Chapter Five
let out a sigh when she woke up in the morning. She looked to her side and realized that her dream had been so vivid. They had kissed for such a long time last night that she knew she had lost her mind. Because of that kiss, her dreams had not been innocent. She blushed when she remembered that she was the one that had innocently seduced him in her dreams.
She rolled onto her tummy and exhaled. was no idiot; she knew that kiss was different. However, the situation she and he were in was not going to change anything.
She got out of her bed and headed straight to the bathroom. After that, she walked into her living room and looked around. I have an extra room to make use of the children when I baby-sit, but I still need to get some toys.
looked around again. To buy toys, I need money and I'm not even sure if this will work, she thought, sitting on the floor. I am definitely screwed.
She stayed in that position for some time and realized she really was an idiot. Here she was feeling sorry for herself and she hadn’t even posted a single resume to any organization. She went to turn on her laptop and opened her document. She decided to work on that for the rest of the day.
It wasn’t until hours later when she was satisfied with her resume. She stood from her seat and stretched, getting the kinks out of her muscles. She glanced at the clock and noticed how late it was getting. I believe food is in order, she thought, heading toward the kitchen.
Rummaging through her fridge, she picked out ingredients to make a simple dinner. Just as she set everything she needed onto the table, a knock sounded from her door. With a questioning look on her face, she made her way to the door and opened it. When she saw who was on the other side, she raised an eyebrow.
“Seiichi, what are you doing here?” asked, stepping to the side to let her friend in.
“I thought I could steal a meal from you,” Yukimura answered as he took his shoes off.
“You just ate my cooking yesterday,” pointed out, closing the door. “You can’t tell that my cooking was so good that you just had to come over the next day, can you?”
Yukimura turned to her, his usual smile on his face. “, you’re cooking was so good yesterday—” He didn’t get the chance to finish when playfully slapped him on his shoulder.
“Smart aleck,” muttered as she made her way past him. She headed back to her kitchen where her ingredients awaited her. “So what did you really come here for besides to get a free meal from me?”
The financial analyst casually leaned against the table she was using, observing her prepare dinner. “I wanted to know what happened last night.”
stopped her cutting to look at him. “What do you mean? You were here last night. You should know.”
He shook his head. “I mean what happened after I left. Between you and Hiroshi.”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Call it curiosity,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m curious to know what happened because of something that Hiroshi did this morning.”
“Oh? What’s that?” asked, resuming her cutting. She had been nonchalant in her question, but inside she was curious as to what Yagyuu did that was out of the norm.
“He overslept.”
raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”
“, my dear, I’m sure you know Hiroshi enough that he would not oversleep,” Yukimura said. “I had to wake him up myself. Thus my curiosity in what happened between you two.”
“Nothing happened,” stated firmly. “I just thanked him for bringing me to the hospital. That’s all.”
“That must have been some thank you,” Yukimura teased, mischievous grin on his face.
“Seiichi!”
He let out a chuckle. “All right, I won’t pry any more. So what’s on tonight’s menu?”
"Chopped liver," she mumbled.
He laughed out loud and then rubbed his jaw. "You know, let's go out. It's been a while since you and I went out."
watched him. "What about your woman? How would she feel about you two timing her?"
He chuckled and held her hand. "I don't think she needs to worry when she sees you in this state," he said with a smug, watching her in her attire.
looked down and realized that she was still in her pajamas. She rolled her eyes. "Give me two minutes to change," she said heading to her room.
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Dinner had been pleasant. was now returning back with Yukimura. "Is Sumi-chan around?" she asked Yukimura. "I want to see how she is."
Yukimura looked at her. "You love her, don't you?"
looked at him. "Not as much as I feel for her," she admitted. "I know how it is not to grow up without having a mother around."
Yukimura took her hand and kissed the palm gently. "That's too cute. That look you just made," he flirted.
snatched her hand away. "You're such a flirt!"
Yukimura chuckled and pulled her with her other hand, hugging her. "Don't worry," he assured. "This is all a friendship thing." He insisted, peering into her face.
stared back and looked at him wryly. They were both challenging each other with one's eyes. However, it was over when they both felt or rather saw a person walking out of the balcony area.
Yagyuu watched them for a second. "Don't mind me," he muttered, heading to his apartment.
moved from Yukimura and looked away. Yukimura casually backed away. 'Where's Sumi if you're out here?"
"Camping," he answered "The school arranged it."
tapped her lips. "So that's where the idiot is," she said.
Yukimura nodded. "And you?"
"I'm heading back out. I forgot my lighter." He walked into the apartment. A few minutes later, he walked out and went to back to the balcony that was shared by all the floors.
