Hana Kimi Fan Fiction ❯ Years Away From What I Need ❯ First Date ( Chapter 4 )

DISC: I don't own Hana Kimi or the characters. They belong to Hisaya Nakajo. Please don't sue. I'm not profiting from this story, other than the benefit of the joy of writing it.

 

AN: OMG, people! No wonder I've been getting no reviews. Mediaminer's weird editor made half of each chapter not visible. Because it eliminates everything if you have the symbol for half (1 / 2 without the spaces). Who knew that I used that so often in my writing? But seriously, guys, anyone who read this and gave up because the chapter wasn't fully there, could next time you maybe - oh, I don't know - leave a review letting me know???? Kthxbai. :D

 

 

 

Chapter 4

 

`Dinner time. Cafeteria and deal with all my classmates who think I've personally ended the career of their favorite star? Or Tappanyaki where I'll think of Nakatsu all night long?' She unloaded her book bag and placed in it her notebook, several pens, and her cell phone. `Yeah, like that's a hard choice!'

 

“Oh, you going out to eat?” Sakura breezed into the room, and flopped onto her bed. Kyoumi was still amazed that she could take an action so inelegant and make it seem graceful.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I don't blame ya. I wouldn't want to deal with those old biddies either, if I were you!” Kyoumi smiled at that. “Yeah. The way I hear it, you've secretly been writing to Nakatsu for years, and seducing him the whole time. But since you were underage, it was simple to say no. Now, however,” Sakura stood up and dramatically danced around the room the melodrama of the gossip, “there are no boundaries, and he has completely fallen for your deceptive wiles.

 

“Enough so that you were able to convince him that the ONLY way you could possibly be together would be if he were to give up that VULGAR sport called football and wait on you hand and foot!” She bent over and acted like she was sticking a finger down her throat. “BARF!” She swirled around to face Kyoumi and placed both hands on her hips as she declared, “Idiots!”

 

Kyoumi laughed, “So you wanna come with me?”

 

At that moment, her cell phone - which never rang and was there mostly just in case of an emergency - rang. Both girls jumped and stared at the bag the phone was in, but neither made a move to answer the call.

 

“Uh, Kyoumi? Your bag appears to be ringing.”

 

With a yeah-you're-sure-funny look, Kyoumi reached in her bag and pulled out her cell. It was not a number she recognized. Raising her eyebrows to her roommate, heart racing with uncontrollable hope, her mouth twitched to one side to indicate she had no idea who was on the phone as she flipped the phone open. “Hello?”

 

X

 

 

“So when can you start?”

 

“How soon do you need me?”

 

“Well, I was hoping to find someone who could take over right after the Christmas break. Would you be available by then?”

 

“I just need to find an apartment here and move all my stuff, and then I'm yours. I could even start before the break to transition the team.”

 

“That'd be great!” The coach was absolutely beaming.

 

“Well, I remember how important you were to *my* development - I'd hate for them to just lose you cold.”

 

“Yeah, right!” The coach joked back, “You just don't want to have to deal with the crap those brats'd hand down to you if you stepped in fresh without me to kick `em in line.”

 

“Well, that, too,” Nakatsu agreed amiably. The coach laughed outright. “So… When will I find out if I got the job?”

 

Confusion spread over the coach's face for a second, followed by amusement. “Um. How `bout now?” He watched the man he'd trained as a boy run through the meaning of what he'd just said. “I already told the board that I was hiring you, and they readily agreed. Like they could possibly turn away the most famous footballer in all of Japan! You're going to do wonders for the upcoming admission applications. And the fact that you weren't even a dorm 1 student is going to help with the non-athletic admissions, too.

 

“At first, the board was a bit concerned - they thought they'd never be able to afford you. But I assured them that Nakatsu Shuichi wasn't the type of guy to take a job based solely on monetary benefits, he's the type of guy who picks his job based on the satisfaction it gives him.

