Tuesday, 17 March 2009
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Chapter 14 – Wild thumping heart
“Where’s your bike?” It was the first thing Shindo asked when I finally got to reach him by the school gate.
Huh?
“What bike?” I asked lamely.
“Shun told me you had a bike.”
“Oh… my bike.” I nodded at him as I came back to my senses.
“It’s raining so I thought of leaving it here instead.”
“Don’t you have a class?”
I shook my head then answered.
“Practice session.”
“Ah… the sports activity that the school is going to have...” Shindo nodded at himself.
“How do you get to know all this things?” I asked as stood there looking at him.
“Shun.”
Stupid. Of course Shun would have told his twin, and then a question popped into my mind.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”
This made Shindo smile mischievously.“I don’t go to school.”
I was really surprised with his answer.
“Why?”
I couldn’t help myself but ask… when have I become so chatty?
“Do you want to come with me today? No beaches today though… it’s only going to be at my place. I live nearby, Shun must have mentioned that before.”
Shindo asked instead of answering my question but the invitation enticed me more than having my question answered. Truth is right that moment was to know more about him. I looked around to search if Shinji was nearby, but I didn’t have to look since he walked closely to where I stood by Shindo and stared hard at him.
Shindo looked at Shinji and locked eyes with him for a moment.
“I’m not kidnapping her or anything. You’re invited to join us if that’s what you want to imply.” Shindo said to him.
I just glared at Shinji who nodded his head.
“You never know what others could do bo...”
“I know him.” I cut through Shinji’s words before he gives away my title and identity.
This made Shinji realize what he had almost done, then bowed his head and retreated at the sidelines where he would be less noticed.
“You are one strange high school girl Shinku Minami. Why are you acting in a low profile way at school when you have your own body guard?” Shindo asked loudly, directing the question towards himself rather than at me.
I preferred to stay silent than to answer this and stood quietly beside him pretending to look at my hands, then in a swift movement Shindo grabbed my hand and put me under his umbrella to walk out of the school grounds. There was a fluttering sensation inside my chest with this sudden gesture from him. Shinji was left under the school’s roof gaping at us; I couldn’t help but give a smirk at his reaction. I felt like being a rebellious teenager but I clearly knew that he would be able to follow me sooner or later. That’s how efficient of a body guard Shinji was.
At that moment though, I took pleasure in holding Shindo’s hand not understanding completely why it felt good to hold someone else’s hand since I never did hold anyone else’s hand aside from… a vague memory from my mother when I was three.
I stole a glance at Shindo who held my hand tightly to his as we walked towards his house, his face was so calm and yet so rugged at the same time. He was the exact replica of Shun only there was a big difference. How can twins look so much alike and yet still be so different from each other?
“We’re here.” Shindo announced all of a sudden.
It felt like I just walked back to my classroom instead of walking a few blocks away from the school. Shun wasn’t lying when he said that their house was very near the school’s premises. The Oguri’s home was just a block away from Shuriken high school.
“This is your place?” I stood not believing my eyes.
“Yep.” Shindo nodded as the gates automatically opened.
So this explains the sports car and motorbike. The Oguri’s house was fancy and very stylish, only I didn’t know what they would call this kind of place. My mansion wasn’t this extravagant and I couldn’t remember the words they use for this kind of places. There was a huge black iron gate in front of the entrance of their property, the house was still a few meters away from the gate.
“You house looks like…” I started to say but he interrupted.
“From the fairy tales?”
“Fairy tales?” I tilted my head not completely understanding him.
He looked at me with a very surprised expression.
“You don’t know about fairytales?”
“Do you mean folk tales or legends with clans fighting each other?
“You seriously don’t know what fairy tales are?”
“Would I be this confused if I knew?”
“Those are the ones with castles, magic and prince rescuing maidens in distress.”
“Magic isn’t real.” I said as a matter of fact trying to bring logic in this conversation.
Castle would be nearly a good description for Shindo’s home, but a fairy tale? I don’t even know what those are.
“You haven’t read Cinderella? Snow White or Sleeping Beauty?” Shindo asked with a skeptical expression.
