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 Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:21 pm
He had nothing to lose now, but everything to gain. He paced and kept trying to prove it to himself by saying it over and over in his head. Nothing to lose... He was such a bad liar, even to himself. He had a lot to lose. Even he didn't understand what he was feeling. How was he supposed to convey those emotions to her so that she could understand? Maybe it would be better to just leave now, before she got there. She would never know it was him who had left the note. He hadn't signed it, and he was almost positive that she wouldn't recognize his handwriting. The note he left in her locker gave him anonymity should he choose to take it. What was wrong with taking that opportunity?
No, he couldn't. If he did... Who knew what Roka would do. It didn't seem as though anyone had heard it, but his threat was proved by enough evidence about Roka's personality to convince Katsuo. It was true -he knew Roka, and it was obvious what he'd do. And if he got to Mitsuko first... Then it was all over. Before it even had a chance in the sun, his first crush would die. He was stuck there, waiting just outside the labyrinth. Of course, the middle would have been better for privacy, but...
Mitsuko would probably get lost on her way there. So he was stuck there, out in the open, waiting for her. All he could do was wait for her and try to figure out just what he wanted to say.
He wanted to run more than anything.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:32 pm
Mitsuko frowned thoughtfully as she glanced down at the note she held. Who had written this note? Minori-chan, perhaps? No...it didn't look l ike her writing, and if she had wanted to talk, they would have done so in class. That also crossed out Kiyoshi, Takumi, and Roka as well. So it must have been someone in another class...
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realized someone was in front of her until she walked into their shoulder. Startled, she took a couple of steps back, grinning sheepishly. "I'm sorry - I daydreaming." She apologized to the boy in front of her, before finally recognizing who it was.
Once she had, her eyes lit up, and she offered Katsuo a bright smile and a hug. "Katsuo-kun! Hello! What're you doing out here?" It took her another moment to then realize that she was at the labyrinth, and that Katsuo was the only one - aside from herself - who was here.
"Oh!" Raising her hand, she showed him the note, tilting her head, "Were you the one who sent me this?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:01 pm
Katsuo jumped away from the sudden contact. He'd been lost in thought -again- and hadn't seen her approach. "Ah, Mitsuko!" Silently he hoped that he hadn't been talking to himself the entire time, and if so, that she hadn't heard it. When he looked back at her, he found that he couldn't keep eye contact. If he did, he knew that the blush on his cheeks would grow to cover his entire face. That was the last thing he needed. If that happened, there would be no way he could continue and he'd probably just run off. If she followed, she'd probably trip and hurt herself. He cursed in his head. He was stuck again.
Wait for it... There we go. She figured it out by herself. "Uh, yeah, it was me." He pulled a hand behind his head to scratch the back of it nervously. "I... Wanted to tell you something." Get it over with, Katsuo. Just get it over with. She's already here, you might as well tell her. At this point, there's no way you can get out of it. "I like you, Mitsuko. ...More than just like a friend. More than a best friend, even." His blush threatened him some more, but he tried to ignore it as best he could.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:22 pm
Completely oblivious to what was going on in Katsuo's mind, Mitsuko beamed at her friend, not quite realizing that he was avoiding eye contact. "It's a pretty day, isn't it Katsuo-kun?" She commented, glancing up at the blue, cloudless sky.
Lowering her gaze to look at him again, she smiled, her green eyes curious. "So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about, Katsuo-kun?" She zipped up her mouth, turning her full attention on the boy. She listening intently, only to furrow her brows in confusion. "You like me, more than a best friend...?" She repeated, thoughtfully.
After a few seconds, she lightly hammered her palm with a fist. "Oh! You mean like a brother?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:41 pm
"Yeah, yo-" He stopped himself just in time. That was definitely not something he needed to say, even if he was distracted. "It is a really beautiful day." At least her comment gave him a reason to be looking away from her for a while. He could stare at the sky and try to get his thoughts straight before he blurted out something stupid.
"No... Not like a brother, Mitsuko. Like, enough to want to go on a date with you." The redness exploded. He hadn't imagined that it would be easy to confess to someone you loved, but he had a feeling that this was a bit more difficult than most high school confessions. That was what he got for doing this in such a rushed manner. Maybe it would have been better to get his thoughts straight. But for some reason, he kept thinking that no matter how much he tried to settle his nerves, he'd never be able to get it right.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:52 pm
A small, confused look crossed over Mitsuko's face once more. Her eyes innocent, she tilted her head again. "Not like a brother, hm?" But what else was there? Surely Katsuo didn't love Mitsuko like...well, a daughter?
