Hmm, I was gonna wait a bit to post more... but it's Saturday! So everyone has free time to read, right? And there aren't even any other updates! As always, comment replies first, but I think I'll keep them short this time since most of the content is similar.
Yes, it is all MiyaChii's fault.
Though I think there's still reason to be worried for Chii... lol. As for the opening, yes, awkwardness is the mood around there.
Thanks for the compliment btw,
°e!
As for the KohAika-ness... I see you guys seemed to like it this chapter. Well, how about a good bit more of it?
This is one of my favorite styles of chapters to write. I hope you guys like it too!
Chapter 6“No Koha-chan, I can’t let you get involved,” Aika said, staring at the burnished metal as she turned it carefully in hands that rested on her lap. Koharu peered out between her knees as she slumped in Aika’s bean bag chair, while Aika reclined against the wall her mattress rested against.
“I won’t let you do this by yourself!” Koharu said insistently. “You could get yourself killed or something!”
“And that’s exactly what I don’t want to happen to
you,” Aika replied, looking up hard into the other’s eyes. “I’m doing this to protect those I care about so they don’t have to worry about things like this themselves.”
“That seemed to be what your sister thought too!” Koharu pressed strongly. “And then when something happened to her, since
she’d kept those she cared about at a distance, there was no one there to help her!”
Aika had started moving when the girl mentioned her sister, and by the time she’d finished had only a short distance to cover before reaching Koharu and clouting her jaw, toppling her over in the unstable squishiness of thousands of beans in their rubbery encasing.
“This is
not about my sister,” Aika growled, glaring down at the girl who was trying to recover from the assault.
After quickly regaining her senses, Koharu snapped her eyes back to Aika’s face. “This is
all about your sister!” she almost yelled. “
Your sister is the one who got involved in the first place.
Your sister is the one who seemingly fell in too close with Takahashi-dono.
Your sister is the one who got beat to death in front of your eyes!”
Aika felt rage flowing through her just waiting to be unleashed on the body below her, but she realized that wasn’t who it was really directed toward, and spun away, falling onto her mattress to hug her pillow tightly to her chest.
“Why are you doing this, Aika?” the continually prodding voice came from behind. “Are you doing it for everyone you claim to want to protect?” She paused a moment to let her words sink in. “Are you doing it for yourself?” After a moment Aika felt a tentative hand on the back of her shoulder.
“…Are you doing it for your sister?”Aika kept herself in her tight ball for a minute, the girl’s words resounding within her head. Finally she rolled over, looking up at the girl who now sported a slightly purpling jowl.
“I’m doing it because I
can,” she said, her voice to her ears feeling soft and hard at the same time.
“I don’t know about that, Aika…” Koharu said, looking down nervously to the weapon now resting off to her side.
“Come on, Koha-chan,” Aika said, keeping her friend’s eyes captive. “You know I’ve always been quick, good in fights… It’s pretty natural, really.”
“Those skills can be used for other things too,” the girl said preachingly.
“Yeah,” Aika responded, “And we’re just so big at extracurriculars. Me and my supposed piano lessons, you and your… well… I think you get my point.”
“It’s just ‘cause we’re lazy,” the girl said, turning to make herself comfortable once again in the beany squishiness.
“And that’s exactly why I don’t want you to get involved,” Aika stated again.
Koharu raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I believe I was referring to the both of us, and not just me.”
“Seriously,” Aika said, “What could you contribute other than some girly slaps to the cheek? That’s not gonna keep
you alive, never mind save anybody else.”
“Are you saying I’m not good enough?” the girl said primly. “Miss Aika Mitsui, Celestial Master of the Iron Fist, with Koharu Kusumi her faithful Airhead.”
Aika looked away, not wanting to meet the other’s accusing gaze. “You’re just not the type,” she said shortly.
“And
you are?!” the other snapped back.
“I do what I have to,” Aika responded, feeling the redundancy ring hollow even in her own ears.
“You
have to do
shit!” Koharu shot at her. At hearing the rare cursing from her friend, Aika stayed silent this time.
A few minutes passed as Aika kept reinforcing the steel armor she wrapped around herself, and Koharu tried to cool down the best she could.