 

“Of course, you'll be making more than I ever did - your fame is sure to bring the school enough extra profit to make it worth their while.” He handed Nakatsu the official offer letter. “Take some time, read it over, make sure it's what you want, then fax it back to me.” He stood up to shake his former pupil's hand. Nakatsu did the same.

 

“Thank you so much, sir.”

 

Pulling him into a hug, the coach replied, “Welcome back, son!”

 

X

 

He walked off campus with the first half of his goal accomplished. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a notebook and opened the front cover. Sitting on a bench, he pulled out his cell phone - and called the hotel he always stayed at. Once he had a room reserved so that he'd actually have a place to sleep for the night, he walked toward the hotel and began dialing again.

 

X

 

“Hello?”

 

Hearing her voice, he found himself smiling and feeling warm. “Kyoumi-chan?”

 

“Nakatsu!” In her dorm room, Sakura had her eyes wide in excitement and enthusiasm, giving Kyoumi a double thumbs up. “Um. Hi!”

 

“Uh, hi. Um…” it was really ridiculous to be this nervous. Seriously. He was a grown man.

 

“So uh… how's Tokyo? Glad to be home?” Sakura shook her head no, and started miming eating dinner to her roommate.

 

“I'm not quite home yet, actually. But… maybe soon. Uh, I finished your book.”

 

She sat down in a quick lump on the floor. Sakura began making the “What? What?!” gestures. “Oh. You did?” She looked as white as a ghost. Sakura began whispering, “Breathe, girl. Breathe.”

 

“Yeah. Um. I was kinda hopin'… I mean…” He slapped himself in the head. `God, man, you sound like an idiot. Just ask the girl out!' “Would you like to join me for dinner?”

 

Her breath started coming in rapid pants, but she hid it by moving the mouthpiece away from her mouth in between talking. “Dinner? Um. You mean you're in town?”

 

“Just say yes!” Sakura mouthed at her.

 

“Yeah. I'm in town. I'm in the hotel just down the block from Auntie O's.”

 

“Oh. Well, then do you want to meet up there?”

 

He smiled and then shook his head. “No. I mean, I'll come pick you up. If… um… if you don't mind, I'm hoping this can be like… a date?”

 

“Oh. Okay. Sure.” She was starting to feel faint.

 

“Okay. I'll be waiting at the front gate in half an hour. Is that okay?”

 

“Yeah. Okay. I'll… see you in half an hour.”

 

“Kyoumi?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I'm really looking forward to seeing you again.”

 

“Me, too. Bye.”

 

“Bye.”

 

Slowly, she closed the phone. Her eyes spoke volumes of terror and Sakura smiled. “So am I spending the next half hour getting you ready for a date with your dream man?”

 

She looked up at her best friend and nodded slowly, and then broke into a dreamy grin. Laughing, Sakura pulled out her electric rollers and plugged them in, then turned to the closet to pick her roommate an outfit that would stun.

 

X

 

Her hair was beautiful ebony waves that came halfway down her thighs. On top, she wore a light mauve wraparound top of soft silk - the V-neck plunged down enough to show cleavage that her schoolmates envied, and the waistline was tight so that you could appreciate her tiny waist. The flouncy sleeves just covered her shoulders. A deep-plum colored flouncy skirt stopped just 2mm before her hair did. Black knee-high boots emphasized her tresses, while a necklace with a plum-colored disc that looked vaguely like a piece of shell hung just above where her cleavage started.

 

Subtle plum and pink had been used to shadow and line her eyes, making them appear larger than usual, but without making her appear made up. A healthy glow on her cheeks and some pink lipstick that emphasized the fullness of her lips completed Sakura's make-up on her.

 

Carrying a small black bag that held her cell phone, her keys, her new notebook, a pen and a lipstick, she walked nervously through the hallway toward the exit. The vultures circled and looked like they intended to descend, but Sakura ran interference so that her roommate could escape unmolested. And then, she laughed the whole night at their pitiful attempts to get her to tell them ANYthing.