You could almost see question marks hovering by her head as she blinked up at Katsuo. "To go on a date? What date? Today is..." She trailed off, pulling out her cell phone to take a look at what the date that day was. "How do you -go on- a date though?"
This was going to be harder for Katsuo than he originally thought.
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Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 6:42 pm
"What Tsu-kun is so painfully struggling to express, Takara-san," an irritated voice spoke up from behind a hedge, "is that he loves you."
A silver-haired Toshiro leaned against the opposite side of the outer hedge wall of the maze, eyes closed, listening to every word spoken. For once his ipod was not with him. This was, of course, because he had given it to Mitsuko during her grandmother's death anniversary. However, that also meant it allowed his hearing to be quite sharp with no music to distract his ears.
With a small sigh, he pushed off the earthy ground and dusted himself off as best he could, appearing at the maze entrance and opening his eyes to meet Mitsuko's own bright green ones. He did not even glance Katsuo's way, but instead acted as if the other boy ceased to exist.
Roka's mouth was a thin line, as usual. His brow was slightly furrowed, as if something was mildly upsetting him; perhaps someone. And his emerald gaze, as it settled upon Mitsuko, was as cold and hard as it was on most any other student. Only...it had never been so on Takara Mitsuko until today.
Finally, after a long moment, he spoke again. "Not like a family member. Not like a friend. No, Takara-san, there is a love beyond that. But it's usually only shared with one other person. And Katsuo-kun here has taken far too long to convey his own for you. If you'll have it."
There was almost no emotion in his voice. None but a slight annoyance in his undertone. Unconciously, a hand reached up to tug at his silver bangs obscuring his left eye. A habit he picked up that few noted as a sign of an unspoken torment of emotions.
"Do you get it yet, Takara-san?" he asked curtly, his cruel impatience at her failure to comprehend betraying itself in his sharp words. "Or must I spell it out for you?"
He didn't imagine Mitsuko could understand his feelings if she couldn't even understand Katsuo's without him laying it out. He didn't even think Katsuo could understand. So he played it off the only way he knew how.
The Toshiro heir, who had been raised to keep his emotions to himself, released his pent up feelings in a torrent of anger and hate. He didn't want either of them to understand. He didn't want pity. But most of all, he didn't want Katsuo to be discouraged. Most of all, he just wanted the two to be happy.
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 3:13 pm
"No, not like that, Mitsuko..." He smiled, though not entirely sure how to explain. "Not like today's actual date. A date a-"
Katsuo breathed in sharply, turning to the origin of the out of place comment. Something in the familiar voice made his eyes widen. Maybe it was the fact that he was on edge, maybe it was just because he hadn't been expecting a single person to come upon them. Or maybe it was that tone, that strange underlying message in Roka's voice. Whatever had happened, chills went down his spine. He had no idea to react, so he did the only thing he could think of. He yelled. "Were you in there the entire time?!" It was a stupid question, of course, but he wasn't thinking coherently anymore.
Why was he so angry? Mitsuko might not feel the resentment in his voice, but there was definitely some sort of weird quality that he didn't normally show. "Don't take it out on her, Roka!" Even if he wasn't addressing Katsuo, the boy wasn't about to just stand by and watch. "That's enough, already! I could have told her myself, you didn't have to interfere."
It may have taken him longer than it had Roka, but at least it wouldn't have been in such a mean way. Not that she'd probably get all of what he was talking about. "Did you plan on doing this the entire time, or did she just happen to become a good outlet for whatever problem you're got right now?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:01 pm
Looking puzzled, Mitsuko listened to Katsuo speak, before hearing a familiar voice interupt him. "Roka-kun?"
She turned to look at her classmate, a half-smile on her face. She could sense something different about the tone of voice that he used - it wasn't the same Roka she had been accustomed to speaking to before. His eyes and his voice seemed to have a harder edge to it, and the girl involuntarily flinched lightly.
Still, she canted her head forward, listening intently. It was hard for her to shake off the fact that Roka was acting much more different than usual, but she did her best. Her confused face changed to a frown, realization, and then fell.
