Hi Guys
sorry it took me so long to update
I'd like to welcome all new readers, thank you for commenting, you guys seriously made my days
I promise I wont take long to make another update..
@kojiyuu44, @K-popJ-popAWESOMENESS, @Minami-chan, @cisda83, @nunku: I'm trying to introduce a new side of Takamina, the one that hasn't been brought up by any other stories, that's the reason why the punch is necessary, just to emphasize how different Takamina is in this story.. I hope I could deliver it well in this story
this chapter will or will not make you look like this
or this
or even this
@Tanchan:
You got me.. Well maybe Takamina's staying at her own house, you know, the one she shares with her family.. let's just assume to that
Enjoy guys....
Chapter II
Three months had passed, and Atsuko had been busier than ever. Not that she’s complaining, she liked it the way it was. More time she spent working meant less time thinking about Takamina. She accepted every advertising contract and role offers that had been shoved to her face hoping that it would distract her mind off of Takamina. She had to admit it’s working well so far, despite the limited time she had to see her friends. Her friends had been nothing but supportive to her. She might not have time to actually meet them but with the constant text messages and phone calls, she felt closer to them than ever. During all those conversation they shared, Atsuko felt thankful that they didn’t mention Takamina’s name. Atsuko understood that they wanted her to move on and she really appreciated it, but the truth was she’s not ready to forget Takamina yet. It had only been five months since they broke up, and they had been together for five years. It’s not that easy. During all those conversations she shared with her friends, she’s dying to ask about Takamina, to hear any news about her, but somehow she’s afraid to find out the answers.
Atsuko had finished her schedule earlier than she expected, the crew had to postpone the filming because of the dreadful weather. So she headed home, wanting nothing but to give herself a decent rest before waking up in the break of dawn getting ready for yet another filming. She was about to insert her key to the apartment’s door when suddenly the door was opened from the opposite side revealing Yuko all dressed up ready to leave.
“Going somewhere?” asked Atsuko.
“You’re early?” responded Yuko. It’s very rare for her to see Atsuko at this hour, so to see the brunette that early was surprising for her.
“It’s the weather. We couldn’t continue filming.” answered Atsuko as she made her way into the apartment. “Where are you going?”
“The girls have set up a gathering to celebrate Tomochin’s and My birthday. They also mentioned a farewell party for Sae if I’m not mistaken.” Answered Yuko, “Now that you’re here, you should come too. It’s been a while since we hang out together because of your busy schedule Miss Maeda Atsuko The Great Actress.”
The taller girl felt guilty for she hadn’t made much time for her friends. She always turned down their offers because her works had prevented her to have time for herself.
“come on, it’s been a long time since they saw you, and they miss you.” begged Yuko with a pout.
And Atsuko missed them too, but it didn’t stop her from hesitating. She’s wavering at the fact that there’s a possibility that she could meet Minami tonight, and she wasn’t sure if she’s ready for that yet. No matter how much she missed her, she wasn’t sure if seeing her would be easy.
Yuko could see the hesitation on Atsuko’s face, and she was sure that the latter must’ve thought about her leader.
“Takamina’s not coming, NyanNyan told me earlier.” Stated Yuko.
Atsuko was startled that Yuko could read exactly what she’s thinking. She couldn’t really explain herself right now, a part of her was relieved that Minami would not be there, but a part of her was really disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to meet the person that she missed the most tonight.
“So?” trailed Yuko.
The brown haired girl knew that she’s not gonna win an argument against the latter, so she decided to just comply with her request.
“fine,” sighed Atsuko, “just wait for a sec, I need to freshen up”
-------
Two figures were lying in the bed of a cheap hotel room. The thin blanket with some holes on the cloth was the only thing that covered their naked bodies. The cold breeze wasn’t that much of a trouble when they could still feel the warmth from the intense activity they just did earlier. The smaller figure brought up her hands under her head, positioning them as her pillow, while the other one went on a slumber at once. She was breathing heavily, trying to catch up for some air into her lungs. She stared blankly to the ceiling, she could see that some parts of the woods were already rotten and leaving holes here and there. Looking at the poor state of the ceiling was far more interesting than looking at the sleeping girl next to her, because she knew once she gazed at the sleeping girl guilt would soon follow.
Takamina wasn’t sure how she managed to get the girl into the bed. All she remembered was this chick came up to her at the bar and said that she was a huge fan. They flirted, one thing led to another, they ended up in this place. This weird girl even shouted “General Manager” repeatedly during the intercourse, which was such a turn-off. She wasn’t the first girl Takamina had brought to bed, there were several others even weirder than her. She found out that sex was the perfect getaway from the thoughts of Atsuko that kept haunting her. Even so, from all those wild nights there’s one similarity, she never let any of those girls kiss her lips. For Takamina there’s something sacred about lips, her lips were just reserved for Atsuko. She was her first kiss and if it should be her last one, she wanted it to be with Atsuko.
