Boy Meets Girl, Girl Meets Boy: A Love Story (Chapter 15)
finally finished this last night. suppose to post it along with chapter 16 but i'm too lazy to write today (having a small panic attack yet again jen's taking care of that. the whole Oscars thing is bigger than i imagined. i wonder how i'm gonna deal with that piece of info...hmmm...)
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Chapter Fifteen
I freeze, my feet becoming numb. Did he just say what I think he did??
I turn around and find his eyes upon me.
He did...
His lips twitch and spread upward, wide, a cross between a smile and a smirk. One eyebrow is raised as he bares his teeth. There was a glint in his eyes, shining against the light, like he knew something that I didn't.
I take a gulp. I'm suddenly nervous, as his facial expression is scaring me.
"Underage drinking is illegal in Japan." He stared at his nails and waved a finger at me. "Tsk, tsk. Such a shame if your family found out about this. Not to mention the police. I'd hate to report to them that the bar you went to serves alcohol, especially to minors like you. Imagine, they'd get shut down by the government if anyone found out..."
"Huh? I'm not a minor. I'm 20 years old." I call his bluff.
He snorts. "Yeah, right. You don't look 20. I don't even think you're 18 years old!" He points to the seat across him. "Shall we talk?"
Slumping my shoulders down, my feet moves and leads me back to my seat. I watch as he rubs the palm of his hands against his thighs, biting his lower lip as he does so. I feel so angry, I don't even look at him. How did he know I wasn't of legal age? How did he call my bluff? Why is he doing this to me?? He's trying to blackmail me and using Nobu against me! This isn't right!
For awhile, no one spoke.
"I don't believe you." I bunch my fists underneath the table. I wasn't gonna go down without a fight. "I don't think you have the guts to do it. Besides, you don't have any proof."
"Oh really?? Well, we'll see about that." He pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. "I just press this button and...hello? Fuji TV? May I speak to Tetsuo Suda please?"
"You wouldn't." I hiss.
"Watch me." He pressed the phone closer. "Ah, hello? You don't know me but I - "
I grab the glass of water from the table and throw it at his face. "How dare you?? How dare you do this to me??" I watch as he drops his phone. Water drips from his face and all over his shirt. "Why?" I finally ask. "Why are you doing this to me?? Why me?? It still doesn't make sense. Why not your...'special someone' instead? I bet she'd be a better match than me. Plus, you're already dating her so why not??"
"Because...didn't I tell you that already?" He reaches out and grabs some table napkins, wiping his face. "My...'special someone' isn't...how should I put this?...she's...someone my family would not approve of for me. You, on the other hand, look like the type they would like. You’ve got everything - education, breeding and spunk." He looks down and becomes silent. "But, you know...I'm really doing this for my mom. She doesn't know that I know but I've disappointed her so many times. Sometimes I feel so bad that she got stuck with such a son like me. She doesn't show or say anything but it's there every time I see her watch my sister. You see, she had simple dreams for me - to go to university and get a degree, find someone whom I can truly love, get married, have kids, be happy in life - the whole package. But I decided to go my own way. It was, in some way, selfish of me but I needed to do what I wanted to do. I'm happy where I am now but...now, I want to make my family happy and if there's a way for me to fulfill at least one of my mom's wishes, I'd gladly do it, even if it's just an illusion. I know I'd be lying to her and hurting her, who I hope she never finds out, but if it makes her happy to know that I've granted her wish, then I'd do it." His gaze brushes past me, his eyes full of sadness and hope.
Somewhere up in heaven, I could hear angels crying for my heart was melting and breaking into pieces. I wanted to cry with them as well, because he just revealed to me that he was really doing this for his mother.
"So...will you help me?" He asks softly. Then, he reminds me of his threat if I don't help him. "Just remember, if you don't, I'll report you to the authorities."
His last statement quickly shocked me back into reality. "Um...I'll think about it."
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"Are you really sure about this?" I ask Emiko.
"No. Yes...maybe..." She sighs as we step into the elevator.
I turn to her as soon as the doors close. "Emiko, I've got something to tell you." I took a deep breath. "Ohno isn't the one who wrote the letters."
"I know."