“Should I be worried if I haven’t?”
“You should meet my mother then.”
Mother.
Why am I meeting someone else’s mother? I don’t know how to talk with adults properly unless it was business or from the clan. Would his mother be like Taiyo?
Shindo tugged my hand as soon as the gates opened wide, making me walk grudgingly with him not able to decide if I should run from this because I was feeling ambivalent with not want to meet his mother and wanting to meet her at the same time. I really wanted to kick my head for carelessly being swayed by Shindo, this has been the second time he’s done this to me and I still don’t understand why I let him get away with it. This is becoming a very bad habit.
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Inside the house a beautiful woman in a ruffled dress who looked liked she was in her mid thirties greeted us by the door.
“Shindo! Darling, where have you been in this rain? You know you shouldn’t be going out with your…”
“Mother, this is Shinku.” Shindo cut through her words as his mother suddenly put her hands on her mouth, stopping herself from talking then stared at me with her eyes turning huge every second which made me feel very uncomfortable.“Oh my god… my son has found a girl! A GIRL!!! Finally! I wouldn’t have any nightmares of you being lonely for the rest of your life honey. I just have to talk about Shun and his little thing with this Kurori girl. That boy needs a good…”
“Mother...” Shindo said to his mother exasperatedly who was getting carried away with her own trail of thoughts.
“Oh I’m sorry… I really tend to get carried away with my words. It is really nice meeting you Shinku, it’s the first time that this boy here took home a girl to introduce to me. I’m really glad he got to know you.” His mother gave me a hug and it felt nice to be hugged by her. She smelled like cinnamons with a tinge of orange… it would be a very nice scent to remember.
I was expecting that she would be stern if she lived in a home like this but I was glad she proved me wrong. Mrs. Oguri was a very warm woman who knew how to entertain people in their house and by talking with her I finally learned what Fairy Tales really meant. If my mother would have been alive, I would have probably ended up being just like Mao, a girl who day dreamed about their prince taken right out of the fairy tales.
Shindo left me with his mother in the living room as she showed me pictures and told me stories as the twins grew up. Spending that afternoon with her was fairly productive in gathering information about Shindo, I have learned a lot of things about him and his family. There were also some things I got to know about Mrs. Oguri, just like how she always wished to have a daughter, the way she chose to live as house wife when she got married and her story on how she got married to Mr. Oguri through their parent’s arrangements then eventually fell in love with each through the course of time.
“Shinku, I’ll tell you something about love. The moment it comes to you… you will be caught off guard. Your heart thumps wildly and all you can think of is that person and nothing else. You let that person get away with anything, your mind would be full of confusing things, then one morning when you wake up… you’ll just realize and say to yourself… ‘Ah. I guess this is love.’ Then you will go back to thinking about that person again.” Mrs. Oguri said with a smile on her face before she took a sip from her cup of coffee.
What exactly did she mean by love will catch me off guard? What about the wild thumping of the heart? Does that have anything to do with love?
“You know sweetheart, my son Shindo is really rough looking on the outside… but his heart is pure. Unfortunately he was born…”
“Mother… you always talk too much. I think Shinku’s about to fall asleep with your stories.” Shindo suddenly appeared from behind me and took away the photo albums that I was just looking at, grazing my skin with the back of his hand in the process. This sudden contact sent chills to my body and my heart started racing wildly like I was being chased by a rival yakuza. It was thumping so loud that I swear both Shindo and his mother could have heard.
Thumping of the heart…
I looked hard at Shindo trying to validate what his mother just said, and then my hand slowly crept to my chest and felt the hard beating inside my chest.
This feeling…
Thud… Thud… Thud…
This thing inside my chest…
Thud… Thud… Thud…
With this sudden realization, I stood up abruptly from my seat completely startling Mrs. Oguri and Shindo. They both gave me a concern look as looked back at them with wide eyes.
“It was really nice meeting you Mrs. Oguri, but I suddenly remembered something at home. I have to go. I’m really sorry for leaving so soon.” I bowed low and took my things before leading myself out of the room. This was very disrespectful of me, but I had no other choice. I needed to get out of there that instant and sort this thumping heart out.
