Without YouThe doorbell rang, and Ai waited nervously. It wasn't her first time here, but she was still a little awkward about meeting Reina's mother again. After so long associating only with staff and co-workers, it was strange to have contact with the warmth of a family again.
I wonder how Yuu-chan is? Her thoughts wandered to the sister she had not seen in so long. Though they used to squabble a lot, deep down Ai still cared a lot about her baby sister.
If only she relies more on me...then again, I'm not very reliable, am I?Ai smiled wanly at her own thoughts, and at that moment, the door opened.
"Ai-chan! Welcome!" Saeko smiled gently, taking in the pale, strained features on the girl before her. Ai was obviously worn out, but held herself well nevertheless. She beamed at Reina's mother, bowing almost unconsciously.
"Thank you for inviting me."
"It's my pleasure. You're always looking after Reina, it's the least I can do."
Reina. Ai's heart made a hard double-thump at the name. Reina had fallen asleep before her yesterday, obviously worn out by the stress of what had happened before. It was one of the few times that ever happened, since Ai was usually the one who fell asleep first.
Ai had taken the opportunity to study Reina's delicate, unguarded features as she slept, fascinated by how utterly cat-like her little kouhai was. When Reina made a small, snuffling sound and burrowed into her chest like a small animal, Ai had blinked and automatically wrapped her arms around Reina. Protectively, even possessively. A contented murmur was all she needed to hear from the cute little kitten in her arms.
It was hard to believe that such a small, vulnerable person would stand up to defend her. Ai had felt the tears well up almost unbidden, cuddling Reina even closer. She could never let Reina get hurt, not because of her.
"Ai-chan? Why are you in a daze?" Saeko's voice broke through to Ai, startling her. It was only then that she realized that she had been standing in the entrance for a minute or two, just swaying gently on the spot. Embarrassed, Ai bowed her head and apologized.
"You must be tired." Saeko's voice was understanding. "Why don't you go check on Reina? She's still in her room upstairs."
"Ah!" Ai blurted out suddenly. She held out a plastic bag. "I bought some ice cream on the way. I thought we could have it for dessert later."
"That's very sweet of you." Saeko accepted the offering, her opinion of Ai going up yet another notch.
She's a nice girl. Looking into the bag, the older woman chuckled.
"Green tea and chocolate flavor?"
Ai flushed. "Is it the wrong one? I didn't know..."
Saeko laughed. "No, I just find it amusing that you picked Reina's favorites."
Shifting awkwardly, Ai toyed with the ends of her hair, unsure of how to reply. Sensing the discomfort, Saeko subtly guided her guest towards the stairs where the bedrooms were located.
"You can go check on Reina. Young people should stick together, no?"
"But you're not old?" Ai replied earnestly, making the older woman chuckle.
"Go entertain my daughter. I still have to finish making the meal." Ai hesitated, then nodded before sprinting up the stairs. Saeko noted that Ai was very fast on her feet.
With a small shrug, the Tanaka matriarch returned to the kitchen. The kids would be hungry when they came down.
~*~*~
"Reina~" Ai called softly from outside the door. No response.
"Reina?" Ai pushed the door lightly, and it swung open, revealing a very pink room. The sight never failed to make her smile. The tough girl image Reina so carefully cultivated was practically the anti-thesis of how her room looked like.
The girl in question was curled up on the bed, too tired to even crawl under the covers. A towel was haphazardly wrapped around her head, still obviously damp from the shower.
Ai sighed as she crossed the space in a few steps. Reina had not dried her hair properly again. She had half a mind to wake the younger girl up, but when she looked down at the peaceful face half hidden by the towel, she couldn't bear to do so.
"Really, Rei, you'll catch a cold..." Ai mumbled, carefully untangling the towel from Reina's head. Even as she did so, Reina flopped over, so that she was now snoozing face down on her belly. This suited Ai's purposes perfectly.
Ai's hands were gentle as she carefully dried Reina's hair as best as she could, taking infinite care not to hurt or even wake the girl. Thankfully, Reina slept like a log.
When she was done, Reina was still soundly asleep, a little bit of drool staining the pillow she was hugging. Fondly, Ai smoothed the strands of hair away from Reina's face, taking the opportunity to look at her again.
