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 Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 7:48 pm
It had been a long day.
With school having just ended, students could be seen walking home down the sidewalks. Some were sluggish, tired from the long day of sitting through lectures; others, excited. They wanted to get home, let their hair down, and relax. Friends walked side-by-side with their heads side-by-side. They were gossiping about people at school, no doubt, as teenage girls often do. The guys, on the other hand, chatted openly with one another about girls, sports and their plans for the weekend. Only one person seemed to be walking alone today, and that person was Nishimura Atsuko.
Atsuko was a dainty girl, petite for her sixteen years. Her silky black tresses were cut in a bobbed style; long hair never suited her, and it was too much to keep up. Chocolate orbs watched the other kids as they talked, and she couldn't help but long to be like one of those kids. The truth was, she wasn't. Atsuko didn't have many friends at school. For whatever reason, her peers seem to think of her as a freak and an easy target for being picked on. But all of that was being pushed aside for the moment - the young girl was going to treat herself to something she rarely had a chance to have: sushi.
GoGo Sushi was located not too far away from her school, but so far Atsuko hadn't had a chance to visit. That would all change today. She was going to go, order something nice, and just enjoy herself. Going home to her regular routine of homework and studying didn't sound all too thrilling; she was in need of a change of pace. A different atmosphere. The restaurant would be just the thing for that, and she couldn't wait!
When she reached the shop, the high schooler extended out a hand, grasped the handle of the door and pulled it open. She stepped inside after that, her brown eyes examining the restaurant curiously. It seemed like a nice enough place. The atmosphere was welcoming, the colors of the furniture were warm and the food smelled delicious. So much so, in fact, that it reminded her of home. Traditional Japanese food was always commonplace at the Nishimura household, so Atsuko knew she would fit right in.
The sushi bar closest to the door seemed to be beckoning out to her by name, so she sat down without a word. As soon as she had, Atsuko carefully studied all of the different plates of food. It all looked so good. Finally, when she decided on what she wanted, she took the plate with a smile and moved over to a table. Unagi. That was what she had grabbed, and it was one of her favorites. She couldn't wait! Spending the day at GoGo Sushi was definitely proving to be a wonderful treat so far!
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:20 pm
Uzamaki Toshiro was nervous. His skinny body was dripping with sweat and he was shaking with fear. His mother had called him to tell him that he was to have a meeting with his finance, the girl his family had arranged with hers when the two were much younger. The hikikomori was not very excited about this, no not at all. Toshiro's shaking frame stood before the door to his apartment for about two hours now and he didn't know if he could bare to open the door.
With a trembling hand he finally turned the knob and opened the door. Now he had to step outside. The minutes started to go by, seeming to make every moment more torturous than the last. When Toshiro made the first step outside the place that had been his refuge for two years, it was way too late to meet her in her school. But he had to try. . .
He went to the private high school and asked the few remaining students if they'd seen her. Many didn't know who he was talking about, but finally one admitted to seeing her heading toward the sushi shop a few blocks over.
Toshiro was almost hyperventilating when he finally walked over to the bar. He saw the only girl in a high school uniform before he even walked in. She looked beautiful, her chocolate eyes gleaming as she looked over the rotating display of food. On quivering limbs, he walked over and looked down at her. "Nishimura Atsuko?" His face dripped sweat with the strain of being outside of his cozy hole in the wall.
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 6:15 pm
Hearing her name had surprised her. Who would be talking to her, especially in a shop she had never been in before. Clearly, she wouldn't have known anyone, or at least...that was what she thought. A surprised and curious expression spread across the high schooler's face when she turned around to see who it was. "Yes," she murmured, blinking only to be face to face with a childhood friend she hadn't seen in years.
Although she hadn't seen him in a while, Atsuko could easily tell that Uzamaki Toshiro had changed over the years. The last time she saw him was when he was eight years old; she was only four. He looked the same, but also different at the same time. It was mostly the glasses that did it, though. The glasses, and the frightened demeanor he had about him. The old Toshiro was nothing like that. Not at all.
"Uzamaki? Uzamaki Toshiro?"
Her face changed from that of a curious gaze to a worried and concerned look. She stood after she asked who he was and motioned for him to sit down. "Please, sit," she said politely. It was only right to ask. Besides, he looked like he was about to pass out at any minute from fright. ...But hopefully not -- that wouldn't be good.
So, there he was; right in front of her, just like that. Her fiancé. Atsuko could recall back to a time when she was very small. Both her parents and Toshiro's parents got together and arranged for the two to be married when the time was right. It would be a good match, they said. The two would do well together. That day, however, was the last she had ever seen of Toshiro, yet here he was, out of the blue. What did he want? Well, whatever it was, Atsuko would make sure to find out.
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Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 4:27 pm
Toshiro nodded before collapsing on the bar stool next to his fiance. "Yes. I-I'd been meaning to come to y-your school to meet you but I-I had a hard time getting out of the apartment." Babbling, he knew he needed something to steady his nerves. So when the waiter came by, he just pointed at random at the special menu and ordered some sake.
Toshiro sighed and tried to speak again. "We're supposed t-to talk about the m-marriage. At least, that's what m-mother said." With a shaking hand he reached out and grabbed the napkin sitting on the bar before wiping his face. When the drink came, he fumbled with pouring the sake in the cup, knocking it over several times.
When the liquid sloshed into the cup, he sighed once again. Picking it up with a hand that trembled, he knocked back the alcohol in a quick motion. It steadied his nerves a bit and he looked down and noticed the other can next to him. A milkis. He hadn't had one in years! He must have ordered it subconsciously. Smiling suddenly, he asked, "Do you remember having milkis when we were younger? I shared mine with you." The memory had seemingly calmed his nerves enough to finally speak without the stutter he was prone to.
