Get your own Free Home PageTokiya was surprised at Fuuko. He knew she would be sad, devastated even, but he knew her to be a sensible, tough and never-mind-that-boyfriend-dumped-me,-I’ll just-find-another-one type. Glancing at the clock, then at the small figure of Fuuko, Tokiya contemplated, “She has been drenching herself for 5 hours now. What has got into that thick skull of hers? She will surely freeze herself to death!” Recca, Domon, Yanagi or Koganei would immediately rush to Fuuko, and drag her to shelter if necessary. Then they would most likely go find Raiha and beat the latter up. But Tokiya was different. The one thing that separate him from the other Hokage members was that he always thought things through before acting. He knew he ought to go knock some sense into Fuuko at once, but he knew her temper. Besides, he believed and knew that most heartbroken people preferred to grieve alone. However, Fuuko would certainly gain a deathly cold if she continued to brave the elements, and the other 4 would doubtlessly blame him for not interfering. Just before the term started, Tokiya had went back to his hometown. On learning Fuuko would be in the same college as him, Recca and the others threatened him with bodily harm if he didn’t take care of Fuuko. Yanagi wanted to be a teacher, and a degree at a local school would suffice. Not having a head for figures and words, Recca chose to follow Yanagi. Furthermore, Recca wanted to be with her, and perhaps it reasoned that Tokiya threatened the former with bodily harm if he left Yanagi. Domon, forever after Fuuko, wanted to follow her, but even with his skills, he marks were just too low, and he didn’t have the cash. Fuuko grades were only just below entry points, she could afford the fees, and contributing her fighting skills paved the way for her access into Tokyo University. Tokiya shook away the past, and concentrated on his present problem. He wanted to leave Fuuko alone; he was never and did not want to start being a busybody, moreover she would surely scream at him for intruding. But on the other hand, she would obviously fall sick if he did not, and the others would be after his head. In the end, Tokiya chose the lesser of the 2 evils. Sighing, (this must be his favourite trait), he reached for an umbrella.
The elevator doors parted at the 20th story and Tokiya walked out. Fuuko was still there, right at the edge of the building, staring mindlessly into space, oblivious of the hard rain beating down, or the wind creating miniature tornadoes around her. Tokiya raised the open umbrella, and walked quietly towards Fuuko. She was just staring, at what, Tokiya didn’t know, and Fuuko wasn’t so sure herself. Suddenly, water just stop pouring from above, and Fuuko, dazed, looked up into the cool blue eyes of her friend.
“Mikagami, what are you doing here?” Fuuko blue eyes rounded in surprise.
“Well, what are you doing here? And standing in the rain without an umbrella!”
“I, well… It’s just that… Actually… actually it’s nothing.” Fuuko tried to act nonchalantly.
“You’ve been soaking up rain water for 5 hours now, and that is nothing?”
“I have?” Fuuko wasn’t too sure how much time had passed. “I guess I lost track of time. You actually counted? How do you know?” Fuuko challenged. She was taken aback, since she never thought Mikagami to care about anything or anyone.
“I saw you out of my apartment windows. I live over there.” A brief gesture at the tall building answered the question. “I know you lived around here. But I wasn’t so sure where.” Fuuko tried her best to avert the main question. Too bad Tokiya was just too smart for her.
“You haven’t answered my question, Fuuko. What are you doing out here getting wet in the middle of the night? You might get really sick!” Tokiya waited for a reply.
“It’s just that I needed to cool down.” Fuuko’s curt response lifted Tokiya’s eyebrows as he stared down at Fuuko.
“You need to get doused in rain for 5 hours just to cool down?” This evoked a response from Fuuko. She blushed hotly and finally decided to tell the truth.
“I… I mean Raiha and I…”Fuuko couldn’t bring herself to carry on, and just turned her gaze back to the sleeping city. Tokiya detected a sharp gleam in her eyes that was not rain water and decided to put Fuuko out of her misery.