Yukimura just nodded and bid a good night as he went into the apartment. She in turn, turned around and walked to her apartment, but stopped at the door. She hesitated, but backed off from her door and walked to the balcony. Before she walked out, she placed a small brick fairly on the ground by the door to make sure they don’t get locked out like the other night. She looked around…
"I'm here."
turned and found him leaning by the wall. Apparently, it looked like he had finished his smoking. She walked towards him, hands behind her back. "I didn’t know you were a smoker."
"I smoke once in a blue moon." He looked at her.
nodded. She looked at him with a hesitation. "What you just saw…"
"Is none of my business," he interrupted.
looked at him. She didn’t want him to think that she was about to kiss Yukimura earlier. "No, it is your business," she said, startling him. "I don't kiss someone one night and then another the next day."
Yagyuu looked at her and let out a sigh. "Is what this is about?" he asked. "I thought you meant something else."
blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Never mind," he mumbled. "It doesn’t matter anyway what you do."
"It matters to me, Yagyuu-san!" she snapped. "You kissed me last night. No, we kissed last night. I'm not a young girl and I don’t expect anything from you, but I don’t want you to think that I'm some kind of slut who would go for someone else the next day!" she said all that in one breath.
"The kiss was a casual one," he said. "It wasn’t as if you were going for me."
put a hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes. "What? You think I fancy you or something?" she asked. "That's mighty egotistic of you."
"-sama."
"What?" she said annoyed.
"Shut up," he said softly. "You always twist my words around."
"Because you always manage to twist the situation around."
He didn’t say anything. He simply straightened up and walked one step forward. "We're better suited not talking."
She looked up at him and realized he had taken one step closer to her. "No, I actually enjoy our conversations," she admitted. "But, when you start twisting things around because of your psychotic issues then I get annoyed."
"Psychotic?"
"Yes, psychotic," she confirmed. "Your friends keep telling me he's a great man. He's a gentleman. He is one of the best!" She crossed her arms. "Why can't I see those traits in you? Who is the one that killed them?'
He looked away from her and went back to the wall. However, he leaned against it and slid down, sitting on the floor. "I knew Sumi's mother quite well," he said out of the blue. "She was a friend, or call it a neighbor with strict parents."
knew this was serious, so she walked to him and sat down next to him.
"Anyway, you can tell how Sumi got pregnant. She got terrified and knew her parents would kill her so she hid it." he continued, pulling out a cigarette.
waited for him to finish.
He inhaled deeply on his cigarette and exhaled. "The day Sumi was born, she killed herself."
froze. She felt her heart pain and something sharp penetrated through it. She leaned against him and hugged his upper arm. She had no words for him.
"Her parents were furious of course. Yagyuu Hiroshi, the gentleman," he said bitterly. "The gentleman got their only daughter pregnant. The gentleman they trusted their daughter with…"
felt her heart ache again. So there was a reason, she thought, but she had no word of condolences for him. was still hugging his arm. Using her other hand, she held his jaw and moved it so he could face her. She pulled him down and kissed him.
He responded for a few minutes and finally moved his lips away. moved a bit and crawled towards him. She sat in front of him and looked at him. "Let me help you break free."
'I'm happy."
put her arms around his neck. "You don’t have time to be happy."
"I don’t like you."
She laughed and rubbed her nose against his. "I don’t like you either, but you and I both have to admit that we comfort each other."
He moved his hand to the back of her head and massaged it. "You're crazy," he whispered. They stared into each other's for a few minutes until they were no longer staring and their eyes closed automatically as they kissed again.
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Weeks later
“You’re actually going to have it done?” questioned with a raised eyebrow. “I would have thought this would be an inconvenient time for you.” She placed a cup of tea in front of her guest before getting a cup for herself.
“It was all my housemate’s work,” Yagyuu grumbled, sipping his tea.
“And you’re here because you want me to look after Sumi once the surgery’s done,” deduced easily. “What about Seiichi? I’m sure he’d be able to take care of things for you.”
“He’s heading out of town tomorrow to Osaka for business,” Yagyuu explained briefly.
“Really now,” said with much skepticism. She seemed to recall that there was a certain lady of Yukimura’s that just happened to live in Osaka. “Well I guess I could help you out tomorrow. It’d be kind of interesting to see you depend on me.”
“I have a feeling I’m going to regret asking you for this favor,” Yagyuu muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“You worry too much,” said. She picked up the empty teacups and brought them over to the sink to wash. “It’s not like I’m going to abandon you in the middle of the busiest part of Shibuya or leave Sumi alone. Rest assured that I'll take care of the both of you properly tomorrow.”
Yagyuu just nodded in gratitude before standing from his seat. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Sure thing,” confirmed. She walked with him to the door to see him out. Once he was inside his own apartment, she closed the door to her own.
Ever since Yagyuu had told her about Sumi’s mother, something between them changed. She couldn’t really say that they were friends since they still seemed to not really like each other, but they did speak much more civilly than before. Not to mention the numerous times that she had managed to get away with stealing a kiss from him.
