Hana Kimi Fan Fiction ❯ Common Ground ❯ Part the Third ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

COMMON GROUND
A Hana Kimi challenge fanfic

Written by Miyu, Vampire Princess


CHALLENGE: I'm stretching for this one, but here it is - surprise the main character of your ficlet by showing them WHAT THEY THOUGHT to be true just isn't the case.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Nakatsu was very confused over this incident. So much so that I'm hoping this part will make sense. He hurted my head! Sorry, still no lemon. I'm working up to it. Honest! Told from Nakatsu's point of view. Again with the out of character warning.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hana Kimi or the characters in this story. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement. I do hope Nakajo-sensei will forgive me.


Part the Third - Burning Anxiety



Well, breakfast went well at least.

I mean, I managed not to burn the toast.

Even with HER watching me out of the corner of her eye.

Oh I knew she was watching. I could feel those baby blues boring into the back of my head. What else could she possibly be staring at?

"Wow. This is really good."

"I told you you'd like it."

"Did I really get the recipe right, Mizuki?"

"It's perfect!"

The American girl didn't utter more than a few words through the meal. A first since I've met her. Normally her mouth runs a mile a minute. Even her moans and incoherent mutters from last night went non-stop until it was all said and done. Her voice was actually a turn on. Not to mention the way she moved beneath me.

Damn, there I go again!

I'd managed to forget the incident up until lunchtime. Well, it was more like a dream than anything. Sano caught me looking dopey, but covered it up by saying the coffee was starting to kick in.

Sex is better than a caffeine rush.

I had decided earlier that morning, drowning myself in a cold tub of water, that last night was an accident. Not a mistake. Just...an accident. Something that that would never happen again.

Even though I wanted it to.

I feel like such a loser. Am I sick for enjoying one night of ambitious sex? Am I fooling myself by wanting what I know I can't have? I decided that this morning in the tub, too.

I wanted her. With a passion that I'd only felt for one other person. Looking back on the week so far, things weren't that bad between us. When she's not being a pain in the ass, she's rather helpful. And intelligent. She bested all of us in Trivial Pursuit. She was good with table tennis too.

If she was presented with a challenge she faced it head on. She's determined and headstrong. Stubborn to a fault. But her heart is in the right place. She cares about her friends and she's loyal to a fault.

Gods my heart hurts.

Not once has she said a word to me about last night. No hint to whether or not she remembered. Of course, if she didn't remember, I wasn't going to push the issue. No sense in making matters worse.

But those glances she's been giving me...I'm positive she remembers something. That look of curiosity and...and something I can't quite name. Anger? Guilt? Or maybe it's my own guilty conscience trying to drive me crazy.

At least I'm not hearing voices anymore.

I almost wish I was. I suck at ordeals like this. Hell, I've never even been in this situation before. And no, the whole mess with Mizuki doesn't count! I had no idea she was a girl, and my feelings were all messed up.

Besides, I was the one hurt in the end.

I wish the mystery voice would tell me what to do now!

I...don't want Julia to hurt like that.

A relationship between us would never work. It's nearly inconceivable. Sure she's smart, and sexy, and can hold her own in an argument...and sexy. Dammit! It wouldn't work! It WOULDN'T!

My life is here. In Japan.

Her life is in America.

So even if I DID want a relationship with her, we'd be too far apart to make it work.

I'm going off to college on a sports scholarship. A community school in Nagasaki. I have a future in football. I'd love to go pro. And a good education won't hurt either. At least my mother thinks so.

She has plans, too. Ivy League, I think Mizuki said. Supposedly, that's a pretty big school. Lofty and expensive. She'll fit in well and she'll study hard.

She wouldn't stay with me if I asked.

"Nakatsu? Yo man, you okay?"

"Huh?" I'd spaced out while making lunch. Crap! The fish! I'd put it in the oven on the broiler. The smell of something burning clearly indicates that it's been in too long.

Or maybe it was the vegetables I was supposed to be frying?

Whatever it was, I'd ruined it.

"This was all we had left," I groan, turning off the stove.

"Mizuki and Julia just left to get groceries in town. They should be back in an hour. I'll give them a call on Mizuki's cell and ask them to bring home some take out."

"Oh man...." With towel in hand, I fan at the steam and smoke pouring from the open oven. With care I pull out what should've been lunch. Now blackened and unrecognizable, if not edible.

"Don't sweat it." Once I'm able to clean up the mess, Sano has already called Mizuki. "What would you like from the noodle house?"

"I don't know. Tell her to surprise me." I'm angry with myself for ruining the meal. I'm also mad at myself for thinking about last night. This was the embarrassing situation I was trying to avoid.

Loading the sink with water, I start washing the dishes in hopes of clearing my mind. Normally I'd go outside and kick around my ball. But the cold temperatures make that near impossible. Scrubbing crusty pots and pans can be a stress reliever, too. I'd learned that after the first dinner I cooked for all four of us. Julia had pissed me off so bad.

Looking back, I'm not really sure why I was angry.

"Here, let me help." Using the towel I used as an impromptu oven mitt, Sano begins drying the dishes.

"Thanks."

