A Second Take at Traditional
Another story from me~! And it's het once again, yay~ I need to practice writing like this♥~ Made for my very good friend allleexm , who's going to college in a few days... ganbatte♥♥♥~!!! Aishiteruyo♥~! :3 Sorry if i just finished this, you know what happened xD Hope you like it~! :D
Title: A Second Take at Traditional
Pairing: Takaki Yuya x OC (Yamada Ayuki)
Notes: Well, it was supposed to be for Valentine's... but many things came up... and so I took it upon myself to post this before my friend enters college 2 weeks earlier than the rest of us in our batch... I thought I could cheer her up or something... and to let her know in some way that I'll always eb here for her whenever she needs me~! Aishiteruyo Yuuyan♥~ (I call her that, don't mind us xD)
Summary: She thought it was a waste of time... will she think so otherwise?
Silence was never the absence of sound. It is merely the presence of what sound cannot express. And in my silence... I'm here more than you can imagine...
I strummed the strings of my guitar, producing random notes from the instrument that helped me express what I want to say when words fail me. My desk calendar proclaimed today's date with pride, complete with a pink background and complimentary hearts.
February 14. Valentine's Day.
Sometimes I don't really get the logic of the fuss this day arouses. Why provide a specific day to show a person that you love and treasure them when you can do it everyday? Isn't that better? Businessmen just created this occasion so they could leech off money from selling more chocolates, flowers, and stuffed toys than usual. Pfft.
My thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knock on my bedroom door. I glanced towards the wall clock softly ticking away, doing its job. Woah. Six in the morning. I didn't realize that I woke up earlier than usual. With an inkling of who my mysterious early-morning visitor could be, I set down my guitar.
"Come in, it's open..." I called out. The door opened, revealing my... well... overdressed twin brother. He was wearing a combination of things that will make any fangirl reconsider why they ever liked Yamada Ryosuke. Considering the innumerable photoshoots that he had gone through, you would think that some semblance of fashion sense would rub off on him. Well, he dresses okay, but there are instances that I could do nothing but facepalm in my desperation and embarassment for him.
Today was a classic example. My cute dope of a brother didn't seem to understand why I was frozen in place with my mouth hanging open. He headed towards the full-length mirror and appraised his outfit. He was wearing a ruffled shirt made from some shiny fabric, a leather jacket and skinny jeans, complete with chains hanging from the waistband of his jeans.
The costumes of JE are rubbing off on him...
Yabai yo~
"Uhm, Yamada Ryosuke, I hope you won't mind me asking, but what in the world are you wearing?" I asked incredulously. He turned away from the mirror and seemed to notice my expression for the first time.
"Uhm, clothes? Ah, the shirt was given to me by a designer in JE... doushite? Is something wrong with my clothes?" he asked innocently, looking seriously confused that I looked upset over what he was wearing.
"Are you seriously asking me that question? Because if you are, then let me tell you this: You look like you're about to perform. Or about to go out in a concert. Whichever you prefer," I answered straightforwardly.
"Eh? What's wrong with that? Our costumes look cool," he said defensively. I rolled my eyes at him. Please don't let him ruin my sanity. Even just this once.
"And you thinking like that is one of the reasons why I want to work for JE as a fashion designer.. That way, I could watch you at concerts without being embarassed for all of you, or distracted by feather collars and tassels hanging from your arms," I said in a teasing way, causing him to blush brightly. I looked at him for a few minutes before laughing and pinching his cheeks. He smiled at me, and that smile made me realize that I haven't seen Onii-chan this happy for a long time. Did today's date had something to do with the unnecessary effort that my brother put into dressing up?
Ah... Sou ka...
With a mischievous plan forming in my mischievous brain, I proceeded to push my brother out of my room to his room next door. Upon arriving, I went straight to his closet and started pulling out shirts.
"Hey, what are you doing? Mou, I just fixed that~ don't wrinkle anything or you'll iron for a week," my brother complained with a pout.
"That's fine, I'll just tell Yuto-nii that you have a lot of stolen pictures of him~ you're scarier than the paparazzi, you know..." I said, smiling sweetly at my beloved brother. As he started spluttering like a fish out of water, I turned back to his closet and pulled out an ensemble of clothes that he wore for one of his photoshoots and piled it onto his arms, steering him towards the direction of the bathroom.
"Change into these. Right now. Don't go out until you've changed out of those clothes and I'm satisfied that you won't make a fool out of yourself walking on the streets looking like a clown gone bad," I said in a firm voice.
"Mou, stop bossing me around... I'm still older than you, in theory..." my brother complained.
"Yeah, for about three minutes and twenty-six seconds. I refuse to let my brother be humiliated, so do both of us a favor and look decent? We still do look like alike, after all..."
Ryo-nii looked at me with thankful eyes and nodded, closing the door gently behind him. I leaned my back against the wall, waiting for him to finish changing. A question popped out of my head and I smiled, deciding to tease my brother a little...
"Ne Ryo-nii, why the sudden effort to dress up this early? Where are you going?" I asked.
"Betsuni... I have to go to the studio, we have to practice for the Shounen Club recording..." my brother answered from inside the bathroom.
"Work on Valentines? That's pretty harsh... do you have plans for later?"
"Boku? Hmm, maybe eat some ramen, go to the CD store, buy another manga or something..."
"Ah sou... don't you have a date with our little tall drummer boy?" I asked in a singsong voice. The bathroom door suddenly opened and my brother poked out his head, looking towards me and acting a little flustered.
"I do NOT have a date with Yuto," he said, gritting his teeth a little.
"Really? A little squirrel's friend told me that the two of you had plans. Oh, and if it's not true, then why is your face all red? Who said I was talking about Yuto-nii anyway?" I retorted.
Ryo-nii stared at me in disbelief and I stared back, a playful smile on my lips. He shook his head and shut the door in my face. My grin widened.
"Ayuki = 1. Ryo-nii = 0." I whispered to myself with a laugh.
A few moments later, the bathroom door opened and my brother came out, his face entirely pink and his head bowed down, refusing to meet my eyes. He stopped a few feet in front of me and nervously waited for my verdict.
I slowly walked aroun Ryo-nii, judging how he looked from all angles. He finally had the courage to look up and was now observing me with curious eyes. I placed my hand under my chin and looked thoughtfully at the person whose idol status I cannot even begin to comprehend.
"Well... how do I look?" he mumbled, unsure how to judge my expression. I slowly went behind him and hugged him playfully from behind, my chin placed over his shoulder and my hands around his waist.
"You look really nice... of course, it's expected since I picked your clothes, ne~?" I said, making him laugh.
"Arigato ne, Ayuki-chan... I really don't know what to do without you," my brother said affectionately, making me blush. Even though he could be completely clueless and stupidly insensitive at times, he still has a sweet and shy, gentle side to him that never fails to make me glad that I'm his twin. I ran back to his room and got a scarf that hung from a chair. Ryo-nii bought this as a pair and gave the other one to me, as a gift for both of us passing the entrance exams to the high school of our choice.
I carefully loped the scarf around his neck, making sure that he would be warm. After adjusting the scarf, I placed my hands on his shoulders, and both of us smiled at the same time.
"Yosh, perfect... you're now officially Yamada Ryosuke. Shouldn't you be going by now?" I reminded him. He suddenly looked at his watch and clapped his hand to his forehead.
"Ah, yabai, I'm going to be late!" Ryo-nii exclaimed, hurrying downstairs with me tagging along behind him. I found him trying to put on his shoes by the door. After a few moments, he finished putting them on and rushed out of the door, uncremeniously opening our front gate and running out at full speed. I quickly picked up a package that I placed on a nearby table. I have to give this to him...
"Ryo-nii! You forgot this!" I shouted. He turned around and caught the package that I threw at him.
"What's this? I don't remember buying this..." he mused, turning the package between his hands.
"It's chocolate; what's Valentines without them? Give them to Yuto-nii on your date. Oh, and don't worry; I used your money when I bought that, so technically it's still from you," I said sweetly, watching in amusement as my brother's mouth dropped open.
"Omae--"
"Aren't you late?" I reminded him once again. He looked at his wach once again and satisfied himself with sticking out his tongue at me before he started to run once again.
"Have fun in your date!" I called out, waving goodbye to his retreating back and turning around to go back inside.
"Ayuki!"
Ryo-nii was holding the box of chocolates with both hands in the air so I could still see it even if he was standing far away from me.
"Nani?"
"Arigato!!!"
I smiled and waved goodbye. He waved back and started running. I waited until he disappeared around the street corner before heading back towards the house.
When I got to my room, I slowly made my way to my bed. Lying down, I hugged the stuffed pig that Yuto-nii gave me during his Nobuta wo Produce days and contemplated my life.
My brother has a date on Valentines while here I am, lying alone... and I'm the girl here, for goodness' sake.
Life could be so unfair sometimes.
Sighing, I picked up my guitar and began to play randomly. A tune was playing in my head and I smiled, starting to play the song that Yabu-kun and Hikaru-kun arranged for their JUMP-ing tour... a song that holds a special place in my heart...
"Hateshinai itoshii sa wa
Ano kokoro ni tashikani umareru
Kagayaki wo hitotsu toshite bokura wa
Hoshitachi wo shikare wo kishi wo kizamu~"
I sang softly. My gaze fell upon my desk, where the remnants of my unsuccesful battle with my math homework last night remained. With a groan, I put down my guitar and picked up my phone, which lighted up a few moments ago.
