. He did so, sending streams of smoke to the ceiling. His wish was to know who he truly loved.
Everyone enjoyed the cake and handed all sorts of presents for him to open. Shingo gave him a brand new journal (which he had said he wanted once upon a time), Daisuke gave him some money (he didn’t have time to go shopping), Yoshiko and Misami chipped in together and got him a big white teddy bear (which he squealed over when he first saw), and his parents got him some new clothes, a Shazna CD (music group Satoru likes), and a water coloring set. He adored all the presents and thanked everyone for them. After the presents, everyone was just hanging out, talking to each other, playing party games, cleaning stuff up. All enjoying each other’s company.
Satoru’s parents were cleaning off the table and looked to see their beloved son talking with all of his friends as happy as could be. It made tears come to Mrs. Shiozawa’s eyes. “Oh, our little baby is growing up so fast,” she said, wiping her eyes. “I can’t believe he’s already a teenager,” she began to bawl.
“I know, honey,” Mr. Shiozawa pat her shoulder, “I just hope he’ll save us the misery and not turn into another Hiroshi. I don’t think I could survive it again!”
“Oh, Satoru is nothing like him. He’s much more calm and gentle, and I doubt he thinks about girls 24/7!”
“You’re right,” he smiled, “Satoru won’t be like him, so we’ve got nothing to worry about!” they laughed and continued their chore until the table, kitchen, and eventually the entire house was spotless!
After the end of a very interesting conversation about plans for the quickly approaching summer vacation, Daisuke looked to his watch. “Yipes, it’s getting pretty late,” he observed that it was nearly dinnertime!
“Yeah, maybe it’s time to wrap this party up until next year! But you’re all welcomed to stay longer, if you like,” said Satoru, smiling widely.
“Wish I could, Ten and I have some things to do though…” said Shingo sadly.
“We do?” she asked him and Shingo threw her a look. “Ohh, yeah, we do have… things… to do.” By ‘things’ they meant their annual reports, which they’ve been running a little behind on. Misami and Yoshiko had to do theirs too, unfortunately, so no one would be able to stay much longer. Mayuki had promised a shopping date with her mother, so she’d have to go as well. It made Satoru a little sad that everyone had to leave, but they had had a great time at the party!
“Ok, well thank you all for coming! This has been such a fun birthday!” Satoru beamed and walked them all to the door.
Tenko looked rather uneasy then, like there was something she had to do but didn’t exactly want to do. Gathering up her courage, she snuck away from the group as they continued chitchat while putting on their shoes and found Mrs. Shiozawa in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher. “Um,” she said, gearing her attention. There was a small blush on her face. “May I ask you a favor?”
“Certainly, honey,” she said kindly.
Tenko held her breath and held out a small pink envelope, thrusting her eyes down, “Could you please give this to Satoru-chan later? Please?”
She slowly took the envelope, sealed with a red heart sticker and smiled bashfully, “Of course! I would love to.”
“Thank you,” she bowed and left, rejoining the others.
Mrs. Shiozawa looked down to the letter, “To Satoru-chan, from Tenko,” she read the shiny blue ink. The whole thing thrilled her so very much, she just knew what kind of letter it had to be! “Oh, this is so cute!” she gushed, setting the letter in her apron. As a mother, she couldn’t be happier and prouder.
“Bye bye, Satoru-kun!” said Shingo with a wave. He and Mayuki joined hands and left the house.
“See ya later, you cutie pie!” Misami bent over and softly kissed Satoru on the cheek. Taka, who had been right beside him the entire duration of the party, tried to hold back an instinct to bite her head off. Satoru was shocked and blushed, holding his cheek. Misami smiled and said softly in his ear, “Why don’t you look me up in a couple years?” she winked and left also. Satoru’s eyes gazed after her until Daisuke and Yoshiko approached.
“Congratulations again,” said Yoshiko sweetly. Satoru tore his eyes up to her and smiled, thanking her, “From now on, you’re life will be full of brand new, exciting things. Just remember, we’ll always be there for you no matter what.” Daisuke agreed with her, also smiling down to him.
“Thank you both so much! You’re such great friends.”
