CHANGE LOCATION
THREE MONTHS LATER
CITY OF TOKYO
POV
After the entire incident that as went down with her parents and her cousin with those few boys at as who were claiming to be the members of the Yakuza as she actually knew all of those kids since when they're in since elementary school they were all who kids as they used to hang out one another they used to enjoy their classes as they use to suspend their times with each other fooling around and as studying like as the good old days but when they graduated from school and they went to different high school they started to change a bit after a few of the incidents with one the students there then as when they join college they completely changed as the time of the university as they bunked out as they claim that they joined the as Yakuza as they start to make progress but as she never did believe that part in her whole life now.
As she knew how they just were their true personalities and as considering her own cousin as she was a loner while she was the opposite of her but she still loved her cousin but after that day went it basically not just spooked her it's broken her cousin as well In the matter of fact but it all turned out great In the end as she thought for a second there.
As it became a concern for their parents to be involved in The worst part was that they actually insulted her cousin's grandparents's victim comedian store in the worst part was as that all of those five to six boys got their asses kicked by one of the guy as from the appearances wise he was damn sexy There was no doubt about that as he was so damn attractive but as his blonde hair and his pale white skin and his very own physique was another level as she could speak of in end.
As he spoke in Japanese so clearly as it can make anyone fall in love with him and the best part was that he was basically foreigner maybe some kind of exchange student but whatever the case was he beat the s*** out of them boys like a pro fighter and as then started come to there way direction and as he took their jackets and took their glasses out and wear them on his eye's and winked at them and then walked away and then he sat on one of their very black colored Harley Davidson motorcycles and then as boy just drove off like an true boss as I mean that as was just badass and hot as he was business as like a true Yakuza members as then.
But whatever the case was he is gone now as he heard his cousin's grandparents had to kick him out or something like that as the Mafia known as the yakuza's actually got involved the situation as no one has as ever heard of him since that day They say but he does comes around often but they don't see him that often around here Maybe busy in his studies whatever the case but for her it was her time of university and she finally got in into one of the only universities in Tokyo as she was finally going to fulfill her dreams as she was going to share her rooms with her roommates but as that's situation change their as masterfully drastically after she figure out what her basically her uncle did now really as She really hates him to be sometimes.
But for Chikako had been close to throwing up when as she realized she would have to share a room with two of the biggest idiots in the universe it was on of the boy's Kunio Murai and Yoshito Kikuchi! Spending the whole Okinawa trip with those two jerks as room mates made her seriously considering getting on a bus for a quick ride home, and paradise resort or not. The only glimpse of light in the darkness was now that the third room mate was Saeko of all the people now.
Chikako and Saeko had fought with Murai as soon as they had entered the room. Murai had been very verbal about how he hated to be there with the two girls, and Chikako and her friend had made sure to shoot their own poison darts back at him. Kikuchi had said nothing at all as he then just put up his quiet facade and started using his laptop again.
Then she was going to entering a new school as it was the I.S Academy and as it is located in Japan Tokyo near the small island and considering his personality but Speaking of her, she was fine and as my savior complex kicked in well before as she was in any real danger of physical harm or just otherwise.
Sighing as she lit a cigarette and cringed as she did saw the blood on her fingers stain the pack and her very cigarette as placed in her mouth now and she then finally turned around around to meet the almost-victim to double check her condition, and as met her gaze as then Green flush eyes bore into my dead ones, and a wary expression into my stone-walled one but At least her was safe from everything that was around her now.
"Big sis."
But then few minutes later as woman called her name with such surety that as she could have sworn it was a foreigner talking to her As she turned around, she thought she was going crazy as well in graceful blonde ghost with a curious look on her face as she has know her for most of her life now as she just thought that she left her group while ago.
"Kanzaki?" She squinted her eyes and then despite the glasses she wore or did she now need a new prescription now ? Are my eyes toying with me again now ? As she was now seeing her old firend or rivals now as she did just left the country sometimes age "In the flesh and I never really thought I'd run into any of you guys again this soon."
"The very odds are high that if you of all the people as would now as when you visit the area during a school break as It's nice to see you again, Urumi." The as calmness in her voice masked the trepidation she felt as she came closer to her as she comes with a pack of cigarettes in her left hand now.
Yoshito Kanzaki as woman who valued logic and reason above all else, whose fears were often placated by brushing them off with an explanation, didn't know what scared her as more the very least fact that her very wish a against all odds now as had come true, or as the fact that this moment could kill any sort of hope a she had of being honest with what as she truly felt now.
We both said nothing as we could make out the light tremble in her legs as her very own erratic breath as even a hint of her enlarged pupils as a result of the adrenaline pumping through her But as confirming visually that she was fine and as she just started swiftly turned around and just walked away from the lone narrow alley in the hopes that this nightmare would just come to an end as she then just decided to her and as she just kept on walking away from her spot completely.
"Wait a moment there Urumi as where are you going?!" As Kanzaki asked her as she had started to fellow her firend behind her.
'Just F*** my life now I just was hoping by the slightest miracle that my lowly social presence made it so she wouldn't recognize me now and this place of places as what the real shit was that very mini skirt as she was now wearing now girl ? As I did refused to answer her and as she kept on walking until she was flush with something in the streets of Sakura-shi, one of Chiba's many nightlife areas dominated by clubs or bars or some very much expensive or cheap type karaoke, and cabarets as you can name it now but as Furthermore more as such a grungy setting as naturally gave way to the underbelly. The streets were teeming with Loan Sharks, con artists with thieves or marauders and even murderers on top of that now.
but if anyone asked anyone around here as there was only one group that has ran these streets for decades by now as That would be the Johto-Kai and The very largest, and most brutal organized crime syndicate in all of Japan now as in other names the Yakuza, if they about me and as yes I am one of there members as my father was the members of the Yakuza now and I will be queen of it one day now.