To: Yamada Ayuki
From: Yamada Ryosuke
He liked the chocolates :D
Arigato, Ayuki-chan~! ?
Yuto said we're going to Shibuya later, want to come along? ^o^Y
Ryosuke
===END===
...
...
...
Like I said, my brother could be clueless and stupidly insensitive at times.
To: Yamada Ryosuke
From: Yamada Ayuki
Yokatta~
Thanks but , I wouldn't want to be a bother in your date anyway... can you buy me ice cream instead? I'd like vanilla~
Enjoy your date~! :3
Ayuki
===END===
I pressed SEND and closed my phone, facing my homework once more. With a resigned sigh, I plugged on my earphones and started studying my dreaded subject.
~After about half an hour~
"Ah, I'm finally finished," I said in relief, the side of my head in contact with my desk. My brain seemed like it was completely fried and spent. Stretching my arms, I decided to go down and make some chocolate... maybe I could give them to my friends at school... or to Ryo-nii...
I fail...
______________________________________________________________________________________________
After a few hours, I stood in front of the oven, waiting for my second batch of chocolates to finish baking. Obviously, I had a lot of free time in my hands and made too many...
Lucky onii-chan...
~Hora, anata ni totte
Daiji na itahodo
Sugu soba ni iru no~
Hearing the timer, I rushed to get my chocolates from the oven and picked up my phone from the kitchen counter, noting the fact that my brother changed my cellphone's ringtone again so that we'll match. He'd do these things all of the time, insisting that we'd look nice if we match.
I answered the phone and wedged it between my ear and my shoulder, beginning to put the finished chocolates inside little plastic bags.
"Moshi moshi?"
"Ah, Ayuki-chan? Ima doko?" a voice urgently asked.
"Eh, Yuto-nii? I'm at home right now... doushitano?"
"Can I ask for a favor? Ah... is now a bad time?"
"No it's fine, I'm not particularly busy or anything... what is it?"
"Well, practice just ended... your brother and I are supposed to go to Shibuya, but Hikaru-kun dragged the two of us to go visit Inoo-kun. We're on our way to Meiji University right now...." Yuto said in a hurry.
"Do you want me to meet you there? I'll distract them so you could escape," I replied, sealing the last bag of chocolates.
"Hontou? Arigatou Ayuki-chan~! We're at a convenience store right now... meet us at the gates of Meiji? Ah, wear your scarf so we could see you quickly," Yuto-nii said, relief evident on his voice. I smiled, remembering his amusement for my brother's twin complex.
"Hai~"
"Hontou ni arigato gozaimasu, Ayuki-chan..."
"Do itashimashite... anything for you and onii-chan," I replied. Yuto-nii thanked me again and said goodbye with a cheerful voice, and I hurried upstairs to get dressed. A few minutes was all I needed as I slipped into a simple dress and a warm coat, hurriedly getting my scarf from where it hung in my closet and loping it around my neck. As an afterthought, I slipped some of the chocolate I made into my bag before making my way out of the house and catching a train before it left.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
I arrived at the gates of Meiji University within a quarter of an hour, panting hard. A few of the university students looked at me as I stood awkwardly by the gates, but my brother and his friends were nowhere to be found. Just as I was about to pull out my phone to call them, a voice shouted out my name.
"Ayuki-chan~!"
Yuto-nii was waving frantically at me, and I could see the reason why. Hikaru-kun was currently strangling Yuto-nii and Ryo-nii, his arms tightly encircling their necks. When Yuto-nii called out my name, all of them looked towards my direction, including a tall, lazy-looking boy that was trailing behind the unruly trio. Yuto-nii immediately broke free from Hikaru-kun's grasp and ran to where I was waiting for them, enclosing me in a bear hug.
"Yuto-nii... can't... breathe..." I tried to say with a laugh.
"Ah, gomen!" he replied, letting go of me in an instant. By this time, my brother and his companions have arrived. Hikaru-kun was looking at me in obvious wonder and confusion, his eyes ranging from Yuto-nii's arm resting lightly around my shoulders to the scarf that Ryo-nii and I are both wearing.
"Woah, you match... what a coincidence!" Hikaru-kun exclaimed, pointing at the scarf that I was wearing and then pointing at my brother with a look of complete amazement on his face, making the two of us giggle with Yuto-nii. Besides Yuto-nii and Chinen-kun this was my first time meeting anyone from my brother's group personally, so I expected this to happen. No matter how many times my brother tried to introduce me to them whenever they came over, my shy side will come out and I'd refuse. Even Yuto-nii and Chinen-kun wouldn't have met me if they hadn't caught me preparing food for Ryo-nii when they unexpectedly came to our house while my brother was taking a day off from school because of a bad cold.
"Uh, Yuto-kun... you do know that we're not allowed to date, right?" Hikaru-kun tried to whisper but failing to keep his voice down. Yuto-nii's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, his expression something that could only be described as shock. Ryo-nii immediately punched Hikaru-kun's arm, causing the older one to jump back in pain.
"Ittai! What was that for?! Moshikashite... he's Yama-chan's girlfriend?! Eh?!" Hikaru-kun exclaimed. I was watching how my brother was arguing with someone twice his size while Yuto-nii hasn't got over his state of temporary shock when I felt someone looking at me. The quiet guy that was with them has yet to say a word, and he was gazing with me with eyes that were both curious and questioning. He was looking at Hikaru-kun with an unreadable expression on his face and sighed, an emotion resembling sadness flashing through his eyes for a moment before he bowed his head. I tilted my head to the side and looked at this guy more closely...
"Baka! She's not Yuto's girlfriend! And how could my sister be my girlfriend?!" Ryo-nii said exasperatedly. Hikaru-kun finally came out from his hiding place behind Yuto-nii and cautiously peeked out, Yuto-nii not removing his arms around my brother lest he started attacking Hikaru-kun once more.
"Eh...? She's really... your sister... Oh..." Hikaru-kun said slowly, looking at all of us one by one.
"Domo~" I said weakly, bowing towards Hikaru-kun's direction. Hikaru-kun focused his attention towards me and also bowed towards me. Muffled giggles were coming from Ryo-nii, but Yuto-nii simply covered his mouth while trying not to laugh himself. A soft laugh came from the tall, brown-haired guy and my brother and his best friend couldn't keep it in any longer. Soon, all of us were laughing merrily, awkwardness forgotten as we all laughed at our silliness.
"Let me introduce you then, ne? This is my twin sister, Yamada Ayuki-chan. She's studying at a school near Horikoshi, and one of the pictures floating around the internet of me with some girl is really the two of us walking home together. Yuto and Chii know her because they ambushed my house and saw her by chance. We really don't talk about us being blood-related because I wouldn't want people pestering her about information concerning us or anyone in the jimusho. Ayuki-chan, you all probably know them, but that tall guy who wouldn't stop growing is Nakajima Yuto, the guy who thought you were my girlfriend is Yaotome Hikaru while that guy over there who wouldn't speak is Takaki Yuya... Minna, yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" Ryo-nii said with a flourish, bowing towards his friends. I followed suit, and the three also bowed towards us, though quite awkwardly. Finally, Yuto-nii spoke up.
"Aww, why do we have to be so formal? We're friends already, ne, Ayuki-chan?" Yuto-nii said brightly, smiling towards my direction. I smiled and nodded my head in assent, a light blush coloring my cheeks.
"Eh? That's unfair~ I want to be friends with Ayuki-chan too~" Hikaru-kun whined. He suddenly came up beside me and placed his arm over my shoulders. "Let's be friends, ne?" he said to me with a smile, making me look towards my brother and blush a brighter shade of red.
"Uh, Hikaru-kun... I think you shouldn't be doing that... someone's overprotective brother is going to get really angry..." Yuto-nii said in a small voice. Hikaru-kun glanced towards my fuming older brother still safely encased in Yuto-nii's grip and hurriedly retracted his arm from around my shoulders. After this was done, everybody relaxed, including Takaki-kun, who was clenching his fists tightly for some reason...
"She's very shy, so you have to be careful with her, ne?" Yuto-nii said cheerfully. Takaki-kun opened his mouth to say something, but our little crew was distracted by the arrival of a pale-skinned bishounen with beautiful jet black hair, a huge knapsack strapped to his back and his arms overflowing with books and blueprints. Hikaru-kun immediately rushed to his side and got most of the stuff from his hands, getting overwhelmed himself. Takaki-kun laughed and helped Hikaru-kun in turn, sharing equally the load amongst them.
"Arigato, Hikari-chan..." the white-skinned guy said in a grateful tone.
"You're welcome, Inoo-chan~ and my name is NOT Hikari-chan; it's Hikaru!" Hikaru said indignantly but still smiling all the same. I saw the other three give each other secret glances and smile at the joker of the group and the university student arguing playfully with each other, making me smile to myself. They're all paired up, I guess...
*sigh*
"Uhm... may I ask who this young lady might be?" the university student asked, looking at me with a questioning glance. Hikaru-kun smiled brightly and hurried to make the introduction.
"Oh, let me introduce you! She's Yamada Ayuki-chan, Yama-chan's twin sister. Ayuki-chan, meet Inoo Kei-chan, JUMP's university student!" Hikaru-kun said energetically, practically bouncing up and down in his excitement.
"Hajimemashite. Inoo Kei desu~" Inoo-kun said with a kind smile, bowing elegantly towards me. I responded with a soft smile and my customary blush, hiding behind Nii-chan in my embarassment (though it was kinda pointless, since I'm taller than he is).