I noticed that Shindo has run behind me to catch up, I didn’t even realize I was running until I become aware of him.
“Shinku, take this with you just in case and also…” Shindo gave me a transparent umbrella before I went out of the door then he gave me something else along with it,
“I have been meaning to give this to you.” He smiled sheepishly as he reached out the white strap on helmet in his hand.
“In case I get to pick you up from school one of this days. Just take hold of it and use it while you’re biking, it’s safer.” He shifted his weight from one foot and another avoiding my eyes.
This was very much unexpected, he knew so well that he might be beaten into a pulp if he comes closer to me again but he really doesn’t mind and was still planning to bring me elsewhere with him. How can he be such a fool?
“Thanks.” It was all I could say before running out of the house back into the rain that has once again started to fall hard from the sky.
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Trying to work out in the dojo did not help me relax at all because every time I remember the way Shindo’s eyes looked, the way his skin grazed mine and his lips that…
I shook my head vigorously trying to erase images of him out of my mind.
What was happening to me? Everywhere I turn to, all I could think of was him. My heart even gets to beat crazily with just simple thoughts of him. What was this supposed to mean?
I slumped in the middle of the dojo and laid down in my sweaty clothes, my eyes drifting towards the ceiling but looking particularly at nowhere. Then all of a sudden, Takumi’s face appeared from my view.
“What are you doing?” He asked as he looked down at me.
“Can’t you even tell?” I answered without bothering to sit up, so instead Takumi opted to lie down beside me.
“What are you thinking?”
“How did you know I was thinking?”
“Because you usually think every time you train inside the dojo out of your schedule.”
There was a long silence between us. I knew he was waiting for my reply, only… I didn’t know how to start.
“I…” I started to say.
“You…” Takumi said at the same time.
“You go ahead.” He told me as he also stared at the ceiling.
“I… I need to know something.” I said then suddenly sat up straight beside him, took his hand and pressed it on my left chest.
This startled Takumi who was lying flat in the dojo floor, with his eyes staring at his hand which was clasping the left side of my chest.
“Can you feel that thumping in my chest Takumi?” He just nodded his head awkwardly and then he slowly removed his hand from my grasp.
“It beats normal right now, like the way it normally does. I just don’t understand why a few hours ago, just by simply looking at this particular person it suddenly starts to thump wildly. The feeling is exhausting but at the same time… it felt good. Just like winning a Katana match against you. It feels tiring but at the same time exhilarating. What does that mean?”
Then I placed my own hand on his chest. I felt that Takumi’s heart started to beat fast just like how mine was a few hours ago with Shindo. Does this mean the thumping in my chest was normal?
“This is exactly what my heart was doing earlier! Just like the way your heart is beating right now Takumi. Do you think we’re both sick with something?” I asked trying to replace my confusion with facts.
Takumi sighed heavily as he started to sit straight in front of me and looked straight into my eyes. He gently placed his hand directly in my heart…
“Are you thinking of me right now?” He asked.
“Yes.”
“Can you try to imagine that particular person right this moment?”
I tried to imagine Shindo and then my heart started to thump wildly once again.
Takumi quickly withdrew his hand away from me as if he was going to be burned. His face registered pain, only it looked sad.
“I think we’re both sick. Only mine is worse… I wish… You’re heart would beat just like that every time you would think of me.” Then he started to get up and walk away from me.
“What do you mean by that?!?” I called out to him.
He turned to look at me then answered.
“Shinku, go to the internet and google L-O-V-E. That’s exactly what you are feeling right now.”
------------------To be continued------------------
Notes from the Author:
Definition of LOVE from Wikipedia.com
Love is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection and attachment. The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure to intense interpersonal attraction. The word love is both a verb and a noun. Love is not a single feeling but an emotion built from two or more feelings. Anything vital to us creates more than one feeling, and we also have feelings about our feelings (and thoughts about our feelings). This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states.
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I just had to include that here. Lolz… >_<
Takumi, Takumi, Takumi… *sigh*
For those asking me about him, now you know. ^_~v
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