"Eh?" I half expected her to be angry but surprisingly, she wasn't. "But...how?? And how come you didn't tell me that you were secretly going out with him?"
"I'm not stupid Hanari. Please! Give me some credit. I've kind of suspected for awhile now." She waves a hand. "I started seeing him because I wanted to know if he was the guy I might like. I didn't tell anyone because I wasn't sure if he was the one. Until now, I still don't think he might be it but..."
"So, why are we here?"
"Because, I want to know where this might go." She slumped back against the wall. "At first, I just told myself I wanted to know if he was really the guy who wrote those letters. But now, after awhile, I realized that it really didn't matter to me if he wrote those letters or not. Once I got to know him, I found out that he's a really nice guy. so what if he might not be the one? I'll never really know so I thought I might as well give this a chance and see where it takes us. Don't worry," She puts a hand on my shoulder. "I'm not gonna give up. I know there's someone out there for me. It might not be him but hey! I'll just wait until my time comes. Until then, why not have some fun?"
I blinked my eyes. Since when did she become wise? Huh. Maybe she was right. Maybe I don't give her enough credit....
...It's actually a bit disturbing to know that she's smarter than I remember.
She turns to me. "By the way, how was your blind date last Friday?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Anything interesting happen?? You came home late. Must've been one hell of a date."
You have no idea. "It was you, wasn't it?? You set me up, didn't you??" I point an accusing finger at her. I can't believe you!! Why didn't you tell m - " I get cut off as the elevator stops and the doors slide open.
"What are you talki - Oh! we're here!!" She quickly steps out and runs down the hallway, intent to get away from my wrath. I was still furious about last Friday, partly because I'm suspecting that she conspired with Mrs. Omotsu to set me up on a blind date with Nino, though I still don't know why.
I follow her down the hallway and we take a left turn at the corner. We stop at the fourth door on the left side. As we stop, I take the time to say something. "I just want to say, that...I don't care if you date Ohno, just as long as he makes you happy. And that if he hurts you, I'll punch him." I exhale as the words are out of my mouth. "Now, are you ready?" I ask her.
She smiles and nods as I knock quietly three times. I slowly turn the knob and open the door, my head peeking inside. When we're sure no one is looking, I quickly push it back and pull Emiko and myself in.
"Ouch!!" a voice groans. I close the door to find Ohno near the door, rubbing his nose.
I cover my mouth. The door must've hit him when I opened it. Ooops. "Ah, sorry!"
"Ohno-kun, are you alright?" Emiko rushes to his side, her hands over his face. "Here, let me see..."
"Nice job!" Nino saunters over to me. "So, have you thought about our...little deal?"
Where did he come from? "Wah! Where did you come from?"
He pulls me to one side. "Duh! I work with him, remember?" He points to Ohno. "And I just can't let him meet you girls like this. The tabloids might follow us. Who knows what they'll do? It's better if I'm with him. Guess I can say the same for you." He brushes his left shoulder.
"I'm here to support my friend. I want to make sure Ohno doesn't hurt her." I reply.
"He won't. Now, back to our deal. Have you decided on it?"
I sighed. "Look, I just need a little more time to think about it." Actually, the more I think about it, the more I get angry at the situation. Which is why I still haven't decided.
"Well, hurry up! You're taking too long and I haven't got a lot of time!"
"If you're in such a hurry, why don't you just tell her that we broke up or something?? Wouldn't that be easier?"
"Ha! You don't know my mom. If I tell her that, she'd be asking and pestering me. Believe me, the last thing I need is my mom nagging me."
"Fine. Then I'll think about it some more. Happy?"
"Yes, I'm happy. Thanks for asking!!" He gives me a wink as he pulls his cell phone out of his pocket.
I rolled my eyes at him. "God, I really hate you."
He flashes me a cute smile. "I don't."
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A knock sounds on my door. I walk over to open it but before my hand could turn the knob, the door slowly opens.
Nino's standing there, leaning lazily against the door frame, one hand inside the pocket of his jeans. He gives me a smile. "Hi."
My heart skips a beat, slightly faster than usual, as I quickly brush my gaze over him. He's wearing denim jeans and a short-sleeved shirt, which fitted him really well. I bite my lower lip inside. I got to admit, from the way he was standing to the way he's wearing his clothes, it's kind of cute. Damn, he's actually kind of cute.