“Anything for you, Satoru-kun,” said Daisuke sincerely.
“Senpai…” Satoru nearly whispered. Daisuke knelt down and he threw his arms around his neck tightly, “Thank you!!!” Daisuke was having difficulty breathing, but pat his back gently until he finally let go.
“Well, see ya later,” Daisuke and Yoshiko both left with a wave.
Satoru waved back to them and looked back to see Tenko just standing up from tying her shoes. She took one look at Satoru and turned bright red. “Uh… umm… I… er… See ya!” she rushed out like lightning. Satoru wondered what that was all about.
“Well, that really was fun,” said Taka, setting a hand on his shoulder.
“Yeah, now what should we do?” he looked up to his eyes.
Taka smiled and looked down to him, “I want to take you somewhere special to give you your present. How does… ice cream sound?”
His eyes lit up, “Yay!! Mama, Taka-chan and I are going out for ice cream, be back later!!” he yelled and threw his shoes on excitedly.
“Alright,” she emerged from the kitchen, “have fun you two!” they left in a flash, and THEN she remembered about the letter. “Oh well, I guess he’ll read it when he gets back…”A very attractive young woman approached the counter and Hiroshi immediately sprang to attention, goofy work outfit and all. She was eyeing all the different flavors of ice cream displayed in giant cartons all hardly touched on this grand opening. Hiroshi had a huge smile as he was eyeing her, his hands itching for his Special Little Notebook hidden in his pocket. She looked up to him once she had made her decision, “Rocky road. Two scoops. No cone, please.”
“Yes, mistress!” he saluted and gave her the ice cream in record setting time! He was really good at this job! He gave her a flamboyant smirk, sure he had utterly impressed her beyond her wildest dreams, but the woman didn’t look impressed at all. She threw some coins on the counter and walked off to a table with a burly young man seated there, which Hiroshi was horrified to see. His heart felt like it was shattering and he sighed hopelessly, “Oh well, hang in there Hiro. You’ll get your break some day…”
“Hiroshi-kun!” a voice rang out. Hiroshi saw that it was Kasumi, the woman who had hired him. He was happy to see her, as usual. “And how are things going?”
“Just great, I’ve already counted 32 customers since I’ve been here! Now, since I’ve been here almost two hours, that means I’ve served 16 people each hour! So, if this rate continues, that means that everyday I’m here, I’ll serve approximately 64 people since I’ll be working about four hour shifts! So THAT means that in a year I’ll serve about… 23,296 people! Give or take, of course. Oh, business is an amazing thing, isn't it?”
She was speechless a moment, “You just… came up with all that right now in your head?”
“Yeah… it’s not hard. Just simple arithmetic.”
She was amazed, “Well, I always need a calculator, myself. Glad to see everything’s going well. Just holler if you need anything!” she went to the back to check on some of the other workers.
Hiroshi rather liked his job. But then he got to thinking… 23,296 is a lot of people…
Satoru and Taka then entered. “Onii-chan!” Hiroshi looked up to see the cutest little brother in the world bound up to him, followed by Taka. He winced and wished he could leave early. “How is work going?”
“Oh it’s fine. At least it was, until…” he looked over and was sickened to see Taka making ‘kissy’ faces at him. He shuddered.
“What kind do you want, Taka-chan?”
Taka looked to him, “Oh, you know I don’t normally eat ice cream, but… I guess it couldn’t hurt. Why don’t you decide first.” He resumed his ‘flirting’ with Hiroshi, making Hiroshi want to bash his head against the soft serve machine.
“Hmm,” Satoru looked at all the different flavors. “There’s so many and they all look so good!” he looked back to Hiroshi, who was starting to turn green. “Onii-chan, have you memorized all the flavors yet?”
“It’s my first day! Gimme a break!” he yelled, and then felt Taka’s finger caressing his ear. He shuddered all over again.
“Do you have bubblegum?”
He finally managed to break away, “You want blue or pink?”
“Pink!” he called out, “On a sugar cone! What about you?”
Taka smirked at Hiroshi and looked to the vast array of choices. “Black cherry sounds good.”
