Chapter 3

It was almost 7:45 pm on his clock and the sun would be setting in about five minutes. He rushed inside the house to check if his mom was at home already and if his sister was in. The house was empty so he proceeded to go back door to the beach and watch the setting sun.

When he got out of the house, he immediately caught a glimpse of a small figure looking out to the sea. It was Aoi. Why does she have to be everywhere?

He groaned to himself as he looked out to the sun, it wouldn’t be the same if he just sat on the porch and looked at the setting sun. Trudging on the sand he sat a few feet away from Aoi making sure she wouldn’t see him and sat down cross legged and stared out.

Sunsets always calmed his mind and made him a different person than he is. He was almost lost in tranquility when he heard a sobbing and sniffing sound amidst the soft waves crashing on the shore. Slowly looking towards Aoi’s direction he discovered that she was crying in front of the sea with a solitary smile on her face. It was weird seeing a girl crying and sobbing at the same time with a smile pasted on her face. What he noticed was that she was crying not out of happiness but because of loneliness. The smile that was on her face was something he did not understand, but the sound of her cries was clearly not because of happiness. A girl could be so complex at times that he could never really understand them. That’s one of the many reasons he hated girls.

The sun has already set and he slowly got up to go back inside the house when he heard his name.

“Mizushima.” Aoi called at him.

This time, he didn’t know if he should be sarcastic or mean or anything after seeing her crying like that, so he decided to just stand there quietly.

Aoi stood up and walked towards him then she reached out her closed hand to him. This gesture was confusing that again he didn’t know how to react, but she took his other hand and placed her hand above it and when she withdrew her hand, a small shiny black stone was in middle of his palm. He was about to ask what that was all about when Aoi suddenly turned her back away from him and ran towards her house. She didn’t even give him a chance to say something.

Shaking his head, he shoved the pebble in his pocket and walked inside the house just to find out that his mom has already prepared dinner and Riko was playing on the couch while watching Sesame Street. A show that has been long gone, but her diehard fan mom got hold on at the vintage store in town.

“Hey mom…” He greeted her as he looked at the food on the table. It was more than she usually prepared.

“Uhm… mom? Isn’t the food too much for just two and a half people?”

“Oh, Hiro… didn’t I mention earlier that the Yu’s are joining us for dinner?” His mom looked at him worriedly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t inform you. I know how you are with unexpected visitors, I hope it’s ok? I mean they are going to be our neighbor and Mr. Yu has been a long time friend of mine, before you were even born. Can you bear with this dinner just for tonight?” she appealed to him.

“Oh Mom, that was when I was back in grade school when I hated visitors. That’s ok mom, as long as you’re happy with having people around I’m ok with it.” He smiled at her and gave her mom a hug as she beamed at him and embraced him back.

Then the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it.” he walked across the living room from to kitchen, as soon as he opened the door he was greeted by a very tall Caucasian man.

“Ano… may I help you?” He asked him as courteously as he could. It was rare of them to have a foreigner visiting their house, he was actually expecting the Yu’s which he saw on Aoi’s table but instead a tall Caucasian man knocks on their door.

“Hi, you must be Hiro. I’m Yu Takagi.” He was staring at Mr. Yu unable to compare the image that has already registered in his mind, and then Aoi appeared from behind.

“As I’ve heard you met my daughter Aoi.” He smiled at Hiro as he put his hands on her shoulder.

There was no resemblance whatsoever between the two of them that he couldn’t help staring at them back and forth. This must have made Aoi uncomfortable that she suddenly blurted out, “Mizushima, are you going to keep us out here the whole night?”

Her dad gave her a warning look but she just shrugged at him and muttered, “We’re already friends’ dad, so it doesn’t really matter.” Her dad just shook his head and gave an apologetic smile at him. Hiro was startled by her statement and embarrassed at the same time that he bowed his head suddenly.

“I’m sorry for keeping you outside Mr. Yu and,” he looked at her with squinting his eyes, “… Yu Aoi.” He said her name with acidity on his voice that he toned down so that only she could hear it.

“Please, come in. My mom had already prepared the table.” He smiled brightly at Mr. Yu and led them to the dining room.

“Oh, hey Riko… what are you watching?” Aoi suddenly brightened up with the sight of Riko on the couch intent on watching Cookie Monster.

“Nee-chan!!! Let’s watch Sesame Street!!!” Riko beamed at her then jumped up and down the couch inviting her over.

“Since when did she start calling you nee-chan?” Hiro asked looking buffled.

