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Author Topic: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty-Six -- Nightmare]  (Read 144404 times)

Offline mode107

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Thirty-Nine -- Manipulation]
« Reply #300 on: June 07, 2007, 03:56:57 AM »
"W00T! Momoko finally meets the psycho. Now the fun can begin
"Under the beautiful blue sky"

Offline Estrea

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Thirty-Nine -- Manipulation]
« Reply #301 on: June 07, 2007, 10:17:59 AM »
-stares at last line-

Two words: Oh shit.

Still looking forward to Risako waking up though. XD And I want to see what you let Koharu and Airi (I'm assuming that's Airi next to her, whatever the name. No one else is as crazy as to follow Koharu anyway. :P) do to Momoko. Mm.

Don't worry, soon is a relative term. I haven't updated mine either yet. >_< Just keep working at it! XD

永遠に咲き続ける花なんていない、すべてはいずれ枯れて朽ち果てしまう。

Currently writing:
- Lilium-related things. God save my soul.

On Hold:
- Everything Else. Too many to list.

I'm also on AO3!
http://archiveofourown.org/users/Estrea

Offline Yuuyami

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Thirty-Nine -- Manipulation]
« Reply #302 on: June 08, 2007, 01:02:43 AM »
So Maiha DOES have an uke side to her xDDDDD So cute how she was hiding in the closet and all xD Wonder what Risako would think had she still been awake through it all xD If only Risako knew... xD

Erika's panicking = <3

Glad to see the police trying to take action now <3 Detective Aibon... xD

Let's pray Momoko doesn't fall prey to Koharu x_o The Miracle Eyes have already gotten into her X___X; MAASA! GO SAVE YOUR LOVIE! ><!!!!!!

But I do wonder what Koharu has in store for Momo... Purposely trying to get into a relationship so that Momo would betray Maasa? Or somehow get Momo and Maasa to become enemies? Hmm. =-=

-feeds- Write more!

Offline FeverInducedMadness

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Thirty-Nine -- Manipulation]
« Reply #303 on: June 10, 2007, 03:02:42 AM »
I get to say it !

Woo!

Ready, ready ready?

DUN DUN.... DUUUUUUUUM!

 :kekeke:

Oh what do you have planned? hmm hmm?  :dunno:

Guess there's only one way to find out, huh?

Indeed there is... -cackle-

Da 'Bon is back!!

And better than ever. :3

Kago = <33

Momoko + Kusumi =  [lots of emoticons]

>_>...we both got really lazy....
Have you started on wordy's challenge yet? I didn't...=+=;;I'm dead...
<_< and I need to update on my own fic..DAMN!! O_O

Update~

What's this we you speak of? I'm updating! XD

"W00T! Momoko finally meets the psycho. Now the fun can begin

I'm not sure if Momo will find it fun... XD

-stares at last line-

Two words: Oh shit.

Still looking forward to Risako waking up though. XD And I want to see what you let Koharu and Airi (I'm assuming that's Airi next to her, whatever the name. No one else is as crazy as to follow Koharu anyway. :P) do to Momoko. Mm.

Don't worry, soon is a relative term. I haven't updated mine either yet. >_< Just keep working at it! XD

XDD Well, you'll get to find out what happens to Risako now, anyway...

And yes, 'Kirari' is Airi. She just needed a fake name. Koharu doesn't because few people know her real name. Most just know her as the Miracle.

So Maiha DOES have an uke side to her xDDDDD So cute how she was hiding in the closet and all xD Wonder what Risako would think had she still been awake through it all xD If only Risako knew... xD

Erika's panicking = <3

Glad to see the police trying to take action now <3 Detective Aibon... xD

Let's pray Momoko doesn't fall prey to Koharu x_o The Miracle Eyes have already gotten into her X___X; MAASA! GO SAVE YOUR LOVIE! ><!!!!!!

But I do wonder what Koharu has in store for Momo... Purposely trying to get into a relationship so that Momo would betray Maasa? Or somehow get Momo and Maasa to become enemies? Hmm. =-=

-feeds- Write more!

XDD Risako probably would have teased her.

Well, someone has to care. XD

You know that I'm the one writing this story, right? You should probably expect the worst. XD

[Yuu-chan...]
« Last Edit: June 10, 2007, 03:03:56 AM by FeverInducedMadness »
-sig is undah construction because it needs to be pimped out-

Offline FeverInducedMadness

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Thirty-Nine -- Manipulation]
« Reply #304 on: June 10, 2007, 03:07:17 AM »
Lol This was supposed to be longer, but I decided to cut this part off and start the last bit in the next chapter.
Just to give ya'll a bit of fluff before we delve into the super serious again, ne?
Plus I'm taking forever to update. XD

Enjoy.

[Chapter Forty -- Reward]

When I was younger, I remember going to the doctor once and hearing him say that I would die at an early age because of how stressed I let myself get all the time. If what he said was true… then Chii-chan was going to be the death of me.

Now, I was all for giving her a bit more freedom to roam the city as she pleased, because she really did seem like she was doing a lot better, but… I hadn’t seen her since Friday morning, and usually when she was gone it was only for half a day or so… And she always came back to the loft afterwards.

If she was happy and having fun, then I was glad for her, because she hadn’t been that way in the longest time… I just could have been more at ease if I knew where she was and that it was a safe place to be. So because I didn’t know for sure… I was worried.

And that’s why I was slipping in and out of the pulsing crowd that always filled the city’s streets, searching for any sign of my friend. It was a pretty futile effort, considering Chinami was very much like Maasa in the sense that when either of them didn’t want to be found… they were impossible to locate.

Since I was a normal person and was not equipped with a built-in Chii-chan radar… I was pretty much out of luck.

Still, I had to try, because sitting at home by myself with my thoughts was driving me absolutely insane, and at this point, anything was a welcome distraction. And I suppose had I not been out looking for her, I never would have spotted Momoko with a pair of girls that… well… basically the sight made my hair stand on end.

I had never seen them before, and my instincts were telling me that they were up to no good, no matter how harmless they looked or how at ease Momoko seemed to be around them. I found it suspicious… and started to follow them at a distance, making sure to keep out of sight. Not that it really mattered if Momoko saw me or not, but I didn’t really want her new companions to be aware of my presence.

Maybe I was just paranoid, but…

Something told me to keep an eye on her while she was with them.

…Just in case.

------------

The first thing Risako was greeted with when she woke up that morning was a skull-splitting headache. The little sunlight that filtered in through the room from the basement’s opening caused twinges of pain to shoot through her eyes and she groaned, feeling a wave of nausea pass over her at that. Her mind was numbed from the aftereffects of the alcohol she had consumed, and so it took her a moment to register that she wasn’t where she was supposed to be.

She quickly sat up, ignoring the obscenities her aching head was screaming at her in order to observe her surroundings. It was definitely not her apartment, and she rapidly came to the realization that most of her clothing was missing and that the jacket draped around her shoulders didn’t belong to her.

And so, she pulled it tight around her body and did the only thing that she could think to do at the moment.

She screamed as loud as her lungs and throbbing head would allow her to.

Maasa appeared from the other room almost immediately, her eyes wide as if she expected to find someone dying or being mauled by some sort of wild beast. Risako hadn’t really anticipated to see her, however, and let out a startled shriek, grabbing the nearest object to hurl it at the other female’s head.

It happened to be a shoe, and fortunately Maasa’s reflexes were better than most, even after only being awake for a minute or so, and thus she was able to drop down and avoid being hit. Maiha, on the other hand, was not as quick or as lucky, showing up behind Maasa just in time to get pegged in the head by the makeshift projectile. Risako had a good arm, and thus the force of it was enough to send her backwards to the floor.