Hiroshi cautiously got their orders ready and held them on the counter. Taka smiled seductively and placed his hands over Hiroshi’s before taking the cones. Hiroshi began to quiver. “What’s wrong, Hiro-chan? I can’t make you that nervous, can I?” he started to caress his hands while running his tongue along his lower lip. Hiroshi began to twitch and wanted to turn over and die. Taka was enjoying this a lot. “Well, have fun working. Let me know when you usually get off.” He set some money on the counter and walked with Satoru to an empty table. Hiroshi melted onto the floor like a pile of jelly.
Satoru started to eat the ice cream right away, “It’s soooo yummy!” he cried, “How’s yours?”
Taka took a lick, “Great! I forgot how good this stuff was!” He then remembered about the birthday present. “Oh, now I can give you the present.” He pulled a small black box from his pocket and handed it to Satoru.
Satoru took it graciously and opened the box to reveal a treasure he’d never seen before. “Wow… what is it?”
“It’s a ring that came all the way from India. My grandfather got it there while he was working as a doctor.”
“It’s beautiful!” Satoru held it in his fingers and looked at the beautiful carvings of tiny peacocks, elephants and tigers. It looked like it was very expensive, made out of 24 karat gold!
“Yeah. The first and last time I saw him he gave it to me and told me to someday give it to someone very special.” Their eyes met. “So now I’m giving it to you.”
Satoru was flattered and then remembered Shingo’s words from earlier. He lowered his head slightly, “So it’s true then. You really do love me?”
Taka was taken back, “How did you know…?”
“Shingo-chan told me everything today. He made things crystal clear to me for the very first time.” He met his eyes shyly.
Taka leaned forward, “And everything he said about my feelings for you are true. Sato-chan,” he took his hand, “I care about you so much. I know you must think it’s strange since I’m a guy, but I can’t help what I feel for you. I love you more than anything on Earth.”
Satoru smiled weakly and looked back to the ring. “I can’t accept this,” he whispered.
“Why not?” Taka pleaded softly.
“Because,” his voice wavered and he looked back to him with tears glazing his eyes, “I’m not sure about what I feel. I don’t really know what love is and I don’t know exactly what all my feelings mean. It’s all so confusing.”
Taka managed a faint smile, “That’s no reason to give the ring back. Keep it so you’ll always know how much I care for you.”
Satoru seemed contented with that. “Thanks,” he said and slid it on his finger.
Taka stared at it a while and finally said, “It suits you.”
“Think so?” Satoru looked to it closely.
“Definitely. It makes you even more stunning.”
Satoru blushed. “You’re always so sweet to me. I love the way you make me feel, not like anyone else. Other people are mean to me because I’m kinda different from other boys, but you just love me for who and what I am.”
“Of course. In my eyes, you are perfect.”
Satoru smiled and felt a stirring inside of him. He looked back at Taka with a brand new light shining in his eyes. “Maybe what I feel for you is love.”
Taka nearly choked, “Wh-wh-wh-what??”
“You’ve made me feel like no one else I’ve ever known. You always make me feel happy, warm, and safe, and most importantly, you make me feel loved. I think these confusing thoughts I have racing around in my head are all leading me to one direction. You, Taka-chan.”
“… Are you sure?” he was trying to mask his excitement.
“I think so. I just get this feeling whenever I’m around you, like I belong with you somehow. Does that sound like love?”
Taka nodded, “Yeah, it does alright. The same things I feel for you.”
Satoru licked his ice cream before it melted everywhere and looked on past Taka with a dreamy look in his eyes. “Maybe it could be…”
Taka was so happy! He quickly finished his ice cream and held Satoru’s hand tighter, “Sato-chan… you’ve made this the happiest day of my life! I… I really never thought that you would…” tears started to run down his cheeks.
Satoru gasped, “What’s wrong?!”
Taka wiped his eyes and shook his head, “I’m just so happy…”
“Oh, Taka-chan! Me too, I think my feelings are finally starting to sort out. I’m finally starting to understand what love is.” He smiled sweetly and finished his ice cream cone.
Taka sat up straight, “Hey, wanna go back to your place, maybe talk some more?”