CHANGE LOCATION
ONE MONTH LATER
UNIVERSITY TRIP
POV
As Chikako was furious as She squeezed the empty beer can with her hand now as trying her best to crush it into pieces as She didn't succeed fully She didn't have much strength.
As the very reason for Chikako's anger was the very least the room arrangments in the hotel they were going to stay in. The rocket scientist known to man as her uncle in law and teacher Onizuka had come up with the brilliant idea of mixing boys and girls in the same rooms! What was worse was that he had picked the worst combinations possible. As Chikako had been close to throwing up as when she realized she would have to share a room with two of the biggest idiots in the University now as Kunio Murai and Yoshito Kikuchi! Spending the whole Okinawa trip with those two jerks as roommates it made her seriously as considering getting on the very bus which they come from for a quick ride home, paradise resort or not. The only glimpse of light in the darkness was that the third room mate was now Saeko.
A Chikako and Saeko had fought with Murai as soon as they had entered the room. Murai had been very verbal about how he hated to be there with the two girls, and Chikako and her friend had made sure to shoot their own poison darts back at him. As Saeko had said nothing at all He just put up his quiet facade and started using his laptop and sat down in the cover now.
Chikako came back to the room She took a deep breath before she went inside. Those nerves had to be put in order. As She would rather not get into a fight with the boys as If she would pick a fight once again, there was as a big risk that as Saeko would join in to as well and as were going to be much fun then.
As Saeko had very little oratory skills of a professor. If you tried to go up against him in pure argumentation, as you were sure to lose. As Chikako's rethoric skills were even poorer than her very fighting abilities, and having an argument with Saeko of all the people was something she did not desire.
As when she entered the room as her heart dropped all the way down as to the ocean floor and Saeko was not there. But Murai as and Kikiuchi were there And with what was worse was that they had invited Kusano and Fujiyoshi as well! And to make it worst as he has much just started to Murai Triangle was sitting on the floor playing cards as Kikuchi was sitting on his bed, still using his laptop.
"Oh great! As the Even more dorks for the evening." she muttered, walking over to her bed. "Says the girl with the dorkiest face in class." Murai muttered back. Fujiyoshi and Kusano smiled as then Chikako felt as slight rage inside her now as Where the hell was Saeko! As She didn't want to be alone with these knuckleheads! Saeko should be here and help her defend herself now !!!! .
But Fortunately, arguing with Murai was not very difficult as The only thing they had to do was making him lose his temper at best as you can something that wasn't very hard to do. Once he went into his angry mode, he behaved like a three year old and screaming while waving his arms all around the area as Chikako was not afraid of that. She knew he was never violent towards girls. Rather, as he was pretty scared of getting into fights with them and as Once he got furious, as his arguments lost all intellectual power, as and you only had to ride out the storm with few blow on his face at best now.
"Well, at least I haven't got a whole love letter drawn on my back." Chikako said with a smile as she sat down on her bed. At dinner, she had overheard from the other classmates what Onizuka had drawn on Murai's back.
That clicked. Murai jumped up immediately, his face red. His sudden, flimsy movements knocked over the pile of cards on the floor.
"Hey dude, watch it!" Kusano said angrily, but his voice could barely be heard over Murai's roaring.
"Shirai, you fucking brat! Shut the hell up or I'll punch those big glasses of yours!". He pointed towards her, making wild gestures with his hand."Oooh I'm so afraid!" Chikako replied with her best melodramatic voice. "Bah! You never go up against girls. Hell, you would probably get your ass handed to you by Uehara! Why should I worry about your pathetic threats?"
Murai stared at her.
"Shut up!" he said. "You'll regret saying that! I'll make your life a nightmare!"
"Oh really? You mean you are going to come up with some great plan to terrorize me? Ain't gonna happen. With your low intelligence, the best thing you could come up with is probably to put tacks or ice cream or something on my chair, and hope I'll sit down on it. Try it if you'd like. I am not Toroko, you know."
She smiled victoriously at him. Murai opened his mouth and closed it again. He seemed to be looking for words. Chikako enjoyed it. Murai was such a jerk.
You're so incompetent, Murai." Chikako continued. "It's just like when you tried to get rid of Onizuka. None of your pathetic little plans worked out. I mean, trying to make him stumble and fall on a pair of scissors? Putting a cockroach in his food? That's just stupid. Too bad you lack the brains for such a job."
"Well, you're not very competent either!" Murai shouted. "How about that money embezzlement operation you tried to pull of together with Iijima and that bitch Aizawa, right before this trip? You three tried to get Onizuka framed for the incident, but in the end, you ended up with the dirty old men instead!"
When he mentioned this, Chikako got mad for real. She stood up and looked Murai straight in the eyes.
"The plan would have worked perfectly if not that little whore Kanzaki had interfered! Miyabi's plan was perfect. Too bad that blonde she-devil had to destroy it!"
She took a breath, then said:
"It's sad to see you have all become Onizuka's servants! I am happy I am still strong and independent. And don't you dare call Miyabi a bitch! Miyabi is a much better person than all of you! She is sweet and caring for the ones who really are her true friends, and she treats traitors the way they should be treated!"
No one in the room noticed it, but Kikuchi suddenly stopped typing at his keyboard.
Murai groaned, his eyes fixed at Chikako.
"'Sweet and caring', huh? You three used Fujiyoshi, making him get humiliated in front of the whole class!"