Leaving Maiha with what was sure to become a nice bruise, Maasa slowly straightened back up, giving Risako a wary look. She didn’t want any more items to come flying in her direction, of course…

“What the hell is your problem?”

“Oh, excuse me, it’s not everyday that I wake up half-naked in a really strange place, I’m sorry if I overreacted a bit.” The younger female snapped, getting to her feet and backing away from Maasa a few steps to put some distance between herself and the other girl.

“Just calm down… it’s really not what you’re thinking.”

“What am I supposed to think?”

“You were very drunk last night when Maiha found you, and because it was so late she decided to bring you back here instead of taking you home. You slept on the couch, and she was actually in the closet when I got here. We’ve been in the other room the whole time, I promise.”

“Then why am I not fully dressed?”

“Apparently you got a bit… friendly before you passed out.”

Risako blinked and gazed over at Maiha who was peering at her cautiously from behind Maasa’s shoulder, rubbing her now very tender nose. The youngest turned a very vibrant shade of pink and pulled the jacket tighter about herself, letting her eyes fall to the floor.

I really don’t remember… anything that happened last night.

“Do you really think that either of us would do anything like that to you?”

Risako looked up again to see Maasa giving her a somewhat impatient, irritated look, and Maiha refused to meet her eyes, as if she was afraid to see any little indication that that was indeed what the younger female was thinking. And after a moment, the reason why suddenly dawned on Risako.

Other people… probably always think the worst of these two…

They were obviously offended that she was following the same stereotypical train of thought. She scolded herself inwardly. It was wrong to accuse them and jump to conclusions so quickly. Especially since neither of them (though Maiha had proved that she could possibly be unfaithful and weird and stupid) had done anything to her to make her feel as though she couldn’t trust them…

At least, not with something like this.

And she had to admit, no matter how ashamed of it that she was… the stale taste of alcohol still lingered in her mouth, and though the details were blurry, she was beginning to remember walking into that club last night.

“No… I guess I don’t. I’m sorry for even considering it. And… I’m sorry I threw that shoe at you, Maiha.”

The flirt didn’t seem as though she was convinced and she remained behind her taller companion for protection, still eyeing Risako as though she could explode like a bomb any second. Maasa merely rolled her eyes, and the youngest took that as some sort of weird sign that her apology had been accepted.

“Um… Not that this place isn’t… um… cozy and all, but… I bet Momo-chan is worried about me, and… I really just want to get home now…”

Maasa turned to look back at Maiha, whose eyes widened in response as if to say ‘Please not me.’ And so… the girl turned back to Risako and let out a tired, long-suffering sigh. Barely any sleep, and this was what she was rewarded with.

If this is any indication of how much I like you, Momoko…

“Fine… I’ll get you there… Just… you’re gonna have to put your clothes back on… I dunno about Maiha, but I do want my jacket back.”

After that blunt little statement, Maasa left Risako (who probably couldn’t have turned a brighter shade of red even if she tried) to make herself decent again while dragging Maiha (who suddenly decided to start talking again and was protesting very loudly) into the other room for a moment.

Risako wasn’t exactly sure how long the older female could keep the flirt occupied, and so she quickly located every article she had discarded throughout the night and tried to make herself look at least somewhat presentable. And she did… well, as best as she could while suffering a hangover and feeling like an idiot. Just as she was ready to call Maasa in to the room again, she felt as though something was missing, and did another check to make sure that she hadn’t forgotten anything.

She spotted Maiha’s jacket lying on the armrest of the couch and hesitated for a moment, biting down gently on her lower lip. It wasn’t really hers, regardless of whether or not Maiha seemed to miss it much, and yet she knew she could expect it to be freezing cold outside… even though if deep down inside she wanted to wear it for a much less practical reason than that.

Aw, screw this…

Risako slid into the jacket anyway, walking over to the room that the other girls had disappeared into, poking her head in. She was greeted with a comical sight, the older of the two seated on top of the flirt in order to keep her from going anywhere but there. And Maiha was being very vocal about how she was feeling about the situation…

They didn’t seem to notice her, and so she cleared her throat.

“Um… I’m ready to go now.”

Maasa looked up and slowly got off of Maiha, holding the flirt back with a single hand so as to not get decked in the face with one of her companion’s flailing arms. Not that it would have mattered much, but she wasn’t in the mood to return the favor.

“Alright, let’s leave, then.”

The taller female brushed past Risako and started for the entrance, obviously having no intention of waiting any longer if there wasn’t anything left to wait for. But… Risako would have to just catch up. There was something she had to take care of first.

She turned back around to face Maiha, who raised an eyebrow at her, looking both slightly hesitant and curious all at the same time.

“You should go… Maa-chan’s not very patient with most people…”

“I just wanted to thank you…”

“For…” Maiha trailed off as the younger girl slowly walked up to her, and found herself backing up, gently bumping into the wall when she had no more room to continue doing so. She was confused by the roller-coaster sort of way Risako treated her at times, and wondered if perhaps it was payback for being such a flirt before. If that was the case… she had definitely met her match.

“For keeping me safe during my sudden… lapse of judgment.”

The flirt seemed to forget about her momentary discomfort in order to scowl a bit, adopting a slightly concerned tone that was somewhat uncharacteristic of her.

“You shouldn’t be out here… especially not alone… You could have really gotten hurt, Socko…”

“Mm, well…” Maiha felt her breath catch as Risako leaned in a bit, putting them in the same position they had been in several times before, after which she was always disappointed. “I guess it’s a good thing you were there, huh? It’s not so bad if I have you here to rescue me.”

And then, finally, the younger girl sealed those last few centimeters with a gentle kiss, and Maiha had to keep from pinching herself in order to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming. It was over quickly, and yet the sweetness of it all lingered, causing a goofy sort of grin to spread across the flirt’s lips.

Risako smiled impishly, pulling away and skipping out the door without another word.

But as far as Maiha was concerned, that was okay.

She had lost her ability to speak for the moment anyway.
-sig is undah construction because it needs to be pimped out-

Loser87

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty -- Reward]
« Reply #305 on: June 10, 2007, 03:41:42 AM »
I promised myself not to post my 801st post unless it was for my next chapter...
BUT SCREW THAT!

This chapter was FTW!!
I'm gonna' do what I haven't done in a long time and give a decent post!
I expect the same from you >_> *cough*

Quote
When I was younger, I remember going to the doctor once and hearing him say that I would die at an early age because of how stressed I let myself get all the time
The doctor can just shove it >_> *cough*

Quote
Maybe I was just paranoid, but…

Something told me to keep an eye on her while she was with them.

…Just in case.
Captain just..is awesome..

Quote
And so, she pulled it tight around her body and did the only thing that she could think to do at the moment.

She screamed as loud as her lungs and throbbing head would allow her to.
:on lol: :on lol: :on lol: :on lol: :on lol:

Quote
It happened to be a shoe, and fortunately Maasa’s reflexes were better than most, even after only being awake for a minute or so, and thus she was able to drop down and avoid being hit. Maiha, on the other hand, was not as quick or as lucky, showing up behind Maasa just in time to get pegged in the head by the makeshift projectile. Risako had a good arm, and thus the force of it was enough to send her backwards to the floor.

Oh god...Risako is the best yes, she is  :wahaha: :wahaha: :wahaha: :wahaha:

Quote
Risako looked up again to see Maasa giving her a somewhat impatient, irritated look, and Maiha refused to meet her eyes, as if she was afraid to see any little indication that that was indeed what the younger female was thinking. And after a moment, the reason why suddenly dawned on Risako

Maiha's such a wuss  :bigdeal:

Quote
She spotted Maiha’s jacket lying on the armrest of the couch and hesitated for a moment, biting down gently on her lower lip. It wasn’t really hers, regardless of whether or not Maiha seemed to miss it much, and yet she knew she could expect it to be freezing cold outside… even though if deep down inside she wanted to wear it for a much less practical reason than that.