“Since a week ago? I’ve been around far more than you think Mizushima. You should get a life and look around.” Aoi responded and rolled her eyes at him and walked on the way to Riko.

The world must have gone insane and his family got to have a liking with the Yu’s. When he got to the kitchen Mr. Yu was already there talking with his mom quietly and he noticed that his mom was giggling like a teenager. What’s wrong this picture?

“Mom?” He said out loud so he would be noticed.

“Oh, honey… I’ve prepared the table. Can you please bring this out on the dining room so we can start eating?” she reached out a pot to him but before he could grab it Mr. Yu got it first, then spoke in a language he was alienated to.

“Thank you Takagi. You’re still the same…” his mom giggled once again as she followed Mr. Yu out on the dining room.

There was something going on between his mom and this certain Mr. Yu that he didn’t like one bit. It was getting onto his nerves that he just wanted everything to be over as soon as possible.

……………………………………..

One hour and fifty eight minutes to be exact, the dinner was finally over and Hiro scrambled out of the house to get some sea breeze to his system.

He was sitting in the porch swing when the back door opened and a small head peeked out from the door.

“Hey there peep-squeak… what are you doing peeking out like that?”

“I wanted to see if you were outside onee-chan, because mom would get mad at me if she sees me outside alone. Can I sit with you on the swing?” She asked with her cute little voice.

“Sure thing, hop here beside me… you can even lie down if you want.” He patted the side of the swing couch and gestured for her to hop on.

When his sister was lying sideways facing the sea, with her head on his lap she started talking to him about their dad which caught him off guard.

“Onee-chan… was dad also a business man like Mr. Yu?”

“Yes Riko, he was… and he was the best business man in town.”

“Can dad also speak Mr. Yu’s language? Because mom seems to understand him so much…”

“Yes he can.”

“Is dad as tall as Mr. Yu?”

“Almost as tall as him.”

“Do you think Mr. Yu can be like dad?”

“I’m not so sure about that peep-squeak. Dad was a good man… I’m not sure about Mr. Yu.”

“What if Mr. Yu and mom get married? We can have Aoi nee-chan as my older sister right?!?” she asked with an excited voice, but the question instantly made the blood drain from his face.

His mom cannot marry again can she? It’s been only three years since he... no she possibly can’t. The thought of her marrying again was something he wasn’t prepared for… he couldn’t imagine having Aoi as his sister. It would be considered as a disaster if ever that really happens.

He was speechless for quite some time that he didn’t notice that his little sister has already drifted off to sleep. Watching her sleep on his lap gave him a little peace of mind, at least he wouldn’t have to think about the answer to that question for now. It was too soon to speak of that because suddenly the doors opened and out came Aoi, the dreaded little girl of the century in his life.

“Hey…” Aoi greeted him with uneasiness in her voice.

“ummm… hey.” He greeted her with the same awkwardness that Aoi had.

“About earlier…” they both said at the same time.

There was a moment’s silence between the two of them, when Aoi smiled at him again, his heart lurched forward unexpectedly. Why does his heart do that every time she smiles? What’s wrong with him?

“What about earlier?” he asked beating her first to the question just in case they were not thinking about the same thing.

“The stone… the shiny little black stone. Just hold on to it until… just hold on to it. Ok?” her voice sounded hopeful and reluctant all at the same time, which was confusing him.

“I really don’t know what the stone is for. Does it even have super powers to help me out with something I’m not aware of?” He looked at Aoi in a testing way, but she just smiled and shook her head.

“No… not really… but I wish it did. That would have been fun and I wouldn’t have given it to you if it did.” She told him smugly and this made him smile at her genuinely for the first time.

“I guess not…” he muttered while smiling then looked down at Riko who was still sound asleep on his lap.

When he looked back at Aoi, she was gazing intently at him that caught him off guard. There was no hint of sarcasm or mischievousness in her face. It was a different facial expression that he couldn’t recognize.

“Have you counted my pimples yet?” He asked her all of a sudden that made her come back to her senses and shake her head again at him.

“That’s how you might have felt when you were staring at me and I caught you right? OK… that was really embarrassing.” she told herself rather than him while chuckling and rolling her eyes upward with a tinge of embarrassment on her face, but she looked straight back at him.

“Mizushima…” she started saying to him when he suddenly cut her off.

“Just call me Hiro.” It was too late before he caught himself saying it. Why did he let her call him on a first name basis all of a sudden? What is happening to him?

“Hiro…” she said again… then smiled at him.

“Let’s be friends. I’m Yu Aoi… and starting tonight, you can call me Aoi. It was nice meeting you and your family.” She held her hand forward to him and waited for him to reach it.