"Ah that reminds me, there's a festival held at a nearby temple here; want to come along? It's quite popular because there's this legend that if couples go there at Valentine's Day, they'll be granted lifelong hapiness and such... oh and don't worry about the crowd," Inoo-kun assured his groupmates, catching the apprehensive looks they were throwing at each other. "People come there to worship and enjoy anyway, so I doubt they'll take notice of us... it's Valentine's anyway..."
"I think this is why Hikaru-kun pulled us here anyway, so we might as well come along... that is, if you two don't mind?" Yuto-nii asked teasingly, making Hikaru-kun and Inoo-kun blush furiously in unison and all of us laugh at their discomfort.
"Let's go then? I'll just give these references back to my professor, ne? I'll be back in a second..." Inoo-kun stammered, gathering all his things from his groupmates without meeting their gaze and hurrying away, leaving all of us staring after his back in amusement. He returned after a few minutes without his books and blueprints, a ready smile on his face.
"I'm done~! Let's go?" Inoo-kun offered. All of us answered "Hai~!" cheerfully and started to depart.
"Anou..." I stammered out. Inoo-kun noticed me trying to say something and held out his hand, effectively stopping his friends.
"Hai, Ayuki-chan? What is it?" he asked, looking concerned. All of them were looking at me, making it harder to voice out what I wanted to say.
"Uhm... Yuto-nii... you can let go of Onii-chan now... he doesn't look like he'll murder someone anytime soon..." I said in a soft voice. All of them turned to look at my brother's best friend, who in fact hasn't let go of my brother all this time. They instantly separated, and it has become harder to tell who was redder between the two of them. Ryo-nii was alternating between shaking his head in embarassment and shooting death glances at me.
"On second thought Yuto-nii, it'd be better if you restrain him again... I don't want Onii-chan to be charged of murder of his twin sister..."I said in a quivering voice. Ryo-nii started menacingly towards my direction, and I hurriedly hid behind the tallest person next to Yuto-nii. Takaki-kun looked at me curiously but I just said, "Hide me please~" and he just smiled and me and whispered something, loud enough so only I could hear it.
"Don't worry... I'll protect you..."
______________________________________________________________________________________________
People were gathering in the temple grounds whe our group arrived at the Takashima temple, a few kilometers away from Meiji University. Like Inoo-kun predicted, the majority of the visitors were couples being all lovey-dovey with each other. It was kinda nice at first, but being partnerless myself it started to get a little annoying.
"Wow, sugoi, look over there Yuto! Ikou ikou~!" Hikaru-kun said excitedly, pulling Yuto-nii and Inoo-kun with him as he hopped from stall to stall, his enthusiasm enough for all of us. Poor Yuto-kun could do nothing but keep himself from tripping as he and Inoo-kun were the main focus of Hikaru-kun's exuberance. We came to a stall that had a sign saying "Catch the Goldfish!" that didn't have any customers and which seems to be the cause of Hikaru-kun's excitement.
"Let's play, ne? I've always been bad at these games... give me your goldfish when you get one, ne~?" Hikaru-kun announced, rushing up to the stall owner and buying the small nets made of wire and Japanese paper for all of us, making all of us laugh in his desperation tactics to get goldfish. I just stared at the net that Hikaru-kun gave me. This game and I don't have a good history...
"Aaah, this is hard ne~?" Hikaru-kun said in frustration, holding up his seventh broken net. The bowl in his hand and mine had the same sorry state: a little water, a few damp pieces of Japanese paper from the nets we ruined, and zero fish. I was staring hard at the fish, almost wishing that one of them would jump from the tank and into my bowl. My twin had the same irritated/pouting expression that I had on, following the fish with his eyes. We were being our usual fail selves... we're twins after all, ne?
"Don't worry Hikari-chan, I'll give you the ones I caught," Inoo-kun said, holding up his bowl and showing us the fish swimming in it. Hikaru-kun's faced brightened and he clapped his hands in delight, hugging Inoo-kun in the process. Yuto-kun was smiling to himself as he caught another goldfish... and then transferred it to Ryo-nii's bowl. My brother looked quickly at him but Yuto-nii simply placed a finger against his lips and continued to catch goldfish. I sighed and looked down at my bowl, the fish in it still nonexixtent.
"Sugoi Takaki-kun, you've caught a lot ne?" Yuto-kun said, making me look at the person beside me. My eyes widened as I surveyed his bowl brimming with fish. He looked at us with surprise, his net left dangling in midair.
"Eh?" he said, looking at all of our bowls. "Ah gomen, I got a little bit carried away..."
"Carried away? You caught almost half the fish in the tank!" Hikaru-kun said in excitement. "How many nets have you bought so far?"
"This is still my first one, the one you bought for me..." Takaki-kun slowly answered.
"Maji de?!" Inoo-kun exclaimed. "I'm using my third net and I only caught five so far... yappari Takaki-kun is good in this game ne?"
"Well, my little brother liked goldfish and always wanted to get them during cultural festivals, so I naturally got good at this game..." he mumbled, turning a little red in the ears and bowing his head, looking embarassed.
"Kawaii..." I whispered to myself. Ryo-nii's head snapped up and he looked at me with an unreadable expression on his face. Crap, maybe he heard me... quickly, I turned back my attention to catching--or rather, failing to catch--goldfish.
A few minutes later, Hikaru-kun finally gave up and all of us stood up to leave. All of them were holding plastic bags with the fish they caught inside it--except me. I rearranged my scarf around my neck, feeling the cold winter air settling in. It looked like it would snow...
"Here."
A plastic bag with three orange goldfish swimming lazily inside it was dangling in front of my eyes. Startled, I looked at the person holding it.
"Eh? Takaki-kun? Doushite?" I asked in surprise.
"Well, you looked a little down... since you didn't catch any, I thought I could give you some... My brother doesn't need all of these so..." he trailed off, placing the plastic bag in my hands and pushing his hands deep into his pockets. I smiled and held up the bag, looking at the fish through the light coming from the string of paper lanterns above us.
"Kirei~" I said in a soft voice. I brought down the bag... and caught him looking at me with a strange expression on his face. When he saw that I was looking, he quickly averted his gaze and rubbed his nose.
What was that about...
"Eh Ayuki, you caught some too?" my brother asked, suddenly popping out from nowhere. Really, if I had heart disease he could have easily given me a heart attack.
"Uhm... no... Takaki-kun gave them to me... can you hold this for me? I might drop it..." I requested, handing over the plastic bag to him. He frowned but accepted the bag without question, shooting his groupmate an apprehensive glance. He looked kinda angry for some reason... what's his problem?
"Ne, Ayuki-chan..." my brother began, rubbing his neck with one hand, a sure sign that he was feeling uncomfortable.
"Eh? Nii-chan doushitano?" I asked. He was about to speak when the rest of his groupmates approached us. As Hikaru-kun was babbling about the fish that he got (Inoo-kun gave it to him), Ryo-nii looked at me and mouthed "Nandemonai..."
All of them are acting weird today... this day is creepy...
Hikaru-kun once again looped his arms around Yuto-kun and Nii-chan, and I remembered why I was here in the first place... But I couldn't do this alone. I needed help.
I quickly tapped his arm, making sure the others were occupied. He had his hands inside his pockets while he listened to my crazy plan, a curious and quizzical expression on his face. After I finished talking, he smiled and nodded his head in agreement.
"This would be interesting..."
Fifteen minutes later...
"Eh? Where did everybody go?" Hikaru said in wonder, looking around for his other groupmates.
"Maybe they got lost in the crowd? There are a lot of people here, after all..." Inoo said, looking around him.
Meanwhile, at another part of the temple grounds...
"Eh? Where's Ayuki-chan and the others?" Yuto said, worry evident in his voice. Though this was the situation that he wanted to happen, he couldn't help but worry for Yamada's sister... he was the one who called her here in the first place. Besides, Yamada was freaking out.
"C'mon Ayuki, where the heck are you?" Yamada whispered to himself, craning his neck to look at the people in the crowd.
"Don't worry, I'm sure she's here somewhere... calm down, will you? You're making me nervous..." Yuto said soothingly, trying to calm Yamada down.
"This is my sister we're talking about here, of course I'm worried... what if something bad happened to her? Kaa-san will never let me hear the end of it..." Yamada replied, biting his lip.
"Don't talk like that... she's sixteen years old, she can go home by herself if she needs to. You need to trust her, you know..." Yuto reasoned out.
Yamada opened his mouth but was distracted by the sound of his cellphone ringing, alerting him of an incoming message.
To: Yamada Ryosuke
From: Yamada Ayuki
Nii-chan, I'm with the others. Don't worry, we'll meet you later, ne?
Enjoy yourselves while you're together; I know you waited for this for
so long, so don't think about me and be happy ne? I promise I'll behave
and take care of myself, so please be happy. I miss my Nii-chan's smile...
I want to see that smile later ne? If you're not going to enjoy yourself I'll
be angry >.<
Ayuki
===END===
"Doushitano, Yama-chan? Who was that from?" Yuto asked.
"Ah, Ayuki-chan... she said she's with the others. She said she'll meet us later..." said Yamada in a weird voice.
"Ryo-chan? Doushitano? You look like you're going to cry or something..." Yuto asked, looking concerned. Yamada quickly rubbed his eyes and grinned widely, the impact of his smile hitting Yuto full force.
It was that smile...