Fujiyoshi looked bitter when Murai said this. Murai continued:
"Fujiyoshi had done nothing to harm Miyabi or anyone of you! In fact, he is one of the most forgiving persons in the class. He even respects Miyabi still. And you know that, Chikako! Do you honestly think it was right to do such a thing? Did you really feel 'sweet and caring' when you put him through all that?"
Chikako tried to keep a straight face, but she felt her cheeks getting red, and she unintentionally began staring at the wall instead of at Murai.
"Th-that was not my idea. It was Miyabi's plan! I just assisted her. Miyabi is the best one to make advanced plans. Why should I try to interfere? It would only mess up things. And besides, Miyabi would be angry if I did."
Kikuchi slowly closed his laptop. No one noticed this either.
To tell the truth, Chikako felt that the whole embezzlement operation and the usage of Fujiyoshi had been a bit too much. Personally, she hadn't want it to happen, but Miyabi had been so angry and determined that Chikako hadn't dared to say anything. When Miyabi was furious, you never wanted to mess with her. For every day since Onizuka had arrived, Miyabi had become more and more obsessed with getting him fired. In the end, she had been willing to go to any lengths to succeed with her plans. That was the reason they had done something so extreme. Fujiyoshi was a bit of a jerk, but he was actually a quite nice guy. He had even been friendly towards Chikako herself, from time to time. She had not wanted him to play the lead role in Miyabi's plan, but he was the only one in class who came from a poor family.
"Besides," Murai went on, "Where is Miyabi now? Why isn't she here now with her two best friends? You know what, you and Iijima might as well go back home to your 'sweet and caring' friend! Nobody wants you here anyway!"
Chikako got mad again and felt her courage seep back. She looked straight at Murai.
"Yeah, you are right actually! We should go back home! I hate staying here with you idiots, sharing a room and all. When Miyabi isn't here, it's no fun. I should go back home first thing tomorrow! I want to be with Miyabi!"
Suddenly, a voice cut through the air. It was not loud, but its power and authourity silenced all the other voices.
"Miyabi, Miyabi, Miyabi, Miyabi."
It was Kikuchi. He had put his laptop away and was now watching Chikako. She and Murai began staring at him.
Kikuchi was spinning a pen in one of his hands in a steady rhythm.
"Miyabi, Miyabi, Miyabi, Miyabi." he said again, not taking his eyes away from her.
Chikako didn't understand anything.
"Wh-what? What are you doing?" she finally said, not knowing what else to come up with.
"I'm just imitating you, Chikako. You sound like a parrot." Kikuchi said calmly.
"Eh, what? I don't sound like that! Knock it off! You're freaking me out!"
"You're pretty much freaking me out as well."
"What? Why?"
"Because you seem to have an unhealthy obsession for a certain girl named Miyabi Aizawa."
Chikako stared at his cool and relaxed face. His eyes were full of confidence, as usual. Chikako felt the hate grow inside of her. She began trembling. Out of all people on the planet, there was no one she hated as much as Kikuchi.
Kikuchi was everything she was not. Just like Miyabi, he had the intelligence, the good looks and the charisma, not to mention he was a good fighter as well, but the difference to Miyabi was that he completely ignored her. He didn't hate her, he wasn't bored by her, he never felt sorry for her. He simply didn't care about her at all. And that wasn't the only thing. The worst thing was that it always felt like his penetrating gaze saw right through her. When Kikuchi looked at her, she felt like he was reading her mind, seeing not only the faults of her exterior, but into the weakness of her soul. When he looked at her, she felt naked and defenseless.
Then there was one more thing. A very personal thing that only she felt. Kikuchi wore glasses, just like her. But the difference was that he looked good in them. In fact, he looked beautiful in his glasses. They made his face complete in a strange kind of way. Chikako envied this. She hated glasses so much. Her own glasses was what made her so ugly. Her glasses were the reason no boy wanted a date with her. Everytime she saw Kikuchi looking beautiful in his glasses, she felt like she wanted to cry.
"What do you mean? What are you trying to say?" she asked.
"Just listen to yourself, Chikako. 'Miyabi thinks this', 'Miyabi says that', 'Miyabi would be this', 'Miyabi is so lovely and sweet'...you repeat the same kind of phrases over and over again."
"Huh?"
"Let me ask you an honest question, Chikako. Why do you hang out with Miyabi?"
Chikako could not read anything from Kikuchi's expressionless face.
"Why the hell do you ask that? Maybe it's because we're friends! You know, friends do tend to spend time together. Never heard of that?"
"Ah, I see. So you're friends..."Chikako was totally clueless. Where was he going with all this? Kikuchi's face and voice were completely neutral. He could have been talking about the weather. But Chikako knew very well that Kikuchi was not such a simple guy. She knew that he had a secret plan going on. When he spoke in this manner, there was always something nasty beneath the surface, ready to crawl up when you least expected it.
Chikako sat down on her bed again, trying to think of something else. After a few seconds, Kikuchi spoke.
"Are you really good friends, Chikako? Close friends who care deeply for eachother? Do you trust Miyabi with all your heart?"
"Why, yeah! Of course I do! She is my best friend in the whole world!"
Murai and his boys were now quiet, listening to her and Kikuchi. They seemed to be a bit tense. Chikako felt more and more uneasy. What were they up to, really?
"Okay? Best friends, you say? Hmm..."
Kikuchi took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes a bit, then put the glasses back on. Then he took a deep breath.
"If I am going to express my honest opinion, I have to say that I find your claim that you two are best friends a bit strange. You know, from all I've seen and heard, she is quite rude towards you from time to time."
Chikako frowned.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Well, for example, remember that time in the cafeteria last year, when you spilled that huge glass of juice all over your school uniform? You got plenty of that stuff on your skirt as well. It made a big wet spot in the front."