...Of course, I don't say it out loud. Instead, I push the thoughts out of my head. Stupid!! He's not cute!! Trying to blackmail someone is not cute - not even humane!! "What do you want?? And how did you get in here?"
"Your aunt let me in." He says matter-of-factly. "You know, I was thinking..." He lets himself in, closing the door after. Um...okay... "The way I see it, you only have two choices. You either agree to help me or I report you to the police. The first choice sounds better - if you think about it, because then, I won't have to tell them about you and you won't have to go to jail."
I sigh as I walk over to the window, leaning against it. "I know." I've been tossing and turning since last night, trying to figure out what to do. It seems that, every which way I turn, there was no good solution. If I don't agree to his plan, I might go to jail. If I do, I'll have to lie to his mother by pretending to be his girlfriend. It didn't matter whichever I choose because I'll end up hurting someone either way. No matter how I look at it, there was no way out for me.
I bury my hands in my pockets. "You know what? I'm really fed up with this. Go ahead and report me to the police. I really don't care. I know what I did and I'm ready to face the consequences of my actions." I cross my arms over my chest. In my last desperate attempt to scare him off, I think I just signed my death sentence. It wasn't in me to give up but I refused to be blackmailed just like that.
He just stood there, staring at me in shock. He must've been surprised because he just kept blinking his eyes. Then he stopped. A small grin spread across his face while his eyes crinkled, narrowing into slits. "Okay." was all he said. He then turns around and walks out the door.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My legs felt weak and my hands were shaking. Just when I thought everything was okay, I hear his voice from outside, along with my aunt's. I rush out of the room and into the living room, where I find him talking to my aunt.
"Oi! What are you doing?" I grab his arm and pull him back beside me.
"Oh, I was just about to tell your aunt something but...since you're here, why don't you tell her?" He pushes me forward. "Hanari here has something she'd like to tell you."
My eyes grow wide as he looks at me with a smirk, his eyebrows nodding at me. I give him a glare as I realize what he's trying to do. He's trying to get me to confess. Nice try, pretty boy, but I'm on to you. "Ah - ah..." I scratch my head. "Ah! I remember now. I got 98% on my quiz in Ancient East Asian History class yesterday!"
"Congratulations!" My aunt gave me a hug.
"No, no, that's not it!" Nino interrupted as soon as we pulled away from each other. He steps forward as my aunt asks, "It's not?"
"No." He replies. He gets this look in his eyes that makes me swallow nervously. Then he grins at me, nodding back.
I look at him, scared. No! I changed my mind! Don't tell her! My hand tries to cover his mouth.
"Then.... what is it?" My aunt asks.
He hangs his head down. "Obasan, she's...she's pregnant with my child." He says quietly. Nino catches my hand in time, taking it in his. "Don't worry honey!" He beams at me.
"WHAT??? Hanari, is this true?" my aunt screeches.
"No! Don't listen to him!! It's not true! I - " I interrupt her.
"Please don't worry. I take full responsibility and with your permission, I'd like to marry her and - " Nino says as I drag him away to my room.
"Keep quiet Nino!" I say as I close the door. "How dare you scare her like that you evil you! You -" I try to hit him.
Nino catches my hand and pins it down to the desk behind me. "You don't think I can win, do you?" He smirks. "You're not in a position to choose, got it? You know what happens to people who go against the authorities once, right? You will never be able to live a normal life again." He gives me a soft smile. "Then again, now that your aunt knows that you're pregnant..." He lets me go and heads for the door.
I rush up to him - "Wait!" - and grab his arm, trying to stop him. "Fine, fine! You win! I can't believe I'm saying this but...okay, okay! I'll do it. I'll help you out, just...stop embarrassing me in front of my aunt."
"I see you finally got it." He turns around and faces me. "But.. I don't understand you. I mean I'm not asking you much but to help me by meeting my family. I'm not asking for more. What's the big deal?"
"That's because I don't believe in lying, Nino. I'd be hurting your family if I agree. Plus, I don't see any reason why I should help you out. Not like we're friends or anything..."