"Betsuni~ I'm just glad that she's safe... Ikou?" he happily answered, linking his arm with Yuto and pulling him towards the nearest stall.
Arigato, Ayuki-chan...
______________________________________________________________________________________________
"Inoo-kun replied, he wanted to say thank you," Takaki-kun said. "Sometimes Hikaru-kun couldn't get a clue even if it was staring at him in the face... Inoo-kun even invited him here considering it was Valentine's Day today, but all he could talk about was catching goldfish at the festival..."
I sighed in relief, glad that my plan was going along smoothly for the couples in question. Like what I did earlier, I sent Hikaru-kun a mail similar to what I sent to my Nii-chan. I told him I was with his other groupmates and we'll meet the two of them later on. Takaki-kun then told Inoo-kun what I had planned and cheered him on, reminding him to be happy today. Or at least beat some sense into Hikaru's skull. A less straightforward approach, but caring all the same. What is with guys and acting all tough sometimes... Anyways, now that my plan was a success, I guess Takaki-kun is stuck with me...
"Thank you for helping me make my brother happy, Takaki-kun... you don't know how much I appreciate it... Oh, if you want to go around the temple on your own I wouldn't mind, I'll do a little exploring myself..." I said, trying to express my overflowing gratitude in a few words. I bowed and turned to leave when I felt someone grab my arm.
"Don't leave me here... Who said I wanted to do that alone? And I can't just let a girl wander around on her own... you're Yamada's twin after all, all the more reason why I shouldn't take my eyes off you. Oh, you're welcome... they're my friends too, I wanted to help in any way I can..." Takaki-kun said softly. When he was speaking those words, I felt an odd kind of shiver run down my spine. Something similar to electricity also flowed up my arm when he grabbed my wrist to stop me from leaving. I looked into his eyes and saw... something. Nothing. Everything.
I am starting to sound completely insane, even only inside my head. Why am I giving side comments to my own thoughts?!
I blushed and averted my gaze, trying to control the quivering in my voice as I hurriedly replied, "A-arigato..." He smiled at me and pulled me to a nearby takoyaki stall.
"The food they sell here is delicious! I'd like you to try some. Doushitano?" he suddenly asked, looking at me and catching the amused expression on my face.
"Ah, nandemonai... it's just like it sounded like your name..." I said, hesitant to creep him out with my weirdness. Instead of the creeped-out expression I was expecting however, he laughed out loud, his eyes almost disappearing when he laughed.
"Well it sounds more like our names put together, actually," he said with a laugh. "Hai, dozo~!" he said, presenting me the food with a flourish. I giggled and accepted the takoyaki, realizing that it would be the first thing I'll be eating besides my makeshift brunch. It was unexpectedly delicious despite how it looked; that's why he was so confident about it...
"Ah that reminds me, here," I said, digging out the chocolates I brought from my bag and giving it to him. "It's Valentine's after all... consider it as a thank you for helping me today. I don't have anyone else to give it to, but it seems I made too many. Hope you like it," I said with a smile.
"Wow, thanks~! It must be delicious; Yamada's a great cook. I often steal food from his bento and it always taste like a professional chef cooked it," he said, gratefully accepting the little packet I gave him.
"Gochiso sama deshita~!" I said after finishing the meal, rubbing my hands together. Something wet touched my nose, and I looked up to find the sky dark and soft white drops slowly falling down.
"Ah, it's snowing~" I said, wonder filling my voice. I remember how my brother and I would always get excited at the first day when we would wake up to find the outside world has turned into a winter wonderland. Snowball fights were inevitable, and when Yuto-nii comes over they would draw at the windows that were fogged up by the cold air. I rubbed my hands together, trying to keep them warm. Good thing I had a coat and a scarf...
"Are you cold? Here, I have extra gloves, if you want..." Takaki-kun said, handing me a pair of white gloves which I immediately put on. It was when I was wearing them that I noticed that something was written on it.
"Eh? It has your name on it... isn't this the ones you use when you perform 'Romeo & Juliet'?" I asked, tracing the red letters that spelled out his name on the glove.
"Ah hai, we used it today so I had one with me... I guess I forgot to give it back..." he whispered.
"It's warm, ne? Arigato..." i said, smiling at him. He nodded his head and looked down, his face a little pink...
Was he blushing...? Or was it because of the cold...?
I am overthinking things again.
"So, where do you want to go next?" Takaki-kun asked.
"I don't know... I haven't visited this temple before..." I replied. He placed one hand under his chin and thought deeply. After a few moments his face broke into a smile and promptly grabbed my hand, pulling me to who-knows-where.
"I know a place!"
______________________________________________________________________________________________
After quite a long walk (which involved him firmly holding my hand and me trying to avoid tripping as he pulled me along) and ninja-ishly hiding from my brother as they almost caught us (they were buying masks from a stall and we quickly tried to blend in with the crowd. Good thing Yuto-nii tried on a mask on him before he could take a second look.), we finally arrived at what seemed to be Takaki-kun's destination: a small lake at the temple grounds, hidden by trees and other shrubbery. I read the inscription on the stone memorial by the lakeside, Takaki-kun standing quietly beside me and still not letting go of my hand.
A beautiful water nymph who dwells in the depths of this lake is said to grant good fortune to those that visit her and pay due respect. It is often told that couples who offer her flowers were blessed with eternal love, especially on the fourteenth day of the second month. Her kind spirit has heard many a prayer and has blessed people with her guidance...
"The festival today was for the foundation of this temple and to thank the water spirit for her goodwill to the people of this town. Only quite a few people knew where this lake was actually, so it's real quiet most of the time. It's my favorite place..." he said softly. I closed my eyes and whispered a short prayer to the water spirit. When I opened them, Takaki-kun had a smile on his face as he pointed towards the sky. The snow has stopped falling and we now have a clear view of the sky. The moon was smiling at us, the stars giving out their soft light and giving the lake an almost ethereal glow. It was breathtaking in its own way, simple yet so precious.
"It should start any minute..." Takaki-kun said, stealing a glance at his watch.
"Eh? What do you mean?" I curiously asked. He smiled back as a reply and looked back to his watch.
"You'll find out in three.. two... one..."
A small sound like a bomb exploding could be heard from far away, and a few moments later the sky was lit up by a wonderful fireworks display. I stood in awe as lights frolicked and danced above us, twisting and undulating in the wind as it formed various shapes in the sky.
"It's a perfect place for watching fireworks... when I discovered this about two years ago, I often go here when I feel sad or troubled. I can really calm down, like the water spirit seeps out all my worries away. It's my secret place..." Takaki-kun mused, staring at the last fireworks that were being fired into the sky, lost in thought.
I stared at the person that I spent my Valentine's with. He was the same person that I see in TV who likes going to Health Land spas in his free time, the one with the childlike attitude and that crazy laugh. And now, this idol that I just met was sharing this haven to me. In his world where privacy is often stolen and little preserved, it's a nice feeling that he trusts me with his secret...
"Arigato ne?" I suddenly said. He looked at me in surprise but smiled all the same...
"You're very much welcome...."
"...Thank you for making this Valentine's special..."
______________________________________________________________________________________________
"Aaah~ tadaima~!" I said to nobody in particular, launching myself to my bed. After watching the fireworks we decided to head back to meet my brother and his other groupmates. We almost got caught when Hikaru-kun said "Oh, there you are!" when he saw us. Good thing Inoo-kun quickly thought of a cover-up and we were saved.
*knock knock*
"Come in!" I said, sitting up. The door opened and my brother entered the room, holding a circular bowl with three goldfish in it.
"Here's your goldfish, I placed them in a bowl for you," he said, putting it down on my desk.
"Arigato, Nii-chan~" I said, getting up and hugging him.
"So, did you have fun? I told you my friends won't bite you," he joked, sitting down on my bed and playing with the stuffed pig on it.
"Hai! Yuya-kun was nice, I had a lot of fun," I replied, sitting down beside him and saving the stuffed pig from him. This particular stuffed toy would often disappear fro my room, and I'm sure it's chilling out in my brother's possession whenever that happens. Just because Yuto-kun gave it to me...
"Yuya-kun...?" my brother asked with some surprise. "You're already on a first-name basis with him?"
"H-he told me to call him that... everyone calls me 'Ayuki-chan' anyway, he thought it was just fair..." I said, blushing and lowering my gaze so he wouldn't notice...
"Oh... I see... you seem very close..." he said suspiciously, sounding dangerous. I looked at him curiously. Was he angry or something? He sounds scary...
"That's not the point; the point is you had a date with Yuto-nii~ was it fun?" I teasingly said, poking his puffed out cheeks and deciding to ignore his bout of bad temper earlier. Right on cue his cheeks turned into strawberry pink and he suddenly hugged me.
"Eh? Nii-chan doushitano?" I asked, surprised by his actions. This day is the weirdest day I experienced in my sixteen years of existence...
"Just... thank you. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you for today. Thank you for that chance. Thank you for choosing my clothes for me and for giving me that chocolate. Thank you for being my twin..." he said in a rush, hugging me tightly.
"Haha, I love you too even if you weird me out. You're Yamada Ryosuke after all," I said, affectonately hugging him back. After a few moments I heard him yawn and kicked him ot of my room before he falls asleep in here, shooing him away wih a threat of not waking him up for work tomorrow if he insists on staying up late. He was protesting, but in the end he gave up after I closed the door at his face.
I wandered back to my bed and ended up staring at the goldfish in the bowl, remembering the events today...