Today the girls had invited her to join a small get-together for Yuko, Tomochin, and Sae. She kindly rejected the offer and spent the night in the bar instead. Despite being in a large number of people during her work, she had never felt lonelier than ever. She didn’t like being in the group that reminded her so much of Atsuko, but when she tried to find her among the crowd, Atsuko was never there. It was frustrating, at some point Takamina was sure she’s going to go crazy. She knew her group mates were worried for her, but she kept pushing them away, she even punched Yuko for god’s sake. For her it was safer to build up a wall between them rather than for her members to finally learn her weakest state. She didn’t mind if her friends hated her, being a leader didn’t make you a favorite person anyway. The burden of being the so-called-General Manager was too much for her to handle, and since Atsuko’s not around anymore, she felt like it was only intensified. It seemed to her that nothing was ever gone right the minute Atsuko left. She was overwhelmed with the excessive amount of responsibilities that she had to carry, and the fact that she didn’t have the right to refuse the role that naturally fell upon her was slowly taking a toll on her. She had no choice but to let everything bottled up and just sucked it up. She was on the edge, and it was only a matter of time for everything to explode.
She didn’t feel like sleeping, but she was too lazy to leave the place. In fact, she’d been avoiding the street. She felt like Atsuko’s haunting her everywhere she went, literally. Well the perks of having an ex-girlfriend who was an award winning actress, a CM model with the highest earnings, the most-seeked gravure model, and an ex-member of a popular idol group was she got to see her face everywhere, anywhere. Everywhere her head turned she found on the magazine stands, posters on the wall, freakin’ billboard screens, even a damn bus had Atsuko’s face on it. Ever since she left AKB, she’d been getting more popular day by day. On the other hand, ever since Atsuko left AKB, Takamina was left alone to fall into pieces. She chuckled bitterly, realizing that she’s the one who walked out on her, she’s the one who caused everything to crumble down.
She felt the figure next to her shifted her position and unconsciously wrapped her arm around her waist. That’s the cue for her to immediately leave the place before the latter wake up. She carefully lifted up the stranger’s arm from her body and scooted herself away from the bed. She stood up and quickly dressed up without making a single sound. She was heading toward the door when she felt her phone vibrated on her jeans pocket. She reached into her pocket and fished out her iphone, showing that she received a text message from Mii-chan, her ever so persistent friend.
“The party won’t start unless you come here! I know you have no schedules for the rest of the day, so I expect you to come in the next 20 minutes! P.S: We have tons of Katsudon for you.”
Being the youngest out of the first generation, she was always the spoiled one. No one could get away from Mii-chan’s unrelenting whining, she always got what she wanted. She did refuse Haruna when she invited her earlier, but spending seven years growing up together with Mii-chan, Takamina had never been able to learn to say the word “No” to Mii-chan. She blamed Atsuko for pampering Mii-chan too much. Atsuko often said that Mii-chan was their baby, that’s why she needed to be spoiled. Unknowingly, a smile made its way to her face, a genuine one, the one that didn’t require her to act just like she did in front of the cameras. She had to admit, it felt good. Maybe she’d been putting on a mask far too long. Before she knew it she already pressed the send button on her phone.
“Be there.”
------
Mii-chan was grinning in victory as she read the reply from her leader. She stood up from her seat and raised her phone highly for anyone to see before announcing proudly,
“I’m The Great Mii-chan! I could melt the ice that is our General Manager! Bow down to me peasants!”
“Mii-chan what the hell?! Sit down!” ordered Mariko. She pulled Mii-chan by her shirt to sit back down on her seat. The others in the room were laughing at the troll-duo’s action, some were staring at Mii-chan curiously.
“It’s VIP room, only us here. Duh.” retorted Mii-chan.
“what’s wrong?” asked Haruna.
“Takamina has agreed to come.”
“wha.. really?” asked Haruna surprised. Not just her, the other in the room were also surprised to hear the news. For the past few months, Takamina had always denied their invitation to have meals together. The sudden turn of event came as a shock to them. Takamina didn’t hang out with them as much as before anymore. By “before” it meant the time when Maeda Atsuko was still a part of AKB.
“Yes! She could never say no to me.” Answered Mii-chan proudly.
“Finally,” sighed Mariko. “How long is she planning to act that way anyway, distancing herself from us?”