"Ah, you suddenly care about my family? "ha-hahahaha", I must say..." He laughs.
"...unlike you, I have a heart." I continue.
"The reasons are the ones I have. You just need to play nice. If you play nicely, no one will know." He frowned and quickly put a hand to his forehead. "ARGH.. don't make me explain! I'm getting a headache from this..." Then he gives me a pitiful look.
"Fine. I still don't see why I have to endure your company...." I see the look he gives me and go "Ugh!". Dropping face down onto the bed, I think to myself, He's using his charm again. Damn it! He's too cute for his own good!
"Hah! You ARE the type my family would like..." He points at me.
I look up at him. "What? why?"
"It's the reaction they'd want to see. You are the type that they like..." Then he goes silent. " Eh, whatever...I'll call you about the details. Now, let's cool down and talk to your aunt to assure her that nothing is wrong."
I gave him a confused look. "You're weird..."
"I didn't ask for your opinion now, did I?" He snapped back.
"You better apologize to her. Giving her a scare like that...what were you thinking?" I huffed. "As if I'd ever do it with you, let alone go out with you. I don't even like you. and believe me, the feeling is mutual..."
He snorts. "You wish! I'd rather eat spit than date you! Even MatsuJun's better than you!"
"Oh, you dated him?" I smirk. "So you are gay, after all...."
"Hah! I can't believe this!"
"Why are you here again?" I stare at my nails.
"Argh!!" He stomps out of the room. Then he comes back a few minutes later, saying "I forgot to ask you for your number..."
I get a piece of paper, write it down and hand it to him. "Here. Now get out there and apologize to my aunt!"
"Hey! Be nice to me girlfriend!" Nino pauses, then smirks. "Say please~"
"Please? For me, boyfriend?" I pout and don a puppy-eyed dog look, failing because then I start laughing. Then he started laughing along with me.
"Come on..." He pulls me along towards the door.
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We ended up bowing and apologizing profusely to my aunt, who was fuming mad.
"Gomen na sai!" Nino said, kneeling down and bowing several times. "I was just kidding around. I realize now that it was a very bad one but I wanted to keep Hanari so much that I made this joke up..."
My aunt scolded at us. "Yes, it was. Don't you realize the seriousness of the situation? Raising a child is no joke! You should be more careful and..." She continued by telling us the dangers of our actions and how we should be responsible young adults, etc. Her hands kept moving in circles and her face had this funny expression that in the end, Nino and I looked at each other and started laughing.
"Oh, you think this is funny? What is wrong with you two? This isn't a laughing matter!! Getting pregnant isn't something to laugh about!" She sighs and raises her hands in the air. "Ah, I give up! You two are hopeless..." She mutters as she walks away.
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Translation:
Obasan = aunt
Gomen na sai = I'm really sorry
*Tetsuo Suda is a newscaster for Fuji TV's FNN's Super News in Japan.
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this took me like almost a month. basically cos i'm a lazy ass (not to mention i almost lost my sanity so i didn't think writing this would actually matter it broke my heart, that's what it did!!). i cannot express how much i love this fic and how much i've fallen in love with the characters (my parents think it's stupid but so what???) and i've realized that i've put parts of myself into this without realizing it.
[sorry if it sounds stupid but it's the truth...]
anyway, good news is, i'm slowly regaining my sanity back and on the road to recovery (cos i gots the colds right now). hopefully, i'm gonna continue on it and things are looking positive right now...
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thanks to the following people:
yuki84: i share writing credits on this chapter (and the next) to you!! you are love!! i rabu rabu you!! <3333!! thanks - for everything!! *huggles*
natster989: you, my dear, are an angel. thanks for holding my hand, shocking me back into reality and making me believe (again) that there is such a thing as true love~ my heart goes out to you~ <333!! *hugs*
omg, did that sound cheesy or what???
yukkie_bear (aka jen): thanks for the safe haven and for taking care of me. you are the catalyst and the solution to everything. i'm glad i met you~ *hugs and kisses*
[sorry if this sounds cheesy. i'm just glad i got my sanity back. i sometimes wonder how you all put up with me... *huggles you all*]
[/emo rant]
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[edit]: as an added bonus, here (ganked from wireimage)
omg, i love the wtf? expression in his eyes. he's like "whatcha talkin abt?? get away from me!!" LOL!! oh nino! you're so...you~
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Chapter Fifteen
I freeze, my feet becoming numb. Did he just say what I think he did??