Maybe Valentine's was not as bad as I thought it was...
___________________________________________________________________________
Sorry if I am such a fail writer >.<
Title: A Second Take at Traditional
Pairing: Takaki Yuya x OC (Yamada Ayuki)
Notes: Well, it was supposed to be for Valentine's... but many things came up... and so I took it upon myself to post this before my friend enters college 2 weeks earlier than the rest of us in our batch... I thought I could cheer her up or something... and to let her know in some way that I'll always eb here for her whenever she needs me~! Aishiteruyo Yuuyan♥~ (I call her that, don't mind us xD)
Summary: She thought it was a waste of time... will she think so otherwise?
Silence was never the absence of sound. It is merely the presence of what sound cannot express. And in my silence... I'm here more than you can imagine...
I strummed the strings of my guitar, producing random notes from the instrument that helped me express what I want to say when words fail me. My desk calendar proclaimed today's date with pride, complete with a pink background and complimentary hearts.
February 14. Valentine's Day.
Sometimes I don't really get the logic of the fuss this day arouses. Why provide a specific day to show a person that you love and treasure them when you can do it everyday? Isn't that better? Businessmen just created this occasion so they could leech off money from selling more chocolates, flowers, and stuffed toys than usual. Pfft.
My thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knock on my bedroom door. I glanced towards the wall clock softly ticking away, doing its job. Woah. Six in the morning. I didn't realize that I woke up earlier than usual. With an inkling of who my mysterious early-morning visitor could be, I set down my guitar.
"Come in, it's open..." I called out. The door opened, revealing my... well... overdressed twin brother. He was wearing a combination of things that will make any fangirl reconsider why they ever liked Yamada Ryosuke. Considering the innumerable photoshoots that he had gone through, you would think that some semblance of fashion sense would rub off on him. Well, he dresses okay, but there are instances that I could do nothing but facepalm in my desperation and embarassment for him.
Today was a classic example. My cute dope of a brother didn't seem to understand why I was frozen in place with my mouth hanging open. He headed towards the full-length mirror and appraised his outfit. He was wearing a ruffled shirt made from some shiny fabric, a leather jacket and skinny jeans, complete with chains hanging from the waistband of his jeans.
The costumes of JE are rubbing off on him...
Yabai yo~
"Uhm, Yamada Ryosuke, I hope you won't mind me asking, but what in the world are you wearing?" I asked incredulously. He turned away from the mirror and seemed to notice my expression for the first time.
"Uhm, clothes? Ah, the shirt was given to me by a designer in JE... doushite? Is something wrong with my clothes?" he asked innocently, looking seriously confused that I looked upset over what he was wearing.
"Are you seriously asking me that question? Because if you are, then let me tell you this: You look like you're about to perform. Or about to go out in a concert. Whichever you prefer," I answered straightforwardly.
"Eh? What's wrong with that? Our costumes look cool," he said defensively. I rolled my eyes at him. Please don't let him ruin my sanity. Even just this once.
"And you thinking like that is one of the reasons why I want to work for JE as a fashion designer.. That way, I could watch you at concerts without being embarassed for all of you, or distracted by feather collars and tassels hanging from your arms," I said in a teasing way, causing him to blush brightly. I looked at him for a few minutes before laughing and pinching his cheeks. He smiled at me, and that smile made me realize that I haven't seen Onii-chan this happy for a long time. Did today's date had something to do with the unnecessary effort that my brother put into dressing up?
Ah... Sou ka...
With a mischievous plan forming in my mischievous brain, I proceeded to push my brother out of my room to his room next door. Upon arriving, I went straight to his closet and started pulling out shirts.
"Hey, what are you doing? Mou, I just fixed that~ don't wrinkle anything or you'll iron for a week," my brother complained with a pout.
"That's fine, I'll just tell Yuto-nii that you have a lot of stolen pictures of him~ you're scarier than the paparazzi, you know..." I said, smiling sweetly at my beloved brother. As he started spluttering like a fish out of water, I turned back to his closet and pulled out an ensemble of clothes that he wore for one of his photoshoots and piled it onto his arms, steering him towards the direction of the bathroom.
"Change into these. Right now. Don't go out until you've changed out of those clothes and I'm satisfied that you won't make a fool out of yourself walking on the streets looking like a clown gone bad," I said in a firm voice.
"Mou, stop bossing me around... I'm still older than you, in theory..." my brother complained.
"Yeah, for about three minutes and twenty-six seconds. I refuse to let my brother be humiliated, so do both of us a favor and look decent? We still do look like alike, after all..."
Ryo-nii looked at me with thankful eyes and nodded, closing the door gently behind him. I leaned my back against the wall, waiting for him to finish changing. A question popped out of my head and I smiled, deciding to tease my brother a little...
"Ne Ryo-nii, why the sudden effort to dress up this early? Where are you going?" I asked.
"Betsuni... I have to go to the studio, we have to practice for the Shounen Club recording..." my brother answered from inside the bathroom.
"Work on Valentines? That's pretty harsh... do you have plans for later?"
"Boku? Hmm, maybe eat some ramen, go to the CD store, buy another manga or something..."
"Ah sou... don't you have a date with our little tall drummer boy?" I asked in a singsong voice. The bathroom door suddenly opened and my brother poked out his head, looking towards me and acting a little flustered.
"I do NOT have a date with Yuto," he said, gritting his teeth a little.
"Really? A little squirrel's friend told me that the two of you had plans. Oh, and if it's not true, then why is your face all red? Who said I was talking about Yuto-nii anyway?" I retorted.
Ryo-nii stared at me in disbelief and I stared back, a playful smile on my lips. He shook his head and shut the door in my face. My grin widened.
"Ayuki = 1. Ryo-nii = 0." I whispered to myself with a laugh.
A few moments later, the bathroom door opened and my brother came out, his face entirely pink and his head bowed down, refusing to meet my eyes. He stopped a few feet in front of me and nervously waited for my verdict.
I slowly walked aroun Ryo-nii, judging how he looked from all angles. He finally had the courage to look up and was now observing me with curious eyes. I placed my hand under my chin and looked thoughtfully at the person whose idol status I cannot even begin to comprehend.
"Well... how do I look?" he mumbled, unsure how to judge my expression. I slowly went behind him and hugged him playfully from behind, my chin placed over his shoulder and my hands around his waist.
"You look really nice... of course, it's expected since I picked your clothes, ne~?" I said, making him laugh.
"Arigato ne, Ayuki-chan... I really don't know what to do without you," my brother said affectionately, making me blush. Even though he could be completely clueless and stupidly insensitive at times, he still has a sweet and shy, gentle side to him that never fails to make me glad that I'm his twin. I ran back to his room and got a scarf that hung from a chair. Ryo-nii bought this as a pair and gave the other one to me, as a gift for both of us passing the entrance exams to the high school of our choice.
I carefully loped the scarf around his neck, making sure that he would be warm. After adjusting the scarf, I placed my hands on his shoulders, and both of us smiled at the same time.
"Yosh, perfect... you're now officially Yamada Ryosuke. Shouldn't you be going by now?" I reminded him. He suddenly looked at his watch and clapped his hand to his forehead.
"Ah, yabai, I'm going to be late!" Ryo-nii exclaimed, hurrying downstairs with me tagging along behind him. I found him trying to put on his shoes by the door. After a few moments, he finished putting them on and rushed out of the door, uncremeniously opening our front gate and running out at full speed. I quickly picked up a package that I placed on a nearby table. I have to give this to him...
"Ryo-nii! You forgot this!" I shouted. He turned around and caught the package that I threw at him.
"What's this? I don't remember buying this..." he mused, turning the package between his hands.
"It's chocolate; what's Valentines without them? Give them to Yuto-nii on your date. Oh, and don't worry; I used your money when I bought that, so technically it's still from you," I said sweetly, watching in amusement as my brother's mouth dropped open.
"Omae--"
"Aren't you late?" I reminded him once again. He looked at his wach once again and satisfied himself with sticking out his tongue at me before he started to run once again.
"Have fun in your date!" I called out, waving goodbye to his retreating back and turning around to go back inside.
"Ayuki!"
Ryo-nii was holding the box of chocolates with both hands in the air so I could still see it even if he was standing far away from me.
"Nani?"
"Arigato!!!"
I smiled and waved goodbye. He waved back and started running. I waited until he disappeared around the street corner before heading back towards the house.
When I got to my room, I slowly made my way to my bed. Lying down, I hugged the stuffed pig that Yuto-nii gave me during his Nobuta wo Produce days and contemplated my life.
My brother has a date on Valentines while here I am, lying alone... and I'm the girl here, for goodness' sake.
Life could be so unfair sometimes.
Sighing, I picked up my guitar and began to play randomly. A tune was playing in my head and I smiled, starting to play the song that Yabu-kun and Hikaru-kun arranged for their JUMP-ing tour... a song that holds a special place in my heart...
"Hateshinai itoshii sa wa
Ano kokoro ni tashikani umareru
Kagayaki wo hitotsu toshite bokura wa
Hoshitachi wo shikare wo kishi wo kizamu~"
I sang softly. My gaze fell upon my desk, where the remnants of my unsuccesful battle with my math homework last night remained. With a groan, I put down my guitar and picked up my phone, which lighted up a few moments ago.
To: Yamada Ayuki
From: Yamada Ryosuke
He liked the chocolates :D
Arigato, Ayuki-chan~! ?