So cute. Then Ai noticed the dark circles under Reina's eyes, and a wave of something akin to guilt washed over her.
I shouldn't let her worry about me all the time.Idly, Ai started running her fingers through Reina's hair, undoing the tangles and just enjoying the feel of the strands in her hand. Her thoughts wandered, as they often did in the past few hours, to a certain person.
Yamashita... It made her chest hurt to think of him. She could not love him anymore, did not, not after how he had hurt her before. It made her angry that he would just waltz back into her life pretending nothing had happened, and to try and claim her again.
If not for Reina... Ai would be lying if she said she wasn't worried. He would make his move against Reina, now that he knew that she was her weakness. In fact, he had already begun acting against her, that much Ai could fathom.
Though the producer had been apologetic, Ai knew that it wasn't his fault that she was being dropped from the drama. It was just Yamashita showing off that he could do a lot of damage to her career if he chose to. Just a small taste of things to come.
He won't let us off easily. Ai knew that it was only a matter of time before he started doing the same to Reina. Ai knew the price he demanded, but she shuddered to even contemplate it. She could not let him touch her again. The idea repulsed her.
And Reina would be mad at her if she knew. Ai ran a finger gently down the contours of Reina's face, tracing the outlines as if to commit them all to memory. There were times when Ai regretted coming into the industry, with all the complications that came with it. But here, with Reina slumbering under her watchful gaze, Ai could not find it in herself to regret the decision. After all, if she had not entered the industry, she would never have met Reina.
It was amazing how they had become close at all. Ai knew how different they really were, and sometimes those differences led to arguments between them, but were never really serious enough to cause a major rift. Stubborn and headstrong they both might be, but they also genuinely cared about each other, and while neither would ever give in, they soon discovered that their best recourse was to agree to disagree.
Reina was just...different. Challenging, without being annoying. They fought, but without malice. It was fun being with her, and it helped that Reina absolutely
adored her. That much was obvious, and it was very flattering for Ai. Being the subject of such devotion (much of it undeserved, she thought) gave her warm, fluttery feelings. It made her comfortable around Reina...
...which was why it was so hard to distance herself from her. Pausing in her study of Reina's face, Ai retracted her hand, her fingers curling into her palm. The thought...distressed her.
It would make sense to create that distance about now. Yamashita had already made the first move, and Ai had a sinking feeling that he would slowly corner her by cutting off everything she held dear. Her work, her prospects...and Reina.
Ai thought she knew the man, once. Had hints of his obsessive nature in the way he dealt with certain things and people. Hindsight put a lot of things in perspective. Yamashita was calculative, and eeriely rational in a destructive way. Ai was sure he would come after Reina, knowing how important she was to her.
The solution was simple, though it may already be too late. Still, if Reina was no longer close to her, perhaps she would no longer be a target for Yamashita to get to her. Ai wanted to believe that she could do something to make the best out of an already bad situation.
If I'm not in the picture, he would never have a reason to attack Reina.
If I'm not here...Fingers slipped unconsciously back into her bag, drawing out a much folded piece of paper. The creases on it showed the many times it had undergone such treatment, and once again Ai unfolded it, reading it without really reading it, since she already she knew what it was all about.
Think about it, it'll be good for you.The words echoed in her mind, even as she refolded the paper and tucked it back into her bag. She didn't want to think about it, because thinking about it would only lead to one conclusion.
Fingers trailed a lingering path over one temple and over a ear, smoothing back the wavy strands of hair. Ai leaned down, hesitating for a moment, then allowing her lips to brush Reina's temple lightly. The whisper that escaped with her breath brushed across soft skin, tingling where it touched, tight with emotion.
I don't want to leave you.=======================================
Well, that was fun. I'm sort of back on track, but I'll need to look at my timeline again. I still have things going on schedule, so...
Ai is an idiot. Well meaning, but an idiot. I still love her though. She just needs to be more...well, she needs to stop assuming things on her own. Really.
And yeah, I hope you guys like this chapter! Despite the lack of fluff.
*flops into bed*
Topic: Destiny Love [16/02 - In My Own Time] (Read 78554 times)