[Arashi Fanfic] Blue - Chapter 2
Summary will be up soon. In the meantime, here's the next chapter.
"Omedetou gozaimasu! You've won the second prize: an onsen break for two in Hakone!"
"Eh?" A puzzled look appeared on a young woman's face, "What did you just say? I won?"
Yuuki was with Hisako, and the girls had strolling along the shopping street in Hisako's neighbourhood after lunch with her mother at their house, buying snacks and other small items every now and then. It just so happened that the local businesses were doing one of the lucky draws. So with their single lucky draw coupon, the girls lined up and expected to claim yet another pack of tissues. It took only one turn of the wheel before a small green ball popped out, setting off the siren and a small band of middle-aged businessmen, who started cheering and singing. Hisako hugged Yuuki, and was jumping up and down in excitement, as Yuuki tried to wrap her head around the situation.
"You won! You won the second prize! You're going to Hakone!" Hisako exclaimed, as one of the men handed Yuuki the prize.
"What do you mean, I'm going to Hakone? We're going to Hakone! You," Yuuki pointed to Hisako, "are going to Hakone with me!"
"What? No way! The prize is all yours, Yuuki." Hisako replied. "You haven't been to Hakone for years. I can go whenever I want. My grandparents live in Hakone, remember?"
"Are…are you sure?" Yuuki asked, "I'd really rather you have this. I mean, there's no one to-"
"No one? What about that boyfriend of yours?" Hisako said, in a teasing voice. "I mean, onsen, Hakone, just you and Aiba... Speaking of which, How are things going between you and that boyfriend of yours?"
"Well, you probably see more of him than I do. I mean, it's not exactly like I can afford to buy every single thing he appears in… not to mention the billboards and posters and so on…"
"Haha, very funny, Yuuki." Hisako laughed drily. "Seriously, though, how are you guys going? Must be hard for both of you to only see each other a handful of times in a year."
"It's not like we have a choice, though. I've got study, and he has- well, you know what I mean." Yuuki had a faraway look in her eyes. "Not to mention there was the photo scandal a couple of years back. The Jimusho has kept him on a pretty tight leash since then. They've relaxed a little lately, though. Thank goodness."
"Well, you really have no excuse to not ask him. Johnny's not that stupid, nor is the manager, and I'm quite sure you would've heard from them if they're not okay with you dating a member from one of their most popular groups." Hisako said, "And when you are in Japan, you guys rarely get to spend a full day together doing nothing. Just think, two days and a night in Hakone, just you and Aiba, doing nothing. It's exactly what you guys need!"
"But-"
"No buts, Yuuki. You're keeping this prize. Besides, my boyfriend might get jealous if I did go with you, even if yours won't." Hisako joked. "Keep it. Have a nice time in Hakone with Aiba."
"Arigatou," Yuuki said, as she hugged her friend. "But I'm still gonna drag you along if he says no, okay?"
"Like he would." She replied, and with a wink, "But you have my permission to dump him if he does."
"Aiba-chan!" answered Yuuki cheerfully, "What's up?"
"Not much. Are you out at the moment?"
"Yeah, I'm on the train, I met up with Hisako today. You remember her, ne?"
"Ah, the one from your birthday, ne? Did you have fun?"
"Yeah. It was… a bit of a surprising day, but in a good way." Yuuki chose her words carefully. "Are you done for the day?"
"Yup, just dropped off Shoichi at the airport. He's flying off to Canada again."
"Off to see Hikari again? Those two really can't be separated, ne?" Yuuki joked, then realised her insensitivity. "Ah, gomen-"
"It's ok," Aiba cut her off, with a cheerful voice. "Ja sa, how about dinner? You don't have any plans, right? Want me to pick you up for dinner?"
"That sounds gret," she replied. "So, you thinking of eating out again?"
"Maa, we could go to Chiba… Mum and Dad wouldn't mind if we just crashed…"
"I'd love to, but the getting back to Tokyo part…" Yuuki hesitated. "Ne, you've got a kitchen in your apartment, right?"
"I do, but it's not exactly used…"
"Got some pots and pans?"
"Sure." He replied, "but why do you ask?"
"I was thinking, we could just have dinner at your place. I'll just pop by the supermarket and get some stuff, and that shouldn't take too long…"
"Eeh? Maji?! Eh? Hontou?" Aiba was surprised by Yuuki's proposition. "Hontouni ii no?"
Yuuki giggled. "Well, I'm happy to cook if you don't mind…"
"Eh? Mind? Of course not!" He sounded like an excited child. "Uwah…ureshii…"
As Yuuki cleared the dishes after their meal, she never felt more content with her life. Dinner was karaage, Aiba's favourite dish and one that Yuuki had mastered, with salad and miso soup on the side. Despite Yuuki's protests, Aiba ended up going to the supermarket with her. Thankfully, it wasn't a particularly busy time; most of the housewives there were focused on their grocery shopping and failed to notice that there was an idol in the store. It was just as well, because Aiba was definitely more excited than necessary during the whole shopping experience. He insisted on helping Yuuki with the cooking- even though from the various variety shows Yuuki had watched over the years she knew that Aiba wasn't completely useless in the kitchen, some of the food combinations he came up with were rather interesting, to say the least. She tried to prevent his involvement, but in the end, fell victim to his oh-so-adorable and irresistible pout. Yuuki had never seen him this happy- the way his face was lit up, the easy satisfaction, and the laugh, the distinctive laugh that came from his heart. Seeing him like this brought a smile to Yuuki's face. Somehow, with Aiba, the man was not complete without the boy within. For Yuuki, nothing meant more than enjoying the simple things in life with the people nearest and dearest to her. And being able to do something as mundane and pedestrian as buying groceries or making dinner with Aiba was a joy in itself. A joy she never imagined possible.
"Ne, Aiba-chan…" spoke Yuuki as Aiba stuffed the last piece of karaage into his mouth with his fingers, putting the now-cleared dish into the sink. "Will you be free over the next couple of days?"
"Hm… Well, since Sho's gone for the next two days, Kato-san hasn't arranged anything. So I've got a full day free tomorrow, and work probably tomorrow afternoon, earliest." Aiba replied.
"Ah, souka." Yuuki said. "In that case, do you feel up to going to Hakone tomorrow?"
"Eh? Hakone?"
Yuuki nodded. "Well, see, I kinda won this prize earlier, when Hisako and I met up… it's an onsen break for two in Hakone, with one night's accommodation and two meals. So I thought…maybe…"
Aiba gave no immediate response. A sense of dread began to fill Yuuki's heart. She shifted her attention to the sink full of dishes, and turned on the tap, hoping that by starting on the dishes, it would somehow ease the awkwardness. "Ne, Aiba-chan, forget about it. Obviously you're pretty tired with work, and me being in Tokyo's probably not helping things. Just… forget that I mentioned Hakone, and use tomorrow to-"
A strong pair of arms wrapped itself around Yuuki's waist, the contact surprising her. With his chin on her shoulder, the breath from his next words and the brush of his lips tickling her ear, "An onsen break in Hakone just sounds great."
Yuuki turned her head, only to be met by his lips grazing against hers, and grew to a soft and tender kiss that took her breath away. "Yokatta," she whispered, as she gazed into Aiba's chocolatey eyes, when they finally broke off the kiss. "Ne, you got a towel nearby?"
"It's in the bathroom. Why?"
"I got soap suds in your hair."
In the background, Aiba's computer screen flashed, indicating that he had one new message in his inbox. A message that would be the start of a nightmare.
As always, comments are <3.