"Oh..." Love? Was that really what Katsuo had been trying to tell her? Any other moment, she would have been extremely flattered...but instead, at this very second, she was just feeling a little crestfallen. Perhaps she was a little too gullible for her own good at times, but she had never realized how blind she may have been to certain things.
Unsure what to say really, she instead shuffled her feet awkwardly, her attention directed to the ground. "Katsuo-kun, Roka-kun...I'm really sorry. I suppose that I just tend to grasp at these things a lot slower than most people do..." She murmured, "I know it's probably like a chore to talk to me - I really am too oblivious for my own good, aren't I? ..."
"So...um...I'm very sorry..."
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 5:23 am
If the three had been listening and not been too focused on the problem that lay ahead of them, well, they would have heard a familiar voice shouting.
"Rose! Come back here this instant!"
The brunette didn't really get why her kitten had simply just leaped out of her arms and dashed off. I should get her a leash. She grumbled. Or at least, threaten the cat with a leash. She could imagine the kitten's reaction in her mind, but she batted it away for now.
"Alright, stop right....there?" The last word came out in a squeak as the kitten halted at someone's feet and looked up at the blonde purring happily. Mitsuko? Katsuo? And wait, now...Roka? Eyes widening, she scooped Rose up, her brown orbs darting about. She could feel the tension between them, and it made her squirm.
"Missy?" Her guard had chased up to her and she turned to glance at him and dumped the kitten in his hands, at this Rose gave a protesting meow towards.
"Bring her to the car." The brunette spoke softly, and took a step forward, resting a comforting arm on her seemingly confused friend's shoulder. "What...happened?" She directed her gaze towards Roka, who seemed...pretty hostile. Were they threatening Mitsuko? No, it couldn't be.
So what the hell was going on?
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:54 pm
Roka's free hand clenched into a fist while his other continued to tug at his bangs relentlessly. Otherwise he made no further reaction to Katsuo's outburst of surprise. The next comment, however, caught Roka totally off guard.
Taking it out on her? Taking out what? For the first time, the emerald eyes showed uncertainty as they turned to Katsuo. "What are you going on about, Arata? I'm doing you a favor! You should be grateful!" Still, something tugged at the back of the boy's consciousness. He faltered as the words of his childhood acquaintance sunk in.
Mitsuko? A good outlet? What problem? Plagued by confusion, Roka glanced back at his female classmate. It was minor, but he couldn't ignore the sight of her visibly flinching. Was it because of him?
All at once it hit him. A child. He was behaving like a child. He was throwing a tantrum like one of his younger sisters. But that wasn't possible! Even as a boy, the Toshiro heir had always been well-behaved. He had to be. With his outward indifference, he had no trouble hiding his own opinions. So why now? Why was he being so immature now?
His mask had slipped. Again. It seemed he was having a harder time keeping it in place as of late. But this was one matter his inner self would not let go without a say; without a fight. Unfortunately, he was fighting so hard against himself that he was blinded to all the consequences of his actions as well as his true self's intentions. All he was doing was hurting others and worsening the misunderstandings.
He had to remove his mask. Just this once. Katsuo was right. He had a problem. And though Mitsuko was a major factor in it, she wasn't the cause. He had no right to hurt her. "I...I..." He opened his mouth, but seemed to fall as mute as his eldest sister. Mitsuko's apology stunned him into silence.
"Takara-san...Mitsuko-chan..." he struggled, sighing, looking distressed as he sought the right words. "That's not what I...how could you think...? Oh, Mitsuko..." All the anger drained out of him. His steel-cold gaze was replaced with one of utmost regret and sorrow. He stood there, shaking, and forced himself to release his grip on his bangs.
Slowly, he walked over to Mitsuko and embraced her, trembling. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry. This isn't your fault. It's mine." Gently stroking her hair, he rested his head on hers, half expecting her to pull away at any time or Katsuo to make some other comment. But he had to do this. It was now or never for him just as much as Katsuo.
"Mitsuko..." he whispered, "Tell Katsuo I'm sorry. For being such a jerk to him. And you. I just couldn't stand waiting any longer. I knew it wasn’t fair I found out I liked you only after he told me he did. Especially because I've known you longer. But the longer Katsuo took to confess, the harder it was for me to keep quiet and the less I could handle not telling you myself. It was all I could do to restrain myself."