Murai and his friends looked down in the floor smiling. Kikuchi's face was still neutral.
Chikako opened her mouth, but then quickly closed it again.
"Do you remember who laughed the most?" Kikuchi continued. "Miyabi did. She even pointed at you and called out to everyone in the cafeteria what you had done. Because of that, every kid in there noticed it, and everybody laughed."
Chikako coughed quietly, then she chuckled.
"Whu...well, that...that's nothing! She was just teasing me. You know, like close friends do. And besides, I deserved it. I embarrassed Miyabi in front of everyone by screwing up. I was clumsy. I did a Toro-chan, hahaha!"
Her laugh echoed in the quiet room.
"Okay? Personally, I thought she was being quite reckless. As I recall, you were smiling, but your eyes looked very sad." Kikuchi said.
"What are you trying to say, Kikuchi? Everyone does that! I mean, look at you guys!" Chikako pointed to Murai and his two boys. "Don't say you don't fool around, pull pranks on eachother and laugh when someone of you gets into an embarrassing situation!"
"Well, yeah...but we don't do those kind of things, do we?" Murai said.
"You do! Your boys over there laughed quite a lot when they saw the drawing on your back!" Chikako said.
Murai charged up for a new emotional outburst, but Fujiyoshi quickly put a hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, we laughed at him." Fujiyoshi said. "After all, it was a good prank. But afterwards, we helped him clean it up and now we don't pick on him anymore. Miyabi didn't drop it like that. Remember what she did? She took a picture with her cell phone of you being all soaked. Later, she sent it to practically every student in school. Days after the incident, people still laughed when they saw you in the corridor."
"You're just idiots!" Chikako snarled. "The whole thing was just a joke, and I don't mind! Miyabi was only playing a joke! A joke!"
"Does she ever do those kind of jokes with Saeko?" Kikuchi asked her.
"What? I don't know! I guess she does."
"Come to think of it, aren't you three best friends who always are together?"
"Of course we are."
"Really? Because several times, I've seen Miyabi and Saeko hang out with eachother at school, or out in the town, without you. They seem to do that frequently."
He kept staring at her.
"So...so what? She probably had a special reason to do so! I have no idea."
"You mean she never gives you a specific reason why she does it? She just goes out with Saeko and doesn't even bother to give you a call or tell you about it? Isn't that a bit cold?"
"I don't mind! Miyabi would never do something bad to me! If she hangs out with Saeko alone there is probably a good reason for her to do so. Who am I to doubt her?"
"Mmm okay. If you say so..." Kikuchi said.
Chikako frowned and began fixing with her things. She tried her best to ignore him.
"Do you smoke, by the way?" Kikuchi asked her.
Chikako put her things down and looked at him in disbelief.
"No I don't smoke, thank you!" she said angrily.
"But you have smoked. I have seen you doing it."
"What? When?"
"It was when Miyabi had a party at her place with the whole class invited, plus some of the senior girls. One of those girls offered you some free cigarettes."
"Oh...yeah, okay. That's true. I smoked at that party. So what?"
"It seemed to me you didn't like it that much. Remember what happened?"
"No." Chikako said sourly.
"You looked like you were feeling a bit sick while smoking it. And after the cigarette was done and the seniors had left the three of you, you ran to the bathroom and spent the rest of the party in there. It seemed your body didn't react very well."
"Shut up!" Chikako said angrily. "Don't mention that! I'm not a smoker, I know! So what? I hate cigarettes! I've always done!"
"But still, you smoked one."
Chikako looked away.
"At first, you turned down her offer, right?" Kikuchi said. "Then Miyabi took you aside and talked to you. She looked very angry. And after that, you accepted the senior girl's cigarette."
Chikako was quiet for a few seconds. Then she said:
"Well...a senior girl wanted to be kind and give me some free cigarettes...and it's...it's rude to say 'no' to her when she's being kind like that. And I would have made Miyabi look bad at her own party if her close friend would have been whining and had refused such a nice offer..."
"I see..."
"It's nothing strange!" Chikako said angrily. "I have to try out new things, don't I? Otherwise you never learn things in life! I can't be a baby all my life. I have to grow up someday and learn the things adults do!"
"I guess so." Kikuchi said.
He put his pen on the bedside table.
"What about boys?" he suddenly said. "Are you having any luck with them?"
"That's none of your business!"
Chikako's face now had a shade of red, and she did not look at Kikuchi anymore.
"I guess it's not. But I happen to know a thing or two. Remember that time when that guy Takeshi in class 3-1 approached you and said he wanted to spend time with you? He told you such sweet words about how much he liked you. You seemed to be really happy. In fact, you seemed like you were in love. Your eyes were shining."
Chikako's mouth fell wide open. She hadn't told him about that! How could he know all the details?
"You brought him along to a party. You wore the kind of dress he had told you he loved. Then at that party, you introduced him to Miyabi, and then he and Miyabi began dating just a few days after that. They even hugged and kissed in front of you in the school corridor. It was almost as if Miyabi stole him away from you. You looked so sad. It must have felt really painful."
"Sh-shut up! I cannot control what person a guy falls in love with! If he and Miyabi loved eachother and wanted to be together and he had lost interest in me, that's their business! You can't force a person to love you!" As she and Chikako now looked very troubled. Her gaze bounced around the room, like she was trapped in a cage. Her breathing was heavy.
She faced Kikuchi again and stared at him, gritting her teeth.
"S-stop this nonsense!" she said, her voice trembling. "You don't know anything about Miyabi. I am her close friend, and we have a great relation, something you would never understand!" At that moment, as Kikuchi's voice changed. He looked angry. He leaned forwards and looked her deep into the eyes.