 

X

 

 

He was wearing his interview suit, but with a clean, pale blue shirt and a blue patterned tie. His hair was slicked back and business-like. As Sano would say, he cleaned up pretty good. He was pacing in front of the gate. He'd gotten there 5 minutes early. In the middle of turning, the gate opened and she came out. Feet freezing mid-stride, his jaw fell open. Kyoumi stopped as well, staring at the beautiful, suave- looking man waiting for her.

 

“Uh, hi!” He raised one hand in greeting.

 

“Hi,” she bowed slightly to him.

 

“Are you ready?” he asked.

 

She walked the remaining distance to him. “Uh. Sure.”

 

“Okay.” He reached out and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers, and they both felt their breath catch. They began the walk to the restaurant. “So do you want to go to Auntie O's? I mean, you look really wonderful, so if you'd rather, I could take you to the 5-star restaurant in my hotel - they serve a fabulous steak.”

 

“Would you rather go for steak?” she asked, eyeing him.

 

“Well, actually…” He stopped and turned to her. “Actually, I'm really nervous, Kyoumi. I've never really dated anyone before - well, there was Komari-chan back in high school, but… that didn't go really very well because I was in love with someone else, and I really shouldn't be mentioning other girls when I'm out with you, should I? But, you…” He looked deep in her eyes and swallowed. “I just want to do this right.”

 

“Nakatsu? Let's just go to Auntie O's, so we'll be somewhere familiar.”

 

“Ok,” he said, and they started walking again. The wind caught her hair and blew it like a trail of silk ribbon behind her. His eyes kept returning to soak in her presence. `My god, she is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.'

 

She snuck glances at him as they walked. She'd never seen him look so formal, so put together. He looked almost like a model in a fashion magazine. `Did he get all dressed up just for me? I mean, yeah, I got all dressed up for HIM, but I've been infatuated with him since I was three! Maybe I fell and hit my head and this is all a dream.

 

`He was in love already. I guess I kinda knew that, but I didn't really put the word “love” into the situation.' She thought about when Makoto came home from Olympic training freaking out and saying, “He's a she! I mean, God DAMN it! How did I not see it! That spunky little twirp was actually a girl! MAN! If I'da known… And she's CUTE, too! DAMN IT!” Kyoumi had asked what he was so bent out of shape about, and he'd told her, “Remember those three boys from that summer at the beach without mom & dad? You know, the dumb one gave you that stupid arm band and he was always lovey-dovey over the little one? Well, the little one is a GIRL! And now she's married to SANO! How did I never SEE that? And how did she get into an all-boys school, anyway?”

 

Makoto had fretted over that all night. But it hadn't meant much to her at the time except that Nakatsu had been betrayed by his best friend - in her 7-year old mind, anyway. When she got older, she'd started wondering more about the situation: Had Nakatsu even known she was a girl? Had he cared? She came to the conclusion that he probably hadn't known, and probably hadn't cared. All he knew was that the person, who the girl was deep inside, was important to him. The extra details weren't so important. She decided that was just one more thing to love about him.

 

Sneaking another peek at him, she saw his face was tight with determination and worry and her feet slowed down. She was staring at him outright when he turned to see what was up.

 

“Kyoumi, are you-“

 

Her face was glowing, and her eyes looked fierce. “Nakatsu, I'm not going to let you worry all night. You don't know… You're here with me. I cannot think of a single thing that could make me anything other than incredibly happy to be here.”

 

The transformation on his face was incredible. It was as if the light cast there had been dimmed, grayed, but after she spoke he glowed from the inside out and all the colors of the world seemed just a little more clear and bright. And the smile he directed at her made her heart feel as if it had wings and had taken flight, the wings fluttering against her throat as it strained to fly free. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, “I hope you'll call me Shuichi.” Then he kissed her cheek quickly before pulling her back into motion toward their destination. They arrived there very quickly after that.

 

X

 

Auntie O apparently could tell right away that they were there on a date. Rather than calling an informal, “Welcome, Shu-chan,” she instead bowed formally to the couple and said, “Ah! Nakatsu-san! How wonderful to see you again. Would you care for your usual table?”