"Eventually, though, I guess I stole that privilege from him in the end, but...not in the way I truly wanted to. I can't allow myself to get away with everything. I can't be selfish. I'm the Toshiro heir and as such I shouldn't even have allowed my emotions to control me as much as they have already. On top of that, my behavior just now showed me how much I don't deserve you." Pulling away, he held her at length and tried to smile. It was bitter, but his gaze was fond.
"Katsuo wanted to tell you...he wanted to say, 'I love you'."
((You're evil, Minori...positively evil...>XD))
"Ah-choo! Pardon me..." Roka took out a handkercheif his sister had lent him when te sound of a familiar mew reached his sensitive ears. Glancing about anxioulsy, he spotted a dark-haired student with a white kitten in her arms right before she dumped it into a bodyguard's. His eyes widened as he froze. The female student was Minori. The girl who had first detected him at Mitsuko's birthday party. He hadn't seen her in a while. But why here of all places? Why now?
Not to mention that snow-white kitten. He knew it well. It had to be the one from the first day of school; the one that had embarressed him with his allergies in front of the crowds of other students. Not like he blamed the feline. But at least now at long last he had discovered whose it was.
"Ah...M-Minori-chan..." he stammered helplessly, glad they were in the open air and that he couldn't as easily breathe in the kitten's dander. He cleared his throat, trying to recompose himself after his little scene. "Um...I was just...having a chat with these two. What brings you here?"
What a stupid question. He knew very well what brought her here. His emerald eyes flickered to the kitten even as the guard returned it to the car. Anyway, he didn't want Minori to think he had involved himself in anything serious with Mitsuko. That was the last thing he needed, especially with poor Katsuo's confession he had inturrupted.
Guilt weighed heavily upon his shoulders as he wondered just how much of his true childish self Minori had happened to see."Actually, I was just leaving...though Minori-chan, if you care to join me, perhaps we can leave these two love birds alone?" If she wanted to know, she could ask him. He was concerned about Mitsuko having to explain everything in the state she was in at the moment.
Look at this mess I've made...great job, Toshiro...
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:35 am
Katsuo was almost to the point of visibly fuming. Roka had interrupted his confession -not only that, but he'd stolen the only chance he had to tell Mitsuko his feelings. Even if he couldn't figure out exactly what to say, it wasn't Toshiro's place to explain it! The only reason he hadn't jumped him already was because Mitsuko was there. The last thing he needed at the moment was to have her see him at his worst. Coincedentally, it always seemed to be with Roka that his anger truly rose to new levels.
Pain crossed his expression when Mitsuko began her apology. "Mitsuko-chan... It's not your fault! If anything, it's my own. I didn't -couldn't- just tell you straight out from the beginning. Roka wouldn't have even had to show himself if I'd just been able to tell you what I needed to." Following his face, his heart rate fell slightly. His vision began to blur slightly, but he ignored it. The last thing he needed to pay attention to now was his eyesight. "Really, Mitsuko-chan, it's not your fault! Don't blame yourself." He pleaded.
He bit his lip to keep himself from merely attacking Roka verbally. However, when he decided to disagree, Katsuo couldn't contain himself any longer. "Doing me a favor?" His hands balled into fists that likely would never be able to make contact with their target. "All you did was make her think it's her fault! I could have told her my feelings alone, but you just couldn't be patient!" He accused, almost continuing before something completely stopped him.
Whatever was going on in Roka's mind was a mystery to him. All he saw was the other boy's face falling, letting go of the anger that he hadn't even seemed to notice in the first place. He didn't know what was going on, but something had actually managed to get through to him. He stayed quiet, though his ears were still ringing. His teeth bit down on the inner part of his lip to make sure he ddn't have another outburst, his own anger refusing to fade.
When Roka pulled Mitsuko close to him, another short flare of rage shot through him. Whether it was merely in good will or not, he couldn't help wanting to tackle him. He could see the other teen's mouth moving, but had no idea what he was saying. Maybe it would have been a good idea to actually learn how to read lips properly. He heard nothing of the whispered apology. By the time he finally thought to move closer to the two, Roka was almost done and had already pulled himself out of it. The only part he heard was Roka's final sentence. He broke out in an embarassed red blush that covered his entire face.