Aw, screw this…

Risako slid into the jacket anyway, walking over to the room that the other girls had disappeared into, poking her head in

It's love  :heart: :heart: :heart:

Quote
The flirt seemed to forget about her momentary discomfort in order to scowl a bit, adopting a slightly concerned tone that was somewhat uncharacteristic of her.

“You shouldn’t be out here… especially not alone… You could have really gotten hurt, Socko…”

“Mm, well…” Maiha felt her breath catch as Risako leaned in a bit, putting them in the same position they had been in several times before, after which she was always disappointed. “I guess it’s a good thing you were there, huh? It’s not so bad if I have you here to rescue me.”

And then, finally, the younger girl sealed those last few centimeters with a gentle kiss, and Maiha had to keep from pinching herself in order to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming. It was over quickly, and yet the sweetness of it all lingered, causing a goofy sort of grin to spread across the flirt’s lips.

Risako smiled impishly, pulling away and skipping out the door without another word.

But as far as Maiha was concerned, that was okay.

She had lost her ability to speak for the moment anyway.

..........For the god damn 'effin win..
 :luvluv1: :luvluv2: :shy1: :shy2: :wriggly: :mon lovelaff: :imdead:
About god damn time too!!

Now all we need is some YurixChina lovin' and I'm effin' ready to be good and buried!
I DEMAND MORE FLUFF BEFORE ALL THE DRAMA STARTS!!! I DEMAND IT!!!  :mon blowhorn: :mon uggh: :mon zoom: :scolding: :angry1:

~UPDATE!!  :mon baby:
« Last Edit: June 10, 2007, 03:53:28 AM by Loser87 »

Offline Estrea

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty -- Reward]
« Reply #306 on: June 10, 2007, 10:13:07 AM »
WOO FLUFF!

I knew Risako was going to freak out first thing. XD Luckily they set her straight soon enough. Hehe.

Risako keeping Maiha's jacket was awww. XD
Risako kissing Maiha as a reward was just <33333333333333333

And for the first part, thank goodness Captain's on the case. I feel a little better if she's watching Momo's back. Now I can just sit back and enjoy the show...while nursing my headache. I feel like I've had a hangover...shouldn't have worked overnight trying to finish my chapter...

Well, keep working! :D

永遠に咲き続ける花なんていない、すべてはいずれ枯れて朽ち果てしまう。

Currently writing:
- Lilium-related things. God save my soul.

On Hold:
- Everything Else. Too many to list.

I'm also on AO3!
http://archiveofourown.org/users/Estrea

Offline FeverInducedMadness

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty -- Reward]
« Reply #307 on: June 11, 2007, 04:50:56 AM »
-will edit w/ comment replies in the morning-
-sig is undah construction because it needs to be pimped out-

Offline FeverInducedMadness

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty -- Reward]
« Reply #308 on: June 11, 2007, 04:53:14 AM »
XD I had to cut off part of this chapter, too. It was getting so long. haha

[Chapter Forty-One – Unexpected Kindness]

I had never slept through an entire day like that before. I hadn’t really thought it possible, considering the fact that I was really… more or less a prompt kind of person. I got up at the same time every morning, not a minute earlier or later. Then again, technically I was supposed to be getting lots of rest in order to speed up the healing process for my leg, and these past few days had made that impossible for me, working with the others again and all…

Still, it was nice to feel needed and useful again, and I wasn’t going to let the rest of the troupe down. To me, it didn’t really feel all that much like work since I was getting to do what I loved and was basically free to compose whatever I wanted to. There was no way I was slowing down with that in mind.

I guess it came with a price, though… I hadn’t realized just how worn out I was. Plus… it was really hard to leave my warm, cozy bed with Chinami dozing peacefully in my arms. But hunger drove me to do just that, and I had managed to reluctantly slip away from her and into the kitchen. I hummed gently to myself while I cooked, making sure to prepare enough just in case my guest happened to wake up and was hungry.

Until then, I would let her sleep. The poor girl had looked exhausted when I found her in my home, and I had my suspicions that it wasn’t often she got good rest like that. It would probably be good for her.

I smiled a little bit as some of the memories from when I had first met her began to drift back to me again. She had been so energetic and full of laughter back then… It had been hard not to smile whenever she was around. And she seemed to take every opportunity that she could to be around a lot. Her parents only came by every so often to check up on the theatre, but she would always sneak in to watch the rest of us dance.

The sneaking came from the fact that Takahashi-san didn’t like interruptions during practice, and often times would kick Chinami out if she caught her.

I had been as shy as Erika back then, though… And she was almost too much for a timid person like me to handle. …Almost. There were times when she was calmer and I found her approachable, and the two of us would talk so much that I often had to go without a lunch break. I didn’t mind that much, because she would always make it up to me by bringing in a snack afterwards.

It was special, the time I spent with her then. She had never introduced herself to the other girls, save for Saki, and so to feel like I mattered a little more to someone else… Well… I hadn’t felt that before.

And then… everything just turned upside down. I’ll never forget that day, when Takahashi-san came in to practice with that pale, grim look on her face, telling us what had happened… I had cried so much afterwards… I remember how Miyabi had told me to shut up and pull it together. I didn’t get mad at her for it, though… Saki was going to leave us, and I knew just as well as the others of her feelings.

It all felt surreal to me now, though, because I understood how the puzzle pieces were supposed to fit together. As if out of nowhere she was back in my life again, and I… was happier than ever, really. But Chinami was different now… broken. The things that had happened to her had crushed her spirit, and I felt that it was my job to help her heal… or at least give her a place to do that.

The only piece that I still couldn’t find a place for… was why someone had wanted to go so far with things. Not only that, but why on earth were they back to try and do it again? I shivered a little bit as I recalled the flames from the warning we had received in the theatre only a few days before. If I had been in Chinami’s position… I probably wouldn’t have come out of it half as well as she had… The thought of being stuck in a fire was almost enough to paralyze me.

I felt thin arms wrap around my waist and a wiry form pressing against my back in a warm hug, and the momentary terror that had gripped me evaporated in that instant. I smiled, stopping what I was doing in order to place my hands on top of hers.

“Good morning…”

I heard a mumbled, sleepy response as she buried her head into my shoulder, and I giggled a little bit. How adorable…

“You could have slept in a little longer if you were tired, you know…”

“You weren’t there when I woke up…”

I felt a little guilty after hearing how lonely her voice sounded. I just had to go and be all practical all the time… Way to go, Yurina.

“I made us some breakfast… Are you hungry?”

Chinami paused and stood up a bit on her toes so that she was peering over my shoulder now, and I froze as her cheek brushed against mine. I tried really hard not to blush, but it happened anyway, though as sleepy as my companion was I don’t think she seemed to notice. She was much more interested in the food.

“Yeah… a little bit… It smells really good…”

I smiled, and was about to usher her over to the small table, when I heard some knocks coming from the front door. Chinami flinched and almost immediately I could feel her entire body tensing up, so I slipped my hand into hers and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

“Yo~ Yurina-channnnn… Ya home, lazy butt?”

“Miyabi… That’s kind of rude, you know…”

“Aw, she knows I’m just playin’ around…”

“It’s not very funny… OW! Hey! Don’t poke me!”

“My hand slipped~”

Chinami gazed up at me quietly, and even though I didn’t want her to leave, I couldn’t just continue to ignore my friends. They would start to wonder… and then draw their own conclusions about the situation. It was better that I set them straight before anything like that happened.