 

He looked up at her, obviously flummoxed until Auntie winked at him conspiratorially. Then he beamed at her. “That would be wonderful, Auntie!”

 

She led them back to his hidden table, took their drink orders, and made sure they were comfortable before leaving them to decide what they would care to eat for the evening.

 

Nakatsu looked across the table at his beautiful companion. But instead of saying, “You look absolutely amazing tonight,” he allowed his eyes and his smile to say it for him. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out her notebook. “I read every single story,” he said. “They were… amazing. You have a unique way of bringing the subjects of your stories to life.”

 

She breathed in deeply as she clasped her hands in front of her chest, not realizing that in doing so, her forearms squeezed her breasts together in an amazing show for the man across from her. To his credit, he noticed, yet was more concerned with her reaction to his reaction to her stories than with the fantasies that sight would have inspired in a lesser man. “You really liked them?!?”

 

“They're the kind of stories that you read, and say, `This is just like when…' Or you read `em and then years later something happens and you say, `Oh! This is just like that story I read…' They stay with you.” She felt like light. Like she could dissolve right then and there into nothing.

 

“No one… No one's ever read them before.”

 

“Really? Why not?”

 

“I… never let anyone. I was too nervous.”

 

“Yeah, I guess I can understand that. You put a lot of yourself into them. It's hard to trust someone to… accept you for who you are, let alone all the parts that you normally keep hidden.”

 

She smiled up at him like she was dazed. `This has GOT to be a dream!' “So… Did you have a… a favorite?”

 

“Um. Well… There was one that I…” He blushed as he continued, “I wondered about… more than the others.” She eagerly leaned forward and waited for him to continue. “Su & Miki. `The End of Childhood.'”

 

With wide eyes, she almost jumped back at that. “Oh!” `Dammit! I forgot about that one!'

 

“Was… Was Miki supposed to be a boy or a girl?” Her eyes opened wide, and slowly her grin grew until she smiled broadly and clapped her hands.

 

“Yay! It worked! I meant to leave that open-ended, so that you wouldn't quite know.”

 

He looked at her through slitted eyes. “Why?”

 

“Um. Yeah. So. You were in love once you said.”

 

“You didn't answer my question.”

 

“I didn't?” At that moment, Auntie dropped off their tea, and Kyoumi busied herself in taking a sip, then placed her order. Nakatsu followed suit. After Auntie left, she jumped in before he could say anything. “It's not quite fair, you know. You now know more about me than I do about you. I mean, I know all the stuff that's out there in the press clippings, but I don't know the real stuff.

 

“Like, you were once in love. I only know that for certain because you mentioned it on the way here,” she hoped her rambling was distracting him. “And I know the things my brother used to say about you, but I'm betting at least half of that was exaggeration. But you've now read my heart.”

 

He smiled at her. He wasn't 17 anymore, and he could see what she was doing - trying to distract him from his question. It wasn't going to work. “Maybe, but to read your heart, I have to know how to interpret what I've read, now don't I?”

 

“Why is it so important - whether it's a boy or a girl?”

 

“It's not. But why you wrote it - that's important.”

 

“You know, I don't know if I'd have let you read that book if I'd remembered that story was in there…” She took a deep breath and continued, “Tell you what, you tell me about your first love, and I'll tell you why I wrote it that way.”

 

His eyes got wide for a second, then he smiled. “Mizuki. Ashiya Mizuki was her name. She was my best friend in high school's roommate, and later became his wife. She dressed up like a boy, came to Japan all the way from America, just to meet him. I thought he was a boy. But even so…”

 

“Even so, you loved him because of the person he was, not knowing he was really a girl.”

 

“Yeah.” He looked at her askance - wondering how she knew that. “And this other girl, Komari asked me out, and I hadn't quite figured everything out, so I went out with her. She was really, really nice, but when I figured out I was in love with Mizuki I broke it off with her. She took it… well better than I think most girls would, having their boyfriend dump them for a boy. At the time, I thought I MUST be gay, but… only for Mizuki.” His eyes had taken on a wistful look.