“Sure,” they stood up from the table and joined hands, both were so happy. As they walked toward the door eyes followed, people began to snicker. Taka heard them and held Satoru closer. He didn’t care what they thought. He and Satoru were together now…
Hiroshi had been serving some little kids when he heard a girly voice call out, “Onii-chan!” He looked to see Satoru waving, Taka holding the door open for him. Hiroshi waved back and the two left, joining hands again. The customers looked to Hiroshi oddly for obvious reasons. He didn’t notice though, he was actually feeling pretty rotten. He sighed, setting his head on the counter, “Happy birthday, Satoru…” he murmured, staring off to the napkin dispenser, “he really is a nice little brother, annoying at times. I just hope Taka doesn’t screw him up even more…”
Taka and Satoru took the long way back. They walked through a park with a pond filled with ducks and through a Buddhist shrine. People stared at them when they passed, neither cared. They were both feeling so much joy that the world could have probably exploded and they’d not care.
When they finally reached Satoru’s house, standing on the front steps, Taka’s pager went off. He looked to it and grumbled, “I have to go… my mom needs me home for some reason.”
Satoru shrugged, “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Taka came over and hugged him, never wanting to let go. Satoru didn’t want to let go either, so they stayed embraced for a long time. Eventually, Taka got a thought. “Hey, Sato-chan. Have you ever kissed before?” he asked, still in the hug.
“Yeah, I kiss my mama every night before bed!”
Taka laughed a little, “No, no. I mean, have you ever kissed?”
He blinked, “Oh… no, I haven’t.”
Taka leaned his head down closer to him, “Do you wanna give it a try?”
“Uh… um…” he started to blush madly.
Taka smiled and ran his fingers through his soft, shiny hair. “Don’t be shy. You’ve got nothing to worry about...” His voice trailed off in a whisper as he closed his eyes and inched his lips toward Satoru’s. Satoru didn’t know what to expect and stood still as he felt Taka’s lips cover his own in his very first kiss. At first, it was shocking and uncomfortable, but then, Satoru relaxed and closed his eyes, enjoying the delicate kiss as sparks of electricity ran all throughout his body.
Taka parted and looked down to Satoru, a mellow smile on his tingling lips. Satoru opened his eyes slowly, his vision focusing on the lovely image of Taka. “Pretty nice, huh?” he asked in a whisper, to which Satoru wasn’t able to reply. “I have to go, I’ll see you later, Sato-chan.” He smiled and hurried off for home.
Satoru stood there for a long time. The afternoon was growing darker as brilliant colors were beginning to decorate the sky above. Slowly, he placed a finger on his lip and replayed the kiss over and over in his mind. He started to smile and felt a new rush wash over him. Giggling, he ran into his house and zoomed up to his room, not even letting his mother know he was home, like he always did. He saw that all his things had been brought up, including his brand new journal. He got his favorite pen and laid on his bed, opening the journal to the very first page.
‘My thirteenth birthday,’ he wrote neatly, ‘The best present I received today was my very first kiss from someone that means more to me than anything. Taka-chan,’ his pen stopped. His mind wandered into a whole sea of thoughts about him, everything from the first time he ever saw him to the kiss he had just received. He could still feel his soft lips upon his, could feel the warmth and security of being by his side. He placed the pen behind his ear and leaned his head on his elbows, staring out the window draped in white lace, “Could it be… love?”
He then noticed something resting on his pillow. It was a pink envelope. Curious, he picked it up and saw, “To Satoru-chan, from Tenko.” Even more curious, he opened it and found a letter written on pink stationary. It was written in her cute girly writing, making Satoru smile.Dear Satoru-kun,
Well, I’ve been so shy around you, so I thought I’d better do this in a letter. The thing is that I really really really like you and I think you’re the cutest boy on Earth. The truth is that I’ve had a crush on you ever since I first saw you, but I’ve been too shy to tell you. I really like you a lot and just wanted you to know that. I hope that someday you can be my boyfriend, it would make me the happiest girl alive! Wow, this is really embarrassing. Please let me know how you feel about me, Shin-chan always thought you liked me, so… gotta go, bye!
Love,P.S. Want to go to the movies sometime?
