• CHAPTER 57 - WHY CAN'T I THINK STRAIGHT?

    Opportunity is standing in front of you, although you didn't expect it, you were unaware, unprepared. But is it opportunity that is safe to return to?

    "M-Miku?" my knees were shaking and it was hard to breathe.

    Miku was here, she was here at Akatsuki's apartment. But how did she find me? She doesn't know where Akatsuki lives! Similar questions buzzed in my head until another familiar figure scrambled up the stairs and stood behind Miku; Takeuchi?!

    "You!" Miku snarled, fire almost streaming out of her nose and ears.

    What was she mad at me about? Were they a mirage? I stumbled back an inch, "Wh-wha-you--" I lost my control of words and function as I collapsed only to have Takeuchi swiftly break my fall.

    "I traced you down," Takeuchi smiled at me. "Miku wanted to hunt you down."

    "You-you're-you're--" I was too confused and choked up to talk again.

    "Put her in the car!" Miku shouted, nearly exploding.

    Takeuchi picked me up with no problem and we left Akatsuki's apartment after Miku shut the door. She led the way down the stairs and mumbled profanity to herself. In the parking lot was Matsuda's 2008 Rolls Royce Phantom that I had missed dearly. Takeuchi climbed into the passenger seat and kept me seated in his lap and leaned my head against the window.

    I looked up at him in a daze, "You really are okay," I could feel tears brimming my eyes.

    "Yeah, I am," he smiled half-heartedly. "They kind of pushed me to get better so that I could leave sooner before you would arrive."

    My heart and face fell at that, "Why did you come and get me?"

    "Miku wanted to confront you," he rolled his eyes, "and I wanted to see you. The last time I had seen you was when I first opened my eyes at the hospital. And when I woke up again, they said you were gone. You have no idea how infuriated I was."

    Takeuchi infuriated? He was better, he was walking and talking and everything, as if nothing had happened to him. He had gotten his life back, so what was there to be so mad about? Miku piled herself into the driver's seat and started the car and took off right away. Wait, Miku was only sixteen, so how is she driving? You have to be eighteen in Japan to get your license.

    "She's determined," Takeuchi smiled with admirance at Miku.

    "How is she still pregnant?" I asked Takeuchi.

    "She has a strong will," Takeuchi chuckled. "She wanted to wait to have the baby until you came back."

    "But I'm not supposed to come back," I burrowed my eyebrows together. "Does Kai know you two came?"

    "Kai, that stupid blood-sucker!!" Miku hissed.

    "No, he doesn't know," Takeuchi chuckled again. "It will be a little surprise."

    I sighed, nearly crying, "But he doesn't want to see me,"

    "Au contraire, my friend," Takeuchi smiled. "You've been on his mind quite a bit. He's still feeling incredible guilt."

    It still didn't help me any better, I still felt as though he wanted me out of his life. Maybe he will hear my thoughts of me coming back and he won't return? Maybe he will take me back only to leave me again? Has he found somebody else, perhaps? Would he think I fell in love with Akatsuki?

    "Those thoughts of yours are ridiculous," Takeuchi rolled his eyes. "You will be fine."

    "But what about Matsuda and Orihime? Do they know you've gotten me?"

    "Kind of," Takeuchi frowned. "Matsuda knows we were planning it, but I think Orihime knows we actually left."

    "I told her," Miku hissed. I was scared of her now that she was almost due and her mood swings were out of control.

    "You guys are only setting up your own deaths," I giggled to myself darkly. "I can't believe you went through all the trouble."

    "So...how was it, living with Akatsuki?" Takeuchi held back his laughter.

    Yep, there's the old Takeuchi I knew, "Nothing awkward went on. I was just like a roommate."

    "If you would have done anything with him, then so help me God!" Miku pointed an accusing finger at me, taking her eyes off of the road.

    "Miku, babe, eyes on the road," Takeuchi pat Miku's thigh.

