@ Ninjatigerdemon : Thank you

Yo guys! Thanks for waiting! I don't expect that I can finish this chap so fast

Please enjoy it.....

As usual, pardon my poor english

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Chapter 4
I don’t know why I can’t be mad at her just like what I always do to her before. I feel relax, I feel easy, I can feel no burden on me anymore. Minami helps me to feel it. Her warmness always helps me and never fail. She knows I need someone, she knows when I am in pain, she knows how to cheer me up even it annoys me little, she knows everything. I don’t know if she could read through people’s mind, but I don’t care. I slowly look at her, her face is so happy. Is she happy when she holds my hand? She holds my hand gently and it’s warm. I get blushed again.
“We’ve arrived.” said her as she looks at me. I look at her. She smiles and I reply it with a smile too.
“Thank you… Minami.” she holds my hand tighter and I look at my hand. Then I look at her as our eyes meet. She releases her hand and the situation feels awkward.
DEG! DEG! DEG! I can clearly hear my heart’s beating. Ow… what am I gonna do? Why my heart is beating so fast?! She’s Takahashi Minami, she’s AKB’s leader! What is it feeling? Ugh… eh wait! What If she also hears my heart beating? Oh no! What should I do now?
“O-okay… I am going in.” when I start to walk she calls me. I turn around.
“May I… May I know your phone number?” I look at her with a strange looking.
“Ah! Never mind! I just feel it is easier to communicate with you by phone if we are away. Hahaha… It’s okay.” she forces her self to smile. Then I approach her and take my handphone out of my bag.
“It’s fine.” She is surprised. Then she takes her phone out too, and I can see she is happy.
“Thank you, Atsuko.” she smiles.
“No problem Minami. I am going in. Be careful.” I said as I walk and open the door. I can feel she is still there until I go inside my house. I close the door and I walk to my room. I turn on the lamp and I put my bag on my table. I look at my handphone, wishing someone’s mail. Then I come closer to the window and slowly open the curtain. She’s not there. Somehow I feel…. I don’t know how to tell my feeling right now. I don’t want her to go, I want her to stay with me a bit longer, and now she’s already gone. It is mid night, will she be alright on the way home? She’s small, maybe she’s strong but she’s still a girl. She’s weak if it is with boys. It might be some bad guys out there. I close my curtain and my mind is full of her. My worries, my uneasy feeling, its mixed. I just can hope she’ll be alright, and safe until she reaches her house. And then, my hand phone is ringing, quickly I open the mail.
Acchan, are you home?
I am sorry for today I can’t walk
you home. Have a nice dream.
MarichanIt’s Marichan. I am glad she sends me message. But… why I am not happy? It’s strange. I always be happy whenever she sends me messages, but now? Her message is not the one I want right now. Then it is ringing again. I open it.
Atsuko, don’t worry I’m fine.
I am used to walk alone in the mid night.
Trust me, I am strong! Gyahahaha
\(^o^)/
Good night. I quickly open the curtain, and she’s right there! I can see her pink ribbon starts walking away! I close the curtain and run as fast as possible to catch her.
What are you Minami? Why do you know I am worrying you? Why do you know when I am thinking about you? And where are you hiding? Do you know that I am gonna open the curtain and looking for you then you hide your self? What for, Minami? I open the gate and start running again. I can’t see her shadow along the street.
Where are you Minami? Where are you?
I can’t run anymore. It has been so far from my house. Maybe she has gone to the station already. I need breathe, I need air since I am running so fast and never stop. I give up, then I go back to my house still thinking about her. Will she be okay? On my way home I always think about you. This person has been successful to make me thinking about her every time, every second, every minute.
I wake up at 5 am this morning. We have rehearsal at 7 am and I am not feeling good right now. Should I email Minami and ask if she’s alright? But I am afraid to do so…
I have to believe her, she’s alright. Maybe Minami just woke up and get herself ready for today’s rehearsal. Okay, I’ll meet her there.
I have arrived, looks like all members just arrive as well. I see Marichan over there with Minegishi, Kojima, and Oshima. They are talking about something, then laughing at the same time. And then Marichan looks at me. Frozen. Then she looks away and continue talking with them. Huh? So it is right you abandoned me if somebody is around? Okay Marichan, I am wrong. I should know I never get any friends here. I am alone since the beginning, since he announced me as the center girl. Everybody starts ignoring me. But I am fine. I am okay with all of this. As long as…. Minami is beside me. Cheering me up. I think, she is the most person I need. I don’t know why I can trust her. Her gaze through me, her caring, her warmness, her touching, I can trust that all.