He can’t believe he was really making friends with this… girl. Never did it occur to him that he would actually make friends, real friends with the opposite sex.

“Ummm… you’re supposed to reach my hand and shake it?” she looked at him then at her hands and brought it nearer to him before he realized that he should actually be shaking it by now and not just looking at her.

“Oh yeah… friends.” When he grasped her small hands into his, it was soft. This made him hold her hand longer than he should. Aoi smiled a different kind of smile, it was the smile that she used when she was crying by the beach. Then much too soon she gently removed her hand from his grasp.

“I need to go back home now, I’ll see you tomorrow then… you’re still giving me a ride to the university right?” she looked at him with big expectant eyes that shook him back to earth and made him forget for a moment about the weird sensation he just had.

“Yes. Of course... see you tomorrow.” He nodded his head at her and watched her disappear inside her house.

Absent mindedly, he gently picked up his little sister and carried her inside the house and back to her room. The kitchen was clear and his mom was taking a shower. After checking that the doors were locked, he went up to his room and plopped down on his bed.

It was definitely a long day… a long tiring day full of surprises.

He stared at the ceiling for quite some time and then suddenly remembered about the black shiny stone in his pocket. Feeling for it outside his pants to know which side he put it in, he dug deep into his right pocket and took the stone out and looked at it through the dimmed light while his mind took him a thousand miles away.

~~~End of Chapter 3~~~~

It took me so long to deliberate if i should continue this or just stop. Then again, i hate not finishing what i started. Your comments would be loved! ^_^v

Chapter 2

“Hi Hiro… want to hang out later after school?” A girl who just got out of the ladies room wearing a short denim skirt with red lipstick painted on her lips spotted him instantly from the crowd asked him as he passed by. Obviously she was flirting, something that happens often to him but also… pass up every time.

“No thanks Nagasawa-san. Got a lot of work to do later.” He trudged on the hallway as his best buddy Ikuta Toma caught up with him and saw Masami give a pout.

“What’s up with that man? That was NAGASAWA MASAMI!!! Couldn’t you just give her the time of the day? I would jump these six floor-building just for her to ask me out.” Toma gave a backward glance at Nagasawa then gawked at Hiro with an unbelieving look. As usual Toma was exaggerating things again. Everytime he passes up an opportunity to hang out with girls his friend just can’t get over it.

A guy like Toma with those looks would never get caught alone on a party or even in the cafeteria. While he was the ultimate popular guy, Hiro was the woman-hater kind of guy. How they got to know each other? Through their major and their most favorite thing… art.

Toma was majoring in digital graphic art design and so was he. Right now they had the first period with the most torturous professor according to most of the art major students. It was Professor Fujiki Noahito, the dreaded professor. He tried avoiding the subject for three whole years because of the rumors he heard but since he was a senior and it was a compulsory to take Fujiki’s subject he had to enroll it. Unbelievably though, now that he’s taking the class, his impression of the professor has changed. He liked him as a teacher, because he was full of insights and he doesn’t just see an art, but he looks at the history behind them, he sees the mood of the artwork, feels the artist’s feelings and most of all he believes in what he teach.

They entered the room and took the seat in the middle row. The middle row was the safest place to be. If you’re in front, Prof. Fujiki would size you up and drill you on the things you know, if you seat on the end row, he would notice all the things you do and call you down to be a sample for any task he had prepared specifically just for the back row people. Then the humiliation begins if you are dumb enough not to understand his mind. That’s why both he and Toma try to be as early as they could to find a good sit in that class. He may like Fujiki as a professor but he wasn’t up to any of those unnecessary things.

A couple of minutes later the professor came in and class started. Prof. Fujiki was discussing the history of how contemporary art came into existence in the early eighteen hundreds when a sharp knock came at the door. He walked towards it and opened the door to see who dared to disturb his class. It was the guidance councilor and they were talking about something that he couldn’t hear.

“Do you think they’re going to cancel this class for the whole year? That would be great if that ever happens. I get to have more free time to finish my layout for our senior project.” Toma whispered to him gingerly as they both looked over the door. Hiro wouldn’t want that class to be cancelled that’s for sure.

Other students started murmuring because the Prof. and the councilor were taking so long on what ever they are talking about, and then Prof. Fujiki turned back at them and gave out a cough to clear his voice and silence them off.