 

Her smile clearly read, “I knew it!” but she remained silent.

 

“Anyway, it wasn't meant to be. She's always been one of my best friends - an inspiration for me to be better, as a person. And she married my other best friend. Maybe someday I'll tell you that story. It'd make a pretty cool novel.”

 

With a slight smile, she said, “And now you know why.”

 

Cocking his head like a dog listening to a far off whistle, his only response was, “Huh?”

 

“Why'd you give up on her?”

 

Holding his hands out in a helpless gesture, he shrugged. “She chose. And it wasn't me. I loved her, so I did what I could to make her happy. I let her go.

 

“It's cool though. They have three really fun kids - I babysit `em at least once a year. Those two - they're my best friends.”

 

Auntie O brought the ingredients to the table. “Nakatsu-san, would you prefer me to cook for you tonight?”

 

He patted her shoulder, “I got it, Auntie. Thanks.” She looked back and forth between the two, delight apparent on her face. Then she nodded and left the two to be alone.

 

Kyoumi picked up the conversation where they'd left off. “So. You let her go. Because it was time to move beyond your selfish desire and grow up. Otherwise none of you would be happy.”

 

He continued with the cooking. “Yeah, I guess that's about right.”

 

“So have you figured out why I made it so that you couldn't tell if Miki was a boy or a girl?”

 

“Because you knew someday you'd let me read it and it would drive me crazy?” he asked with a grin.

 

She wadded up her napkin and threw it at him. He tossed it back. “Keep this, you may need it later.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “No, NakatSU!” She sighed. “You know, my brother was very surprised to find out MIzuKI was Sano's wife. He'd never guessed she was a she. But in honesty, I could tell he was a little relieved. She must be quite a woman.

 

“And even though she hid her sex well enough to fool you and my brother, the person she was shone through enough for you to fall in love, and my brother to develop a deep respect.”

 

Nakatsu looked up from his cooking to see that she was entirely serious. “You… wrote that story because of me?”

 

“It was… Miki was of indeterminate sex because of Mizuki. But the rest was merely wishful thinking. That and… me trying to force myself to grow up.”

 

Nakatsu smiled and thought, `So I wasn't being self-absorbed.' Reaching into his pocket, he tossed an old, worn armband onto the table. “Does that mean you didn't want to give this back?”

 

The beautiful girl across from him looked frightened for a second. Then stood up. “I think I need to visit the rest room.” She walked to his side of the table and paused, then leaned in to him. As he turned to look at her, she said, “And no. What it meant is that,” her kiss caught him off guard and took his breath away. She broke the kiss and finished the thought, “I'm ready to move on to grown up things.”

 

She spun and with a stately grace that was at complete odds with the percussive beating of her heart, made her way to the ladies' room.

 

In the wash room, she reapplied her lipstick, and fussed in the mirror. For the first time in her life, she truly hoped she was as beautiful as her family and friends always told her she was. Next, she pulled down her top a bit and fluffed out her cleavage. `What in the hell am I doing?' she thought. This isn't me. She pulled the top back up, but this time it was a bit too high. As she was pulling it to the correct location, Auntie O came in.

 

Batting the girl's hands away, she said, “Fu fu fu. Let me fix this.” Once the top was in the proper place, she fluffed out the girl's hair a bit, then spun the girl to face her. “Don't try too hard, child. You don't need to.”

 

“Uh. What- What do you mean, Auntie?”

 

Shaking her head, “I mean, and I'm going to be quite exact, I've only seen him look at ONE other person the way he looks at you. But that girl was in love with someone else - unlike you. You won't break his heart. And he won't break yours. So just go back to the table and enjoy yourself - before he gives himself an aneurysm worrying about you coming back. All right?” With that, she pushed the girl out the door, and she walked back to the table.