“I think being with us reminding her of Acchan,” muttered Haruna. “This is frustrating, they’re both are such a mess. Yuko told me that Acchan kept piling herself up with work to distract her mind off of Takamina. She barely got some sleep at night.”
“I think they need to sort this out by themselves.” Suggested Mariko.
“I wish Acchan could come and finally talk it through with Takamina” said Mii-chan.
Not long after, the door of the VIP room was burst opened, revealing Yuko with another figure that she hid behind her.
“Guess who I brought guys?” announced Yuko. She stepped aside and revealed the person hiding behind her, “The one and only Maeda Atsuko!”
The whole room cheered when they saw Atsuko entered the room. It had been a long time since they saw her, so everyone was pretty much too ecstatic to finally get to see her.
Unknown to the rest of the room, three persons were frozen in their seats. Their mouths were slightly open because of the shock that ran through their bodies. Mariko made her first move from her seat by elbowing Mii-chan on her ribs, making the latter let out a yelp, “be careful of what you wish for.”
------
“Takamina’s coming?!” Yuko repeated her girlfriend’s statement in disbelief.
“Tone it down.” Said Haruna as she flicked Yuko’s forehead.
“ouch!” Cried yuko, rubbing her forehead, “that hurts NyanNyan.”
Looking at her girlfriend’s glare, she continued on with whisper, “You said Takamina’s not going and that’s the reason why she agreed to come with me in the first place.”
“Well, she rejected my offer earlier. But Mii-chan texted her just before you came and she said yes right away.” Reasoned Haruna.
Both of them were whispering in one corner of the room, along with Mariko and Mii-chan.
“you shouldn’t have texted her Mii-chan, you know how she always complies with whatever you want.” Stated Yuko, poking her finger on Mii-chan’s chest.
“Well I didn’t know that Acchan’s coming, you didn’t say anything!” retorted Mii-chan.
“Stop blaming each other,” stated Mariko, “they have to see each other eventually. Isn’t that what we want? For them to talk?”
“but, I’m afraid of the outcomes.” Said Yuko, “I’m afraid Acchan will get hurt again”
The four of them averted their gaze at Atsuko who was busy taking pictures with the rest of the members. Aware of the stares that were fixed toward her, she turned her gaze to meet with theirs.
She smiled before mouthing, “what?”
Before she got her answer, the sound of the door being opened distracted her and naturally she changed her direction to the person who just came in. Her breath hitched in her lungs, when she saw the person she’d been longed to see entering the room.
“I’m sorry I’m la…” Takamina’s voice got stuck in her throat when her view came across Atsuko.
Takamina felt like the room had quieted down in an instant, all of the other voices that came in to her ears were all like a blur sound wave that she could not manage to catch. Time had stopped for the two persons, as they were staring at each other with such longings that were so overwhelmed. Their gaze was locked to each other, neither knew what to do, neither knew what to say, they were just there, drown in each other eyes.
The occupants of the room couldn’t help but to hold their breath as they watched their general manager and their ex-ace shared an intense stare across the room. Their heads kept moving from left to right, watching the two of them, waiting for one of them to give up and break the stare to save them from this awkward moment. Of course they knew about the current situation between Takahashi Minami and Maeda Atsuko, even their sister groups from out of town were updated, words travel fast indeed. Well, the fact that Takamina punched Yuko during their practice some months ago because of the discussion about Atsuko were not really something that could be hidden for long. The members nudged each other, silently asking for someone to just break deafening silence, but none seemed to dare to do anything.
While on the other side of the room, a certain squirrel-look-alike girl was being elbowed on her ribs from left to right.
“What?!” whispered Yuko from the corner of the lips, too nervous to even open her mouth.
“do something!” ordered Mariko, with the same volume.
“what exactly?” asked Yuko back.
“Anything!” murmured Mii-chan. “things are getting awkward here.”
Yuko grumbled to herself for always being the victim to be a mediator between the two ex-lovers. The last time she tried, a fist landed on her face, and this time she could expect the worse to happen.
She heaved a deep sigh before she spoke loudly, “oi Takamini, glad you make it!”
She made her way toward the shortest one of the group and casually draped her arm around Takamina’s shoulder. “have you eaten yet? What do you want to eat?” asked Yuko enthusiastically, even too enthusiast that it’s kinda weird, but also it’s a good thing that no one noticed. Almost immediately, the whole room started to make a sound again.