    "Was she like this before she was pregnant?" I whispered into Takeuchi's ear.

    Takeuchi laughed quietly, "No, nowhere close," he smiled. "It's hard to be pregnant with a Werewolf's baby."

    "You're damn right it is!" Miku growled, gripping the steering wheel.

    "How come you're not driving instead?" I asked Takeuchi.

    "I'm still not completely functional," he frowned. "I'm tired easily."

    "I'm surprised you were able to walk so quickly," I examined him up and down.

    "Well, they pressured me," he shrugged. "I wanted to say no, but Kai was getting impatient with me." he frowned again.

    "Did you change during the last full moon?" I gulped, afraid of what happened if he did.

    He shook his head, "No, I wasn't strong enough. This next full moon might be different, though."

    I was here, I was really here with Takeuchi, my beloved little brother, and Miku, my best friend. It had been so long since I had seen them; a month. A whole month since I last assossiated with them and I couldn't be happier or any more confused. Now was the big problem; getting Kai to meet me again. How much had he changed? Does he look any different? Does he sound any different? Is he any different? Would he even be able to control his craving if I embrace him? I doubt he would allow me to embrace him anyways. With my luck, he will walk into the house with another woman following him...a different lover.

    I shook my head and leaned my head against Takeuchi's shoulder. I wrapped my arms around his neck and embraced him dearly. I tried to zero out the negatives and focus on the past, every moment I had spent with Kai. It was all--hopefully--coming back to reality. We would be reunited, bur for how long? He said he wanted to spend forever with me, but he wouldn't turn me into a Vampire to where I could at least spend several hundred years with him. There was no way for us to become immortal. In order for him to become immortal, he would have to destroy me and he would never do that. And there's no way I could become immortal because, well, I can't become immortal by drinking my own blood.

    "Takeuchi, I missed you," I whispered again my heart overflowing with emotions.

    "I missed you too," he pat my back. "I missed having a big sister around." he chuckled.

    I giggled, "I missed having a little brother to pick on," even though we weren't blood-related, our bond was still as close as a brother and sister.

    "Just don't be so pessimistic about what's going to happen," he pointed out. "I'm sure Kai will be happy--if not confused--to see you. It will probably take him a moment to absorb and it might be dangerous around him at first since he hasn't had a whiff of your scent in a while."

    I nodded, taking mental notes, "I'll be sure to remember that," I didn't care, I wanted to see him.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    It was another ten minutes before Miku pulled into Matsuda and Orihime's long driveway. I pressed my face against the window and gazed at the giant mansion in awe. It was bigger than I remembered, much bigger. The lawn was lush and green and full of life, despite the snow that had just melted. I would imagine Matsuda had used his healing abilities to heal the grass. The tree that stood in front of the house was also much larger than I remembered. The Hokkaido plains stretched away from the house as far as the eye could see until you looked south to the city that was fifteen miles away. There was one thing absent, however; Kai's car was not parked. Miku pulled into the garage and screeched to a halt and jumped out of the car right away.

    "Let's go," Takeuchi opened the door and hopped out after gently pushing me out.

    Takeuchi grasped my bicep and tried to tug me forward gently, but I planted myself where I was and looked down, "I-I don't know, Takeuchi,"

    "What?" Takeuchi's face fell. "You're gonna have to face him sometime."

    "I-I know, but," my knees were shaking, "I'm scared."

    There was a long pause until Takeuchi spoke up again, "What are you scared of?"

    "Everything," I was becoming pessimistic again. "I'm afraid he'll just dump me off at the orphanage again or he will say he doesn't love me or won't even care and/or acknowledge that I came back." tears brimmed my eyes again.

    Takeuchi sighed, "You'll be fine. Whether or not he accepts your arrival, you will stay here."