TenkoSatoru stared straight through the paper. His thoughts were beginning to swirl around again. He had always had a crush on Tenko too, but what about Taka? He was so confused and let out a long sigh. “Tenko-chan… I really like you too, but Taka-chan…” he laid on his back, staring up to the ceiling. He rested the letter on his stomach, it was impossible to sort things out now! His eyes were caught by the shining ring. A lump grew in his throat. “What am I going to do?”
The twins had already gone to bed. Misami, Yoshiko, and Daisuke were watching T.V, but nothing in particular. Misami had been drifting in and out of sleep so, eventually she leaned her head on Daisuke’s shoulder and peacefully closed her eyes. Daisuke couldn’t do anything about this. He decided that since Misami was now asleep, it would be a good time to tell Yoshiko about what happened earlier with Ryuichi. “Well, I tried talking to Hamada at swimming.”
“Oh?” she leaned to him, interested.
He shook his head, “I swear, there’s no one on Earth as stubborn as him. It’s like he didn’t even care what I had to say. I don’t know if he’ll ever change his ways, he doesn’t realize how much Hitomi needs him.”
“That’s awful. I guess all we can do now is hope.” She said sadly, not feeling too confident with her own words. “I know what I’ll do, if Hamada-san is set on ignoring her from now on, I’ll be someone to help support Hitomi-san.”
“You? But Yoshiko, she doesn’t really like you…”
“I know, it was because she was clouded by jealousy. But now I have a feeling that those jealous feelings she had before will mean very little to her now.”
Daisuke had never thought of it that way, “I bet you’re right. That’s a great thing to do, she’s going to need all the support she can get.”
“Yes, and I’ll try and help her in any way that I can. I hope that Hamada-san will realize he needs to do the same one of these days.”
“Me too…” Daisuke didn’t have much faith in him at the moment, but wasn’t going to loose all hope. Maybe he would straighten up. He would have to.
Koji then came up from the basement, it was the first time anyone had seen him that day. “Hey, Koji-kun!” Daisuke called before he could escape to the kitchen, “Come join us!” Without a word, he did so, sitting in a chair opposite the couch. He looked pretty spent, they noticed, but just as stoic as ever.
“What have you been up to all day?” he asked him, Misami’s head growing heavier.
For a long time he didn’t say anything. It was like he didn’t want to tell them. “Working and experimenting,” he finally told them.
“On what, if I may ask?” inquired Yoshiko.
“On something I have known I must build for the past seven years.”
The room was silent, aside from the game show program on the T.V. “… I don’t think I quite understand…” Daisuke admitted, looking to Yoshiko. She, however seemed as if she did understand while looking to Koji supportively.
“Amazing,” she remarked, “your inspiration for this will lead you to great things, I can feel it. It will lead all of us to great things.”
He nodded, “Ever since I first came to Earth I have had this feeling that I must build what I have finally begun to build. I just wish I knew what it was for and why I must build it.”
Daisuke really wasn’t following any of this. He realized this conversation must have been on more of an ‘alien’ level, so he sat back and let them talk.
“Just keep following your instincts. Someday you’ll find out what it is and you’ll be praised for making it because it will be the gateway for a considerable event to occur. I don’t know how I know that… I just can feel it.”
Koji stood up, bowing his head, “Thank you, Yoshiko-san. I know what you say is true.” Koji walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water and then headed for the basement. “Good night,” he said and went back down.
Daisuke looked to Yoshiko in amazement. “What was that all about?”
She smiled, “Koji-san is remarkable and he’s doing remarkable things. Someday he’ll be very great.” She stood up and took Misami in her arms. “He’s got an amazing potential unlike any I’ve ever sensed before.” Daisuke stared up to her blankly. “Good night, Daisuke-san,” she smiled and went back to her bedroom.
Daisuke stayed on the couch for a while, thinking. He turned off the T.V to let his thoughts wander freely. “Koji-kun? He’s building something that’ll bring some sort of apocalypse?” he was feeling a little confused. “Thinking about it makes my head hurt…” he went to get ready for bed and tried to understand just what it was Yoshiko and Koji had been talking about.