“Do you want them to see you?” I whispered, knowing what the answer would be anyway.

“I’ll just go sit outside in your tree until they leave.”

“It could be a while… they like to talk a lot.”

“It’s okay… I don’t mind waiting.”

I must have pouted or something at that point, because somehow my expression elicited a rough chuckle out of her. I really felt bad that she couldn’t hang around with the others here… but she would have probably frightened them… Plus, if she wanted to stay hidden, it was her decision. Whatever had to happen to keep her safe… I was all for it. Still, didn’t mean she couldn’t take some food with her, so I fixed up a plate for her and shoved it into her arms before she could protest or refuse.

I then quickly ushered her over towards the window, making sure she was safely out of sight before I limped over to the door to answer Miyabi, who was starting to sound impatient from the other side.

She and Erika glanced at me curiously as I stepped aside to let them in… but I merely regarded both of them with a semi-annoyed sort of glance.

“What’s up, guys?”

“Eh, we just came over to make sure you were alright, since you didn’t come with us yesterday.” Miyabi responded, making herself at home by flopping down into a chair. She was never hesitant about this sort of thing… though at times she kind of came off as being slightly rude… to me, at least.

Erika, on the other hand had manners, and would wait until I sat down before even looking to find a chair. I detected just the slightest bit of hurt in her eyes, and I suspected that maybe she hadn’t had the best time on their little outing without me around. Because, when I wasn’t there, she would either be subject to Miyabi’s teasing, or stuck babysitting Risako… Suddenly, my annoyance about their sudden visit seemed to fade… I couldn’t really be mad at them. Especially not if they were genuinely concerned about my well-being.

So I smiled a little bit and pulled my tall friend into a light hug before leading her over to sit beside me on the bed so that the three of us could talk.

“Sorry I missed out… I kind of… slept in…”

Miyabi shot me a knowing look, her trademark evil grin spreading across her lips.

“Oh, I’m sure you did… I’ll bet you had your secret admirer over here the whole time and that’s why you didn’t want to come with us.”

I scowled at her, but it was hard to form a response when I felt Erika’s eyes on me as well. It was bad enough that I had to keep all of this from my best friend… Still… It was better for me to deny everything.

“…Nobody’s supposed to know… Saki said that until the ones that did it got caught… I probably wouldn’t be safe if people knew.”

“It’s nothing like that, Miya… I was just tired… It’s hard running around with all of you with my leg like this.” I glared at her, implying something with my tone, and I could tell that it made her uncomfortable by the way she shifted in her seat and coughed nervously. It was kind of mean of me to do that, since in my mind I had already forgiven her for the incident (had I not been stuck in my house, there was a chance I might not have been reunited with Chinami) but sometimes… I just have to stoop down to that level in order to get Miyabi to back off.

The three of us drifted into an awkward silence, before Erika cleared her throat beside me and attempted to get the conversation going again.

“You missed quite a bit yesterday though, Kumai-chan…”

“Yeah… Erika lost Rii-chan~”

“I didn’t lose her… she just kind of… wandered off.”

“Hah~ same thing, dork.”

I blinked at my tall companion, who seemed to be the one feeling uncomfortable now, fidgeting the way that she was. I could tell that she was upset, but I would have been feeling the same way if I was in her shoes. Risako was the youngest of the group, and we all took careful measures to make sure that she was always safe and… well… spoiled. Every group needed someone to baby, and she just happened to be that person.

“So… is she okay?”

“We don’t know… I called Momoko-san this morning, and she said that she was going out to look for her, and that she would call if she needed help or got lost or ended up finding her. So I guess now we just wait until she calls…”

I nodded quietly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. Momoko would find her. It was so easy to believe in the small girl that had come in and changed all of our lives for the better… She just seemed to make things happen.

“So what did you guys do then, if there were only three of you…?”

“Actually… I left after Risako… um… misplaced herself, but Miya and Saki had already gone off by themselves way before that…”

I followed Erika’s curious gaze over towards the prodigy, who was looking at both with the most innocent expression that she could muster… a sign that something had obviously happened between her and our former troupe captain. She was determined to play the “I don’t know what you’re talking about” card, though, and blinked at us.

“What?”

“Oh, you know what… Though, if I had been you… I would have taken her to a much more romantic spot than some amusement park…”

“We rode rides, ate some cotton candy, I have absolutely no idea what you’re trying to get at, Yurina-chan.”

“Well, there was a fireworks show afterwards, Kumai-chan. At least, I could see it going on from my house.”

“Ah~ well, then that’s a bit better.”

“Ugh, I swear… I hate it when you two get like this…”

------------

I was starving. Perhaps it had been a bad idea for me to go on a quest to find my cousin without filling up with some breakfast first… I couldn’t very well ask my new companions to stop in order for me to get some food, though… I didn’t want to take up any more of their time than I needed to.

Even though Koharu seemed to be very interested in my well-being and kept insisting that we stop every so often in order to rest and take a break. Her friend Kirari didn’t seem to care as much, and would make sure to walk on the other side of Koharu as we made our way through the city in order to put the most amount of distance between her and myself as she could.

…I wasn’t really sure what I had done to offend her so much…

“Ah, we should stop again for a bit, hm? You look a little worn out, Momoko-chan.”

The charming girl must have mistaken my hunger for fatigue, and I offered her a weak sort of smile, failing to mask what I was really feeling.

“I’m alright, really. We can keep going for a while. The sooner we find Risako, the better…”

“Still… Tell you what, though, I want to stop and get something to eat, I’m a little hungry. Is that alright? I promise it’ll be quick and then we’ll be on our way. I don’t mind buying you something too, if you’d like.”

It’s like she can read my mind…

The thought of food made my mouth water, and truthfully, though I was against letting anyone spend money on me… I hadn’t brought any with me, and so… I was going to have to take her up on her offer.

“That sounds fine to me. And yes, I’d like that very much.”

Koharu chuckled and flashed me a brilliant smile before leading Kirari and me into what seemed to be a breakfast bakery of sorts, where the warm smell of bread drifted through my nose and intensified my hunger. The tall girl walked up to the counter, waving the two of us towards a table and telling us to sit and that she’d be sure to get something good.

And so Kirari and I waited, seated awkwardly across from each other. She refused to look at me, and was lightly drumming her fingers on the table. The tension bothered me, and so I hoped to alleviate it by attempting to talk to her.

“So, um… do you like sports much?”

I really couldn’t think of anything else to ask her, and I wanted to confirm my suspicions about the bruise on the girl’s face before assuming the wrong thing… Her eyes flicked towards me for a moment, before returning to continue staring off at the wall. I wondered if she was going to ignore me, but then she opened her mouth to speak.

“No, not really.”

It was a curt response… but a response nonetheless… Still, now the injury was a mystery for me. And I was a pretty curious person…

“Ah… I was just wondering… because of your hat… and that bruise you’ve got on your cheek. It looks like it hurts…”

“Just an accident, nothing more. And it’s really not that bad.”

She was still being kind of terse with her replies, trying to keep them short and closed in an attempt to get me to shut up, I guess. But I realized that she was looking at me in a somewhat interested way, like she was bored and had nothing better to do. But it was a start.

“Must have been some accident…”

“Let’s just say that I’m a little bit… rough at times, hm?”

The corners of her lips tugged upwards just slightly enough so that I almost missed it, but I was sure that she was giving me a mischievous kind of grin. Perhaps she didn’t hate me at all. Maybe she just had to warm up to me first was all. Koharu walked over to us with a tray full of bread and donuts and pastries and I had no idea what else but it looked amazing and I was starving and I could have hugged her to death right then.