“I know what happened. I passed them before I met you. When I saw you walking towards them, I retraced my steps.” He actually felt embarrassed for eavesdropping, and expected Fuuko to start with “YOU WHAT!?”, “How could you?” or the likes. Instead…
“You saw everything? Well, so what do you think? Was I a fool to give Raiha up?”
“You did very well. That was unselfish and I’m proud of you.” This comment finally cracked Fuuko’s splintered heart. “But I love him so much! I don’t blame him for falling in love with Yokko, I blame myself for neglecting him or… or whatever I did wrong!” Fuuko couldn’t hold back her tears any longer, and they came gushing out, like a never-ending stream. Tokiya was helpless. He was more confident of defeating a 100 foot giant than dealing successfully with a hysterical female. Luckily, the gale blew itself out.
“I’m being like any other silly, gushy little female aren’t I?” Fuuko asked in a small, choked voice as she dried her tears.
“No. Raiha is the stupid one, giving you up. He deserves a good beating…”
“NO!” Fuuko stopped him in mid sentence. “It isn’t his fault. One cannot order love. He just stopped caring for me, that’s all. Promise me you’re not going to tell Recca and the others. They’ll surely try to kill Raiha. Then Raiha will hurt them in self-defense. I don’t know, but either way, someone will get hurt, and I don’t want bloodshed just because of me. You’re smarter than the others, surely you’ll anticipate that. Promise?” Tokiya looked into Fuuko’s determined and resolved eyes, and nodded. She let out a relief sigh and then returned to her original position, like a guardian looking over her slumbering domain.
“Fuuko, it’s still raining acts and dogs. You’ll catch a cold out here. Come on, go back to the hostel now.” Tokiya tugged at her sodden sleeve.
“You go back first, Mikagami. I just want to stay here a little longer. It’s so calm and peaceful; it really refreshes my mind.” Fuuko tried to release his grip on her arm.
“You’re soaked through and you still want to stay here?! Don’t be stubborn, Fuuko. Recca and the others will kill me if you fall sick!” Tokiya grabbed Fuuko’s arm in a gentle but vice-like grip and tried to steer her towards the elevator. She tried to struggle, but hunger, exhaustion, the weather and emotional turmoil took its toil on her, the last of her physical strength faded away, and Fuuko sagged heavily against Tokiya in a dead-faint. It took all of his training and honed reflexes to catch Fuuko as she slid to the ground. Then circling her waist with his arm to support her, Tokiya managed to get both of them to the elevator. A second later, Fuuko eyelids flickered and as she struggled to regain her balance, succeeded with a small laugh, “I blacked out for a moment there. Jeez, I’d never thought I would actually faint into your arms. Oh, did I hurt you?” Tokiya wound his arm tighter around her waist to brace her better, “No, you didn’t hurt me. But you sure gave me a fright.” Then putting his free hand on her forehead, came up with a diagnosis, “You’re running a high fever. Why am I not surprised?” Tokiya couldn’t resist a hint of sarcasm. Fuuko, although feverish, had her wits intact and refused to be beaten, “I thought you were a law student, Mikagami. Since when did you change to a medicine course?” Tokiya just shook his head and sighed, “Sick or not, your tongue is still as sharp as ever.”
Once on the ground floor, both of them stared into the heavy rainfall, and Fuuko tried once again to release Tokiya’s hold on her. “Okay, you win. I’ll go straight back to my hostel room now. You happy?!” Tokiya let Fuuko walk 3 steps towards the campus ground before catching her as she slipped and staggered on a puddle of water.
“You can barely walk! See what comes from spending so much time with the elements?” Giving his umbrella to her and then hooking an arm around her waist and another behind her knees, Tokiya lifted a bewildered Fuuko up. Fuuko was never meant to be a weak female, a damsel in distress, and she sure protested loudly and wildly enough, “I’m not a pathetic, sickly and unable-to-walk female. Why don’t you try this on Yokko? She’d be a much better subject! And you’re walking in the wrong direction. The hostels are that way!” Tokiya just sighed again and replied, rather annoyed, “I know you’re a Superwoman. But Superwomen still get sick sometimes. You can’t even stand up straight. And am I the sort that will let you find your way back in this condition? Anyway, the rain is much too heavy, and you need some dry clothes before pneumonia sets in. My lodgings are the nearest. This is for your own good, so why don’t you cooperate?” Grudgingly, Fuuko agreed with Tokiya’s reasoning and kept her mouth shut all the way till they reached the latter’s apartment. Once they were inside, Tokiya pushed Fuuko inside the bathroom without hesitation, and gave her some of his clothes, including a long sleeve shirt that he had grown out of a long time ago. At last she emerged, looking like a young girl playing dressing up with her father’s clothes. Tokiya, already dried and changed, took charge of her wet things and directed her to the master bedroom, his room.