“Takahashi-dono will kill you…” Aika finally said in a soft, almost desperately reasoning voice. “I know she only accepts me because I’m Risa’s sister and won’t take no for an answer, but she won’t have it if you come groveling to her too.”
“From the sound of it, what you did was
far from groveling,” Koharu said expressively. “I wouldn’t intend on doing anything differently.”
Despite her words, Aika still knew how the encounter would go. Koharu would barely make it two steps into that room until her hollow skull would get smashed in, and it was more likely to be one of the Chinese girls before she even reached Takahashi or Tanaka. Hell, if Chisato were around she might even do it herself. The younger girl never thought much of Koharu.
Aika had the advantage of being known in the area since by necessity sometimes she had tailed her sister. Even then she never made it past Jun or Lin, usually just chilling with them while Risa had her always-fleeting meetings. For those not known or approved, wherever their base was at the time was a death trap, and Aika didn’t even know what weight herself being along would lend. She had no illusions of where she stood in the City.
“Give me some time,” was what she conceded finally, sitting up but still clutching her pillow tightly as she stared at the wall opposite her friend.
The other girl was silent for once, and Aika only heard the slight rustling as she positioned herself within the malleable chair.
“Where’s your mom through all this?” Koharu asked. “She’s gotta be making funeral arrangements or something.”
“She’s leaving most of it to the city,” Aika replied blandly. “She spends most of her time lately with her current boy toy, and apparently doesn’t see any reason to change her routine for this.”
Aika’s mother, although now in her thirties and not in “full bloom” as it was called it around here, was still quite attractive and popular among men and women alike. She was never one to turn down advances either, and so Aika and her sister got used to strange people coming in and out of their house at all hours. Lately she finally seemed more tempted to settle down, thus staying with someone, usually a younger guy, for longer periods of time. It also resulted in her rarely being seen at home, and so the two sisters had gotten used to relying on themselves with the money that was left behind whenever there was a chance visit.
“I’m sorry you’re having to deal with all this…” Koharu said gently, and Aika knew if she looked at the girl she’d see tenderness in her eyes as well.
“It’s ok,” she replied simply. “It’s life, isn’t it?
“There’ll be a service at the graveyard by the old church on Cedar this weekend. Since we’ve got no family here really, she’ll just be vaulted with other kids who died in similar situations.” Even though they were words she spoke, she didn’t completely believe them. Risa was anything but a kid as far as Aika was concerned, no matter her age.
“I’ll come with you,” Koharu said, and this time Aika felt a hand on her shoulder again.
Instead of shrugging it off, she reached her own behind to lay atop it. “Thanks,” she said. “That’ll be… nice.”
After reaching about the rock bottom of depressiveness in the conversation, the girls busied themselves for a while talking about school and the new movies out at the theater. Before they knew it darkness fell, and after a long look into Aika’s face, Koharu decided to phone her mom to let her know she was staying the night. Once dressed down to pajamas, the two girls began to enjoy their sleepover while setting aside any of the more serious matters. They played a few games of cards, and even had a few tries at Aika’s old gaming system, which only really worked half the time anymore.
After Aika beat the expectedly air-brained and inept girl yet again at
Street Fighter, Koharu collapsed back into the bean bag chair, which they’d pulled right to the foot of the mattress so they could both play comfortably.
“Maybe you’re right,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I couldn’t dragon punch…” she gave Aika a sideways glance, “…
your grandmother.”
Aika chuckled, gratefully well-absorbed into the light mood they’d surrounded themselves with as the evening went on. “Best be careful,” she warned chidingly. “My grandmama kicked quite a few asses in her day. You’d have a fireball up in yours before you knew it I’m sure.”
“Psht…” Koharu spat dismissively. “But she’s
old!” she protested, as if that settled the matter. Aika grinned as she laid back on the mattress herself, stretching after their stiff and tiring night of goofing-off.
The silence dragged on, until Koharu broke it delicately in a much different voice than she’d just used. “…D’you think I’m an old maid, Aika-chan?” she asked in a light and reservedly thoughtful tone.
Aika blinked. “What?”