“You are going to have a new classmate for this semester. Apparently I wasn’t informed that a new student would be transferring and is going to take this class. And because it is known to all of you that only TOP Students get to enter MY CLASS I hope you give room to this transfer student and let her feel at home.” After saying this Prof. Fujiki walked out of the room.

“Whoa… he said she. It means the transfer student is a girl? I’d like to know her.” Toma’s radar went on haywire when he heard the Professor say “she”, instead of a “he”. Their class mostly consisted of male population and a few female who either where punk-rock-goth induced or the Lolita type which was way out of his friend’s league. That’s why he wouldn’t be surprised if all of the other guys in that room were anticipating for a REAL girl this time.

The door opened and the professor walked in with a girl behind him.

Hiro almost fell off his chair as soon as he discovered who the transfer student was. This whole event was all beyond his imagination that he thought he was dreaming.

“Her name is Yu Aoi, she is twenty one years old, a transferee from Prague University and studied there for three years, her major is drawing and I have seen this child’s work hung on Prague and Paris art competitions and she had won several prizes, yet she’s still modest about it. Treat her well class…” he looked at Aoi after saying these things and motioned for her to take a sit, ”As for you, you may take the sit at the back since that’s the most unoccupied sit in this room.”

Aoi walked towards the back of the room and caught sight of him, then gave him a genuine smile just like yesterday that made him want to smack his head on the desk. It was so stupid of him to say that she was an elementary student and why didn’t he notice that accent she had? Initially he thought it was a lisp of some kind. Upon hearing this things from the professor, a sudden inferioty swept through him that actually made himself feel ashamed for acting like an ass to a twenty one year old girl who knew more in art than he probably did.

It was one thing to hate girls, but to look like a fool with all the things he just said and done… he felt like a total idiot.

Trying to ignore her presence he casually stared ahead of him as Toma nudged his side, “Hey, the new girl just smiled at me. I think sshe looks really cute. She’s small though and looks more like a twelve year old, but she definitely looks pretty, especially with that smile.” His friend nodded towards Aoi’s direction.

Hiro just shook his head and wanted the earth to eat him up as quickly as possible.

……………………………………

As soon as the class ended, Hiro quickly got out of his seat as fast as he could, he didn’t even bother waiting up for Toma. He felt the need to get out of there ASAP. Unfortunately Professor Fujiki didn’t think so.

“Hiro, I have to talk to you about something.” Prof. Fujiki motioned for him to go to his table, while he glanced at Aoi who was about to go out of the room with Toma following suit behind her.

“I saw your layout ideas for your senior project. Are you sure those are the things you’re going to use?” he looked at Hiro with doubt in his eyes.

“Uhm… yeah. Those are the ideas that have been coming to me lately.” He told him with a bit of uncertainty in his voice which the Professor took notice of.

“I’ll give you two weeks to consider this Mizushima… art is not something you just lay out for people to praise. Art is your mark in this world, so make use of it. If you believe in soul or heart or whatever crap other people call it, use that instead of your head. You’re head is for thinking. While this…” Prof. Fujiki pointed at his own chest, “…is for feeling.” The Prof. went back on to rummage through the stack of papers in front of him, “You may go now,” He said without even looking at him.

Hiro walked out of the room reluctantly as he gave a side glance towards the professor. He didn’t really grasp the concept of the “heart for feeling” but he would probably understand it more later on.

When he got out of the room, Toma was there waiting for him with Aoi at his side.

“I waited for you dude, I wanted to introduce Yu Aoi to you personally.” He grinned ridiculously at him while moving his eye brows up and down.

“We know each other.” He motioned to Toma as he pointed at Aoi.

“You know each other? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Toma gaped at him while Aoi hid a smile.

“That’s because I’m not her keeper, and I don’t go around telling people I met a girl. Especially a girl who looks like a twelve year old and not even bothering to tell me she’s twenty one and of legal age to smoke, drink and get married.” He said plainly, without even looking at them.

The three of them were walking along the hallway through the cafeteria, which he knew Aoi had no idea where they were actually going.

“Do I hear a sound of bitterness in your voice, Mizushima? I guess I also don’t go about and tell people I’m twenty one! Who would believe it anyway?” She gave him a smirk as Toma chuckled.

“That’s right Hiro. No one would believe her even if she tried convincing that person. There’s nothing wrong with not telling your age.” Toma put an arm on his shoulder and gave a shrug.

“Just let it pass, coz if you don’t you’ll just end up making your life a living hell. I know you hate girls, but you have to suck it up, coz this girl here,” he took Aoi’s shoulder and moved her up in front of him for Hiro to see, “is going to be your partner at the internship.”