She slid into the seat beside Kirari and the three of us started to nibble at the food, although in my case I was a bit more… ravenous. Koharu picked up on that and laughed a bit, and I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“Hungry, Momoko-chan?”

“Ah… just a little…”

“You should have said something~”

I shook my head. “No, you two are already doing a lot for me. I don’t want to put any more of a burden on you than I already have.”

“It’s really no problem.” Koharu replied, finishing off a donut, “We really weren’t doing much today until you showed up, so this makes the day a bit more interesting, I guess.”

My eyes wandered back over to Kirari for some reason, but she didn’t seem to care much for conversation now with her friend here, and was quietly enjoying her food. I was pretty good at reading people, and I wondered if there was some sort of deeper connection between the two girls that I had met today. And then Koharu gave me a chance to investigate after a moment or so, getting up and excusing herself to the restroom.

“So… how long have you known Koharu, Kirari-chan?”

She eyed me warily, as if she wasn’t sure whether or not to trust me with the answer to that question.

“For a few years now… why do you ask?”

“I don’t know… I just notice things, I guess… You get really quiet whenever she talks to me and you were kind of standoffish at first… I’m not going to steal her away or anything crazy like that, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

I thought I could see a faint blush cross the other girl’s cheeks, but she recovered quickly, looking at me seriously.

“…It’s not like that… she and I… well… It’s just not like that.”

“But you want it to be?”

She grew quiet again and turned her head to stare out the window, carefully considering how to answer my question.

“…I’m afraid there’s just too much that you wouldn’t understand.”

“Some things don’t have to be so complicated, you know…”

“…And yet… some things just are.”

I dropped the topic then, turning to stare out the window with her as we waited for Koharu to come back.

If only I had known…
-sig is undah construction because it needs to be pimped out-

Loser87

  • Guest
Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty-One -- Unexpected Kindness]
« Reply #309 on: June 11, 2007, 05:15:20 AM »
Dibbers

--Hugs precious Yuri/china lovin'--

Quotes <33

Quote
it was really hard to leave my warm, cozy bed with Chinami dozing peacefully in my arms

I want more luvin'  :mon lovelaff:

Quote
And she seemed to take every opportunity that she could to be around a lot. Her parents only came by every so often to check up on the theatre, but she would always sneak in to watch the rest of us dance
Maybe she wants to be part of the troupe =O

Quote
The sneaking came from the fact that Takahashi-san didn’t like interruptions during practice, and often times would kick Chinami out if she caught her
Aww, I can't help but feel bad and think of it somewhat cute at the same time <33

Quote
There were times when she was calmer and I found her approachable, and the two of us would talk so much that I often had to go without a lunch break. I didn’t mind that much, because she would always make it up to me by bringing in a snack afterwards
I'm melting!! I'M MELTING!!..--goo--

Quote
I felt thin arms wrap around my waist and a wiry form pressing against my back in a warm hug, and the momentary terror that had gripped me evaporated in that instant. I smiled, stopping what I was doing in order to place my hands on top of hers.
  :luvluv2: :shy1: :shy2: :nya: :wriggly: :luvluv1: :mon lovelaff: :mon inluv: :mon angel:

Quote
Chinami paused and stood up a bit on her toes so that she was peering over my shoulder now, and I froze as her cheek brushed against mine. I tried really hard not to blush, but it happened anyway, though as sleepy as my companion was I don’t think she seemed to notice. She was much more interested in the food.
They need to kiss..They really do..I demand their kiss right now!

Quote
“Yo~ Yurina-channnnn… Ya home, lazy butt?”

“Miyabi… That’s kind of rude, you know…”

“Aw, she knows I’m just playin’ around…”

“It’s not very funny… OW! Hey! Don’t poke me!”

“My hand slipped~”
Miki-clone...>_> that was such a miki-excuse..

Quote
I followed Erika’s curious gaze over towards the prodigy, who was looking at both with the most innocent expression that she could muster… a sign that something had obviously happened between her and our former troupe captain. She was determined to play the “I don’t know what you’re talking about” card, though, and blinked at us.

“What?”
XDXDXD

Quote
“Well, there was a fireworks show afterwards, Kumai-chan. At least, I could see it going on from my house.”

“Ah~ well, then that’s a bit better.”

“Ugh, I swear… I hate it when you two get like this…”
Lol Miyabi is lurve XDXD

Quote
“I don’t know… I just notice things, I guess… You get really quiet whenever she talks to me and you were kind of standoffish at first… I’m not going to steal her away or anything crazy like that, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

I thought I could see a faint blush cross the other girl’s cheeks, but she recovered quickly, looking at me seriously.
=O Airi loves the psycho!!
>_< unrequited love sucks ;_; so tragic..

Quote
“…It’s not like that… she and I… well… It’s just not like that.”

“But you want it to be?”

She grew quiet again and turned her head to stare out the window, carefully considering how to answer my question.

“…I’m afraid there’s just too much that you wouldn’t understand.”

“Some things don’t have to be so complicated, you know…”

“…And yet… some things just are.”

I dropped the topic then, turning to stare out the window with her as we waited for Koharu to come back.

If only I had known…
Fimmy-chan~ You're evil...You need to update faster!
MUSH!! MUSH!! I need more!!
MOORRREEE I TELL YOU!!!  :mon zoom: :mon zoom:

Update~  :mon baby:
« Last Edit: June 12, 2007, 01:59:07 AM by Loser87 »

Loser87

  • Guest
Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty-One -- Unexpected Kindness]
« Reply #310 on: June 12, 2007, 02:30:08 AM »
I am posting again, see?
does it count if I post again?
I think it does!
Would you like it if i rallied people up?
*brings out microphone*
COME ONE COME ALL AND SEE THE NEW CHAPTERS BY FIM!!!
BE AWED AND AMAZED WITH A SIMPLE DONATION OF A COMMENT!!
COMMENT YOU DAMN LURKERS!! >_O

Happy?

Offline Estrea

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty-One -- Unexpected Kindness]
« Reply #311 on: June 12, 2007, 02:44:27 AM »
Ahhh, new chapter <3

I was not lurking too! I just forgot to comment the first time I read it. XD

Yurina/Chinami <33333 Somehow the mental image of Chinami sitting in a tree makes me giggle. XD

Hmm, funny how Momoko picks up that Airi likes Koharu. XD I look forward to see what evil you can come up with soon. XD

And I second Loser's comment. YOU NEED TO UPDATE SOON! And it's not negotiable. XD

Love ya lots FIM-chan~ XD

永遠に咲き続ける花なんていない、すべてはいずれ枯れて朽ち果てしまう。

Currently writing:
- Lilium-related things. God save my soul.

On Hold:
- Everything Else. Too many to list.

I'm also on AO3!
http://archiveofourown.org/users/Estrea

Offline ziggurat

  • sweetsplash heartbeat
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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty-One -- Unexpected Kindness]
« Reply #312 on: June 12, 2007, 03:19:12 AM »
Quote from: FeverInducedMadness
I had never slept through an entire day like that before. I hadn’t really thought it possible, considering the fact that I was really… more or less a prompt kind of person. I got up at the same time every morning, not a minute earlier or later.

Tell me the secret, dear kumai-chan~ :heart:

Quote
I guess it came with a price, though… I hadn’t realized just how worn out I was. Plus… it was really hard to leave my warm, cozy bed with Chinami dozing peacefully in my arms.

Lovely! :heart:

Quote
I hummed gently to myself while I cooked, making sure to prepare enough just in case my guest happened to wake up and was hungry.

Kumai-chan is my favourite chef!

The flashback about Chinami is really sad T_T She is such a happy go lucky person and now... *sighs* Goddamn bastard need to be punish to hell!