"Oh, it's quite easy for me to understand, Chikako. It's easy to understand how a weak and lonely person like you always pucker up for a popular girl like Miyabi, regardless if she is treating you like shit." As He almost spat out the last word."You are so desperate to be one of the cool guys. You would do anything to get accepted by them. And you swallow any crap they put in your mouth. Miyabi dominates you completely, and you get humiliated by her over and over again, and yet you trust her and follow her."
Chikako had very much an pale little face now as started to speak as little scared as then "Th-that's not true! Y-you're lying!" she stuttered as they continue on " as You say as Miyabi is your best friend, and that you two have a great relation and I'm afraid that you have been mistaken. Do you want some real evidence of Miyabi's true character? Do you want proof of how wrong as you just have been about her now? Fine then. I'll tell you."
Kikuchi took a deep breath as then started to speak again " just do you Remember back in elementary school now? Long before you came to the Academy and as met Miyabi or anyone of us? Your classmates in your old school were not very nice to you. They had a very special name for you..." As Chikako very own blood just froze. No, he couldn't...!
"Kikuchi!" Fujiyoshi said in panic as He and Murai and Kusano as suddenly looked very nervous at the moment as This might be bad for anyone But nothing could stop Kikuchi now as He was about to move the last piece and kill the king as His eyes were burning with motor oil now he continue "They used to call you...'Chikakobuta'." As He smiled like a b**** now.
Chikako felt like she had been hit by a train again as She then jumped off the her very bed and started to stared at Kikuchi with as her eyes full of hate and humiliation. As Her face turned pale, as then turned red, as then turned pale again. Her hands were shaking.
CHANGE LOCATION
A FEW MINUTES LATER
"Shut up! SHUT UP! As Where did you hear that name now ! As You cannot know that name! As YOU CAN'T!" No one had ever seen as Chikako mad like this before in there life now as She was hollering with all her power right into Kikuchi's face Murai and as his very two friends had looked terrified at the moment as this might be bad "Yes, we all did know that name from the start as Chikako as We did know everything just about your very past now" as Kikuchi said to her now as his voice as sounded confident but had a slight tremble as he just was indeed was as uncomfortable with Chikako's desperation.
"Shut up! As You can't! You're a monster! A demon! As How did you find out about that name? HOW! Tell me or I'll kill you!" As she grabbed Kikuchi's collar." Just Think, chika just think Chikako now ! Even you would be able to figure out how we learnt about it. As Deep inside, you know it very well. Miyabi told us as She did not! SHE DID NOT! She's my best friend! I told no one but her! As She would never tell you!"
"She told us that name, and so much more. For a long time now, she has been telling us all your little secrets, all your embarrassing moments and how ugly she thought you were. She used to tell it to the whole class when we gathered in the class room during lunch break, anytime you were not there with us. We laughed. Everyone laughed."
"Lies! Lies!"
Chikako let go of Kikuchi. She put her hands to her face, as she was now just shaking her head violently. "Want to hear some more as things she told us? How about this: back in your old school you were voted The Ugliest Girl In Class every single year. You wet your bed until you turned seven. And you once as invited your whole class over to your house for a birthday party, but no one came."
"Stop it! Stop it!" As Kikuchi raised his voice again."No, YOU stop it, Chikako! It's time to wake up now! Miyabi is not the sweet friend you think she is. She is not the kind-hearted girl she once was. As You have seen enough now during this semester to know her true nature. She doesn't care about your feelings! She doesn't care about anyone's feelings but her own! She only wants you around as her little pet. As She is only interested in going through with her plans, using you as a tool. And you follow! As You believe every single word she says! As You would obey her every command now !" As she just search "Nooo!"
"As Do you know what people like you are called? 'Ass kissers'! As That's what you are. You were always left out of the loop. As You were unpopular. You were desperate to be one of the cool girls. You would do anything. Even selling your soul. As That's why you as are always following Miyabi, who used to be the queen bee of this class. You always hope to get a piece of the fame she used to have. As You are idolizing her in every single way. As You look up to her so much that you don't even object when she is rude towards you. She constantly mistreats you, and you let it happen." As Chikako was shaking. Her arms hung down, totally powerless. She didn't say anything.
As Kikuchi's voice became calm again. "You wanted people to admire you. But the truth is, no one admires you. Not a single person. The fact that you act as Miyabi's loyal dog is the reason why everyone in the class looks down on you. As That's why no one respects you. How can they respect as someone who never stands on her own? As Someone who never makes her own choices? No one likes you, Chikako. As People laugh at you behind your back. As Even Yoshikawa and Tomoko do in the past now." Kikuchi had finished his speech as Chikako just stood there for a long time and Then she slowly raised her head as and faced the four boys."I hate you...I hate you so much." she whispered.
Then she snapped. She began screaming and stomping the floor."as Go to hell you of you now ! I hate you! I as never want to speak to you ever again! Never! NEVER! Do you hear me!" As She ran out of the room, slamming the door as she left with The crashing sound echoed through the hotel corridor as it was before.
CHANGE LOCATION
CITY OF TOKYO
MONDAY
POV
The minute Kanzaki Urumi hopped off the train, she knew this visit to Tokyo would bring more than her previous visits. It's the kind of instinctual feeling that not even a genius would be able to explain. She walked the usual route that led to the bus stop, the one where other Holy Forest Academy students would wait. She had been one of those kids, once. It felt like such a long time ago.
These streets feel as if they're frozen in time. Everything looks almost exactly the same as when I left.
She passed by some of the spots she used to hang out in. The bookstore near the school, a café that served shaved ice, a tiny bar where she had frequently seen the Great Teacher stumble out of in a drunken stupor. She even remembered the lamp post Onizuka almost hit when she hitched a ride on his motorcycle.