I turn around and find his eyes upon me.
He did...
His lips twitch and spread upward, wide, a cross between a smile and a smirk. One eyebrow is raised as he bares his teeth. There was a glint in his eyes, shining against the light, like he knew something that I didn't.
I take a gulp. I'm suddenly nervous, as his facial expression is scaring me.
"Underage drinking is illegal in Japan." He stared at his nails and waved a finger at me. "Tsk, tsk. Such a shame if your family found out about this. Not to mention the police. I'd hate to report to them that the bar you went to serves alcohol, especially to minors like you. Imagine, they'd get shut down by the government if anyone found out..."
"Huh? I'm not a minor. I'm 20 years old." I call his bluff.
He snorts. "Yeah, right. You don't look 20. I don't even think you're 18 years old!" He points to the seat across him. "Shall we talk?"
Slumping my shoulders down, my feet moves and leads me back to my seat. I watch as he rubs the palm of his hands against his thighs, biting his lower lip as he does so. I feel so angry, I don't even look at him. How did he know I wasn't of legal age? How did he call my bluff? Why is he doing this to me?? He's trying to blackmail me and using Nobu against me! This isn't right!
For awhile, no one spoke.
"I don't believe you." I bunch my fists underneath the table. I wasn't gonna go down without a fight. "I don't think you have the guts to do it. Besides, you don't have any proof."
"Oh really?? Well, we'll see about that." He pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. "I just press this button and...hello? Fuji TV? May I speak to Tetsuo Suda please?"
"You wouldn't." I hiss.
"Watch me." He pressed the phone closer. "Ah, hello? You don't know me but I - "
I grab the glass of water from the table and throw it at his face. "How dare you?? How dare you do this to me??" I watch as he drops his phone. Water drips from his face and all over his shirt. "Why?" I finally ask. "Why are you doing this to me?? Why me?? It still doesn't make sense. Why not your...'special someone' instead? I bet she'd be a better match than me. Plus, you're already dating her so why not??"
"Because...didn't I tell you that already?" He reaches out and grabs some table napkins, wiping his face. "My...'special someone' isn't...how should I put this?...she's...someone my family would not approve of for me. You, on the other hand, look like the type they would like. You’ve got everything - education, breeding and spunk." He looks down and becomes silent. "But, you know...I'm really doing this for my mom. She doesn't know that I know but I've disappointed her so many times. Sometimes I feel so bad that she got stuck with such a son like me. She doesn't show or say anything but it's there every time I see her watch my sister. You see, she had simple dreams for me - to go to university and get a degree, find someone whom I can truly love, get married, have kids, be happy in life - the whole package. But I decided to go my own way. It was, in some way, selfish of me but I needed to do what I wanted to do. I'm happy where I am now but...now, I want to make my family happy and if there's a way for me to fulfill at least one of my mom's wishes, I'd gladly do it, even if it's just an illusion. I know I'd be lying to her and hurting her, who I hope she never finds out, but if it makes her happy to know that I've granted her wish, then I'd do it." His gaze brushes past me, his eyes full of sadness and hope.
Somewhere up in heaven, I could hear angels crying for my heart was melting and breaking into pieces. I wanted to cry with them as well, because he just revealed to me that he was really doing this for his mother.
"So...will you help me?" He asks softly. Then, he reminds me of his threat if I don't help him. "Just remember, if you don't, I'll report you to the authorities."
His last statement quickly shocked me back into reality. "Um...I'll think about it."
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"Are you really sure about this?" I ask Emiko.
"No. Yes...maybe..." She sighs as we step into the elevator.
I turn to her as soon as the doors close. "Emiko, I've got something to tell you." I took a deep breath. "Ohno isn't the one who wrote the letters."
"I know."
"Eh?" I half expected her to be angry but surprisingly, she wasn't. "But...how?? And how come you didn't tell me that you were secretly going out with him?"