She made her way to her room. Tomorrow’s going to be interesting, she thought before preparing for bed.
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Next Day
“How do you feel?”
“I can’t feel my eyes and it hurts to open them because of the sunlight. How do you think it feels?” Yagyuu replied dryly, pushing the dark sunglasses he wore further up his nose. Patients are usually given a course of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops. These are discontinued in the weeks following surgery. Patients are also given a darkened pair of goggles to protect their eyes from bright lights and protective shields to prevent rubbing of the eyes when asleep [wikipedia]. However, he decided to stick to the sunglasses for now.
“I was just asking. No need to bite my head off,” said, leading him outside to her car. “At least you won’t have to worry about wearing glasses or contacts from now on.”
“That was the only thing I was looking forward to,” Yagyuu muttered, getting into the car. He didn’t like the feeling of not being able to see everything clearly. He hoped that his eyes would heal quickly without any problems.
“So what now? Straight home or do you want to stop somewhere to eat?” questioned as she started the ignition. She turned to him, who was resting his head against the headrest, and waited for an answer.
“I’d rather not be in some place that I don’t know when it’s difficult to see,” Yagyuu responded just as dryly as before.
“Home it is then.” With that reversed out of the parking spot and drove off.
The drive back was silent but it didn’t take long to get to the apartment complex. Half an hour later, was guiding Yagyuu to his apartment, making sure he didn’t bump into anything. Opening his door, she led him inside.
“What now? Are you going to sleep the day away?” asked.
Yagyuu nodded before heading to his bedroom. Since he was used to walking around in the dark, it wasn’t difficult for him to navigate around the place to his room.
“I guess I’ll just stick around here in case he needs something until it’s time to pick Sumi-chan up from school,” muttered to herself. She settled herself on the couch with her laptop and started applying for different jobs online. She was grateful that he had wireless so she could do some work.
Also, she had spent the past days job hunting in various location for something decent. She tried anything to do with kids since she had a knack for it. After working for a few hours, she looked at her watch and finally realized it was time for her to pick Sumi up. She shut down everything and went to his bedroom or tried to find his bedroom. "Yagyuu?"
Recently as well, the san seemed to have been dropped by both of their names. They didn’t call each other by their first names, but there was a semi-formality between them now.
She heard him and walked to the source of the voice. She hesitated as she walked into his bedroom, but walked in anyway when he told her to walk in. had to admit that he made a good sight. She had seen him on the beach before, but she had been too annoyed by him to study him properly. Now, lying down on his crisp white bed with only pants on, she couldn’t help but admire him.
He sat up while she was looking around his room. It was fairly neat and organized. Something she would expect from a man of his caliber. "You don't need to get up, I'm just here to tell you that I'm going to go and pick up Sumi," she said.
"Alright," he said, lying back now. After a second, he sat up again. "Wait."
stopped. "What is it?"
"Over there," he said, pointing to a drawer. "There is an extra key to the apartment. Please take it with you."
thanked him, taking it and walked out.
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A nostalgic feeling overcame when she stepped through the gates of the school she was formerly employed at. Glancing around, she noticed that everything was still the same as when she was working here. Her feet automatically brought her to the classroom that she used to assist in teaching.
Peeking through the small window, she saw that class was just ending its session. She would have continued watching from the window if it weren’t for the door opening. She stepped back in surprise.
“? What are you doing here?” asked, eyes widened in pleasant surprise.
Before she was able to answer, the pattering of feet caught her attention. She looked behind and saw that numerous of the kids had gathered around the doorway.
“-sensei!”
smiled at the sight. She knelt down on the ground to greet them properly. “How have you all been?”
“-sensei, are you going to be coming back now?” A student asked anxiously. That single question was the first of many as the students starting firing questions at the female.
looked at their eager faces and felt something trigger in her heart. Being here made her realize how much she missed working with kids. She hated herself for doing this, but she shook her head. “I am sorry children,” she said quietly. “I am only here to pick up Sumi-chan because her papa is sick.”
glanced at her. “Sick?”
“LASIK,” she whispered, extending her hand for Sumi to hold. “I miss them,” she admitted.
nodded. “They miss you too, ,” he said, watching her. “Any luck finding a suitable job?”
“Not yet,” she answered.
“I can try and get you your old job back,” he offered, hands in his pockets.
looked off to the side. It was a tempting offer, so tempting that she was actually considering it. However, although she would have loved to work here again, her desire to start anew held strong.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to have to pass on this one, ,” declined with a shake of her head. “I want to make it on my own.”
“-sensei?” Sumi tugged on the older female’s hand. “Are we going to go home now?”
looked down at the girl, giving her a nod. “Yes, we’ll go now. , I’ll talk to you later.”