“You know,” Koharu said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What the others were saying earlier. Talking about me not being able to get a girl. I mean, it’s true…”
Aika pulled herself up onto her elbows to look down her nose incredulously at her friend. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” she said, rather bluntly. “Of course you’re not an old maid. You’re seventeen!”
“That’s right,” the other responded, looking down into Aika’s eyes. “I’m seventeen. Do you know how many other seventeen-year-old virgins there are around?”
This time Aika sat herself completely up. “
I’m sixteen!” she exclaimed.
“And that’s not seventeen,” Koharu retorted primly, lifting her nose as if making an irrefutable point. Then the uncertainty returned. “D’you… d’you think I’m doing something wrong?”
Well, you could put yourself out and participate in more activities and stuff… Aika thought to herself. “Of course not,” she said firmly.
Koharu lowered her eyes to Aika’s face again, and Aika noticed her eyebrows raise slightly. “And what if I even
do find someone who likes me?!” she questioned, more paranoia becoming apparent. “I’ll… I’ll have to kiss them or something! And I wouldn’t know the first thing to do!”
Aika blinked, now suddenly at a real loss. “Um…” she said, trying to find something intelligent to say. “I guess you could… well... you know… just kiss them?”
Aika was almost becoming scared of those widening eyes that were fixed on her own, until she saw some sort of light bulb go on within them. “I know!” Koharu burst out excitedly. “We could practice!”
“Practice…?” Aika repeated, becoming ever more confused.
“Kissing!” Koharu said, as if she was reading the word clearly on Aika’s face.
Feeling her lips suddenly dry, Aika sucked them into her mouth to wet them slightly, and then started gnawing a little. “You… you want to practice kissing with me?”
“Yes!” Koharu said, smiling, as if this was the answer to all her problems. Aika really did wonder what got into the girl’s head sometimes. She slid herself off the beanbag chair onto the mattress, and pulled herself up until she was sitting right in front of Aika. “I mean, I know you’re not good either and stuff, but…”
Aika furrowed her eyebrows.
Hey now… she wanted to say, despite the situation.
“…But if we practice, we’ll both be able to sweep girls off their feet, I’m sure of it! And you’re my best friend, so of course it won’t get weird or anything…”
“Um…” Aika said, her mind blank, but the other girl was already squeezing her eyes shut and leaning forward slightly, puckering. “Koharu…” she began, trying to think of something to deter the girl, and leaned forward to try and pull her aside so they could talk this out.
However, the other girl apparently didn’t have her eyes completely closed, because when Aika leaned forward Koharu did smoothly as well, and before she knew what was happening she felt the girl’s lips press lightly against her own.
Aika froze at the contact. However, that of course only had the effect of making said contact last longer, and it was beginning to feel a bit warm and wet before Koharu pulled away, looking into Aika’s eyes as if for a response.
“There,” she said. “That wasn’t too bad, was it?” Aika still hadn’t moved a millimeter, her eyes fixed as they stared widely into the other’s. “Well…?” Koharu asked again after a moment. “How was it?”
“Um…” Aika began again, her mind blank just as it had been for the last few minutes, but now also feeling a warm flush of what must have been intense embarrassment proceed up and down her body.
Koharu frowned. “Hmm. I think we should use our tongues. All the girls say guys are disgusting when they do it, but that other girls know actually know how to use them and so it’s the best kind of kissing. So this time just open your mouth after a second, kay?” And she leaned in once again to the still immobile second-year.
A while later the two girls stared above the knees they hugged to themselves while still sitting across from each other on Aika’s thin mattress. “Well that was… fun…?” Aika said, trying to make a sensible sentence come out of her mouth.
Koharu blinked at her a few times before admitting in a small voice, “…It got weird, didn’t it?”
“Yeah...” Aika nodded as she viewed her friend through the thickening discomfort between them.
“Well…” Koharu said slowly, “Good night!” And she dropped her knees, shifting herself to the side of the mattress before slipping under the sheet and becoming still.
Without a word, and wondering what the big deal really was with getting a girlfriend anyway, Aika reached over to flip off the lamp and slid under the sheets herself as well.
“Goodnight, Koha-chan.”
Topic: City of Angels (Chapter 15 on 10/20) (Read 32300 times)