 

He'd already begun eating. “It's going to get cold if you don't dig in,” he said and she smiled and began to eat as well.

 

In between bites, she continued talking to him. “So, I uh… heard you retired.”

 

“Oh. Yeah. Well. I wanted to leave before I started to weigh the team down. Besides, I did what I promised.”

 

“What you promised?”

 

He told her of his promise to his best friend in junior high, and how they'd both kept their end of the deal.

 

“OH! So that's why your hair was yellow!” He laughed at that.

 

“Anyway, the team was in great shape, and they really didn't need me anymore, so I decided… it was time to get on with the rest of my life. You know… leave childish things behind.”

 

She smirked at that. “So what will you do now? Will you be finding a job in Tokyo?”

 

Grinning from ear to ear, “Funny you should ask! Originally, I'd thought I'd go home to Osaka to help my parents run their store. But… Um… Hey! Do you think you might be willing to help me out with something?”

 

She blinked her eyes in puzzlement, “Uh… Sure?”

 

“Would you… help me look for a place to live?”

 

Blinking again, “Where? Here?!?”

 

If possible, his grin got even bigger as he nodded. “Yeah. I'm going to be taking over as the new coach at Ohsaka Gakuen.”

 

Eyes like saucers, jaw unhinged, she sputtered, “Wha- wha- What? When? How? You're going to be living here? Why?”

 

“Well,” he picked up the arm band, “Just before you returned this to me, I'd been back to Ohsaka as a guest speaker for the sports teams. And when I told my coach I was thinking of retiring, he told me my old high school coach was doing the same and wanted me as his replacement. So… I came back today, interviewed for the position, and as soon as I find a place to live and close down my apartment in Tokyo, I'll start transitioning into the job.

 

“And as for why, there are only three reasons. One: because it feels right to be giving back something to the school that helped me become who I am. Two: because I love soccer - and if I'm not playing, the idea of helping others play just makes sense.”

 

Kyoumi waited for him to finish, but he just continued to eat. “So what's the third reason?” He just smiled at her and continued to eat, and she found herself blushing.

 

They finished their dinner, and Nakatsu took care of the bill as Kyoumi again went to the powder room to refresh her lipstick. They met at the front door and walked out hand in hand. Up, left, right, he looked around, and then looked down into the eyes of the girl next to him. What he saw there made his heart skip a beat.

 

In a husky voice, he said, “I'm not ready for this date to end yet. Are you, Kyoumi-chan?” Without breaking the hold his eyes had on her, she shook her head no. “I'm glad.”

 

“What-“ she swallowed hard, still lost in his eyes, “what do you want to do now?”

 

His heart raced, and he stepped closer to the girl. “Oh, Kyoumi, don't… ask me that.” Still holding his hand, she stepped closer to him and began chewing on her lower lip. “God, Kyoumi,” he rumbled and pulled her into his embrace, kissing her deeply. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight, her fingers digging into his back with need. Their tongues battled each other, and she moaned into his mouth. He felt a response build within him, and he knew that if he didn't stop them now, he'd never want to stop ever. No. Scratch that. He already never wanted to stop. But he knew if he didn't stop now, he'd end up taking her there on the street.

 

Grabbing her shoulders as he broke their kiss, he held her tightly, but away from him. `Am I a sick pervert for wanting a high school girl? Or am I a fool for falling for her? Or both?' “I…” He gulped and started again. “Maybe we should… pick up some housing guides and... you could help me start to narrow down the field?”

 

She smiled and tried not to look disappointed. “Okay. If that's what you want.”

 

“Oh, Kyoumi.” He shook his head. Longing was painted on his face. “What I want… yeah. That's what I want.” `To find a place that I can call home. And then take you there. And kiss you, and hold you, and have you smile that smile of yours for me. That's what I want.'

 

They pulled several brochure books of houses for sale, and then went to sit in the park that Sano'd always walked Yuujirou in back in high school.

 

“Okay. Now, what kind of place are you looking for?”