“All right then. I’ll talk to you later,” said, nodding to them as the two departed. He continued to watch them leave until they were out of sight. Hang in there, , he thought before heading back to his classroom.
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“Is Papa okay?” Sumi asked once they reached the apartment. “He’s sick right?” She was about to run off to his room when stopped her.
“Your papa is sleeping right now, so you shouldn’t bother him,” said, hands on her shoulders to prevent the girl from barging into Yagyuu’s room.
Sumi didn’t like the idea of being stopped to seeing her father. She was about to throw a tantrum when interrupted, knowing that look. “How about you and I make some sandwiches? So when your papa wakes up, we can all eat together.”
Sumi stopped and thought about it for a second. After a few minutes, she nodded.
took the little girl’s hand and led her into the kitchen. She figured that making sandwiches for dinner was more convenient for Yagyuu since he wouldn’t need to use a knife or fork to eat it. She looked in the fridge for ingredients and took out what she needed. She smiled, assuming that Yukimura had probably stocked the fridge before disappearing.
“Can I have cheese?” Sumi asked.
looked at her. “Just cheese?” She asked her. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy -sensei’s special homemade sandwich.”
Sumi looked at her in confusion.
laughed. “Just help me and I’ll fry some French fries for you as well so you can eat them with the sandwich, deal?
Sumi nodded shyly.
“All right then. Let’s get started!”
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After hours of sleep, Yagyuu stirred in his bed. However, when he tried to open his eyes and couldn’t, his hand shot up to his face. Feeling the protective shield that he was supposed to wear when he slept, he relaxed.
Removing the shield, he tried to open his eyes once more, this time succeeding. He was mildly surprised at how dark it was. Wondering what time it was, he tried to look at his digital clock but was unsuccessful. Apparently it was still slightly painful for him to fully use his eyes but at least it was better than before.
Feeling around for the sunglasses that the doctor had given to him. He put them on once he found them. Getting up from his bed, he switched on his lights. Even with the sunglasses on, the sudden burst of light made him wince. He went to his closet and took out a shirt, putting it on.
Clutching his rumbling stomach, he realized that he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Leaving his room, he made his way to the kitchen where the sound of laughter emanated. What he was greeted with made his mouth twitch into a smile.
After and Sumi had finished making sandwiches and French fries, had the sudden urge to make cookies as well. When she had told the little girl about her sudden urge, she immediately agreed to it. had set off to look for the appropriate ingredients and found enough things to make simple sugar cookies.
Once all the ingredients were placed out, both females set about to make the cookies. Unfortunately, they didn’t get away unscathed. One accident led to another and both of them soon found themselves covered in flour and sugar with splashes of milk and egg whites.
It was also decided to have the cookies in different shapes. However, since there weren’t any cookie cutters available, they had to improvise and do the shapes themselves. Both of them were having a blast at making various shapes with the cookie dough.
This was how Yagyuu found them. He leaned against the wall, deciding to observe the scene in silence. It was an endearing sight. It was almost like… He paused in his thoughts. It’s almost like they’re mother and daughter spending time together, he finished.
He wasn’t able to witness the rest of the scene, for they both noticed him standing there.
Sumi squealed and hugged her father's leg, making his pants cover in dough as well. "Sumi made cookies for papa," she said excitedly, leading him to the kitchen counter.
He followed suit and sat down on the stool.
cleaned the area and looked at him. "How do you feel?" she asked, taking out some plates and placed them on the table.
"Better."
"That's good," she said, pulling out the sandwiches she made and placed them on a serving plate. She took out some drinks as well and finally sat down. "I thought it would be easier for you to eat a sandwich."
He thanked her and took a bite. The delicious taste of the sandwich was one of its kind. He never tasted something so scrumptious in his life. Even Sumi who was picky about her food ate it with no complaints.
They ate in silence and finally cleared the plates. He wanted to help, but she slapped his hand away and told him to go and rest. That was the end of day one.
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The next morning, Yagyuu woke up earlier than he usually did for a weekend. Since he had slept most of the day yesterday, he had fallen into a light sleep last night. He hadn’t had so much sleep in a while, so felt rather rejuvenated.
Getting out of bed, he shuffled out of his room and headed to the kitchen. He was about to fix himself a cup of coffee when he heard the faint click of his door unlocking. Making his way to the door, he was slightly surprised to see that it was coming inside.
“What are you doing here so early?” Yagyuu questioned.
gave a startled yelp at the sudden question. Clutching her chest, she turned around. “You nearly scared me to death!”
He put one hand on his hip, while he held his coffee mug with the other. "You're here because?"
"Breakfast," she said firmly. "Oh, are you fine now?" she asked when she saw the coffee mug in his hand.