"I'm not stupid Hanari. Please! Give me some credit. I've kind of suspected for awhile now." She waves a hand. "I started seeing him because I wanted to know if he was the guy I might like. I didn't tell anyone because I wasn't sure if he was the one. Until now, I still don't think he might be it but..."
"So, why are we here?"
"Because, I want to know where this might go." She slumped back against the wall. "At first, I just told myself I wanted to know if he was really the guy who wrote those letters. But now, after awhile, I realized that it really didn't matter to me if he wrote those letters or not. Once I got to know him, I found out that he's a really nice guy. so what if he might not be the one? I'll never really know so I thought I might as well give this a chance and see where it takes us. Don't worry," She puts a hand on my shoulder. "I'm not gonna give up. I know there's someone out there for me. It might not be him but hey! I'll just wait until my time comes. Until then, why not have some fun?"
I blinked my eyes. Since when did she become wise? Huh. Maybe she was right. Maybe I don't give her enough credit....
...It's actually a bit disturbing to know that she's smarter than I remember.
She turns to me. "By the way, how was your blind date last Friday?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Anything interesting happen?? You came home late. Must've been one hell of a date."
You have no idea. "It was you, wasn't it?? You set me up, didn't you??" I point an accusing finger at her. I can't believe you!! Why didn't you tell m - " I get cut off as the elevator stops and the doors slide open.
"What are you talki - Oh! we're here!!" She quickly steps out and runs down the hallway, intent to get away from my wrath. I was still furious about last Friday, partly because I'm suspecting that she conspired with Mrs. Omotsu to set me up on a blind date with Nino, though I still don't know why.
I follow her down the hallway and we take a left turn at the corner. We stop at the fourth door on the left side. As we stop, I take the time to say something. "I just want to say, that...I don't care if you date Ohno, just as long as he makes you happy. And that if he hurts you, I'll punch him." I exhale as the words are out of my mouth. "Now, are you ready?" I ask her.
She smiles and nods as I knock quietly three times. I slowly turn the knob and open the door, my head peeking inside. When we're sure no one is looking, I quickly push it back and pull Emiko and myself in.
"Ouch!!" a voice groans. I close the door to find Ohno near the door, rubbing his nose.
I cover my mouth. The door must've hit him when I opened it. Ooops. "Ah, sorry!"
"Ohno-kun, are you alright?" Emiko rushes to his side, her hands over his face. "Here, let me see..."
"Nice job!" Nino saunters over to me. "So, have you thought about our...little deal?"
Where did he come from? "Wah! Where did you come from?"
He pulls me to one side. "Duh! I work with him, remember?" He points to Ohno. "And I just can't let him meet you girls like this. The tabloids might follow us. Who knows what they'll do? It's better if I'm with him. Guess I can say the same for you." He brushes his left shoulder.
"I'm here to support my friend. I want to make sure Ohno doesn't hurt her." I reply.
"He won't. Now, back to our deal. Have you decided on it?"
I sighed. "Look, I just need a little more time to think about it." Actually, the more I think about it, the more I get angry at the situation. Which is why I still haven't decided.
"Well, hurry up! You're taking too long and I haven't got a lot of time!"
"If you're in such a hurry, why don't you just tell her that we broke up or something?? Wouldn't that be easier?"
"Ha! You don't know my mom. If I tell her that, she'd be asking and pestering me. Believe me, the last thing I need is my mom nagging me."
"Fine. Then I'll think about it some more. Happy?"
"Yes, I'm happy. Thanks for asking!!" He gives me a wink as he pulls his cell phone out of his pocket.
I rolled my eyes at him. "God, I really hate you."
He flashes me a cute smile. "I don't."
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A knock sounds on my door. I walk over to open it but before my hand could turn the knob, the door slowly opens.
Nino's standing there, leaning lazily against the door frame, one hand inside the pocket of his jeans. He gives me a smile. "Hi."
My heart skips a beat, slightly faster than usual, as I quickly brush my gaze over him. He's wearing denim jeans and a short-sleeved shirt, which fitted him really well. I bite my lower lip inside. I got to admit, from the way he was standing to the way he's wearing his clothes, it's kind of cute. Damn, he's actually kind of cute.