She led Takamina to one of the vacant seats before making sure that it was the furthest from Atsuko. Yuko agreed that both of them need to settle things, but not now, not in front of the members. She’d feel bad at Sae and Tomochin because the gathering was meant for them also. If it’s up to Yuko and the event was hers, she would lock Takamina and Acchan inside the room to talk. Maybe one thing might lead to another and they would kiss and make up, and maybe doing even more than just a kiss. Yeah, that’s the way Yuko liked it, she wished things would just be as simple as that.
Atsuko shifted from her seat to put back her glass of cold water to the table. The tip of the straw for her drink was disfigured, a habit that she’d developed when she’s nervous. The room was filled with the sound of laughter from her ex-fellow members, but she didn’t feel like laughing, she didn’t even feel like talking. She was there, the person she’d been missing so much these past months, she was so close to her but yet felt so far. She wished she could just hug Takamina and tell her how her days felt like a total wreck without her. Atsuko’s thoughts drifted off to the words that Takamina said about her in front of the members a few months ago.
“Did she really mean those words she said? Does she miss me like I miss her? Does she think of me all the time like I do?” asked Atsuko to herself. So much questions came up to her mind that desperately needed to be answered. Atsuko felt her eyes brimmed with tears, and she quickly wiped them away before she let any to fall down on her cheeks. It was hurt to remember those things Takamina said. She didn’t realize that she had fixed her gaze onto Takamina for quite some time until their eyes met again for the second time that evening. Caught red handed, she hastily turned the other way, accidentally kicking the table in the process. It was unfortunate that a wineglass was placed near the side of the table, causing the content to also spill on Atsuko’s skirt. She bit her lower lip, cursing herself for her clumsiness that was caused by the stares from her ex. People around her were immediately helping her before the stain could do much damage to Atsuko’s skirt. She stood up from her seat after thanking her friends for their help and excused herself to the restroom.
Takamina watched as Atsuko leaving the room. A smirk crept on her lips from learning that Atsuko hadn’t changed much, she’s still as clumsy as ever.
“this is unfair. Why she’d gotten prettier after we broke up?” thought Takamina.
“long hair really does suit her.”Unknowingly a smile made its way to her face, a genuine smile that had been long gone for a while. “I still cannot escape you, can I Maeda-san?” sighed Takamina to herself. The smile didn’t stay for long when she remembered those scandalous pictures of Atsuko that graciously landed as the cover of every newspaper and magazines in Japan.
“Has she found someone new?” wondered Takamina,
“Why in the hell would Atsuko choose him as my replacement? He’s not even man enough to properly carry her home when she’s drunk. He’s a kamen rider for crying out loud!” The thoughts had successfully gotten her irritated beyond belief. She wanted to get mad and interrogate Atsuko right there on the spot, but on the other hand she felt like she didn’t have any rights to interfere with her personal life anymore. She grabbed a bottle of tequila and reached for a shot glass on the table, filling it full with the alcohol. She drank it in one take, and soon had another refill. She did it repeatedly ‘till her action earned an astonished look from her friends.
“whoa general manager, slow down.” said Mariko as she took the tequila from Takamina’s hand. “you drank half of the bottle already, spare us some will you?”
Takamina chose to ignore Mariko, with seven shots of tequila already consumed in her body, Takamina was tipsy. She laid back at her seat closing her eyes letting the sensation of the alcohol warmed in, when suddenly she felt her phone vibrated against her thigh. She fished out her phone and read the new text message. She didn’t know who it was from, all that she knew was the sender had sent her some dirty, erotic message and asked her to meet up later that night. She smirked knowing that it must be from one of those girls, the girls that Takamina spent her lonely nights with and didn’t even bother to remember the names. It always made Takamina curious why those girls couldn’t get enough of her, as they kept asking to do the same thing repeatedly. Whatever reasons they had, Takamina made sure that she would ask them later. All of her thoughts about Atsuko were long gone as soon as the alcohol occupied her system, thinking that if Atsuko had moved on with that good-for-nothing guy, why couldn’t she? She couldn’t bear herself to imagine what things Atsuko had done with that guy. She took one last shot and stood up.
“sorry guys, gotta go.” Announced Takamina.
“What? But it’s still early, we haven’t even cut the cake.” complained Mii-chan.
“Boo Takamina! Don’t be such a party pooper, the fun hasn’t even started yet.” Said Yuko. “we haven’t played spin the bottle, and you must see how I skillfully drink shots from NyanNyan’s body.”
A fist soon came in contact with Yuko’s crown, “too explicit Yuu-chan!” scolded Haruna.
“I’m sorry, but I have an early schedule tomorrow, and I don’t feel really good right now.” Lied Takamina.
When it came to schedule matter none of them could come up with an argument, because they themselves knew just how precious sleep was for those who had morning schedule.