He nodded. "It hurts a bit in the light, but I can pretty much see with my eyes."
let out a sigh. "Then why did I ruin my beauty sleep," she groaned, sitting down on the stool.
"You don’t need it," he mumbled, pulling out another mug and pouring coffee in for her. He placed it in front of her and then took out some biscuits.
took one biscuit out of the package and dipped it into her coffee. "Any plans today?" she asked casually, nibbling on her biscuit.
He leaned against the counter. "Not really. I do have to pack some of Sumi's stuff though. She's going to my sister's house for the long weekend."
looked at him. "Why do you keep sending Sumi away on holidays?" she asked. "I'm sure she'd want to spend some time with you." She looked at him with a disapproving look.
Yagyuu let out a sigh. "I'm exhausted," he admitted. "My work has three projects plans for me. If it wasn’t for Seiichi or my family then I would've never been able to raise Sumi on my own."
"What about Sumi's mother's side?"
Yagyuu looked at his mug. "They passed away a long time ago in a car accident. I'm sure they would've had full custody of Sumi if they were alive today."
put her mug down and stood up. She walked around the table and stood in front of him. "Are you going to collapse on me one day?" she asked casually, making him sigh.
"That's not what I meant."
ignored him. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him down. She didn’t kiss him, but hugged him. "You're such a big baby," she whispered. "Sometimes I feel like you need protection."
He moved away, but stayed close. He bent down and kissed her lightly, which surprised since this was the first kiss initiated by him. However, she was no fool so she didn’t back off. The taste of coffee lingered on both of their lips. They didn’t dwell on it for too long. A few minutes later he pulled away.
had her hand on his chest. She looked up at him and moved her thumb across his lower lip. "I'm going to go to bed," she said softly. "It's too early for me."
He nodded.
"Do you need help making lunch?" she asked.
"I'll be helping Sumi pack," he said.
"Yes or no?"
He looked at her. "Actually I’d rather go out since I've been inside for a whole day," he admitted.
“That's fine," she walked to the door. "Do enjoy."
", I don’t mind if you accompany me."
paused in her steps. She turned back to him with a surprised look on her face. A second later an amused smile made its way to the surface. “Are you asking me out, Yagyuu?”
He shrugged. “It's just a simple invitation. You can interpret it anyway you want,” he said. “If anything, you can think of it as a thank you.”
“Don’t tell me we’re starting the process all over again,” mused. “But I accept your invitation to lunch. I’ll be here around noon.” With that she left for her own apartment.
Yagyuu shook his head after she left. As he returned to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, he wondered what the afternoon with would bring.
Later that morning, a knock came from his door. Upon opening it, he wasn’t surprised to see his sister standing on the other side. “Yuuka, you’re on time for once.”
“What are you talking about, Hiroshi? I’m always on time,” Yuuka defended as she stepped into her brother’s apartment.
Yagyuu snorted at that. “Just barely.”
Yuuka ignored that last jab. “So is my cute and adorable niece ready to go?” She asked, looking around for the said girl.
"Aunty Yuuka!" Sumi exclaimed, running in and hugging her. "Are we going to go to the water park? Are we?"
"Water Park?" Yagyuu asked sharply, looking at his sister who had an innocent look on her face.
"I wanted to tell you."
"After you guys went?" he said dryly, crossing his arms.
Yuuka kissed his cheek. "You're a sweetie," she said, holding Sumi's hand with one hand and lifting her belongings with the other. "You know I would never let anything happen to your baby."
"You better not." He bent down and kissed Sumi's cheek. "You know I don’t need to tell you to behave yourself, right?"
Sumi nodded shyly.
Yuuka bid him a goodbye and they both left. Yagyuu looked around the house and decided to take a shower. He knew he had to be careful, but he needed a shower. He quickly showered and changed into something casual. He picked up his cell phone and keys and headed out to 's apartment. Just as he closed his apartment door, she emerged from her own.
was dressed in a fresh blue mini skirt and a white tank top. She looked ravishingly fresh like it was summer time. However, Yagyuu was more sensible so he had to ask. "Aren't you worried about the wind?"
"Of course, that’s why I wore my best underwear."
Yagyuu frowned.
"I'm teasing, you old man." She chuckled. "I'm wearing light shorts beneath, which I don't see why I have to explain." She placed her hand on his upper arm to fix her high heel and looked at him. "So where are we going?"
"You choose," he said automatically.
"I suck at choosing. I always end up choosing places that I see people I hate the most."
"That's not helping."
She looked at him. "Just choose damnit!"
He took her hand and led her to the elevator. "Fine, let's go to Noodle House."
An hour later, they were both seated in one of the rows. She was sitting rather close to him as they both studied the menu on the table. You had to tick on the pad on the table and decide what you wanted. "Can you see fine?" askes.
"It's fine," he said. "What do you feel like eating?"