Speaking of her, where is she? Has she arrived or not? I walk to the table near me and put my bag there. My eyes are looking for her shadow, but couldn’t find it. Everybody is here, why is she coming late? As I know, she has never come late even for practicing. Was there something bad happened last night? Arrgghh!! I have to think positive, maybe she gets traffic jam or she wakes up late? Oh come on, she’s human, she’s not perfect, she might be waking up late this morning. I nod slowly, yosh! She’s okay! I won’t worry her since she would gonna be alright. I come to the stage since everybody gathers there. We are warming up for some minutes and then I could see Aki-p walks toward us.
“Good morning!” said him loudly and all members reply it.
“For today’s rehearsal, please do your best. Even it is just a rehearsal, you should put a full effort on it. So that tomorrow concert must be better even best. You got me?” Everybody replies ‘YES!’. He walks away and go inside a room. BLAM. He closes the door. I am still thinking about Minami. Where is she? Even in briefing she has not appeared yet. I worry about her right now. So worry. Should I email her? Okay, I should. Then I walk toward my bag and reach my handphone. And then I hear somebody approaches me.
“Acchan….” I turn back and it’s Marichan. She walks to the same table and takes her bag. She doesn’t seem to look for something. I know that is her reason to talk with me right now.
“I worry about you, since last night you didn’t reply my message.” she doesn’t look at me. She still busy with her bag, pretending looking for something inside of it.
“I am sorry Marichan. I fell asleep.” I answered.
“At least you can reply it in the next morning. But you didn’t.”
“I am sorry. This morning I wake up late, so I was such in a hurry to be ready and come here on time. I am sorry.” I lied to her. She sighs.
“That’s okay. There is something I’d like to tell you Acchan…” then she looks at me with serious looking. I look at her as well. I’ve never seen Marichan is like this before. Is it a very important thing that she’d like to tell me about? What is it? Or maybe it is about last day that she was with someone in a room? Okay, I will listen to it.
“Acchan… Acchan… I…” She has not done with her words yet but she is being called by Oshima. We will start our rehearsal.
“Later I will tell you Acchan.” she runs away and come to the stage. I am curious. What is it about? And then my phone is ringing. A message.
Good morning Acchan. (^.^)/
Has the rehearsal been started?
I guess I’ll come late…
There’s something I’ve to do first.
Jaa nee.. Fiuh… I feel relieve when I received her message. Thanks god she’s alright. Then I reply it.
Yes. It has been just started.
Be careful Minami. How come you always give me an answer whenever I worry about you? Do you know what I feel right now? Nee… Minami… What are you actually? Is it true that you can read through people’s mind? Do you have sixth sense?
I put back my hand phone and walk to the stage and ready for our rehearsal.
Some minutes later, Minami comes. Seems she is running since she is sweat. I smile at her. I am glad she comes, I am glad she doesn’t change, she still likes yesterday, I am glad she is okay, I am so glad. She walks to the stage and bows her head.
“I am sorry guys, I am late.”
“It’s okay captain! Let’s practice!” said Team K’s captain, Akimoto Sayaka. Minami smiles at her as she nods. She looks at me then she smiles. Her smile is different with the one she gives Akimoto. I reply her smile, and I give her my best smile.
The rehearsal ends in the evening. Everyone seems tired. Some of them are half sleeping on the floor, on the stage, on the chairs. I also feel so tired. I am hungry, I need rest too, so I decide to sit not far from the stage. And then Minami walks toward me.
“Hi Atsuko… How’s today?” she sits beside me.
“It is tiring.” I wipe my sweat on my forehead and my neck.
“Here…” she gives me mineral water.
“For me?” I asked. She nods. “Where’s yours?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“No thanks.” I don’t want to take her water as I know she only brings one. I take my wet towel and put it on my eyes. It’s cold.
“Why?”
“I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself just only for me. I will take it if you have the other one with you.”
“We don’t need two, one is enough. We can share.” she answered. What? Share? A mineral water and we share each other? Does it mean…. I keep looking at her.
“What? You don’t need to look at me like that. Is it wrong if we share mineral water?” You know Minami, it means that we……………indirect ki-
“Ah! Don’t tell me you think about indirect kiss??????” she teases me. DEG! H-how could she know what I am thinking? Then she chuckles.
“N-n-no way! W-why should I think about that? Ugh…” I am nervous and my heart is beating so fast. Oh god! How could she know? Urgghh…..