Quote
I felt thin arms wrap around my waist and a wiry form pressing against my back in a warm hug, and the momentary terror that had gripped me evaporated in that instant. I smiled, stopping what I was doing in order to place my hands on top of hers.

:OO Superbeautifulovelyworthdyingfor scene!  :imdead:

Quote
I heard a mumbled, sleepy response as she buried her head into my shoulder, and I giggled a little bit. How adorable…

"How adorable" is my line!

Quote
Chinami paused and stood up a bit on her toes so that she was peering over my shoulder now, and I froze as her cheek brushed against mine. I tried really hard not to blush, but it happened anyway, though as sleepy as my companion was I don’t think she seemed to notice. She was much more interested in the food.

KEKEKEKEKE (no, not a zerg rush.. I'm laughing in korean now, an excited and happy laugh :3)

Quote
“Yo~ Yurina-channnnn… Ya home, lazy butt?”

Huh!  :tama-mad:

Quote
I followed Erika’s curious gaze over towards the prodigy, who was looking at both with the most innocent expression that she could muster… a sign that something had obviously happened between her and our former troupe captain. She was determined to play the “I don’t know what you’re talking about” card, though, and blinked at us.

Lol, Miyabi. Why she still want to hide the obvious thing?

I hate koharu and kirarin o_o Maasa, go save Momo!

Thanks FIM for providing us with fluffy new chapter ! :3


Jab <3 marimari <3 ChrNo~ your spirit shall live forever.. T_T || zgy@last.fm

Offline FeverInducedMadness

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty-One -- Unexpected Kindness]
« Reply #313 on: June 13, 2007, 04:14:34 AM »
I want more luvin'  :mon lovelaff:

XD They aren't really the focus of the story, though. haha

Quote
Maybe she wants to be part of the troupe =O

Maybe, ne?

Quote
Aww, I can't help but feel bad and think of it somewhat cute at the same time <33

XDDD You know Chinami wouldn't be very good at sneaking.

Quote
I'm melting!! I'M MELTING!!..--goo--

XDD -resists the urge to say something snarky here, because I love you~-

Quote
They need to kiss..They really do..I demand their kiss right now!

Haha, you can't rush sweet things like this!

Quote
Miki-clone...>_> that was such a miki-excuse..

At least she's not at the groping stage just yet.

Quote
Lol Miyabi is lurve XDXD

XD She can't really help it when the two towers of H!P gang up on her like that, though.

Quote
=O Airi loves the psycho!!
>_< unrequited love sucks ;_; so tragic..

Just so you know, you're probably going to hate me when the story gets a little farther along.

Ahhh, new chapter <3

I was not lurking too! I just forgot to comment the first time I read it. XD

Yurina/Chinami <33333 Somehow the mental image of Chinami sitting in a tree makes me giggle. XD

Hmm, funny how Momoko picks up that Airi likes Koharu. XD I look forward to see what evil you can come up with soon. XD

And I second Loser's comment. YOU NEED TO UPDATE SOON! And it's not negotiable. XD

Love ya lots FIM-chan~ XD

XD It's alright. <3

I wonder if Chinami could even really GET herself into a tree. Seems too clumsy for that to me. Probably would break a leg. [ROFL. XD]

Momoko is fairly intuitive in this fic for the most part. XD As for the evil, you'll have to wait and seeeeeeee.

XDDD Yes, Estrea-sama. <3

Tell me the secret, dear kumai-chan~ :heart:

Kumaichou: o_o? An internal alarm clock?
XD

Quote
Kumai-chan is my favourite chef!

I'd definitely let her make breakfast for me, that's for sure. :3

Quote
The flashback about Chinami is really sad T_T She is such a happy go lucky person and now... *sighs* Goddamn bastard need to be punish to hell!

Totally polar opposite of what she used to be, ne? ><;; Thankfully she's in good hands now.

Quote
:OO Superbeautifulovelyworthdyingfor scene!  :imdead:

XDDD

Quote
Lol, Miyabi. Why she still want to hide the obvious thing?

Pride and her image, of course. XD

Quote
I hate koharu and kirarin o_o Maasa, go save Momo!

Thanks FIM for providing us with fluffy new chapter ! :3

XD It seems like no one has faith in Momoko to be able to take care of herself...
[Then again, knowing me, that's probably the way you all should be feeling. XDDD]

No problem! S'my job. <3
« Last Edit: June 13, 2007, 10:55:58 PM by FeverInducedMadness »
-sig is undah construction because it needs to be pimped out-

Offline FeverInducedMadness

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty-One -- Unexpected Kindness]
« Reply #314 on: June 13, 2007, 04:20:49 AM »
Mrr. Tired.
Fun times in this chapter.
Still building up to get to the good stuff, though.
No Momoko with the evil kids in this one.
Gotta make you wait in suspense to see what happens to her.
Got three comments for the last chapter (no Loser, your double post does not count).
FIM-chan is saddened by that. (Though she appreciates the ones that took the time to do it. :3 She loves you. <3)
But she updates anyway, because Loser-chan will probably kill her if she doesn't.
(FIM-chan tried to go on silent author strike but was threatened. XD Then she lost internet connection. Computer's out to get her too.)

Sleep now...

Enjoy~

[Chapter Forty-Two -- Bond]

“Could you possibly walk a little bit slower?”

You could walk faster.”

“Actually, I can’t. I’m walking pretty fast as it is. It’s not my fault you’ve got longer legs than I do…”

“Perhaps if you had kept up from the beginning you wouldn’t be in this position.”

I scowled at this beast of a girl that I was stuck with for the moment, but there wasn’t much I could do but try my best to struggle along behind her, because without her I’d have been stuck in a very shady part of the city… and, well… I had no trouble believing  that if we ran into some lowlife that she’d be able to protect us both.

Still, other than that advantage… I couldn’t see anything else about her that was even remotely likable. So why Momoko could stand to be around her really was beyond me. She was rough and impatient, and not exactly people-friendly. I guess appearance-wise she was okay, but… I wasn’t interested. But then again, I had Maiha to think about, so there wasn’t really any reason for me to be interested.

My head was still killing me, and I wondered if there was a chance I could pass out along the way. That would have been oh-so-convenient for her… She seemed to give up on keeping ahead of me after a while, though, and slowed down to match my pace, walking quietly beside me.

I actually couldn’t decide whether or not I was glad for that… She was quite a bit taller than I was, and very intimidating. And though she was looking straight ahead the entire time it felt like she had eyes in the side of her head that were focused intently on me and it was kind of… unnerving.

“Relax… I’m not that frightening.”

I jumped a bit, startled by her voice. Could she read my mind or something?!?

“I’m not scared of you…” I replied in a tone that was a mixture of sharp and shaky—not very menacing at all—attempting to scowl at her again. Strangely, she seemed to be unaffected…

“Sure… Your eyes were getting so wide for a minute there that I wondered if they were gonna pop out or something… And, well… you’re already going to have fun explaining to Momoko what happened, so… I don’t think we need to add that on top of things.”

Ugh, how annoying… I was really glaring at her now, but she still never once actually looked in my direction. So I decided to finally mumble what was on my mind.

“I don’t know how she puts up with you…”

“Really? I was thinking the same thing about you and Maiha.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!?”

“You’re so obnoxious… so young. How old did you say you were again?”

Sixteen, thank you very much. I’m not that young and I’m most definitely not obnoxious!”

“Complete polar opposite of Momoko… are you sure that the two of you are even related?”

“Alright then, let’s list off your faults, shall we? You’re rude, a little violent, and what’s with the ‘me against the world’ attitude, huh? Definitely does not fool me. And-”

Maasa stopped suddenly, grabbing my arm to pull me to an abrupt halt and turning me forcefully so that we were facing each other.