Hiro stared at Toma in shock. All he could think of was that his future has suddenly gone bleak. While he was wishing with all his might that the floor would just open up and swallow him, Aoi just stood there with the brightest smile he had ever seen in his entire life.

……………………………………

How she got to be his partner in the internship was beyond his thinking. He glanced to his side as he worked on the layout in the computer before him, Aoi had a sketch pad and a Mac laptop in front of her… she’s been sketching and erasing for hours ever since they got to the office building for their internship.

When she was introduced to the people in the building which consisted of male employees and interns, he noticed that she immediately felt at home the second she knew everybody’s name and all of them treated her well instantly. This annoyed him because on his first day everybody on the building gave him a hard time, and the reason was, “It’s for an initiation process for a newbie like you.” The first three days of work was pure hell for him, but things got better after that.

So the initiation thing did not work for girls then. Wouldn’t it be weird if he made her life like hell in the office? As soon as he thought of this a couple of his seniors went to his side and said, “Hiro, I heard she’s your classmate? You better treat our little princess well or else you’ll answer for us. She’s just what this company needs,” a tap on his shoulder was given and a small bow for Aoi as they left them on their respective tables.

“What did they just tell you?” Aoi asked him in a whisper.

“They told me that if you don’t work well you’ll be thrown out of the building like there’s no tomorrow.” Smirking at her, he left her standing with eyes wide open as he proceeded to his own table and started working on his assignment.

It was almost time to get out of work, he glanced back at Aoi and tried to sneak a look at what she’s working on. Their boss gave them their assignments earlier but he never got a chance to see what Aoi’s assignment was.

The clock on their table buzzed saying its time to get off work. He closed his computer and heaved a big sigh of resignation for his layout ideas, while Aoi was still sketching something.

“Yo…” he called out.

“For the second time my name is not Yo. I would really appreciate it if you called me Yu rather than Yo.” With this remark she slammed shut her sketchbook and looked at him sizing him up.

“What?” she suddenly asked.

“Eh?” he looked at her confused.

“You just called me didn’t you? What for?” she asked in an irritated tone.

“What’s with that attitude? I was just going to offer a ride since you asked for one this morning you might as well need one right now, so I’m offering one with all of the goodness of my heart… but of course with a price.” He smiled at her smugly.

“The price is?” she asked with an eyebrow raised.

“You’ll have to show me what you’ve been working on the whole afternoon.” He grinned mischievously at her.

“Ah… so you’re actually curious.” she gave him a sly smile.

“No I am not showing it to you and NO I don’t need a ride from you. Your good friend Ikuta Toma offered me a ride home, since he’s going to the beach this afternoon and he works just under this building. He’s so nice, why can’t you be as pleasant as him Mizushima?” she shook her head and packed up her things then left without looking back at him.

That womanizer… even hits on this kid? What’s wrong with that guy? He never really understood Toma’s taste in women, because it always varies. Toma’s motto in women is probably “the newer the better”. Looking at the door where she just disappeared, he thought of who Yu Aoi really is. There was nothing about her that he actually knew of.

He walked over to her table out of curiosity, it was relatively empty because she was new but he noticed earlier she was unpacking things from her bag and placed it on her table. There were two frames, set on Aoi’s table, one where there were family pictures of a 6 year old Aoi with her dad and mom who was carrying a baby in her arm. The other frame was a cartoon of a boy grinning goofily. It was drawn in a funny way that the eyes were huge and the teeth were exaggerated but it was a cool drawing that any artist would seem to appreciate its complexity. A signature was written on the edge, “aYu-2000”.

~~~End of Chapter 2~~~

Words from me:

Gome ne minna san... the picture looks kind of really depressing ne? ill "probably" change it when i have the time. i had this certain mood while i was actually making the image, the back ground, and even when i was thinking of the story line, *Spoiler* so you might already guess how the whole thing could turn out... but then again it still all depends on my mood. lolz... hopefully you guys would still like the next chapter. ja ne ^_^v

ps.
your comments would be much loved. you can go to my xanga site to leave your comments if you don't have a winglin account.

www.xanga.com/biniBningPunkista

sankyu! ~_^v

my other stuff:

stay with me- http://www.winglin.net/fanfic/biniBningPunk1
stay with me for better or for worse (sequel)- http://www.winglin.net/fanfic/biniBningPunk3
more than friends- http://www.winglin.net/fanfic/biniBningPunk2
kiss a beautiful stranger- http://www.winglin.net/fanfic/biniBningPunk4/
the unknown- http://www.winglin.net/fanfic/biniBningPunk
innocent kiss- http://winglin.net/fanfic/dhen_shaneen