 

He paused and then started giving descriptions. “At least two bedrooms. … So I can have… guests… Better make that at least three bedrooms. And a library or a study. A big kitchen. I like to cook.”

 

“Are you looking for a traditional style home, or something more Western?”

 

“Well, I don't know… What do you think? What would you feel more comfortable in?”

 

She thought for a moment, her pen tapping her bottom lip. “I guess I like the traditional homes more - but that's probably because I grew up at a shrine.”

 

“Oh yeah! I forgot! You're a miko!” She was about to say something derogatory back to him at that, but she heard him mutter under his breath, “My little Miko.” She looked up at him in shock, but his face didn't register anything different. `Maybe I just thought I heard that.'

 

“So how close to the school do you want to live?”

 

“No more than a 10 minute walk. I don't want to have to bother with a car, and I'd like to be able to go home for… lunch… occasionally.”

 

“Okay. Any preference on baths?”

 

“I like furos for relaxing, but showers for day-to-day cleaning.”

 

“Me, too.” She said as she flipped through the book in front of her.

 

`Get a hold of yourself, Nakatsu! She didn't say that with any thought at all that you might then picture her in a bath with you. Get a grip and calm down.' He focused on his breathing. Her mutters, “No… Not quite… Wrong neighborhood…” floated to him. He flipped through his own book, looking for places that he could imagine himself living in, imagine Kyoumi in, imagine kids in.

 

Suddenly, Kyoumi gasped.

 

“What? What did you find?”

 

“Oh. Oh, it's probably not right for you. It's a little big…” He snatched the book out of her hand and read the description. Four bedroom house, library, modern kitchen, fireplace, traditional hardwood furo for downstairs bath with separate lavatory, modern bath upstairs. The picture showed a backyard garden with cherry trees in full blossom. The location was less than a 5 minute walk from Ohsaka, in the direction of St. Blossom's.

 

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number of the real estate agent. Even though it was 7pm, the agent picked up. “Actually, I'm just finishing up showing a house right down the street from that one. That house is empty, so if you wanted to see it now, I could meet you there in half an hour…”

 

Thanking the agent, he stood up and then swooped down on Kyoumi, picking her up by the waist and spinning her in a circle. After he set her down, she needed to catch her breath. He picked up the books from the park bench and then grabbed her hand. “Let's go look at a house, Miss Kagurazaka.”

 

Legs moving double time to keep up with him, she voiced concern, “You know, Shuichi, this isn't really the way you're supposed to pick a house. You're supposed to find a whole bunch of houses that you think you might like, then go and visit all of them so that you can compare them against each other.”

 

He smiled at her and said, “I like the way my name sounds when you say it.” He kept walking with his long strides, so she didn't have the chance to slow her feet. But her brain did a big, “D'uhhhhhh!” at that comment, and she didn't say anything else as they swiftly walked to the house in question.

 

They easily recognized the house from the photo in the brochure. However, when they saw it in person, they both gasped, then turned to each other with dazed smiles.

 

“Beautiful, isn't it?” The realtor had arrived behind them while they stood there, and they jumped as her voice took them by surprise. “It's a real shame that it's empty. It needs a family.”

 

“It is beautiful,” Kyomi stated. “How long has it been on the market.”

 

Sighing, the realtor said, “She's been empty for 6 months now, and has been on the market for just shy of a year.” She unlocked the door and ushered the couple in.

 

Kyomi raised her eyebrows and said, “Really? What's wrong with it?” Nakatsu was walking the perimeter of the front room, taking in all the details.

 

“According to the building inspector, not a thing. I've got a copy of his report here, if you're interested.”

 

“Yes, I am. And if we think the house is right, we'll of course want to have a separate inspector come in,” Kyoumi stated firmly.

 

“Of course. Let me show you around.”

 

Bedrooms with tatami mat floors. Sliding paper doors. The furo was amazing: “Sano'd LOVE this!” Nakatsu exclaimed. The kitchen was huge. The library had built-in shelving that slid to reveal more shelves behind it.