She leaned on one elbow and looked at the menu. "Well, I definitely feel like crab dumplings and vegetable spring rolls." She ticked them on the list. "You?"
"I'm fine with those.”
“What about main course?"
He looked at the menu. "How about some fried vegetable with Oyster sauce?"
"My favorite," she said, ticking. "Let's get some rice and chicken as well."
They waited for the food and leaned closer. She placed her head on his shoulder and let out a sigh. "I almost overslept," she said quietly. "Then I remembered lunch."
He moved his head a bit to glance at her. "Do you realize that we're in public?"
"I don't care." She yawned. "I'm sleepy and you're the only thing I can lean on."
He looked at her again and felt a tender smile appear on his face. He was about to say something when someone else said it instead of him. "?"
Yagyuu didn’t need to see 's face because he already felt her stiffen as she was still hugging his arm. She didn’t let go off his arm, but the slight pressure on his shoulder disappeared.
looked up and saw her father. She glanced away and tightened her hold on Yagyuu. The man in question looked at them with a saddened expression. “I just wanted to say hi, for it seems that I am intruding," said, moving to walk away.
"Wait." Yagyuu stood up, which made 's hands fall off his arm. "Please join us," he invited politely. "That's if you're free"
looked at Yagyuu and then back at . "I actually am free. My meeting cancelled on me, so I decided to eat here anyway."
Yagyuu nodded and called the waiter, who came in a hurry to place a seat for . He looked at and found her still quiet. "," Yagyuu said quietly. "You owe me, so cooperate."
She glared at him. However, she let out a sigh and looked at her father who took a seat opposite him. "How have you been?" she asked.
"Tired," he answered truthfully, studying the menu. "I have a lot of things to handle."
"Isn't that idiot helping you?" she demanded, referring to .
looked at her and smiled. He resumed ticking his choices and finally speaking. "No, he is not helping. He's been asked not to." He motioned for the waiter to take his order and asked for a drink as well.
let out a sigh and looked at Yagyuu. He was leaning on his hand as his elbows rested on the table. noticed that he wasn’t wearing the sunglasses now. "I thought you had to wear it for two weeks." She changed the subject.
"It depends on the person, really. The lightening here is quite alright."
looked at them both curiously.
“Yagyuu had LASIK done," explained, noticing the look on his face. She turned and moved Yagyuu's hair off his eyes. "You know you can't have anything touching your eye.'
He shrugged her hand away. "You're not my mother."
smiled genuinely. "Are you two in a relationship now?"
"No," they both answered automatically.
Fortunately for the both of them the waiter came back with their food and drinks. Even 's was ready and they all started eating. Yagyuu found it quite amusing that father and daughter had ordered the same appetizers.
“Seems like the both of you have the same tastes,” Yagyuu stated, pointing to their appetizers.
Both father and daughter looked at the food in front of them and then at each other’s, eyes widening at the fact that they had ordered the same thing. huffed, looking away with a small pout while smiled. “It’s just a coincidence,” she muttered.
“Is it now?” Yagyuu questioned with a raised eyebrow. He looked over to who had a smile on his face. “Is it a coincidence, -san?”
“Well considering that we order the same thing every time since she was small, I’m not sure,” teased, smile widening.
responded to the teasing by popping a dumpling into her mouth. She sent a glare to both men as she chewed. It wasn’t her fault that she had fallen in love with crab dumplings and vegetable spring rolls the first time she ate them.
“So how have you been, ?” asked, taking a dumpling for himself.
shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve been doing well. Found a new place, which happens to be right across from this guy,” she said, gesturing to Yagyuu. “I’ve been to various interviews for a new job as well.”
“It’s good to hear that you’re doing well,” said. “I wish you the best in getting a job that you like.”
blinked at her father’s words before a smile emerged from her face. “Thanks. I hope so too.”
The next hour was spent talking about nothing in particular, just regular every day things. seemed to have taken a liking to the civil engineer and was interested in some of the projects that he was working on. Overall they had a pleasant afternoon. However, when it was time to pay for the bill, a little trouble rose between the two males.
The waitress stopped by their table to give them the bill. Being the ever gentleman, Yagyuu picked up the bill, glancing at it. Just as he was about to take out his wallet, snatched the bill out of his hands.
“It’s on me this time,” said, deftly taking out his credit card.
“You don’t have to, -san,” Yagyuu insisted, trying to take it back. However, that proved to be unsuccessful when the older male pulled it out of reach. “-san, I invited you so it’s my treat.”
“But I insist,” said, not relenting.
Yagyuu stood up to take it back, but held his hand gently. “It’s all right,” she said softly, looking up at him. “He’s more stubborn then you are.”
“Like father like daughter,” Yagyuu muttered, sitting back down. “Next time, -san, it will be my treat.”
stood up. “Just being there a ‘next time’ is a treat enough for me,” he said, bidding them good-bye.