It spread to the rest of his body when yet another student came to witness his total and complete embarassment. What is this, some sort of public event?! He barely even knew Minori, only having seen her in the halls. He wasn't even sure if they'd ever been properly introduced. What a way to meet someone. "I... Uh... Well..." He stammered, trying to explain what was going on. However, he couldn't figure out how to tell her. He was really bad at on-the-spot explanations. At least Roka stepped in and took control of the situation. Even if he did use a word Katsuo would have rather refrained from using.
Although it was ironic to say at this point, after all that had happened, Katsuo mouthed a single word to Roka: 'Arigatou'. His heart again slowed, pumping blood through his body slower than was necessary. This was probably the most embarassing day of his life thus far. This was supposed to be easy. It was supposed to go off without a hitch. So much for that plan.
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 10:20 pm
Chewing on her lower lip, the girl clasped her hands together in front of her, her face troubled and unhappy. She had never really stopped to think about her actions, or how she treated others. She never really realized how oblivious she was to...well, everything. If anything, even if it didn't exactly make her feel acedemicly stupid, it made her feel...everything-else stupid. She had thought that her ability to read the emotions, troubles, and feelings of her friends rather well but now...
She listened quietly as Katsuo spoke, her eyes turned downwards to the ground. She nodded, though a little numbly it seemed. "I'm still...so sorry." She murmured, shuffled her feet awkwardly. "I didn't realize...I don't how I could...I'm sorry if I hurt anyone." Surely she had hurt Katsuo with her insensitivity.
Swallowing a lump in her throat as Roka spoke, she shook her head slightly. This was good for her, wasn't it? Now she knew what she should change about herself. It'd be hard, but...she could try, couldn't she?
Hearing steps approach her, and then feeling someone hug her, the girl tried to look up, startled. Before she could, however, she heard Roka's voice very clearly. She stiffened for a minute, before relaxing, hesitantly hugging him back. "I don't understand how it can be your fault though," She murmured, "I'm so gullible and insensitive...I must have annoyed - or hurt - many people."
She listened to him talk, a little stunned at what he was saying. Closing her eyes, she opened them a moment after, "The Toshiro heir...do you really have to bottle up all your emotions because of it?" She asked, quietly, "To keep everything - your feelings and emotions - corked up all the time...at some point you might just want to blow up." Right now may have been an example of that. "Besides, people who care about you would care less about imperfections, and would rather know the real Roka, right? People have accepted me, despite my...many flaws." She let out a small laugh, "Friends also forgive each other if someone is having a bad day. Besides, if anything, your comments made me realize something."
A little red, she smiled awkwardly. Love, huh? It wasn't something she was really used to. Sure, she had been loved by her grandmother, and her friends...but these were different, weren't they? Much, much more different. It also came as a surprise to her - it wasn't something she really ever expected to recieve, and now that she did...she didn't know what to do.
"Ah...bless you." Blinking out of her thoughts, she frowned slightly as Roka sneezed, before turning at a familar voice. Looking at Minori - both surprised, and almost absently - Mitsuko offered her a small, weak smile. Ah, so Minori had seen all that?
At her question, Mitsuko found herself laying her head on her friend's shoulder. "...I'm a little...troubled right now, is all." She whispered.
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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:45 am
Well, well.
Even if they didn't tell her, she could easily guess. Minori was a girl, and therefore sensitive to this stuff. Besides she knew a lot about love problems. All the sleepovers she had back in Austrailia counted as experience; listening to others ranting about love problems, and sometimes, admitting her own.
Which was not very common, really.
Watching Roka hug Mitsuko, her eyes narrowed, looking particularly protective of her friend. I knew it. I just knew he liked Mitsuko. "Leaving?" She repeated softly, eyes softening as she looked at Roka again. He seemed rather...uneasy. It wasn't her fault was it? It wasn't her fault that Rose somehow always got to places near him.
Love birds. She raised an eyebrow towards Katsuo, looking almost shocked, but not so. So him too? She doubted very much Mitsuko returned his feelings (well, for now). Mitsuko would have told her, right?
Right? It echoed in her head.
Breathing a little sigh out, Minori wrapped her arms around Mitsuko as the other laid her head on her shoulder, without saying a word. It was obvious she wasn't leaving, not just yet.
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