Urumi got on the bus and didn't really bother with picking a destination. She just wanted to see the sights as she would have six years ago. In her mind, Urumi could fill in the faces of the people around her with those of people she had known years ago.
As she turned her head to look at one of the bookstores she frequently visited in search of classical American novels, she could vaguely make out one of its patrons. There stood a slender man with dark brown hair and a pair of glasses. She wouldn't admit it, but her heart had skipped a beat at the possibility that she's looking at the only person who could do that with just one clever quip.
Yoshito Kikuchi had never intended to stay this long in Tokyo. He just wanted to visit some family members, the ones who were worried that his newly single lifestyle would lead to his demise. Petty worries from petty minds. I won't ruin my life just because of a relationship.
The word was out that he had broken off his engagement with a girl he went to University with. He didn't want to dwell on it, but people kept on insisting that it's a big deal. He'd shrug them off, but people have a persistent need to dwell on other people's drama. It was pathetic.
His initial intention to stay for a weekend extended to an entire week... And then it became two. He was able to do his job with just a laptop and an internet connection, so being away from his office in Osaka wasn't such a big deal.
To be honest, he felt relieved the moment he arrived back into this familiar part of the city. It was nostalgic in the way a painful lesson was nostalgic. And while some of his classmates, if they deigned to come back to here, would recall all the fun, carefree moments, Kikuchi's mind would only wander to one person... Kanzaki Urumi.
When it comes to seeing her again, the odds were slim. She'd have been the first to bolt the moment she could. And she did for a good reason. But a part of him wished he could see her again. Maybe that's what compelled him to go to the local bookstore every chance he could.
"Yoshito."
A woman called his name with such surety that Kikuchi could have sworn it was a foreigner talking. As he turned around, he thought he saw a ghost. A graceful blonde ghost with a curious look on her face.
"Kanzaki?" He squinted his eyes, despite the glasses he wore. Do I need a new prescription? Are my eyes toying with me?
"In the flesh. I never really thought I'd run into any of you guys again."
"The odds are high that you would, when you visit the area during a school break. It's nice to see you again, Urumi." The calmness in his voice masked the trepidation he felt as she came closer to him.
Yoshito Kikuchi, a man who valued logic and reason above all else, whose fears were often placated by brushing them off with an explanation, didn't know what scared him more: the fact that his wish, against all odds, had come true, or the fact that this moment could kill any sort of hope he had of being honest with what he truly felt.
They decided to continue their conversation at a coffee shop nearby. The light atmosphere and the jazzy, cheerful music of the café failed to mask the heaviness that lay within their minds.
"I never really thought I'd run into any of you guys again." Urumi started with the same sentence she had uttered when they saw each other near the local bookstore. She's been stirring her tea for what seemed like ages. "Least of all, you."
Kikuchi brought his cup of coffee to his lips and took the tiniest sip. Nothing like a bit of bitterness to mask the bitterness. It's always a riddle when it comes to trying to find out what Urumi wants to say, or wants you to understand. "Least of all me. What ever could you mean?"
Urumi tried to hide a mischievous smile, and failed. She knew that Kikuchi has always looked at her with some form of admiration, and sometimes it was tinged with a hint of desire. But he never spoke of it. He never acted on it. The only thing that gave him away was the way he'd look at her for a second too long, the way he'd sit just an inch closer to her. The way he would speak to her in a tone he never used with the other girls in their school.
"I know more about you than you think I do. It's not that you hated this place or anything," she gestured at their surroundings, the town where their class had wreaked havoc, the place where their adventures with Onizuka had transpired. "But you went off to university and never looked back. If I had known better, I'd have thought you got chased out. I even heard rumors that you were engaged."
He was startled by how much she knew. It's not that she'd be lacking the means to find out. Rather, he was unsettled that she even bothered to find out anything about him. "You always listen to idle gossip?"
"Do you deny it?" She raised her eyebrow.
"Hmm." He said, trying to avoid the all too familiar topic of his broken engagement, "I guess you can only run so far away from the folly of youth before you find yourself dragged back in. It's like revisiting that part of yourself that you want to forget, but at the same time, you never want to let go of."
"Go on..."
"I was an asshole to my teachers. You know that much, and you were a different kind of demon to them, yourself. But I guess what bothered me about this place isn't what I did to the people around me. What bothers me is what I wasn't able to do while I was here. I could have changed the course of my life, if I hadn't been too caught up in trying to run and be a so-called better person."
"And have you become worse, Yoshito?"
The way his name oh-so-causally formed on her lips both excited him and scared him. It was one of the easiest ways to manipulate a person, using their name with such surety. He mentally tried to keep himself composed. "Worse, no. More regretful is more like it."
Urumi tilted her head to rest on her hand. She looked like a curious little puppy. But to those who knew better, she looked poised tocatch her prey. "You regret not going through with your engagement, then?"
"You know what I'm talking about." It irked him that she knew the right questions to ask, only to play dumb and act all innocent when he gave his answers.
Sure, he had regrets when it comes to his broken engagement. But the greater regret lay in the fact that he even bothered to get into a relationship with the woman he had been engaged to. Hiromi. The blonde beauty every guy at their university had a crush on. Hiromi. Even their names sounded similar. Nothing was wrong with her, per se. She'd have been a great wife, and possibly a great mother. She was quite clever, too.
But what bothered him sometimes was when he'd wake up next to her, and instead of the sweet innocent face of his beloved, he'd see a beautiful blonde with mismatched eyes and a defiant look on her face. He'd think Hiromi was being philosophical, as Urumi was wont to do, when in fact she was just being naïve. He hated himself for seeing someone else in Hiromi, who loved him with all her heart.
