Sakura Michi - Chapter 24 Part 1 -
Title: Even Cherry Blossom Paths Can Lead Astray
Pairing: KoKame, KameDa (one-sided), JinDa, MaruDa friendship
Rating: 14-A
Genre: romance, drama, angst? No idea XD
Disclaimer: I don’t own them! I wish I did, but I never will (tear)
Warning: alcohol abuse, some “language,” smut
Summary: Kame and Ueda have been going steady since shortly after Jin left for L.A. and Kame finally decided to confess… but what happens when the little things start pushing the two apart? Will they be able to bridge the growing gap, and when Kame decides to take things into his own hands, how does it bode for his lover?
| Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3| Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 |
| Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapt. 10 |
| Chapt. 11 | Chapt. 12 | Chapt. 13 | Chapt. 14 | Chapt. 15 |
| Chapt. 16 | Chapt. 17 | Chapt. 18 | Chapt. 19 | Chapt. 20 |
| Chapt. 21 | Chapt. 22 | Chapt. 23 |
Chapter 24
- Ueda’s P.o.V -
“...ya? Tatsuya? Are you okay?” Jin’s voice reaches me, but then blinding pain shatters any normalcy I might have regained overnight and my arm lashes out. “WOAH!” the cry pierces my skull and aches like some oversized tumour, just sitting there pulsing and awaiting release.
I mumble something unintelligible that should have been, “Go away,” but ended up more like, “Gmpfh m-lay.”
“Tatsuya, I have some medicine here for you. It should help, but you have to come out,” the voice quietly insists. “I have water, too. All the blinds are closed and the lights are off, I promise.”
I curl up like some giant mutated pillbug and roll over in the direction of the voice, knocking him off the bed like he’s some kind of rolling pin in a bowling alley. The tumour-pain doesn’t like that. It throbs menacingly and I groan.
“Tatchan! Why’d you hit me?” Jin’s whining is at just that pitch that it shrieks echoing inside my head, so when he sits on the bed again, my legs lash out to knock him off again. The corner of the blanket falls away and the light from the kitchen blares cruelly, burning my eyes. I let out a strangled cry and scramble for the blanket edge again, cover my sight in sweet darkness.
“...Kazu! Pick up the phone~!” Jin’s voice is a little farther away and I hear him give a yelp and suddenly he’s pleading with... Kazuya?... for help. But then he starts yelling something, making that damned evil throbbing in my head worse. I yell at him, which only makes it worse.
This goes on for a while, and I’m not in a sound enough state of mind to even know what’s really going on, but suddenly the scent of lavender fills the room and I get relaxed and drowsy. But, it’s hard to smell it through the blankets... maybe if I unravel them, just a bit-ah, that’s better. Eh? It’s dark out here, too... and what’s?!-oh, it’s a... hot water bottle? Feels so nice...
I feel myself getting sleepier and then a hand is lightly stroking my hair from my face, loosening the blankets from their twisting, twining hold around my legs and chest and suddenly, I can breathe better. My head feels heavy, but the pain is receding and just the smell of the lavender is soothing my eyes... when did Kazuya get here? Only Kazuya knows about the lavender. But-if it’s Kazuya, I’ll have nightmares. If it’s Kazuya, I-I’ll-but- this hand is warmer than Kazuya’s... “...Jin?”
“I’m here, Tatsuya. Just sleep.”
Ah, it is Jin. I guess it’s okay to sleep, then...
Dim light and the sound of chopping vegetables somewhere greet me when I finally wake up again. With a groan, I roll over to check my clock. “Only ten-thirty?” I groan and pull some sweats over my shorts, surprised that it’s warm enough that I don’t need a hoodie, too. I pad into the kitchen barefoot and find Jin scooping rice into bowls. “...Jin?”
He starts, turns around and smiles brilliantly at me. “Tatchan, you’re awake! I was so worried when you balled up like that, I didn’t know what to do! I thought maybe you were having a nightmare but then you started mumbling about your head hurting and--”
“Wait-what?”
He blinks at me, confused. “Y-you don’t remember?”
“Remember what, Jin?”
“Your hangover.”
“...” hangover? Suddenly, blurred memories: lots of shouting, the sound of someone hitting the floor-repeatedly. “...Oh.”
“If it wasn’t for Kazu, I don’t think I would’ve figured out what to--”
“What’d you call Kazuya for? The instructions are right there,” I point to the fridge, where a piece of lined paper says in big, bold, Kazuya’s-handwriting letters, “FOR HANGOVERS.” The title is highlighted in pink and underlined in yellow, as are the numbers for each step.
“... Oh.”
I hit my head against the fridge. “You didn’t know it was there?!”
“W-well, I guess… I-I-breakfast is ready!” he holds up the bowl of rice in his hands, smiling stupidly.
I shake my head. “Well, thanks. I’d’ve been bedridden all day if you hadn’t been here.”
“Thank Kazu... and Koki. I kinda disturbed them,” his smile turns sheepish.
...Wait, since when does he call Koki-kun ‘Koki’ again? I shake it off. “I’ll make sure to,” I mutter, sitting down.
“Tadaima!” what, does he think he owns the place?
“I’m not saying ‘okaeri’ unless you help me pay the rent, Jin,” I say, meeting him at the door.
He pouts, unlacing his boots. “Nobody loves me today! Kazu and Koki couldn’t wait to get rid of me, and now you’re talking business!” suddenly, his lips quirk into a smile, “Unless you want me to move in, of course.”
I blink. And blink again. Did he... really just say that? I realize my mouth is hanging open and close it, seeing Jin looking at my lips.
He coughs, blushing slightly and sets his jacket stiffly aside. “I was just kidding, you know. No need to look so horrified or anything,” he walks past me, patting my shoulder gently, and beneath the casual, laughing remark, his voice comes out strained.
I grab his shoulder just before he’s out of reach. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just surprised,” I insist, feeling guilty.
The tension in his smile melts and my heart feels lighter already. “’S okay, I shouldn’t make jokes like that.”
I shake my head. “Baka! There’s nothing wrong with a sense of humour!” I punch his shoulder, shaking my head. “Come on, I just made ramen, want some?”
He smirks. “I thought you were a healthy eater?”
“It’s got fresh stuff in and on it! Only the noodles are crap.”
He laughs. “Sure, sure. I’m in.”
“Nee, Tatchan?”
“Yes, Bakanishi?”
He ignores the nickname. “We’ve got a couple free days coming up, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Wanna go someplace?”
I blink, looking up from my noodles. “Like?”
He shrugs. “I dunno. An onsen? Onsen are nice.”
“I think Kazuya mentioned something about an onsen recently but what about the beach? Or a spa…”
“Let’s go to the spa! I love massages! That’s a promise now you know!” I’m expecting him to clap his hands any second, he looks so excited. And then he glances to the clock. “Hmm… what do you want to do today, then?”
I frown. “So long as it doesn’t involve drinking, I don’t really care. Well, I wouldn’t mind stopping by the gym though…”
“Let’s do that, then! You had to cancel because of a meeting the other day, right?”
“But… what about you?”
He shrugs. “I’ll watch.”
“It’ll be boring,” knowing him, he might fall asleep even.
But he insists, “It won’t be if it’s you!”
His statement is met with a brief silence. I feel my cheeks get a little red and cough into my hand, looking away. “…Okay.”
“Yay!” he stands up and hugs me. “Finally, I feel loved!”
This only helps deepen the blush on my cheeks. What an idiot-how can this guy be so serious and then so stupidly childish the very next moment? “Whatever,” I mumble, detaching myself. “Help me with the dishes.”
On to | Part 2 |