...Of course, I don't say it out loud. Instead, I push the thoughts out of my head. Stupid!! He's not cute!! Trying to blackmail someone is not cute - not even humane!! "What do you want?? And how did you get in here?"
"Your aunt let me in." He says matter-of-factly. "You know, I was thinking..." He lets himself in, closing the door after. Um...okay... "The way I see it, you only have two choices. You either agree to help me or I report you to the police. The first choice sounds better - if you think about it, because then, I won't have to tell them about you and you won't have to go to jail."
I sigh as I walk over to the window, leaning against it. "I know." I've been tossing and turning since last night, trying to figure out what to do. It seems that, every which way I turn, there was no good solution. If I don't agree to his plan, I might go to jail. If I do, I'll have to lie to his mother by pretending to be his girlfriend. It didn't matter whichever I choose because I'll end up hurting someone either way. No matter how I look at it, there was no way out for me.
I bury my hands in my pockets. "You know what? I'm really fed up with this. Go ahead and report me to the police. I really don't care. I know what I did and I'm ready to face the consequences of my actions." I cross my arms over my chest. In my last desperate attempt to scare him off, I think I just signed my death sentence. It wasn't in me to give up but I refused to be blackmailed just like that.
He just stood there, staring at me in shock. He must've been surprised because he just kept blinking his eyes. Then he stopped. A small grin spread across his face while his eyes crinkled, narrowing into slits. "Okay." was all he said. He then turns around and walks out the door.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My legs felt weak and my hands were shaking. Just when I thought everything was okay, I hear his voice from outside, along with my aunt's. I rush out of the room and into the living room, where I find him talking to my aunt.
"Oi! What are you doing?" I grab his arm and pull him back beside me.
"Oh, I was just about to tell your aunt something but...since you're here, why don't you tell her?" He pushes me forward. "Hanari here has something she'd like to tell you."
My eyes grow wide as he looks at me with a smirk, his eyebrows nodding at me. I give him a glare as I realize what he's trying to do. He's trying to get me to confess. Nice try, pretty boy, but I'm on to you. "Ah - ah..." I scratch my head. "Ah! I remember now. I got 98% on my quiz in Ancient East Asian History class yesterday!"
"Congratulations!" My aunt gave me a hug.
"No, no, that's not it!" Nino interrupted as soon as we pulled away from each other. He steps forward as my aunt asks, "It's not?"
"No." He replies. He gets this look in his eyes that makes me swallow nervously. Then he grins at me, nodding back.
I look at him, scared. No! I changed my mind! Don't tell her! My hand tries to cover his mouth.
"Then.... what is it?" My aunt asks.
He hangs his head down. "Obasan, she's...she's pregnant with my child." He says quietly. Nino catches my hand in time, taking it in his. "Don't worry honey!" He beams at me.
"WHAT??? Hanari, is this true?" my aunt screeches.
"No! Don't listen to him!! It's not true! I - " I interrupt her.
"Please don't worry. I take full responsibility and with your permission, I'd like to marry her and - " Nino says as I drag him away to my room.
"Keep quiet Nino!" I say as I close the door. "How dare you scare her like that you evil you! You -" I try to hit him.
Nino catches my hand and pins it down to the desk behind me. "You don't think I can win, do you?" He smirks. "You're not in a position to choose, got it? You know what happens to people who go against the authorities once, right? You will never be able to live a normal life again." He gives me a soft smile. "Then again, now that your aunt knows that you're pregnant..." He lets me go and heads for the door.
I rush up to him - "Wait!" - and grab his arm, trying to stop him. "Fine, fine! You win! I can't believe I'm saying this but...okay, okay! I'll do it. I'll help you out, just...stop embarrassing me in front of my aunt."
"I see you finally got it." He turns around and faces me. "But.. I don't understand you. I mean I'm not asking you much but to help me by meeting my family. I'm not asking for more. What's the big deal?"
"That's because I don't believe in lying, Nino. I'd be hurting your family if I agree. Plus, I don't see any reason why I should help you out. Not like we're friends or anything..."
"Ah, you suddenly care about my family? "ha-hahahaha", I must say..." He laughs.
"...unlike you, I have a heart." I continue.
