[Arashi Fanfic] Love, Courage and Cherry Pie - Chapter 12
I'm sorry this chapter took so long. m(__)m
Unfortunately, updates will probably be around the same pace from now on (one chapter a week) or even slower, for the next month or so. It's end of semester and exams are looming. Gomen ne!
Anyway, here it is, the second half of the party. And yes, Yuuki is frigid. XD
Of course, the party didn't end there.
The pie was cut, as Nino claimed that he was massively hungry, that he would faint if he didn't get fed, and "no, I can't wait for the normal food to arrive". As the rest of the party (that being Yuuki, Hisako, Yamapi and Ohno) kept the oishii's and umai's coming, Aiba skewered up the cherries on his fork, and was teased again, this time by Yuuki. She snatched the fork from him before he could eat his cherry kebab, shoving it all into her mouth, claiming that "food stolen from others taste better"-Aiba didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that comment. Of course, the birthday girl was not quite that mean, and returned a cherry kebab from her fork to Aiba while her mouth was still full. He grinned like a boy in return, which only led to more teasing from a certain Nino. Tomohisa tried to use this as his chance to steal a cherry from Yuuki's slice, only to have his hand swatted away. Then Tomohisa did something very un-Yamapi: he pouted and used puppy eyes on Yuuki. With his current curly hair, he looked very much like a certain Momo from an old Arashi drama. Aiba's smile faltered when Yuuki laughingly petted Tomohisa's locks and fed the younger man a cherry with her fingers, as though it was the most natural thing to do. Nino laughed at the sight of this, and his handycam at the ready again-there was no way the prankster would let such a precious scene live on only in memories.
"Ne, Tomo-chan, if they ever need a replacement for Jun as Momo, you'd be it." Nino remarked, eliciting more laughter from the party.
"Eto…I'm not familiar with Arashi…but somehow doesn't this remind you of a song? Ne, Yuuki?" Hisako interrupted the laughter with her observation.
Yuuki smiled, and said nothing.
"Ah, you're right. Ne, Riida, what's the song?" Nino prodded, while Ohno looked deep in thought.
"Ai to Yuuki to Cherry Pie." Aiba whispered. "From the first album, ne?"
"Pin pon!" Yuuki smiled. She froze when Aiba's gaze met hers, and her heart raced momentarily. It was as though Aiba was trying to tell her something with his eyes, something she yearned for months ago, but not any more-or she so told herself. She broke off the gaze by flicking through the massive song list. "Why aren't we singing? I mean, it is a karaoke booth you guys booked. Do I get to choose the songs?"
"Nope." Nino smirked as he pulled the thick book away, and thrust the microphone in to Yuuki's hands. "Since Aibaka got the answer, you're going to sing."
"Yada!" Yuuki pouted. Her protests fell on deaf ears, as the entire party seemed adamant on following Nino's decision. Even Ohno looked at her with expectation in his eyes. She cringed, and gave them one last hurtful look before taking the stand.
Luckily, the embarrassment didn't last long. They made Yuuki sing only one song (A.RA.SHI), and deciding that since it was her birthday, they'd be easy on her for the rest of the night. Hisako had to leave after a phone call from her new boyfriend, someone she met at her new part-time job, not long after the karaoke fest began, leaving Yuuki and the four boys to rave for the rest of the night. Drinks, food and music flowed, and Yuuki used this as her chance to fulfill a couple of her fangirling dreams. After losing a sculling game, Nino was forced to sing Gimmick Game while sitting in Ohno's lap, much to the leader's drunken delight. As thanks, Ohno sang her both Take Me Faraway and Song for Me with full choreography in the limited space (mainly hip thrusts), and ended the solo run with the Freestyle/Ohnoman pose, and crashing into the table. Yamapi parodied his own Daite Senorita, with OTP facial expressions and dance moves, and a solo rendition of Happy Birthday-the NEWS song. Aiba, at Yuuki's request, sang Yasashiku Sukoshi Baka and Friendship- ironic choices, as the title of the former was exactly how he felt about himself, and the latter was what he thought Yuuki felt towards him at that moment. He sang both with so much feeling and emotion, Yuuki had to turn away discreetly and wiped a few tears from her eyes. For a second, Yuuki thought Aiba was in love with her, but she quickly dismissed the thought. Aiba, on the other hand, tried his best to look cheerful and high-tensioned for the night; he managed to convince himself that he was happy, and that he wanted nothing more than friendship with Yuuki. Neither had the courage to be honest with their own feelings; and chose to hide their hearts from everyone, fearing that their cracked hearts would be broken once more. But the desolate feelings didn't last long; Nino challenged Tomohisa to a Johnnys sing-off, involving various songs from various artists ranging from Aqua Timez to SMAP. Sometime between that, and the end of the party, Yuuki demanded a rendition of her favourite Arashi songs, though only three members were present. Aiba and Nino took turns doing the Shorap, much to her delight. And despite being completely drunk, Ohno still managed to sing wonderfully.