In the end, despite the fact that he had proposed, or that he had been coerced into proposing by Hiromi's family, he had to end it. He never told her why, exactly. But Kikuchi felt that Hiromi somewhat knew that he looks at her as if she were someone else.
Kikuchi couldn't help but blame Urumi. But it wasn't even her fault. In fact, she probably didn't know or didn't care about the effect she had on him. He hated the fact that after six years of not even seeing Urumi or hearing from her or even hearing about her, she still had that unwavering effect on him. As if he was a nerdy schoolboy all over again.
"I wish you spoke up." Urumi broke his reverie with her soft voice, but her eyes were fixed on the tea that she found herself stirring again.
"You can hear me just fine." I'll use your own moves on you.
She looked at him with a mixture of disdainful sarcasm and slight amusement. "I wish you spoke up six years ago. Before we went off on our separate ways."
What makes her think I didn't want to? But I couldn't compete with the way Onizuka makes her feel. Then again, I guess I saw attraction when there wasn't any. It was more of a curiosity that she had with him. Yes, she wanted to be with Onizuka, to follow him wherever he went. But I later realized that her quest to "capture" him was out of the same morbid curiosity that plagues those who are left confused by the things they don't understand.
But even if Onizuka is now conveniently married and out of the way, the way Urumi leads men on scares me like nothing else. But it's also what draws me to her. If I had spoken up back then, who's to say she wouldn't laugh in my face? I'm not one to take such a risk.
"What use would it have been, if you already knew how I felt for you? You'd have shoved it in my face and left me hanging. Or worse, you could have used me as a pawn in one of your little games."
Urumi leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms. She didn't even bother to hide the irritation in her voice. "The thing with you, Kikuchi, is that you were so fixated on how you felt and how I'd use it against you. You never even considered the notion that maybe I'm capable of being attracted to someone. That maybe I might feel something for you."
"I-"
She continued, unperturbed by his interruption. "You, all of you, think that I'm just a manipulator, and that I see every single one of you as a pawn. All you see is Kanzaki the smart girl, the genius, the one with the troubled past.
None of you bothered to check if I had a pulse underneath it all. You were the only one smart enough to see that I'm every bit as human as the rest of you. But you let yourself be scared off by the attention I paid to our resident nutcase of a teacher."
There was a passion in her voice that Kikuchi had never seen before. This wasn't the feigned passion she used when she's trying to seduce an unwilling victim. It was genuine passion that made her voice crack. It made her hesitate. It was unrehearsed and devoid of trickery. It felt real.
Kikuchi opened his mouth, and closed it again, like a fish gasping for water. He didn't know what to say. On the one hand, she's admitting that she felt-FEELS something for him. On the other hand, he had just pissed her off beyond repair that she might be detonating a bomb beneath the table right at that moment.
CHANGE LOCATION
As Kikuchi has opened his eyes to the LCD screen of the hotel alarm clock and the dim lamp beside it. He squinted his eyes and as read that it was 1:28 in the morning. The air conditioning of his modest hotel room didn't seem to be working as he did felt a little too warm... and a bit sweaty as well It still beats staying with his family for the weekend now
As he tried to get up now as he realized that there was a weight on his right arm now as he was confused as beneath the covers. Still groggy, and very much puzzled, as he then just decided to peeked under his blanket as and saw the top of a blonde head as He took his glasses from the nightstand and hastily as put them on now.
As at that moment as Lying on his chest was the unmistakably naked figure of Urumi as Kanzaki as Her legs entwined with his, and her hand secured his arm around her. As He could see the curve of her waist and how it flared out onto her modest backside And As he just thought to just inhaled her scent, the memory of everything that happened as it soon as they stepped into his hotel room as it came rushing back like a tidal wave now.
The way he slowly unzipped the back of her dress and the way her blonde hair looked on her naked back and the traces of sweet tea still lingering on her lips and the feel of her smooth porcelain skin under his fingertip as the very softness of her breasts, of her hips, of her thighs as he lifted her up, of her very much tongue as she pleasured him to the brink of ecstasy.
The way she tasted... down there.
The way she arched her back as his tongue and fingers caressed her sex, making her moan and scream his name, over and over.
The way it felt to be united with her, to be inside her. Her soft, tight warmth enveloping him as she climaxed to his thrusts.
And finally, the way he had climaxed inside her, and the fact that her only protest was when he pulled himself out of her.
Just thinking about it was enough to make him hard again. He gently caressed her back with the feather-light touch of his fingers, both hesitant to wake her up and hoping she would so that they can make love again.
"Mmm... Kikuchi, I'm ticklish." She mumbled lazily. She slid her leg across his thighs and heaved herself on top of him. Resting her head on his chest, she gently caressed his forearms. He has always been slender, but he was never scrawny. I like how he's so lithe and graceful-looking. As if his body, like his personality, only conveyed what was necessary, nothing more, nothing less... And right now there's a part of him that's conveying a little more than it was a minute ago.
"Urumi..."
Hmm?" She looked up at him, her unique eyes searching his face for a sign of what he wants. At that moment, realizing just how handsome Kikuchi had become since they last saw each other. Gone was the lankiness of youth, as it was replaced by stronger features. Only his eyes, his nearly blind yet inquisitive eyes, stayed the same.
To Urumi's surprise, he bent his head and kissed her. Not the passionate kiss that preceded lovemaking. No, it was the sweet, seemingly innocent kiss that you would give when you felt disarmed by the sight of the one you've always desired. It was instinctual, and maybe a bit too sweet for Urumi's taste. But he didn't care.
She rested her head on her hand and leaned in closer to him. "Have you always been such a giving lover? Or are you just like this because you're scared that I might turn you away?"