"The reasons are the ones I have. You just need to play nice. If you play nicely, no one will know." He frowned and quickly put a hand to his forehead. "ARGH.. don't make me explain! I'm getting a headache from this..." Then he gives me a pitiful look.
"Fine. I still don't see why I have to endure your company...." I see the look he gives me and go "Ugh!". Dropping face down onto the bed, I think to myself, He's using his charm again. Damn it! He's too cute for his own good!
"Hah! You ARE the type my family would like..." He points at me.
I look up at him. "What? why?"
"It's the reaction they'd want to see. You are the type that they like..." Then he goes silent. " Eh, whatever...I'll call you about the details. Now, let's cool down and talk to your aunt to assure her that nothing is wrong."
I gave him a confused look. "You're weird..."
"I didn't ask for your opinion now, did I?" He snapped back.
"You better apologize to her. Giving her a scare like that...what were you thinking?" I huffed. "As if I'd ever do it with you, let alone go out with you. I don't even like you. and believe me, the feeling is mutual..."
He snorts. "You wish! I'd rather eat spit than date you! Even MatsuJun's better than you!"
"Oh, you dated him?" I smirk. "So you are gay, after all...."
"Hah! I can't believe this!"
"Why are you here again?" I stare at my nails.
"Argh!!" He stomps out of the room. Then he comes back a few minutes later, saying "I forgot to ask you for your number..."
I get a piece of paper, write it down and hand it to him. "Here. Now get out there and apologize to my aunt!"
"Hey! Be nice to me girlfriend!" Nino pauses, then smirks. "Say please~"
"Please? For me, boyfriend?" I pout and don a puppy-eyed dog look, failing because then I start laughing. Then he started laughing along with me.
"Come on..." He pulls me along towards the door.
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We ended up bowing and apologizing profusely to my aunt, who was fuming mad.
"Gomen na sai!" Nino said, kneeling down and bowing several times. "I was just kidding around. I realize now that it was a very bad one but I wanted to keep Hanari so much that I made this joke up..."
My aunt scolded at us. "Yes, it was. Don't you realize the seriousness of the situation? Raising a child is no joke! You should be more careful and..." She continued by telling us the dangers of our actions and how we should be responsible young adults, etc. Her hands kept moving in circles and her face had this funny expression that in the end, Nino and I looked at each other and started laughing.
"Oh, you think this is funny? What is wrong with you two? This isn't a laughing matter!! Getting pregnant isn't something to laugh about!" She sighs and raises her hands in the air. "Ah, I give up! You two are hopeless..." She mutters as she walks away.
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Translation:
Obasan = aunt
Gomen na sai = I'm really sorry
*Tetsuo Suda is a newscaster for Fuji TV's FNN's Super News in Japan.
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this took me like almost a month. basically cos i'm a lazy ass (not to mention i almost lost my sanity so i didn't think writing this would actually matter it broke my heart, that's what it did!!). i cannot express how much i love this fic and how much i've fallen in love with the characters (my parents think it's stupid but so what???) and i've realized that i've put parts of myself into this without realizing it.
[sorry if it sounds stupid but it's the truth...]
anyway, good news is, i'm slowly regaining my sanity back and on the road to recovery (cos i gots the colds right now). hopefully, i'm gonna continue on it and things are looking positive right now...
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thanks to the following people:
yuki84: i share writing credits on this chapter (and the next) to you!! you are love!! i rabu rabu you!! <3333!! thanks - for everything!! *huggles*
natster989: you, my dear, are an angel. thanks for holding my hand, shocking me back into reality and making me believe (again) that there is such a thing as true love~ my heart goes out to you~ <333!! *hugs*
omg, did that sound cheesy or what???
yukkie_bear (aka jen): thanks for the safe haven and for taking care of me. you are the catalyst and the solution to everything. i'm glad i met you~ *hugs and kisses*
[sorry if this sounds cheesy. i'm just glad i got my sanity back. i sometimes wonder how you all put up with me... *huggles you all*]
[/emo rant]
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[edit]: as an added bonus, here (ganked from wireimage)
omg, i love the wtf? expression in his eyes. he's like "whatcha talkin abt?? get away from me!!" LOL!! oh nino! you're so...you~
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