Yagyuu and watched as the man left first before standing up to do the same. However, once they were outside, stopped. Yagyuu gave her a questioning look, wondering why she stopped. As she was about to question her, he noticed an expression on that he was getting quite familiar with.
“? Something wrong?”
looked off to the side. “That was the first time in a long while that we’ve been like that. Like the way it was before everything happened,” she replied softly.
Yagyuu had noticed it as well. Every time he was with the father-daughter pair, there was tension between them. “We should head back now,” he suggested. All he received was a nod of her head. He let out a silent sigh and decided to put his arm around her shoulders, steering her towards the apartment complex since she seemed confused and dazed at the moment.
Along the way, she had laid her head on his shoulder. He peeked down on her and noticed a few stray tears trailing down her cheeks. With the hand that was on her shoulder, he wiped the tears away. “Thanks,” mumbled.
It wasn’t long before they were in front of their doors of their apartments. Yagyuu watched as robotically opened her door. Not liking the thought of her being by herself, he tapped her shoulder. She turned to him with a questioning look. “I’ll stay with you for a bit longer,” Yagyuu offered.
looked like she was about to protest, but stopped herself. She definitely wasn’t in the mood to be by herself. She nodded, taking the offer and allowed him to follow after her.
Yagyuu securely closed the door behind him. Once he turned around, attached herself to him. He was frozen on the spot for a second before he decided to indulge in her request to be pampered and wrapped his arms around her. They stayed that way for a while with Yagyuu gently rubbing circles on her back.
“You’re being stubborn, you know that?” Yagyuu said softly. He continued his ministrations, noticing the calming effect it had on her. “At least I know where that stubbornness comes from.”
didn’t say anything to that. She had cocooned herself between his arms. She hated how many times he had seen her so vulnerable. Reluctantly, she finally moved away. However, two seconds later she moved right back into the arms again. “I’m sorry…”
He patted her head and moved a bit. “Come, you and Sumi share a lot of spoilt traits,” he said, moving her to the sofa. He sat down and made her sit down next to him, but moved closer and she ended up between his outstretched legs.
“Like this?” he asked, putting his arms around her. She leaned back and relished in the feeling of being warm all over.
“Like this,” she confirmed, closing her eyes.
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Yagyuu watched her as she slept. She was leaning against him, breathing soundly with her head resting on one of his arm that held her. He moved slightly, raising his legs to place them on the table. He shifted again and got more comfortable holding her and finally he relaxed.
He could clearly see her face as she slept and he couldn’t help but feel something. He knew it was a bad idea, but he also knew that they had both moved closer now. She had come onto him many times before with the surprise kisses, but now he had urges to kiss her too.
He was also a man…
And he wanted more…
He was even more aware of the luscious body snuggled against him and it wasn't doing his senses any good. He closed his eyes and tried to relax as well, but she kept stirring in her asleep until she finally settled.
He wondered what was to him. She was someone he hated with a passion before, but now she was on his mind on some occasions. He saw her change slowly and he had always winded up in one of her family situations, which only ended up giving him a headache.
He unconsciously moved his hand through her hair and enjoyed the feel of it through his fingers. They slid so perfectly and he loved the scent it was giving off. He opened his eyes and looked at her sleeping face again. She looked so fragile as she slept. Nothing compared to the vicious woman when awake.
Yagyuu finally relaxed and he was about to drift off, his cell phone rang. He grudgily picked it up and yawned, trying not to move a lot so wouldn't wake up. "Yagyuu."
"Papa!"
A smile immediately appeared on his face. "Hey sweetie," he said quietly, leaning back and closing his eyes. "How are you?"
“Aunty Yuuka and Sumi are having a lot of fun!” Sumi exclaimed cheerily. “We went on all the rides together. They were a lot of fun!”
Yagyuu could literally feel his daughter’s enthusiasm through the phone. “That’s good to hear. Did you eat yet?”
“Aunty Yuuka went to get us something to eat,” Sumi informed diligently. “Papa, you should come and join us!”
He let out a light chuckle at his daughter’s hopeful voice. He stopped short when he felt the female in his arms start moving. shifted until she settled her head in his lap.
“Papa? Are you still there?”
Yagyuu snapped his gaze away from the woman, returning his attention back to his little girl. “I’m here, Sumi. Sorry, but Papa can’t come join you now. Maybe next time we’ll go together with everyone else,” he suggested, resuming stroking his fingers through ’s hair.
“With Uncle Sei and -sensei?” Sumi asked, anxiousness obvious in her voice.
“Yes, but you have to remember to ask them first,” Yagyuu replied. He twitched when he felt a poke to his stomach. He looked down at with a slight glare. She was still lying on his lap and just gave him a grin before nodding slightly. Before he had the chance to give her a questioning look, Sumi’s voice came through the phone.