“You just don’t like me because you think I’m going to hurt Momoko somehow.”

I scowled. That definitely wasn’t it. I actually hadn’t thought about what was going on between them all that much. Momoko could take very good care of herself, and until she came home upset or crying or something like that, I wasn’t really concerned.

“That’s like saying you don’t like me because you think I’ll hurt Maiha-chan, and we both know that it would be the other way around in that kind of situation.”

“Then what’s your problem?”

“It’d just be nice if you’d treat me a little better, that’s all. I know we don’t know each other well, so you don’t have to like me, and I don’t have to like you. But with the way things are going, it looks like we’ll probably be seeing a lot more of each other, so we might as well build up some sort of tolerance level.”

“You won’t have to worry about that, because as soon as Momoko leaves, I’ll be gone, too.”

That… hit me pretty hard. We glared at each other for a bit before she roughly let go of my arm, stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets and turning to stare off down the street. I kept forgetting that my cousin’s stay here was temporary… that after the performance was over she’d be gone again. I suppose a foolish part of me hoped that somehow there’d be someway that she could stay here. But my apartment was really only meant for one person, and I was pushing it with my landlord by letting her spend just the two weeks in it with me anyway.

The only solution I could really see was if she were to keep dancing again permanently, but… was that something that she wanted?

I sighed and looked over at Maasa, who had an unreadable expression on her face. I got the feeling that I wasn’t the only one who wanted Momoko to stay… But it made me curious about something…

“What exactly… is going on between you two?”

“I… don’t really know.”

“What, haven’t you guys talked about it…?”

“Not… really. I’m not sure if I want to, either.”

That surprised me a bit. For a moment, it almost sounded like… maybe she was scared to find out just where their relationship could end up. Maasa didn’t look like the kind of person who would really be afraid of anything.

“Well, what do you want it to be?”

She groaned in frustration, narrowing her eyes at me before running a hand through that wild mane of hers.

“I don’t know…”

“It’s not that complicated a question. How do you feel about Momo-chan?”

“How is that not complicated?”

“Just answer the question.”

“How ‘bout you answer it first! How do you feel about Maiha?”

I felt a blush spread across my cheeks, and my eyes fell to the ground as a reflex. It didn’t make much sense for her to continue drawing parallels between her relationship and mine, since we were really different people, but… the answer seemed to be much clearer for me than it appeared to be for her.

“I like Maiha. A lot. Probably more than I really need to. And even though she has her faults… if she were to ask me out I would say yes without hesitation. So see, I have no trouble admitting the way that I feel. You know exactly what you’re feeling, but you just can’t get yourself past that mental barrier in order to come out and answer the question the way that I have.”

Maasa had a mildly surprised expression on her face in response to that, but she soon replaced it with another scowl and looked away from me. I allowed myself to grin a little bit. Momoko wasn’t the only one with a talent for reading people…

“Well anyway… I hope you’re able to figure things out for yourself soon enough… Preferably before it’s too late, hm? But if we’re done talking about this, I’d like to get home soon… My head is killing me.”

She nodded quietly at me and we continued to walk in silence for the rest of the way, Maasa in deep contemplation, and I in painful suffering as the consequence to my actions last night.

Ah, Momo-chan~ You’re so lucky to have a cousin like me that’s willing to help give things a little push for you…

------------

This part of town gave Nozomi the creeps. It wasn’t often that she or her teammates had to venture so far into the shadier area of the city, but the investigation she and Aibon had been assigned to called for them to do just that. She might have been a little less apprehensive about the job were they dressed like civilians, but she and her partner were in uniform, which meant that they stood out against their rough, decaying surroundings.

“Tell me again, Aibon…” The elder of the two whispered, tagging along close behind her companion and licking her lips nervously as she felt the eyes of a couple of punk kids who were hanging around next to a broken down car follow them dangerously while they walked.

Ai, sensing her partner’s nervousness, grabbed onto the other girl’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze in order to reassure her. She never let go, either.

“It’s just simple routine, Non-chan. We’ll just check out the scene, figure out what went down, and be back in the station before you know it. Piece of cake for you and I.”

“Maybe for you… I’m a little rusty, y’know… Yuko can’t even really afford to send us out anymore because we’ve been so short-handed…”

The younger female smiled at her rather identical friend, stopping to give the other girl a quick peck on the cheek. Nozomi immediately turned a bright shade of red, blinking at her partner in surprise.

“Nobody can figure stuff out like we can, Nono. Plus, it’s like riding a bike, you never forget. I’m sure it’ll still be just as easy for you now as it was back then.”

If you say so, Aibon…

The two young women made their way towards the remains of a demolished house, picking a careful path through the pieces of wood and warped metal sticking up out of the earth at dangerous angles. Once they were closer towards the center of the once-dwelling, however, they began to move much slower, examining every inch of the ground below them for any kinds of clues.

Nozomi was the first to spot anything. Her eyes landed on a dark, splotchy stain not too far from her foot, and when her gaze wandered a little farther ahead, there was a trail that lead on ahead and had apparently started outside from a different place than where she and Ai had entered.

“Aibon…”

“Hm?” Instantly, the other girl was at her side, dark eyes widening at the trail. “Ah… I think this is what we’re supposed to be looking for… come on.”

The two of them advanced carefully along the thick blood stains on the ground, coming upon two large lumps of uneven earth that were clear signs something possibly human-sized had been covered under each of them. That’s when Nozomi started to panic just a bit.

“Um, when the report said dead bodies… I thought that it meant that we were going to actually see dead bodies. Not graves… If Yuko wants us to dig these up…”

“No… I don’t think she does… I think we can solve this without having to go to those kind of measures.”

“You won’t be solving anything.”

The duo quickly turned their heads to spot Maimi standing behind them a few yards away, accompanied by Saki on one side and Kanna on the other. Judging by how tense her body language was, the gang leader was terribly angry, but somehow she managed to keep her facial expressions from reflecting that, and instead was staring at the two detectives with just a hint of a warning in her eyes.

Nozomi’s hand went instinctively to the gun nestled in her belt, and Ai watched as Kanna’s hand twitched in a similar way, the younger female’s fingers slipping into her pocket for something that probably wasn’t a piece of candy.

Before the situation could escalate into something much more dangerous, however, the gang leader turned her head only slightly, giving her subordinate a sharp look out of the corner of her eye, and almost immediately Kanna relaxed, allowing her arm to fall back limply at her side. Ai took that as a sign that the other girls weren’t looking for trouble if it could be avoided, and she carefully put a hand on her partner’s shoulder, watching as Nozomi reluctantly released her grip on the gun handle.

“Ah… you must be Yajima-san.”

“And you must be really, really stupid. Anyone with half a brain knows not to be wandering around in my territory…” Maimi replied, narrowing her eyes at the two.

Nozomi snorted derisively, crossing her arms.

“Actually, the police don’t really consider you and the kids you take care of much of a threat… food theft and small crimes like that aren’t really high on our list of priorities right now.”

“Whatever. I don’t really care how much of a threat you guys think we are… what I want to know is what the hell you’re doing here, snooping around the graves of people who were my friends.”

Upon hearing the tone in Maimi’s voice, Ai shot her partner a warning glance that said she was pushing it and stepped forward to take care of asking the questions.

“It’s part of our job to investigate civilian deaths… if there’s a murder, we have to learn all we can about it in order to make sure that other lives aren’t at risk of being taken, too.”

“Riiiiiiight. And it has nothing to do with the fact that the Miracle’s back in town?”

Ai grinned. “Well, I don’t know, you tell me. These were your friends… I’m sure you’d know how they died, hm? Perhaps for a little information, you could get us to leave and then we’d all be happy.”