Yuto said we're going to Shibuya later, want to come along? ^o^Y
Ryosuke
===END===
...
...
...
Like I said, my brother could be clueless and stupidly insensitive at times.
To: Yamada Ryosuke
From: Yamada Ayuki
Yokatta~
Thanks but , I wouldn't want to be a bother in your date anyway... can you buy me ice cream instead? I'd like vanilla~
Enjoy your date~! :3
Ayuki
===END===
I pressed SEND and closed my phone, facing my homework once more. With a resigned sigh, I plugged on my earphones and started studying my dreaded subject.
~After about half an hour~
"Ah, I'm finally finished," I said in relief, the side of my head in contact with my desk. My brain seemed like it was completely fried and spent. Stretching my arms, I decided to go down and make some chocolate... maybe I could give them to my friends at school... or to Ryo-nii...
I fail...
______________________________________________________________________________________________
After a few hours, I stood in front of the oven, waiting for my second batch of chocolates to finish baking. Obviously, I had a lot of free time in my hands and made too many...
Lucky onii-chan...
~Hora, anata ni totte
Daiji na itahodo
Sugu soba ni iru no~
Hearing the timer, I rushed to get my chocolates from the oven and picked up my phone from the kitchen counter, noting the fact that my brother changed my cellphone's ringtone again so that we'll match. He'd do these things all of the time, insisting that we'd look nice if we match.
I answered the phone and wedged it between my ear and my shoulder, beginning to put the finished chocolates inside little plastic bags.
"Moshi moshi?"
"Ah, Ayuki-chan? Ima doko?" a voice urgently asked.
"Eh, Yuto-nii? I'm at home right now... doushitano?"
"Can I ask for a favor? Ah... is now a bad time?"
"No it's fine, I'm not particularly busy or anything... what is it?"
"Well, practice just ended... your brother and I are supposed to go to Shibuya, but Hikaru-kun dragged the two of us to go visit Inoo-kun. We're on our way to Meiji University right now...." Yuto said in a hurry.
"Do you want me to meet you there? I'll distract them so you could escape," I replied, sealing the last bag of chocolates.
"Hontou? Arigatou Ayuki-chan~! We're at a convenience store right now... meet us at the gates of Meiji? Ah, wear your scarf so we could see you quickly," Yuto-nii said, relief evident on his voice. I smiled, remembering his amusement for my brother's twin complex.
"Hai~"
"Hontou ni arigato gozaimasu, Ayuki-chan..."
"Do itashimashite... anything for you and onii-chan," I replied. Yuto-nii thanked me again and said goodbye with a cheerful voice, and I hurried upstairs to get dressed. A few minutes was all I needed as I slipped into a simple dress and a warm coat, hurriedly getting my scarf from where it hung in my closet and loping it around my neck. As an afterthought, I slipped some of the chocolate I made into my bag before making my way out of the house and catching a train before it left.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
I arrived at the gates of Meiji University within a quarter of an hour, panting hard. A few of the university students looked at me as I stood awkwardly by the gates, but my brother and his friends were nowhere to be found. Just as I was about to pull out my phone to call them, a voice shouted out my name.
"Ayuki-chan~!"
Yuto-nii was waving frantically at me, and I could see the reason why. Hikaru-kun was currently strangling Yuto-nii and Ryo-nii, his arms tightly encircling their necks. When Yuto-nii called out my name, all of them looked towards my direction, including a tall, lazy-looking boy that was trailing behind the unruly trio. Yuto-nii immediately broke free from Hikaru-kun's grasp and ran to where I was waiting for them, enclosing me in a bear hug.
"Yuto-nii... can't... breathe..." I tried to say with a laugh.
"Ah, gomen!" he replied, letting go of me in an instant. By this time, my brother and his companions have arrived. Hikaru-kun was looking at me in obvious wonder and confusion, his eyes ranging from Yuto-nii's arm resting lightly around my shoulders to the scarf that Ryo-nii and I are both wearing.
"Woah, you match... what a coincidence!" Hikaru-kun exclaimed, pointing at the scarf that I was wearing and then pointing at my brother with a look of complete amazement on his face, making the two of us giggle with Yuto-nii. Besides Yuto-nii and Chinen-kun this was my first time meeting anyone from my brother's group personally, so I expected this to happen. No matter how many times my brother tried to introduce me to them whenever they came over, my shy side will come out and I'd refuse. Even Yuto-nii and Chinen-kun wouldn't have met me if they hadn't caught me preparing food for Ryo-nii when they unexpectedly came to our house while my brother was taking a day off from school because of a bad cold.
"Uh, Yuto-kun... you do know that we're not allowed to date, right?" Hikaru-kun tried to whisper but failing to keep his voice down. Yuto-nii's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, his expression something that could only be described as shock. Ryo-nii immediately punched Hikaru-kun's arm, causing the older one to jump back in pain.
"Ittai! What was that for?! Moshikashite... he's Yama-chan's girlfriend?! Eh?!" Hikaru-kun exclaimed. I was watching how my brother was arguing with someone twice his size while Yuto-nii hasn't got over his state of temporary shock when I felt someone looking at me. The quiet guy that was with them has yet to say a word, and he was gazing with me with eyes that were both curious and questioning. He was looking at Hikaru-kun with an unreadable expression on his face and sighed, an emotion resembling sadness flashing through his eyes for a moment before he bowed his head. I tilted my head to the side and looked at this guy more closely...
"Baka! She's not Yuto's girlfriend! And how could my sister be my girlfriend?!" Ryo-nii said exasperatedly. Hikaru-kun finally came out from his hiding place behind Yuto-nii and cautiously peeked out, Yuto-nii not removing his arms around my brother lest he started attacking Hikaru-kun once more.
"Eh...? She's really... your sister... Oh..." Hikaru-kun said slowly, looking at all of us one by one.
"Domo~" I said weakly, bowing towards Hikaru-kun's direction. Hikaru-kun focused his attention towards me and also bowed towards me. Muffled giggles were coming from Ryo-nii, but Yuto-nii simply covered his mouth while trying not to laugh himself. A soft laugh came from the tall, brown-haired guy and my brother and his best friend couldn't keep it in any longer. Soon, all of us were laughing merrily, awkwardness forgotten as we all laughed at our silliness.
"Let me introduce you then, ne? This is my twin sister, Yamada Ayuki-chan. She's studying at a school near Horikoshi, and one of the pictures floating around the internet of me with some girl is really the two of us walking home together. Yuto and Chii know her because they ambushed my house and saw her by chance. We really don't talk about us being blood-related because I wouldn't want people pestering her about information concerning us or anyone in the jimusho. Ayuki-chan, you all probably know them, but that tall guy who wouldn't stop growing is Nakajima Yuto, the guy who thought you were my girlfriend is Yaotome Hikaru while that guy over there who wouldn't speak is Takaki Yuya... Minna, yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" Ryo-nii said with a flourish, bowing towards his friends. I followed suit, and the three also bowed towards us, though quite awkwardly. Finally, Yuto-nii spoke up.
"Aww, why do we have to be so formal? We're friends already, ne, Ayuki-chan?" Yuto-nii said brightly, smiling towards my direction. I smiled and nodded my head in assent, a light blush coloring my cheeks.
"Eh? That's unfair~ I want to be friends with Ayuki-chan too~" Hikaru-kun whined. He suddenly came up beside me and placed his arm over my shoulders. "Let's be friends, ne?" he said to me with a smile, making me look towards my brother and blush a brighter shade of red.
"Uh, Hikaru-kun... I think you shouldn't be doing that... someone's overprotective brother is going to get really angry..." Yuto-nii said in a small voice. Hikaru-kun glanced towards my fuming older brother still safely encased in Yuto-nii's grip and hurriedly retracted his arm from around my shoulders. After this was done, everybody relaxed, including Takaki-kun, who was clenching his fists tightly for some reason...
"She's very shy, so you have to be careful with her, ne?" Yuto-nii said cheerfully. Takaki-kun opened his mouth to say something, but our little crew was distracted by the arrival of a pale-skinned bishounen with beautiful jet black hair, a huge knapsack strapped to his back and his arms overflowing with books and blueprints. Hikaru-kun immediately rushed to his side and got most of the stuff from his hands, getting overwhelmed himself. Takaki-kun laughed and helped Hikaru-kun in turn, sharing equally the load amongst them.
"Arigato, Hikari-chan..." the white-skinned guy said in a grateful tone.
"You're welcome, Inoo-chan~ and my name is NOT Hikari-chan; it's Hikaru!" Hikaru said indignantly but still smiling all the same. I saw the other three give each other secret glances and smile at the joker of the group and the university student arguing playfully with each other, making me smile to myself. They're all paired up, I guess...
*sigh*
"Uhm... may I ask who this young lady might be?" the university student asked, looking at me with a questioning glance. Hikaru-kun smiled brightly and hurried to make the introduction.
"Oh, let me introduce you! She's Yamada Ayuki-chan, Yama-chan's twin sister. Ayuki-chan, meet Inoo Kei-chan, JUMP's university student!" Hikaru-kun said energetically, practically bouncing up and down in his excitement.
"Hajimemashite. Inoo Kei desu~" Inoo-kun said with a kind smile, bowing elegantly towards me. I responded with a soft smile and my customary blush, hiding behind Nii-chan in my embarassment (though it was kinda pointless, since I'm taller than he is).