“Papa, Aunty Yuuka came back with food,” Sumi announced excitedly. “Here’s Aunty Yuuka!”
Yagyuu raised an eyebrow at the protesting of his sister through the line. In the end, Sumi was able to successfully hand off the phone to her defeated aunt. “Is there a reason why you didn’t want to talk to me?”
“Not at all, big brother!” Yuuka replied with a nervous chuckle. “So how have you been?”
“Yuuka, it’s only been a few hours since I last saw you. Don’t tell me something happened within that amount of time to Sumi,” Yagyuu said, slight warning in his voice.
“Nothing’s happened, I promise! You just talked to her yourself, didn’t you?” Yuuka responded quickly.
Yagyuu sighed. “All right, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Just make sure you take care of her.”
“Of course!” Yuuka proclaimed. “Well then Hiroshi, I’ll talk to you later.” With that she hung up the phone.
Yagyuu looked at his phone before closing it.
“Everything all right?” asked, looking up at him. Yagyuu just responded with a sigh. She rolled her eyes at that. “You shouldn’t worry so much. I’m sure your sister will take care of Sumi-chan just fine.”
Silence reigned over them. Yagyuu continued to rake his fingers through her hair; all the while was enjoying the feeling. She would have drifted back to sleep if it weren’t for the oddness of their positions that got her thinking.
“Yagyuu?” called softly, breaking the silence.
“Hmm?”
“What are we?” Noticing his questioning look towards her, she elaborated. “Months ago, we would have never wanted to be near each other. Now look at us. I’m not sure what we are, relationship wise.” She bent her knees, but kept her head still there. She was too comfortable to sit up.
Yagyuu contemplated her question. True, they would never be doing the things they were doing at the moment months ago, much less talk to each other. He knew when the shift happened, they both did. However, the question was still there: Where did they stand with each other? More than acquaintances that bordered being friends? Were they already friends? Or was it something else entirely?
“I don’t know,” Yagyuu admitted, lowering his head to look at her sleeping figure.
reached for his the hand that was touching her hair and held it. "I guess that's fair," she said quietly. She took his hand and placed her lips gently on his knuckles. "But know this Yagyuu Hiroshi; I don't kiss my friends on the lips."
"I know that."
She grinned and finally sat up. She turned around and placed herself gently on his lap. “Well now…” she said moving her arms casually around his neck. His hands somehow moved accordingly on her hips. “Tell me what this position means?”
“That I am being sexually harassed?” he asked dryly.
She titled his head playfully. “Are you making fun of me?” she asked, glaring at the same time.
“Barely,” he muttered, moving his hand.
raised an eyebrow as she felt his hand on her back, but it was on her ‘back’. He had slid his hand under her shirt and was now rubbing her back gently like he has been doing all day. She leaned her head forward and rested her forehead against his. “And do friends use their hands on other people’s skin without permission?” she whispered.
"I don’t seem to be needing permission these days," he answered seriously, slowly trailing his finger up her spine.
shivered and moved closer. "Stop that. It tickles."
He stopped and pulled her nearer with his hands on her hips. "So?"
"So?" asked, ruffling his hair. "How will this continue?" she asked almost breathlessly, moving her other hand to his jaw. She made him look up at her. "Will it end as being friends or something else?"
Yagyuu kissed her. Like many other kisses it was as passionate. However, their hands were more daring this time. And so were their lips. shuddered as she felt his lips trail down from her lips to her collarbone. She didn’t know what he was doing there, but she didn’t care. Clutching tightly onto his head, she welcomed the feeling with open arms. His lips kept moving lower and lower. She didn’t even notice her half open blouse.
One second was on top, the next she found herself being flipped rather roughly onto her back. He straddled her, holding her wrists and looked down at her. "-sama…"
looked at him wryly. "I'm lying under you with my shirt open. Do you really think saying -sama right now fits this scene?" she asked sarcastically.
"What do you want from me?"
She searched his face and moved one hand from out of his grasp. She rubbed his cheek gently and smiled. "I want…" she began, but looked away. "I guess I want everything that I can't have," she answered finally.
Yagyuu studied her as she had her eyes someplace else. He finally let go of her wrist and got off her. Standing up, he removed the shirt that he was wearing.
sat up alert. "What are you doing?" she asked, buttoning her shirt.
"Since we both don't know how we stand with each other then let's do this. I'll spend the night with you." He looked at her. 'We won't do anything, but I'd like to stay with you in the same room and on the same bed."
had a questioning look on her face. "How will this determine our position?"
He smiled gently or was it more of a smirk. "Simple," he answered. "Let's see if we can last the night without touching each other."
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Kurohane (Teniyume) & DeVeliCious
Edited by Kashii
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Note:
LASIK reference taken from here: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LASIK)