“Haha… It is okay Atsuko. I just can’t believe you still thinking about that. Hehe…” She chuckles.
“I said no! No! Don’t you hear me? I said, NO!” Now I feel little embarrass.
“Here… just drink then.” she gives me her mineral water. Without thinking, I take it and open it. I drink as much as I can’t drink it anymore. Actually, I am also thirsty. I give it to her and she drinks it as well. I look at her, she drinks it slowly not like me. Here it is. The indirect kiss. My full attention is on……………..her lips. It is attracted me, so I can’t look away at that time. When she finishes, I quickly look away. I play with my towel and sing a song.
“Uwaaa!! I feel alive!” she is shouting. I look at her. How come she becomes that happy? Is it just a normal water, isn’t it? She is weird.
“I don’t know why I can be this happy after drinking this normal water. Or maybe it’s because of you who had drunk it first?” she looks confused as she stares at the bottle. OMG! Why could she know again what I am thinking? I should be careful then….
“Takamina?” calls someone, and she is Kojima. “Oh yo!” Greets Takamina. I see Kojima looks at me with….. the same looking as Minegishi’s. Yeah, I am sure I will hear about something that irritates me again.
“What are you doing here with…… this person?” asked Kojima.
“This person?” Minami raises her eyebrow.
“Yeah… this perfect-looking girl.” she crosses her hands in front of her chest.
“You mean Atsuko?” said Minami.
“Oh yes… Atsuko Maeda. Our lovely perfect-center-girl.”
“Could you just say Atsuko instead? That was too long.” said Minami. I look at her, I know she is different with Marichan. At that time when Minegishi said something bad about me, she remained quite. So different with Minami. I feel she is protecting me right now.
“What’s wrong with you Takamina? Are you her friend now?”
“Yes. Is that wrong?”
Minami…..
“You are kidding right? How come you are being friend to someone like her?” Every member’s attention is now on us.
“… she thinks she is the best here, she ruined our practice some weeks ago, and then she always be the center! No one likes her, everybody hates her! I know you want to be center, Takamina….” I shock, then I look at Minami. She still keeps looking at Kojima. I look down. Is it right she always wants to be center? I feel guilty now. I know my self is not suitable to be one. Minami is. I ruin everything.
“Listen Haruna….” I look at Minami, she begins to talk now. “… Do you ever think that Atsuko has much burden on her? Do you ever once thinking about how if she actually doesn’t want to be center girl? Do you ever think how much she learns to become better? She keeps dancing and singing even though you guys ignore her. If you were her, could you be like what she had done? Could you still be able to practice? Could you be able to smile? Laugh? She never looks someone as her rival, she doesn’t even say that she is the best. Do you know she always says she is nothing? She is such a fail? She doesn’t deserve the center girl position? You don’t even know about it right?? So that she tried her best to become suitable for center girl position, even though she was in pain, she still kept dancing, she kept practicing, don’t you ever think about that for once? Could you guys be like her If you were her?” Kojima stays quite. I can’t believe what Minami said about me. I am surprised. I want to cry now, but I have to hold it.
“Everyone wants to be center I know, and I want to. But I know I still lack of something. And I realize something. Maybe being center is a pride for some of you, but center girl is just a person who stands in the middle. It doesn’t mean that you guys don’t have any role in it, sure you do. Now what do you think if it just the center girl who is standing on the stage? Will we be success? No. We fail. You guys are also shining on the stage, not only the center girl. You all are important, not only the center girl. She just stands in the middle to make our formation balance, it doesn’t mean all the attentions are fully for her. You are totally wrong if you ever think like that.” Everyone starts to whisper. I can see Kojima can’t say anything. She just looks down and can’t face her captain.
“Let’s go Atsuko.” She grabs my hand and takes our bag and goes out immediately. All attentions are still on us.
On the way home, we are still in quite. I still can’t believe what she said about me. I am so grateful.
“Minami…” I start talking.
“Hm?” She responses.
“Thank you…”
“What for?” She looks at me. I look at her.
“Thank you for your long speech. It’s cool.” I smile. She smiles too.
“What? Speech?” she chuckles.
“Yeah… I can’t believe you will say something like that. Thank you Minami.” then she holds my hand. Her hand is warm. My heart starts beating, and I blush at that time.
“You don’t need to thank me.” she smiles as she holds my hand tighter.
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How? How? How??

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