"Ah that reminds me, there's a festival held at a nearby temple here; want to come along? It's quite popular because there's this legend that if couples go there at Valentine's Day, they'll be granted lifelong hapiness and such... oh and don't worry about the crowd," Inoo-kun assured his groupmates, catching the apprehensive looks they were throwing at each other. "People come there to worship and enjoy anyway, so I doubt they'll take notice of us... it's Valentine's anyway..."
"I think this is why Hikaru-kun pulled us here anyway, so we might as well come along... that is, if you two don't mind?" Yuto-nii asked teasingly, making Hikaru-kun and Inoo-kun blush furiously in unison and all of us laugh at their discomfort.
"Let's go then? I'll just give these references back to my professor, ne? I'll be back in a second..." Inoo-kun stammered, gathering all his things from his groupmates without meeting their gaze and hurrying away, leaving all of us staring after his back in amusement. He returned after a few minutes without his books and blueprints, a ready smile on his face.
"I'm done~! Let's go?" Inoo-kun offered. All of us answered "Hai~!" cheerfully and started to depart.
"Anou..." I stammered out. Inoo-kun noticed me trying to say something and held out his hand, effectively stopping his friends.
"Hai, Ayuki-chan? What is it?" he asked, looking concerned. All of them were looking at me, making it harder to voice out what I wanted to say.
"Uhm... Yuto-nii... you can let go of Onii-chan now... he doesn't look like he'll murder someone anytime soon..." I said in a soft voice. All of them turned to look at my brother's best friend, who in fact hasn't let go of my brother all this time. They instantly separated, and it has become harder to tell who was redder between the two of them. Ryo-nii was alternating between shaking his head in embarassment and shooting death glances at me.
"On second thought Yuto-nii, it'd be better if you restrain him again... I don't want Onii-chan to be charged of murder of his twin sister..."I said in a quivering voice. Ryo-nii started menacingly towards my direction, and I hurriedly hid behind the tallest person next to Yuto-nii. Takaki-kun looked at me curiously but I just said, "Hide me please~" and he just smiled and me and whispered something, loud enough so only I could hear it.
"Don't worry... I'll protect you..."
______________________________________________________________________________________________
People were gathering in the temple grounds whe our group arrived at the Takashima temple, a few kilometers away from Meiji University. Like Inoo-kun predicted, the majority of the visitors were couples being all lovey-dovey with each other. It was kinda nice at first, but being partnerless myself it started to get a little annoying.
"Wow, sugoi, look over there Yuto! Ikou ikou~!" Hikaru-kun said excitedly, pulling Yuto-nii and Inoo-kun with him as he hopped from stall to stall, his enthusiasm enough for all of us. Poor Yuto-kun could do nothing but keep himself from tripping as he and Inoo-kun were the main focus of Hikaru-kun's exuberance. We came to a stall that had a sign saying "Catch the Goldfish!" that didn't have any customers and which seems to be the cause of Hikaru-kun's excitement.
"Let's play, ne? I've always been bad at these games... give me your goldfish when you get one, ne~?" Hikaru-kun announced, rushing up to the stall owner and buying the small nets made of wire and Japanese paper for all of us, making all of us laugh in his desperation tactics to get goldfish. I just stared at the net that Hikaru-kun gave me. This game and I don't have a good history...
"Aaah, this is hard ne~?" Hikaru-kun said in frustration, holding up his seventh broken net. The bowl in his hand and mine had the same sorry state: a little water, a few damp pieces of Japanese paper from the nets we ruined, and zero fish. I was staring hard at the fish, almost wishing that one of them would jump from the tank and into my bowl. My twin had the same irritated/pouting expression that I had on, following the fish with his eyes. We were being our usual fail selves... we're twins after all, ne?
"Don't worry Hikari-chan, I'll give you the ones I caught," Inoo-kun said, holding up his bowl and showing us the fish swimming in it. Hikaru-kun's faced brightened and he clapped his hands in delight, hugging Inoo-kun in the process. Yuto-kun was smiling to himself as he caught another goldfish... and then transferred it to Ryo-nii's bowl. My brother looked quickly at him but Yuto-nii simply placed a finger against his lips and continued to catch goldfish. I sighed and looked down at my bowl, the fish in it still nonexixtent.
"Sugoi Takaki-kun, you've caught a lot ne?" Yuto-kun said, making me look at the person beside me. My eyes widened as I surveyed his bowl brimming with fish. He looked at us with surprise, his net left dangling in midair.
"Eh?" he said, looking at all of our bowls. "Ah gomen, I got a little bit carried away..."
"Carried away? You caught almost half the fish in the tank!" Hikaru-kun said in excitement. "How many nets have you bought so far?"
"This is still my first one, the one you bought for me..." Takaki-kun slowly answered.
"Maji de?!" Inoo-kun exclaimed. "I'm using my third net and I only caught five so far... yappari Takaki-kun is good in this game ne?"
"Well, my little brother liked goldfish and always wanted to get them during cultural festivals, so I naturally got good at this game..." he mumbled, turning a little red in the ears and bowing his head, looking embarassed.
"Kawaii..." I whispered to myself. Ryo-nii's head snapped up and he looked at me with an unreadable expression on his face. Crap, maybe he heard me... quickly, I turned back my attention to catching--or rather, failing to catch--goldfish.
A few minutes later, Hikaru-kun finally gave up and all of us stood up to leave. All of them were holding plastic bags with the fish they caught inside it--except me. I rearranged my scarf around my neck, feeling the cold winter air settling in. It looked like it would snow...
"Here."
A plastic bag with three orange goldfish swimming lazily inside it was dangling in front of my eyes. Startled, I looked at the person holding it.
"Eh? Takaki-kun? Doushite?" I asked in surprise.
"Well, you looked a little down... since you didn't catch any, I thought I could give you some... My brother doesn't need all of these so..." he trailed off, placing the plastic bag in my hands and pushing his hands deep into his pockets. I smiled and held up the bag, looking at the fish through the light coming from the string of paper lanterns above us.
"Kirei~" I said in a soft voice. I brought down the bag... and caught him looking at me with a strange expression on his face. When he saw that I was looking, he quickly averted his gaze and rubbed his nose.
What was that about...
"Eh Ayuki, you caught some too?" my brother asked, suddenly popping out from nowhere. Really, if I had heart disease he could have easily given me a heart attack.
"Uhm... no... Takaki-kun gave them to me... can you hold this for me? I might drop it..." I requested, handing over the plastic bag to him. He frowned but accepted the bag without question, shooting his groupmate an apprehensive glance. He looked kinda angry for some reason... what's his problem?
"Ne, Ayuki-chan..." my brother began, rubbing his neck with one hand, a sure sign that he was feeling uncomfortable.
"Eh? Nii-chan doushitano?" I asked. He was about to speak when the rest of his groupmates approached us. As Hikaru-kun was babbling about the fish that he got (Inoo-kun gave it to him), Ryo-nii looked at me and mouthed "Nandemonai..."
All of them are acting weird today... this day is creepy...
Hikaru-kun once again looped his arms around Yuto-kun and Nii-chan, and I remembered why I was here in the first place... But I couldn't do this alone. I needed help.
I quickly tapped his arm, making sure the others were occupied. He had his hands inside his pockets while he listened to my crazy plan, a curious and quizzical expression on his face. After I finished talking, he smiled and nodded his head in agreement.
"This would be interesting..."
Fifteen minutes later...
"Eh? Where did everybody go?" Hikaru said in wonder, looking around for his other groupmates.
"Maybe they got lost in the crowd? There are a lot of people here, after all..." Inoo said, looking around him.
Meanwhile, at another part of the temple grounds...
"Eh? Where's Ayuki-chan and the others?" Yuto said, worry evident in his voice. Though this was the situation that he wanted to happen, he couldn't help but worry for Yamada's sister... he was the one who called her here in the first place. Besides, Yamada was freaking out.
"C'mon Ayuki, where the heck are you?" Yamada whispered to himself, craning his neck to look at the people in the crowd.
"Don't worry, I'm sure she's here somewhere... calm down, will you? You're making me nervous..." Yuto said soothingly, trying to calm Yamada down.
"This is my sister we're talking about here, of course I'm worried... what if something bad happened to her? Kaa-san will never let me hear the end of it..." Yamada replied, biting his lip.
"Don't talk like that... she's sixteen years old, she can go home by herself if she needs to. You need to trust her, you know..." Yuto reasoned out.
Yamada opened his mouth but was distracted by the sound of his cellphone ringing, alerting him of an incoming message.
To: Yamada Ryosuke
From: Yamada Ayuki
Nii-chan, I'm with the others. Don't worry, we'll meet you later, ne?
Enjoy yourselves while you're together; I know you waited for this for
so long, so don't think about me and be happy ne? I promise I'll behave
and take care of myself, so please be happy. I miss my Nii-chan's smile...
I want to see that smile later ne? If you're not going to enjoy yourself I'll
be angry >.<
Ayuki
===END===
"Doushitano, Yama-chan? Who was that from?" Yuto asked.
"Ah, Ayuki-chan... she said she's with the others. She said she'll meet us later..." said Yamada in a weird voice.
"Ryo-chan? Doushitano? You look like you're going to cry or something..." Yuto asked, looking concerned. Yamada quickly rubbed his eyes and grinned widely, the impact of his smile hitting Yuto full force.
It was that smile...
"Betsuni~ I'm just glad that she's safe... Ikou?" he happily answered, linking his arm with Yuto and pulling him towards the nearest stall.