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Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 4:44 pm
Milkis. How could she possibly forget something like that. Toshiro sharing his beloved drinks with her when they were children was one of the things she remembered quite well. It was one of those things she would always remember, even if she didn't want to. One of those things that always stuck in your head. It was a fond memory, and recalling it always made her smile.
"I remember," Atsuko told him with a soft expression on her face. "That's one of my favorite memories."
Unfortunately, she couldn't recall many others with Toshiro. After the day their marriage was arranged, she never saw him after that. Not really. Her parents would speak of him every so often while she was at home, but never much, and whenever they did, she only caught glimpses of it. Her fiance, he was more...elusive than most.
"What about the wedding do you wish to discuss, Toshiro-sama?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:50 pm
Toshiro blushed a little at her admittance before pouring another glass of sake and knocking it back. The alcohol was helping his nerves as it entered his blood flow, giving him a little buzz at it did so. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten anything, and it was definitely making its way rapidly to his brain. "Mother said that we should get to know each other more because our wedding isn't much further away." His words came out slurred as they tumbled off his loosening tongue. He drank yet another shot of sake, not savoring the liquor as it should be. He hiccuped before peering closer at her. "You've become pretty Atsu-chan. When did that happen?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 6:16 pm
"You've become pretty, Atsu-chan. When did this happen?"
Those words hit her like a ton of bricks. This was the first time in years that he had seen her, and here he had the nerve to say something like that to her? It was ridiculous, and not to mention quite offending. If she were anyone else, she probably would have told him off hotly or even by hitting him, but Atsuko wasn't that kind of girl.
With her mouth firmly shut, all she could do was shrug. That was how she was - keeping her real thoughts inside and to herself. To voice them would only cause trouble on her part, and the young girl didn't want that. It wouldn't do at all to create trouble with your fiance before you were even married. How would her future be if she did that? Surely not good at all.
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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 12:47 pm
Toshiro shrugged and went on, "The last time I saw you, you were all knees and elbows. Just a tiny little thing." He drank more sake and chattered more. Nervousness was now completely replaced with the feeling of fire. His whole shaking body was scalding - from his shaking fingertips to his rumbled hair to his boot clad feet. "You used to remind me of a tiny little puppy - following me around all over the place." Toshi chuckled as he went on, "My, how you've grown. . . Much better now." He gave a tiny hiccup before leaning closer to her. "And we're to be married. You and this pitiful hikikomori."
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 2:33 pm
Atsuko could smell the sake on Toshiro's breath when he leaned in to speak to her, and she didn't like it. She didn't like it at all. Why he allowed himself to let himself go like that was beyond her, but at least she knew that she would never get like that. Scrunching her face up with disgust, she pushed her chair back and the plate with the unagi away from her. All of a sudden she wasn't so hungry anymore.
"Toshiro," Atsuko said to him, standing up from her spot at the sushi bar, "you shouldn't drink so much. You let yourself go when you do, and you say things that aren't exactly in the best taste." If it were anyone else, the young high schooler would have probably kept her mouth shut, but it wasn't. This was Toshiro, her fiance, and she felt obligated to let him know when he wasn't acting as respectful as he should have.
All she could do now was hope he shaped up and acted more accordingly.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 5:49 pm
Toshiro growled when he heard his wife-to-be lecture him, "How dare you accuse me of drinking to much! I need it to relax! I don't drink if I'm at home! You try coming out of your apartment for the first time in three weeks and not need something to help you relax." He glared at her before taking yet another shot of sake. He was almost empty, so he flagged down a waitress and gestured for more.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 5:58 pm
This was the last thing she needed to hear. Toshiro yelling had become the last straw. Atsuko frowned when he gestured for the waitress, only to get up out of her seat. There was no way she was going to stick around any longer while he drank and drank. His outburst was embarrassing, and the young high schooler took it as her cue to leave.
"I'm leaving, Toshiro," she explained as she turned to head toward the door of the sushi shop. "Whenever you get your act together, let me know. Perhaps then I could stop by for a visit and we can talk on better terms this."
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 6:03 pm
Toshiro grabbed Atsuko's arm. "Where do you think you're going? We're not done yet!" He glared at her and shook his head. "I didn't force my way out of the house to have you leave when we haven't talked of anything!"
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 6:10 pm
When Toshiro grabbed her arm, it caught her off guard. Never had she expected that from him. Eyes narrowed into icy slits, Atsuko raised a hand up, whirled around, and slapped him across the face. Once she had done that, she jerked her arm away from him and quickly made her way toward the door.
When she reached it, after slinging her schoolbag over her shoulder, she glanced back at her fiance. "Touch me like that again," Atsuko exclaimed harshly, "and I swear I will call the whole arrangement off. Goodbye, Toshiro." And with that, Atsuko was gone, out of the shop and down the street back toward her home.
Back in the shop, a plate sat on the table. The same plate that contained the unagi she hadn't eaten; Atsuko's favorite. Oh, well. She'd have to come back for it later.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 6:39 pm
Toshiro's cheek stung as he watched his fiance walk away. It throbbed angrily and had to be the brightest shade of tomato. How dare she slap him! All he'd done was grab her arm! He was almost snarling when he grabbed the full vase of sake and chugged it when the waitress brought it out. When he was done, he threw out enough money for the sake, milkis, and the unagi. Toshiro would have left it on the table if the one they called Itame-chan told him that he didn't want to leave the sushi or drink. Fine then, he'd take them and be done with the place. He didn't much like it at all.
His feet weren't steady when he walked his way home to collapse into a dark corner and relax, to go bag in hand.
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