He climbed into bed, setting his alarm and just laid there thinking about his crazy life. He was living with a bunch of aliens, trying to deal with a stubborn guy who didn’t want to take control of his ‘actions,’ hoping he wouldn’t fail his upcoming exams, wondering when and how he'd confess his true feelings to Yoshiko, and still hadn't heard a single thing from his mother in over ten years. And then there was his best friend Hiroshi who… “Hiro,” he suddenly remembered, “I wonder how his first day at work went…”Hiroshi yawned, exhausted. He was about to crawl into his bed when his father stopped him in the hall just before entering his room. He had so much pride shining in his eyes, any other time Hiroshi would have cared but at the moment, he just wanted to sleep. “I’m so proud of you, son, you’ve done exactly what I asked you to do and have made me so proud!” he looked like he was about to cry.
Hiroshi cringed, “You already said the ‘p’ word twice in the same sentence. I think I get the point.”
“Alright, I’m sorry. But it’s true. You took your punishment seriously and are starting to learn responsibility. I just can’t help but feel… proud of you!” Hiroshi rolled his eyes and the next thing he knew, his father was hugging him!
“Uh… pops?”
He backed off, “Sorry, forgot that a parent is not supposed to have any sort of physical contact whatsoever with their teenager. My bad.”
Hiroshi laughed, “Thanks, pops. I think forcing me to get a job was a good thing, in most ways. I guess you and mom really are smarter than I give you credit for.”
“Oh, well thank you for noticing.” They laughed again, “Alright, better get to bed then,” he was about to walk away, but Hiroshi stopped him.
“How was Amoe—Satoru’s birthday party?”
“Oh, it was great. He had a fun time. Your mother said he and Taka-kun went for ice cream.”
“Yeah, they came in to the shop.” He remembered what Taka had done and tried to remain calm.
“But ever since he came back he’s been in his room, refusing to come out. Didn’t even come for dinner.”
Hiroshi knew that was strange, “Well, what’s wrong with him?”
“Dunno. He just wants to be alone for a while for some reason. Maybe the whole idea of being 13 finally struck him or something. I bet he’ll be fine by the morning.”
“Yeah,” Hiroshi joked, “he’s probably going through his very first ‘mood swing.’ You know how 13 year olds are,” he said like some sort of adolescent expert.
“Good night, Hiroshi,” he gave him a look and went down to his bedroom.
Hiroshi stood there a moment and then got something from his room he had picked up from work. Quietly, he walked to Satoru’s bedroom and knocked on the door softly. There was no sound. He sighed, “Come on, you can’t be asleep already. Pops said you haven’t come out all evening. Got the birthday blues or somethin’?” No answer. “Well, I got ya something you might like. You can come in and get a free ice cream sundae and banana split whenever you want, expires August 31st, void where prohibited. Sounds pretty sweet, huh?” Again, nothing. Hiroshi slid the coupon under his door and leaned against it. “I know you’re not asleep. Something’s wrong and you don’t know what to do about it, am I right?” Silence. “Come on, I’m being nice to you since it’s your birthday. Don’t think I’ll give you this break again, especially not after you start puberty, then it’ll be humiliation city.” Absolutely nothing. Hiroshi was getting annoyed, “Geez, well I get an ‘A’ for effort at least,” he started to walk away, but then stopped when he heard the door creak open. He looked back and saw the faint image of Satoru looking to him through the dark hall, moonlight spilling in on his face. They were both quiet for a long time, Hiroshi was going to say something, but stopped himself. Satoru looked like he had been crying.
“Thank you for the gift,” he said quietly, picking it up. Then he looked back to Hiroshi, “There’s nothing you can do to help me. I’m fine, really,” he shut the door again.
Hiroshi narrowed his eyebrows. “Liar.” He went to bed and couldn’t get his thoughts off of Satoru. Something was wrong, he knew. ‘This probably has to do with that creepy Taka guy,’ he thought bitterly. ‘I have to know what’s going on. If he’s doing anything to Amoebae Boy, I’ll… I’ll do something! I just hope he doesn’t try and hit on me again…’ he shuddered again and tried to fall asleep. It proved rather difficult with all those thoughts on his mind. For once, things were starting to get complicated for Hiroshi, too.To be continued…