    I bit my lip and allowed Takeuchi to tug me out of the garage and to the outdoors. We made our way to the front door and Miku blasted through it, huffing and breathing fire. Takeuchi drug me into the front doors and I held my breath as the beauty overwhelmed me. I looked around and the beautiful wall lamps were evenly spaced out on the walls. The hallway was still long and large and both sides lead to either the kitchen to the left or the living room to the right. Takeuchi shut the front door and led me to the living room and my knees shook even more as I took in the beauty of the room and the beauty of the most wonderous couple in the world; Matsuda and Orihime.

    "Arisa," Matsuda smiled and rubbed Orihime's shoulder.

    "Welcome back," Orihime greeted me as though I were on a weekend trip.

    "I-I--" my knees shook and despite my weakness, I broke free of Takeuchi's grip and crashed into Matsuda's torso just as he stood up.

    "Matsuda!!" I cried, but no tears came out.

    Matsuda rubbed my head and held me close, "It's okay, Arisa. You're going to be okay." he soothed me. "It's great to see you once again."

    "You-you allowed them to come get me!" I choked.

    "Yes, and I feel henious for allowing Kai to relinquish you at the orphanage," Matsuda's face fell. "I hope you accept my deepest apologies."

    "Of course!" I snapped at him. "How could I not forgive you?"

    Matsuda answered by smiling and he gestured me towards Orihime, "She wants to see you,"

    I hesitantly made my way to Orihime, the Angel of which felt like a second mother, and I sat onto the couch next to her warily. She reached out her hands and smiled, "Come here,"

    I leaned in and we embraced each other. She smelled sweet and exuberant; lavender. I gripped her sleeves and wanted to melt into her; I was sure all of this was a mirage, if not a dream. There was no possible way that I could be back here so easily. Everything looked the same, not a single atom had been misplace, but now there was a new space filled...I hoped.

    Orihime unhanded me and cruised her delicate hands over my face, "Why so sad?"

    "I'm...," I breathed. "I'm so...happy to see you again. I'm believing that I'm dreaming."

    "Sweetie," Orihime sighed, her melodic and beautiful voice chimed in. "You're back, there's nothing for you to disbelieve."

    I embraced her again and never wanted to let go. Unfortunately, I had to when Miku pryed me off of Orihime and pulled me into the hallway once more. She went into the kitchen and dug through a cupboard on the ground for a minute and ended up pulling out a giant skillet the size of one and a half of my heads. She angrily approached where I was and I backed away with my hands held up in front of me.

    "Woah, woah, Miku, what are you doing with that?" she was truly freaking me out now.

    "I'm killing that blood-sucker!!" she waved the skillet around.

    "But--!" I was about to protest until Takeuchi pat my shoulder.

    "It's nothing to worry about," Takeuchi laughed. "From what I've heard, she's already whacked him with a skillet."

    "She probably knocked some sense into him for once via skillet," Matsuda chuckled while crossing his arms and leaning against the doorway to the living room.

    "So why are we just standing here?" I asked nervously.

    "Because he's here," Takeuchi whispered.

    My eyes widened and I tried to sprint out of the room only to have Takeuchi wrap an arm around my midriff and stop me in my tracks, "No! I can't see him! Not now!!"

    "You'll be okay, Arisa," Takeuchi reassured. "We're all here with you."

    "No, Takeuchi!!" I almost cried from fear and wonder.

    Takeuchi grasped my shoulders and firmly planted me on my feet in front of him; now there was no way I could escape his grasp. I fondled with my fingers and my knees continued to shake as Miku continued to breathe fire and kept a firm grip on the skillet. I looked down, not wanting to see the expression and feel the aura that would take over the house. I wanted to go back to Akatsuki's, I was afraid to face Kai again. The same questions from before tried to bust out of my head and I hunched up my shoulders. Despite that my head was hung low, I couldn't help but raise it back up from the curiosity that overwhelmed me.

    There was a quiet turn of the knob and the door crept open dramatically and before me in the angelic light stood the one man I had loved the most. The one man I was both overjoyed and petrified to congregate with once more.