“This is your room, Tokiya. Where are you going to sleep tonight?” Fuuko eyes were closing and her frame was drooping as exhaustion finally got the best of her. “I have another bedroom belonging to my housekeeper, who rarely stays here overnight. Don’t worry about minor issues. Aunt Yuki will chaperone you tomorrow, and take care of your cold while I’ll go get some of your clothes.”
“My keys are in the bag... And my roommate…” Fuuko fell asleep even before finishing her one sentence, so tired she was and Tokiya got up to leave the room. Suddenly, Fuuko burst out of bed, scaring Tokiya half to death. “I have to conduct a martial arts class tomorrow, I mean today at 8am. I have to go get ready!” She tried to reach the door, but Tokiya was blocking her way and turned her around back to the bed. “I told you I will handle everything. You sleep. End of story.” Fuuko wanted to resist, wanted to tell him that it was part of the school board’s terms, but Tokiya’s stern tone broke down her resistance. Besides, the bed beckoned invitingly to Fuuko, and even as she crawled under the soft down covers, her mind was already in dreamland. Satisfied with his charge, Tokiya switched of the lights and resolved to get what little rest he could…
Just before he left his apartment, Tokiya took the sleeping Fuuko’s temperature, and discovered it to be a burning 39.7 degree. Gripping his ensui, Tokiya managed to cool the surrounding temperature down, but Fuuko only mumbled something incomprehensible about being cold and snuggled deeper into the blankets. Tokiya did not know how to handle a sick person, he himself rarely fell sick, so he phoned his nanny and asked her to arrive earlier. Satisfied that he tied up all loose ends, Tokiya left for Fuuko’s room to pick up her clothes. ’And take charge of her martial arts class she was so worried about…’ Tokiya reminded himself.
The roommate was not in a very good mood to be suddenly awaken by a stranger. In fact, she was outraged.
“Who are you? How come you have Fuuko’s keys? Where is she? Is she alright?”
“You must be her roommate. Yes, Fuuko’s fine. She just sent me to get some clothes of hers. She’s sick and spent the night at my house.”
“Your house? Fuuko would never do that. She has Raiha. You’re lying!”
“In reply to all your questions, I have a private apartment in the campus. As for Raiha, you can ask Fuuko yourself, but according to my speculations, you would most probably hear the whole story from a certain Yokko Sashima and her cronies."
“Yokko?” her eyes narrowed, “I told Fuuko not to cross paths with her. Oh well, then I guess you’re telling the truth. I’ll help you pack some of Fuuko’s stuff. How sick is she?”
Between packing Fuuko’s luggage for a few nights stay and exchanging formalities, Nat was shocked to find out that Tokiya was the Mikagami Fuuko was always talking about.
“You’re Mikagami? From Fuuko’s high school? Well, she never told me you were this cute.” Used to adoring females and ignoring them, Tokiya just coolly nodded back.
“Pity you’re not my type. You seem to be the high class type which looks down on everyone else. Fuuko was right, you really are quite a prissy… Ops.” Nat looked at the stone cold Tokiya, with solemnity in her face, but laughter in her eyes.
“Yes, Nat, please continue your sentence. I’m sure Fuuko said much more about me.”
“Actually, Fuuko didn’t say anything else. Here, Fuuko’s stuff are all inside. Thank goodness it’s the weekends, or else Fuuko’s gonna miss classes.” Ushering Tokiya out, Nat managed to prevent herself from being forced to dictate Fuuko’s list of his faults.
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