There's a comfortable silence between us, but that changes rather quickly. With each dish I hand him, more and more weight pushes on my shoulders. I can't help but wonder if he knows what happened. Or if he's trying to read my mind. If I'm lucky, he's lost in his own thoughts, daydreaming about the wonderful night HE had.

By the time I reach for the last dish, my head filled with too many "what if's" and "I wonder's", I can't take it anymore. Emotionally I'm stressed. My nerves are shot. My heart is thudding in my chest. There's a rock in my stomach. I feel like a bottle ready to pop.

"Is that the last one?"

"I slept with Julia last night."

We speak at the same time, and I'm the one who wishes he kept his mouth shut. Sano's reaction is surprise. I can hear it in his voice. But it's me who's surprised by the almost casual tone. He seems so calm I want to slap him.

"What?"

"You heard me," I mutter.

"You slept with Julia?"

Taking a deep breath, I turn away from the sink and my friend. "Yes."

"How drunk were you last night?"

"Not drunk enough to forget."

"Was it good?"

There's a dopey grin playing at my mouth, but I manage to hold it back. Besides, did he just ask me how it was?!

"Huh?" This as opposed to the "what the fuck" response I should have given.

Sano's grin is devilish and joking. "You heard me."

"You don't seem to see a problem with this?!"

"Is there a problem?"

"I slept with Julia!"

"So you said."

"There's everything wrong with that!"

"Did you enjoy it?"

My anger subsides briefly in the presence of logic...and my weak body. Grudgingly I reply with a hushed, "Yes."

"Do you regret it?"

My response surprises both of us. "A little."

"Do you...like her?"

So many ways to answer that. "She's...not as bad...I mean.... She's...."

"Intelligent? Beautiful?"

"She'd laugh at me. We haven't seen each other for a while and back then...I couldn't stand her. I was even annoyed she showed up with Mizuki for the week!

"But being around her these last few days...I've seen things I didn't take notice of before. Yes, she beautiful. Only an idiot would think otherwise. And she's smart. She's attending an Ivy League school in the states. She's a lot of things and...yeah." I rub the back of my neck and grin sheepishly. "I like her. Or at least...I can deal with her better."

Chuckles fill the air and for a moment I think my friend's gone nuts. "What? Sano?"

"You know, I'm really glad you could make it this week."

Anger substitutes embarrassment. "Why? So you could have a good laugh at my expense?!"

"No. Oh, no." He places a hand on my shoulder, shaking his head. "Nakatsu, it means the world to me and Mizuki that you're here. I needed you behind me so I wouldn't chicken out on proposing."

"So...what's so amusing?"

"There's another reason I asked you here for the week."

The silence is killer. "Which is?"

"Promise you won't be mad?" Okay, I'm confused. All I can do is nod.

"We...Mizuki and I...it was her idea really, but...well.... It's a set up.

"Mizuki's concerned about Julia. Apparently the guys she's dated have been less than, I think she used the word 'stellar'. You'll have to ask her about the details, really. I didn't pay much attention." Now it's his turn to look embarrassed. "Anyway, she wanted the two of you to spend some time together, hoping you'd hit it off."

"So she won't be upset with me for sleeping with her friend?"

"Is that all you're worried about?"

"Hell no! I jumped into bed with a girl I hardly know!" Sighing, I can feel a little of the weight lift from my shoulders. Only a little. "I do...it makes me feel a little better knowing that she wouldn't have a problem with me...and Julia.

"But it wouldn't work. Our plans are going in separate directions. It's...cool that the two of you are thinking about me, but...it's not possible. I don't even know if she likes me...or if she remembers a thing from last night."

"You really do like her," Sano says.

I sigh heavily. "I...don't know if I'm ready. I know what it's like to be hurt and...I don't want to hurt her. Mizuki would never forgive me then."

Sano's expression is concern and encouragement. "I can't tell you what to do for the rest of your life. But I can tell you to be honest with her. Talk to her about last night."

He'd lost his mind, I just knew it. He did have a point though. I had to be honest with her. And myself. "Easier said than done."

"Life's not easy. And full of surprises. Talk to her."

No doubt he's referring to the exact situation I had before - the day we found out Mizuki was a girl. That was quite the surprise. I'm glad that our friendship survived that ordeal, ugly as it turned out to be.

It's his friendship that made things easier. His presence now is the support I need to do what has to be done. The rock in my gut turns into a fireball of determination and my resolve has never been clearer. Well, with one exception, but that was behind me now. Time to look into the future. No matter how uncertain.

I hate uncertainty.

Seriously, how would you like to go through your formative years questioning your sexuality?!

Well, there's not questioning it now.

"Anything else you'd like to tell me?" I ask him with a smile more like myself.

Sano puts a friendly arm around my shoulders and leads me out of the kitchen. "There is one other thing."

"Yeah?" I hold my breath waiting to hear this one.

"Mizuki wants a western style wedding. I'm going to need a best man."

"Best man?" Sounds pretty important. I pat him on the back reassuringly, releasing the breath I'd been holding. "I think I can handle that."

Better than I could handle my situation at any rate.


~TO BE CONTINUED~