“okay then. Rest well Takamina.” Smiled Haruna full of understanding, though Takamina could stills see a hint of disappointment in her eyes. Not just Haruna, but those friends who were close to her also.
They waved Takamina goodbye as she made her way out of the room. The last thing she heard when she closed door was whisper from some of the members.
“you think Takamina leaving early has something to do with Acchan’s presence?”
“is it because of the scandal about Acchan and Sato Takeru?”
Takamina scoffed dejectedly, but chose not to care about what other people thought of her.
She headed toward the exit door when she felt another vibration form her cellphone. She took her phone from her pocket and read the new message. It was from the same girl, texting her to make sure that she would come. Takamina headed out as she typed a reply to let the sender know that she would come, not paying attention to where she’s going. She had her eyes fixed to the screen of her cellphone and didn't realize when someone just came out of the restroom at the same time when she walked pass the door. Her cellphone dropped to the floor when their bodies made contact in a not-so-subtle way. Despite having a small figure, the blow didn’t give much impact to Takamina, but on the contrary the other person was too startled to even balance herself. Out of reflex, Takamina reached for the arm of the latter before she fell down, and her other hand was securely placed around her waist. Not until the stranger was safe in her arms that she realized who was the other person. The scent that was still familiar to Takamina's nostril, and how the other's body perfectly fitted into hers, could only mean one person.
"You alright?" Asked Takamina, still holding Atsuko safe in her arms.
Was it because of the alcohol that was playing tricks with her eyes or maybe just because of the lighting, Takamina could swear she saw a hint of pink on Atsuko's cheeks.
"I'm okay." Answered Atsuko. They both stood still, frozen in their position, no one wanted to let go. Their eyes met for the third time that day and in a much, much closer distance. It felt like their gaze were pulling each others closer.
"You... You can let me go now." Said Atsuko after regaining her composure.
Takamina hurriedly removed her hands from Atsuko and looked away, avoiding the latter's eyes. She spotted her cellphone and bent down to grab it. She straightened herself back up as her eyes travelled to check out her ex girlfriend from toes to head. Atsuko was wearing a white sleeveless blouse with a skirt that went just right above her knees. It was just a simple outfit, the kind which the taller girl wore everyday, but it was just enough to get Takamina mind blown.
"You look good" complemented Takamina, blurting out her mind. "long hair really does suit you"
"Thank you," smiled Atsuko genuinely.
Noticing the messenger bag that was slung over Takamina's shoulder, she decided to ask, "You're leaving?" Asked Atsuko, surprising the shorter woman.
"Yeah, I have something to do." Answered Takamina.
Though it was just a spare of seconds, Takamina could see a hint of disappointment on Atsuko's face. She pouted, well maybe not too much, the pout was there, barely, something that Atsuko did whenever she felt upset toward something.
A pregnant silence once again filled the atmosphere, and Atsuko secretly hoped that the ground would just swallow her right there. She wished there's something she could say to Takamina to make her stay, but her brain didn't see to cooperate, but still, she had to try. She missed her so much, 30 minutes wasn't enough to satisfy all of her emotions. Even her eyes hadn't been appeased by seeing Takamina in such a short time.
"So.."
"So.."
They both chuckled when they realized that they're about to say something at the same time.
"I should go now" said Takamina, excusing herself.
"Oh, okay" replied Atsuko, feeling dejected. "take care"
Atsuko walked past Takamina, walking toward the members’ private lounge. Without her realizing it, a lone tear began slid down her cheek, and as much as she wished it was the last tears she’d cry, she knew better that this wasn’t going to happen. It crushed her deep down that the both of them were acting like a total stranger to each other. Not much words were exchanged between them, while they used to share every single things that happened in their daily life all the time and not getting tired to listen to each other's voices. Back there both of them were keen to avoid staring into one another's eyes , while they used to spend a day doing nothing but just stared lovingly at each other's eyes, finding themselves fell deeper to the person in front of them. Atsuko missed those moments, she missed them all, she missed Takamina, she missed how they used to be. After merely five steps, Takamina's voice was stopping her from her track.
"Atsuko" called Takamina from her spot. "do you want me to stay? I’d stay if you want me to."
Atsuko stood there motionlessly. She looked down on the floor and her back continued to face the love of her life. She did not have the strength or will to turn around because she knew that if she did, she would have easily collapsed and broke apart again.
Hearing no response from the latter, Takamina decided to leave, maybe it was just her wishful thinking. Maybe Atsuko had indeed moved on.
“do you?” asked Atsuko bitterly.
TBC
That's all I have for now guys...
Topic: Stay - Chapter III (06/16/13) (AtsuMina) (Read 27964 times)