The party lasted until the early hours of the morning. Nino and Ohno were much too drunk to even walk straight; all they could do were declare unending and undying love for each other. So it was decided that Tomohisa would drop the pair off as they lived in the same general area, which left Yuuki with Aiba. They decided that calling Kato-san to chaperone in the middle of the night was probably not the best idea, even though it was probably the right thing to do. And since Yuuki's apartment was not too far out of the way, Aiba offered to take the girl home, despite her protests and insistence on taking a taxi. In the end she was too tired to argue, and reluctantly agreed. While Aiba went to get his car, Yuuki hugged Tomohisa before they parted.
"Thanks," Yuuki whispered.
"For you, anything." He replied, "This is your chance, Yuuki." He whispered softly into her ear. His strong hands held her shoulders, his eyes looking deep into hers. "It's now or never. He has a right to know."
"No, Tomo-kun. I can't. He's got enough to deal with. And so do I." She gave a tired smile. "Anyway, take care with those two in the backseat, ok? Ja ne."
The drive back to Yuuki's place was unusually quiet. Both of them were tired, for obvious reasons; but the atmosphere was one more of awkwardness than fatigue. The stereo was on, quietly filling the air with random selections of songs by various artists. As they stopped at one red light, Ai to Yuuki to Cherry Pie came on; Aiba and Yuuki turned their heads at the same time, their eyes met momentarily before the pair broke into a fit of forced giggles.
"Love, courage and cherry pie," Aiba whispered. "If I had all three, my life would be complete."
"Same here." Yuuki said quietly. "The lyrics are so true, as well."
"Eeh?"
"I guess I'd be more content if the person I loved was happy, even if it means he's not with me. And to be his pillar of support when he needs it."
Aiba said nothing, but his mind reeled. Could this mean…
"But then," Yuuki continued, "I'd probably do the same for all my friends…"
His heart sank. So it's not just me.
A myriad of emotions swept over Yuuki and Aiba as the last line of the chorus was repeated. Love is simple with you… Can love ever be simple?
"So… how are things? Did you guys…ever got to sort things out?" Yuuki asked, unsure if the topic was appropriate, but unable to not show her concern.
"Yeah. Hikari and Sho are getting married in four months time, and… Sho has forgiven me." Aiba replied, calmly. There's so much more I want to tell you, Yuuki…
"Ah. That's…that's good then. I'm glad it all worked out." Yuuki said faintly.
"What about… what about you, Yuuki? You and Tomo-chan seem pretty close." Aiba couldn't suppress his curiosity, his words laced with slight jealousy.
"We're just… good friends." Good friends who didn't work out as a couple. Yuuki silently added. Little did she know that her words just fuelled Aiba's jealousy.
Not a word was exchanged between the two in the car after that, until Aiba pulled up in front of Yuuki's apartment block. They sat in silence for a moment, both unsure of what to say, or do; until Yuuki finally unbuckled her seatbelt, turned to Aiba and bade him goodnight. As she opened the door, Aiba grabbed her wrist with sudden force, pulling Yuuki back into the seat and facing him. He wanted to kiss her, right then and there, and didn't want to care about the consequences; but she turned her face as his hand stretched out to cup it. Yuuki hung her head and bit her lip as Aiba shuffled back into his seat, an awkward silence hung inside the car. It seemed like an eternity before Yuuki spoke again.
"Thank you, Aiba-chan. I had a great time tonight." She said, as one arm opened the car door. Yuuki got out quickly, afraid that Aiba might do something rash again, but stuck her head back in. "Send my love and thanks to Nino and Leader as well, when you see them next. It was the best birthday I've ever had."
"Sure." There was an unmissable hint of disappointment in Aiba's voice, which stung Yuuki's heart.
"Drive safely. And goodnight." Yuuki said, and with one quick fluid motion, closed the car door and walked inside her building.
"Goodnight…Yuuki." Aiba whispered, as he stared at her disappearing silhouette, with emptiness in his heart.
Inside, Yuuki ran up to her apartment, crumbling as she entered the genkan. I'm so sorry, Aiba-chan. I guess I don't have the courage to face reality. To face…you.
That night, in Tokyo, it was another sleepless one for at least two people. Two young people who lacked the courage to face their true feelings, and to convey them to each other.