 

“The house used to belong to a comparative literature teacher at Ohsaka Gakuen, and his family. But his kids all grew up and left home, and after he retired, he and his wife felt it was too big for them. They moved to Tokyo and got a great apartment, but this house hasn't sold.

 

“Most of the home-buyers nowadays are looking for something a little more Western.”

 

“This house used to belong to Kitayama-san?”

 

The agent was surprised. “Yes. How did you know that?”

 

“He was my literature teacher 2nd year.”

 

The master bedroom looked out over the back yard. Nakatsu imagined that in the spring, lying in bed and looking out the window, all you'd see would be pink and blue. Walking down and exiting onto the back porch and into the back yard, the garden was breath-taking. Kyoumi was walking under the cherry trees, the wind blowing her hair in flowing swirls.

 

Without hesitating, he turned to the realtor. “What's the asking price?”

 

“33 million yen.”

 

“Would Kitayama-san be willing to come down to 25 million if it's cash?”

 

Kyoumi spun on her heel to stare at him. “WHAT?!?”

 

“I'll talk to the owner for you.”

 

“Great. Here's my cell number. Please let me know. OH! And of course, the offer is pending an inspection, of course.”

 

“Of course. I'll go see if I can reach him now. Feel free to continue looking around the house.”

 

After she left, Kyoumi came over and slapped Nakatsu in the shoulder. “What do you mean, 25 million in cash!?”

 

“Well… I haven't really had anything to spend money on for the past few years. So I have some money saved up. But don't worry. I'm not spending ALL my money… And my apartment should sell for about twice the cost of this place, so it should all work out. In fact, I bet I could sell my apartment to Kisho - he'd love it… OH! Kisho's the new team captain. I hadn't told you that.”

 

“Shuichi! You are NOT supposed to just buy the first house you see!”

 

“But it's perfect for me.”

 

“It's HUGE!”

 

“Yeah, but…”

 

“But what?”

 

“Well… Maybe someday I'll…” He was looking at his feet and casting occasional peeks at her to gauge her reaction. “You know… get married… have kids. Don't you… don't you think you'll want to… get married to… someone… someday? And… have kids?”

 

She swallowed hard. `He's not looking at me. Why is he not looking at me? Is it because he's afraid to make me feel bad that he doesn't think about me that way, or because he's afraid I'll run if he does?' Then her thoughts briefly turned to her hidden dreams - the ones she never let herself believe could ever come true - where Nakatsu had his arm around her, as they looked on at their kids playing. She quickly stomped the vision down, just as she had for 14 years - or to be honest, the last 7 of those 14.

 

She swallowed again, and stared at the cherry tree in front of her, her back to him as she responded. “If… the man I loved asked me to marry him… I'd… say yes… And… hope for three. Three kids.”

 

“And… wouldn't you want… a house like this one?”

 

“I… guess so.” For some reason, she felt like crying. He would marry some lovely lady, and that'd be that. No more fantasies and dreams.

 

He took her hand and turned her to face him. “Kyoumi? Why the sad face? You should… only ever have a smile on your face.” `Does she not… like me after all?' He leaned in and wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb, his palm cupping her face. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Kyoumi. I… Haven't even asked you if you wanted to be my girlfriend yet, and I'm asking you questions like this and upsetting you. I always get ahead of myself. That's why I never dated anyone. But I thought maybe you… but I don't know. You probably already have a bunch of boys interested in you, and you wouldn't want an old man like me -“

 

She stopped his rambling by jumping up and throwing her arms around his neck, kissing him. His arms flew out to the side for a second, then wrapped around her and held her tightly to him. When they broke for air, she buried her face in his neck, and he whispered, “Oh, Kyoumi. Kyoumi.”

 

He sat down on the bench with her in his lap, and she looked up at him and smiled through tears. “Does this mean… you'll be my girl?” Not trusting her voice, she just nodded. He smiled, closed his eyes, and rested his head against hers. “I'm so glad.”

 

X