The gang leader frowned, eyeing the older female warily.

“I don’t trust people like you. For police, you sure do a shitty job of keeping this city safe.”

“Well, with your help maybe we could be one step closer to getting rid of a big problem.”

“Do it yourself. I don’t owe you anything.”

Ai sighed, shrugging her shoulders a bit. “Well, I guess Non-chan and I don’t have much of a choice other than to take you in…” She nodded at her partner, who had her gun out and ready before any of the others could react. “See, as it is now, you’re obstructing justice by refusing to cooperate, and so I have to treat you and those two behind you just like any other suspects.”

Maimi bristled at that, and yet held her hands out to keep Saki and Kanna from moving forward. Knives and fists were no match for guns…

“So if I tell you what happened, you’ll leave us alone?”

“I can’t really guarantee that… but what I can tell you is that if you help us out, you can be sure that you and your girls won’t be at any risk of being thrown in jail tonight.”

“…Tell me what I have to do.”

-------------

Finally… After an hour or so of listening to ‘Are we getting close?’ and ‘I think I’m gonna throw up…’, we had made it to Sugaya’s apartment. I was so happy about it, that if I didn’t have to keep up my image of being cool and all, I might have bent down to kiss the sidewalk in front of the complex.

But… I also wasn’t so sure what Momoko would think about something like that. I was sure she probably wasn’t the jealous type, but you never know~

“Do you want to come in?”

I blinked, turning to face Sugaya, who was smiling at me in that adorably annoying way that I wasn’t even barely tolerant of yet. I had almost forgotten all about her while celebrating the joys of making it to the apartment. Almost. She wasn’t someone you could exactly ignore.

“Uh… What?”

“Do. You. Want. To. Come. In? Momo-chan would love to see you, I’m sure.”

I thought really long and hard about that for a moment. On the one hand, I really was dying to see Momoko again. On the other, Sugaya would be there with us, which didn’t really amount to a lot of privacy as far as I could tell. Still… the urge to be in that calming presence again outweighed how opposed I was to the idea of being around Sugaya any longer than I had to be.

“Sure… if it’s okay with you, anyway.”

She rolled her eyes and nodded at me, motioning for me to follow her as she walked inside the building. We made our way up the stairs slowly, as the kid seemed to still be dealing with this beast of a hangover and was a little wobbly where climbing was concerned. Though, it could have been worse… at least she was walking…

Somehow we managed to finally get into the apartment, though, and to say that I was disappointed to discover that it was devoid of the person I was anxious to see was… an understatement.

Sugaya seemed to be equally dismayed, and she walked over to the table beside the bed, leaning over to pick up a little note that was stuck to the alarm clock. She seemed to be having some trouble deciphering what was written on it, and after a moment of watching her struggle, I groaned, snatching it out of her hands in order to read it aloud.

“Rii-chan…

Apparently you ran off at the amusement park and are now missing… So I’m out looking for you. If you get back before I do, don’t go anywhere, okay? I’ll be fine, and if I don’t have any luck I’ll come back before sundown. Hopefully I’ll have found you or you’ll have returned by then. I’m serious, though, if you read this and leave to come looking for me I’ll strangle you. So just stay put.

Love, Momoko.”


I frowned, reading over the note again silently before looking over at Sugaya, who didn’t seem to really know what to think. She had a pretty guilty look on her face, though.

“I hope I didn’t worry her too much… She doesn’t even know her way around… I hope she’s okay…”

To be honest, I was hoping the same thing, since this city wasn’t exactly the safest place to be, and I actually wanted to leave right then to go out and bring Momoko back. But… I figured that she wouldn’t exactly be pleased with me were I to leave Sugaya alone, and I knew that if I tried to leave, the other girl would want to come with me.

Well… on the bright side… Momoko’s got enough common sense to keep herself out of trouble, right…?

“What should we do?” Sugaya asked me, those big eyes of hers flooded with worry. Were I not immune to such charms, that kind of face probably could have gotten me to do anything.

“We’ll wait until she comes back. It’s what she wants you to do, right? And… since I’m not entirely sure I trust you to keep from running off, I’m going to stick around too.”

The kid bit her lip anxiously, but she didn’t seem like she was going to try and argue with me. That, and I think she was kind of glad that I wasn’t going to leave her alone by herself, either. I sighed inwardly.

Several more hours of endless fun with Sugaya. Oh boy.

“So, uh… wanna watch some TV, then?”
-sig is undah construction because it needs to be pimped out-

Offline Estrea

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty-One -- Unexpected Kindness]
« Reply #315 on: June 13, 2007, 04:22:31 AM »
DIBS

Ahhhh I love how Maasa and Risako talk to each other. XD

Ah, return of W! XD So the C-ute girls are cooperating with them? Mm. I wonder what they can do. XD

x_X Maasa's staying with Risako, but what about Momo? :S I mean, Captain's following them, but still. x_x Could use a little backup....x_x;;;

Can't wait to see what you do next. <3
« Last Edit: June 13, 2007, 04:31:32 AM by Estrea »

永遠に咲き続ける花なんていない、すべてはいずれ枯れて朽ち果てしまう。

Currently writing:
- Lilium-related things. God save my soul.

On Hold:
- Everything Else. Too many to list.

I'm also on AO3!
http://archiveofourown.org/users/Estrea

Loser87

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty-Two -- Bond]
« Reply #316 on: June 13, 2007, 04:43:05 AM »
^ Damn you!!!! I wanted to be one ;_;

Dibbers --will edit after I wake up...again..*cough* what?--

Okay~ now....Quotes will have to wait because...I'm being just a little bit lazy
But COMMENT TIME YAY!! well...half of it anyways *cough*

W!!! They live!!!!!!! >_> Not that they died in the first place but it had a dramatic feel when I wrote that *cough*
I didn't know Maimi would easily give in like that o_o but then again..for the protection of the others..I guess I can see why.

I <33 Risako and Maasa's covo it is pure love
But I heart Risako driving Maasa crazy even more XDXDXD

But what will happen to Momo!?!?
WHAT!? O+O

UPDATE FASTER DAMMIT EVEN THO YOU GOT KICKED OFF BY YOUR BROTHER!!
USE YOUR TELEPATHIC POWERS!!!O_O

btw..ewww...you're going to be all peely XDXDXD

~Update!!
« Last Edit: June 14, 2007, 01:25:30 AM by Loser87 »

Offline rndmnwierd

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty-Two -- Bond]
« Reply #317 on: June 13, 2007, 06:42:41 AM »
W!!! W!! W!  :w00t: :inlove:

Offline iacus

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty-One -- Unexpected Kindness]
« Reply #318 on: June 15, 2007, 07:18:43 AM »
Got three comments for the last chapter.
FIM-chan is saddened by that.

Sorry 'bout that.
I know I haven't commented for the past twenty or thirty chapters. But I have been reading (and enjoying) everything you have written so far. The plot took a slightly different turn than I thought it would have. And I can't really see where it's going now either, especially if there's a couple sequels on the way.

Offline FeverInducedMadness

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Re: ::Heartbeat Tempo:: [Chapter Forty-Two -- Bond]
« Reply #319 on: June 19, 2007, 01:42:05 AM »
Just so everyone knows...
I'm having some issues here at home, and so it may be a LONG while before I update this story again.
It's not going down the drain, but until things settle down, I'm not going to feel like (and perhaps be able to, depending on what happens to me) writing.
So please be patient, and don't worry...
Hopefully I'll have something within the next few weeks or so.
...Assuming they don't take JPH!P away from me, too. ><
-sig is undah construction because it needs to be pimped out-

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