Kikuchi chuckled, the heaviness in his mind had dissipated the minute their lips met. "You could say I just wanted to know what you look like when pleasure takes over reason. And I never truly expected you to sound incoherent when I've got you all worked up."
She pinched his forearm and rolled off him to face the opposite direction, in defiance of what he just said.
He smiled and embraced her from behind, sliding his arm under her head, and resting his other hand low on her belly. "Don't worry. I enjoyed it. It's just a stark difference from that self-assured way you... do everything."
"You make it sound as if making love with me were some sort of experiment. I wouldn't be surprised if you were jotting down notes halfway through!"
"So it was love we were making then? You won't delegate some other emotionless, vulgar word to what we were doing earlier?" He teased her by drawing random little circles on her belly, inching lower and lower with each swirl.
"I won't be baited into saying what you already know."
"But won't you indulge me, Urumi?" He punctuated his sentence by kissing her lightly on the shoulder. "Just this once? To make up for all the years we've denied it?"
She relaxed her shoulders and gave in to his teases. "I have affectionate feelings towards you, Kikuchi. I have back then, and I still have them until now. Is that fine or would you like something more poetic? Perhaps in French?" She scoffed at him.
Not content with just her shoulder, he playfully nuzzled her neck, which elicited a soft moan from Urumi. "It's as good as any other."
"What, I thought the routine was that when someone professes their feelings, the other follows suit? Or are we beyond such trifles?"
Kikuchi laughed and playfully bit the crook of Urumi's shoulder. "Aa. But while others like to speak of how they feel, there are those who prefer to show it."
And with that he let his hand wander even lower.
They explored each other countless times that night. Once again in bed, another on the kitchen counter, on the floor, and once as they shared the shower. Each touch, each kiss, and each thrust, more hungry than the next. It was as if they were making up for lost time. The lack of sleep only served to make them both lightheaded.
As dawn grew near, Kanzaki and Kikuchi wrapped themselves in a blanket at the foot of the bed to stave off the fatigue in their muscles. Urumi sat in front of Kikuchi, with her head resting against his chest. Kikuchi wrapped his arms around her waist, as if he were scared that she'd suddenly get up, get dressed and walk away from him again.
"Not a lot of things scare me you know. But I think I've found a new one to add to the list." He said as he nuzzled the top of her head.
"Oh, what's that?"
"I'm afraid that after this, you'll consider it closure. And the next time I see you, you'd be over this whole thing."
"You're afraid I might walk out today and you'll never see me again."
"Yeah," he said as he tightened his embrace. "And a part of me wishes that none of this happened. Because if I never knew what it would be like to have you, then I won't have to deal with losing you. It's a risk. And I've never been one to take such huge risks, especially not for the sake of emotions."
He couldn't see her face. He had no idea what she was thinking. But it felt both liberating and terrifying to have to bare his heart out to this enigma of a woman in his arms. She's here physically, but he never could tell how far away her mind might be.
"Would you take me with you?" She asked without looking at him.
"With me where? To Osaka?" He asked, genuinely not comprehending what she's talking about.
"Yes. To Osaka. Why, are you afraid your roommates might not approve?" She turned to face him, a teasing smile lingered on her lips.
"I don't have any roommates."
"Well, do you want one?"
Again, Kikuchi caught himself opening and closing his mouth. One minute he was contemplating the pain of losing her, and now she's asking to move in with him. She must be toying with him. "Urumi, this isn't funny."
"I'm not laughing. I'm serious." She let out an exasperated sigh. "You're thinking of things that might go wrong. How we'd be able to fit into your place. What I'd do there. How I'd transport all my stuff from Hokkaido-"
"You live in Hokkaido? What the hell are you doing in Hokkaido?"
"I've always wanted to live there, and then I did. Anyway, the point is, you're always thinking of what would go wrong. And here I am thinking that we're both clever enough to get away with anything we want to do. Come now, Kikuchi, has your university education and your girlfriend taught you to be so cautious in life, when back in high school you were just as reckless as the rest of us?"
That struck a chord. He did become more cautious after Onizuka's influence had waned. "But what if-"
"What if you realize that you don't love me anymore or it doesn't work out or I get sick of you or the world falls apart? We deal with it. Like we always do." She shrugged and turned her whole body towards him, enticingly exposing the tops of her breasts.
"This isn't how I imagined this type of conversation would go. We aren't even dressed! You'd think it would make more sense to talk about this with plans, income charts, maps and calculators around."
"Ahh, Kikuchi," she said as she kissed the tip of his nose, "You and I are sensible people. But what we do doesn't always have to make sense. We just do what we do because we can. If Onizuka taught you anything, it's that you have to do what you want to do as soon as you can, before the opportunity gets snatched away from you."
"Urumi," he said as he brushed her cheek with his thumb, "I can't promise you the extravagant lifestyle you're used to. I can't even promise you much. As I can't even promise you that we'll be together until the day we die But we can still try as I'm not one to make promises. All I know are the facts I have right now. And I'm sure that I'm still as in love with you as the day I realized it in high school. Maybe even more since I know how good you are with your tong-"
"Hey!" She poked his chest with her finger.
He laughed and lunged at her until they were both lying on the floor, Urumi pinned down by his arms. "Come with me. Hell knows what you'll end up doing in Osaka. I have no idea what either of us would be getting into. But I want you to come with me, and I don't think there's anything I wanted more."
Urumi smiled mischievously, raised her head and whispered in his ear, "Come inside me."Okay, so maybe there's something I do want more as they both smile together as they walked together with there hands in each holding as they just expected their as very lives to go as long as good as possible as they will expect the future.
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TO BE CONTINUED