Arigato, Ayuki-chan...
______________________________________________________________________________________________
"Inoo-kun replied, he wanted to say thank you," Takaki-kun said. "Sometimes Hikaru-kun couldn't get a clue even if it was staring at him in the face... Inoo-kun even invited him here considering it was Valentine's Day today, but all he could talk about was catching goldfish at the festival..."
I sighed in relief, glad that my plan was going along smoothly for the couples in question. Like what I did earlier, I sent Hikaru-kun a mail similar to what I sent to my Nii-chan. I told him I was with his other groupmates and we'll meet the two of them later on. Takaki-kun then told Inoo-kun what I had planned and cheered him on, reminding him to be happy today. Or at least beat some sense into Hikaru's skull. A less straightforward approach, but caring all the same. What is with guys and acting all tough sometimes... Anyways, now that my plan was a success, I guess Takaki-kun is stuck with me...
"Thank you for helping me make my brother happy, Takaki-kun... you don't know how much I appreciate it... Oh, if you want to go around the temple on your own I wouldn't mind, I'll do a little exploring myself..." I said, trying to express my overflowing gratitude in a few words. I bowed and turned to leave when I felt someone grab my arm.
"Don't leave me here... Who said I wanted to do that alone? And I can't just let a girl wander around on her own... you're Yamada's twin after all, all the more reason why I shouldn't take my eyes off you. Oh, you're welcome... they're my friends too, I wanted to help in any way I can..." Takaki-kun said softly. When he was speaking those words, I felt an odd kind of shiver run down my spine. Something similar to electricity also flowed up my arm when he grabbed my wrist to stop me from leaving. I looked into his eyes and saw... something. Nothing. Everything.
I am starting to sound completely insane, even only inside my head. Why am I giving side comments to my own thoughts?!
I blushed and averted my gaze, trying to control the quivering in my voice as I hurriedly replied, "A-arigato..." He smiled at me and pulled me to a nearby takoyaki stall.
"The food they sell here is delicious! I'd like you to try some. Doushitano?" he suddenly asked, looking at me and catching the amused expression on my face.
"Ah, nandemonai... it's just like it sounded like your name..." I said, hesitant to creep him out with my weirdness. Instead of the creeped-out expression I was expecting however, he laughed out loud, his eyes almost disappearing when he laughed.
"Well it sounds more like our names put together, actually," he said with a laugh. "Hai, dozo~!" he said, presenting me the food with a flourish. I giggled and accepted the takoyaki, realizing that it would be the first thing I'll be eating besides my makeshift brunch. It was unexpectedly delicious despite how it looked; that's why he was so confident about it...
"Ah that reminds me, here," I said, digging out the chocolates I brought from my bag and giving it to him. "It's Valentine's after all... consider it as a thank you for helping me today. I don't have anyone else to give it to, but it seems I made too many. Hope you like it," I said with a smile.
"Wow, thanks~! It must be delicious; Yamada's a great cook. I often steal food from his bento and it always taste like a professional chef cooked it," he said, gratefully accepting the little packet I gave him.
"Gochiso sama deshita~!" I said after finishing the meal, rubbing my hands together. Something wet touched my nose, and I looked up to find the sky dark and soft white drops slowly falling down.
"Ah, it's snowing~" I said, wonder filling my voice. I remember how my brother and I would always get excited at the first day when we would wake up to find the outside world has turned into a winter wonderland. Snowball fights were inevitable, and when Yuto-nii comes over they would draw at the windows that were fogged up by the cold air. I rubbed my hands together, trying to keep them warm. Good thing I had a coat and a scarf...
"Are you cold? Here, I have extra gloves, if you want..." Takaki-kun said, handing me a pair of white gloves which I immediately put on. It was when I was wearing them that I noticed that something was written on it.
"Eh? It has your name on it... isn't this the ones you use when you perform 'Romeo & Juliet'?" I asked, tracing the red letters that spelled out his name on the glove.
"Ah hai, we used it today so I had one with me... I guess I forgot to give it back..." he whispered.
"It's warm, ne? Arigato..." i said, smiling at him. He nodded his head and looked down, his face a little pink...
Was he blushing...? Or was it because of the cold...?
I am overthinking things again.
"So, where do you want to go next?" Takaki-kun asked.
"I don't know... I haven't visited this temple before..." I replied. He placed one hand under his chin and thought deeply. After a few moments his face broke into a smile and promptly grabbed my hand, pulling me to who-knows-where.
"I know a place!"
______________________________________________________________________________________________
After quite a long walk (which involved him firmly holding my hand and me trying to avoid tripping as he pulled me along) and ninja-ishly hiding from my brother as they almost caught us (they were buying masks from a stall and we quickly tried to blend in with the crowd. Good thing Yuto-nii tried on a mask on him before he could take a second look.), we finally arrived at what seemed to be Takaki-kun's destination: a small lake at the temple grounds, hidden by trees and other shrubbery. I read the inscription on the stone memorial by the lakeside, Takaki-kun standing quietly beside me and still not letting go of my hand.
A beautiful water nymph who dwells in the depths of this lake is said to grant good fortune to those that visit her and pay due respect. It is often told that couples who offer her flowers were blessed with eternal love, especially on the fourteenth day of the second month. Her kind spirit has heard many a prayer and has blessed people with her guidance...
"The festival today was for the foundation of this temple and to thank the water spirit for her goodwill to the people of this town. Only quite a few people knew where this lake was actually, so it's real quiet most of the time. It's my favorite place..." he said softly. I closed my eyes and whispered a short prayer to the water spirit. When I opened them, Takaki-kun had a smile on his face as he pointed towards the sky. The snow has stopped falling and we now have a clear view of the sky. The moon was smiling at us, the stars giving out their soft light and giving the lake an almost ethereal glow. It was breathtaking in its own way, simple yet so precious.
"It should start any minute..." Takaki-kun said, stealing a glance at his watch.
"Eh? What do you mean?" I curiously asked. He smiled back as a reply and looked back to his watch.
"You'll find out in three.. two... one..."
A small sound like a bomb exploding could be heard from far away, and a few moments later the sky was lit up by a wonderful fireworks display. I stood in awe as lights frolicked and danced above us, twisting and undulating in the wind as it formed various shapes in the sky.
"It's a perfect place for watching fireworks... when I discovered this about two years ago, I often go here when I feel sad or troubled. I can really calm down, like the water spirit seeps out all my worries away. It's my secret place..." Takaki-kun mused, staring at the last fireworks that were being fired into the sky, lost in thought.
I stared at the person that I spent my Valentine's with. He was the same person that I see in TV who likes going to Health Land spas in his free time, the one with the childlike attitude and that crazy laugh. And now, this idol that I just met was sharing this haven to me. In his world where privacy is often stolen and little preserved, it's a nice feeling that he trusts me with his secret...
"Arigato ne?" I suddenly said. He looked at me in surprise but smiled all the same...
"You're very much welcome...."
"...Thank you for making this Valentine's special..."
______________________________________________________________________________________________
"Aaah~ tadaima~!" I said to nobody in particular, launching myself to my bed. After watching the fireworks we decided to head back to meet my brother and his other groupmates. We almost got caught when Hikaru-kun said "Oh, there you are!" when he saw us. Good thing Inoo-kun quickly thought of a cover-up and we were saved.
*knock knock*
"Come in!" I said, sitting up. The door opened and my brother entered the room, holding a circular bowl with three goldfish in it.
"Here's your goldfish, I placed them in a bowl for you," he said, putting it down on my desk.
"Arigato, Nii-chan~" I said, getting up and hugging him.
"So, did you have fun? I told you my friends won't bite you," he joked, sitting down on my bed and playing with the stuffed pig on it.
"Hai! Yuya-kun was nice, I had a lot of fun," I replied, sitting down beside him and saving the stuffed pig from him. This particular stuffed toy would often disappear fro my room, and I'm sure it's chilling out in my brother's possession whenever that happens. Just because Yuto-kun gave it to me...
"Yuya-kun...?" my brother asked with some surprise. "You're already on a first-name basis with him?"
"H-he told me to call him that... everyone calls me 'Ayuki-chan' anyway, he thought it was just fair..." I said, blushing and lowering my gaze so he wouldn't notice...
"Oh... I see... you seem very close..." he said suspiciously, sounding dangerous. I looked at him curiously. Was he angry or something? He sounds scary...
"That's not the point; the point is you had a date with Yuto-nii~ was it fun?" I teasingly said, poking his puffed out cheeks and deciding to ignore his bout of bad temper earlier. Right on cue his cheeks turned into strawberry pink and he suddenly hugged me.
"Eh? Nii-chan doushitano?" I asked, surprised by his actions. This day is the weirdest day I experienced in my sixteen years of existence...
"Just... thank you. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you for today. Thank you for that chance. Thank you for choosing my clothes for me and for giving me that chocolate. Thank you for being my twin..." he said in a rush, hugging me tightly.
"Haha, I love you too even if you weird me out. You're Yamada Ryosuke after all," I said, affectonately hugging him back. After a few moments I heard him yawn and kicked him ot of my room before he falls asleep in here, shooing him away wih a threat of not waking him up for work tomorrow if he insists on staying up late. He was protesting, but in the end he gave up after I closed the door at his face.
I wandered back to my bed and ended up staring at the goldfish in the bowl, remembering the events today...
Maybe Valentine's was not as bad as I thought it was...
___________________________________________________________________________
Sorry if I am such a fail writer >.<