31Notes from the Author: This chapter is longer than the last two. At least I think so... :-P Thanks for reading the previous chapters! Arigatou gozaimasu (bows)!
Disclaimer: Don't sue…I never said they're mine.
What a Joke! By: Miss Hachigatsu Kuroi
Chapter 10: The Choice
Continuation of Kaede's Story
"Kaouru, can you hand me the chips in the kitchen…"
"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Kaouru shouted in frustration.
"What is it!" her boyfriend asked
"I can't take it anymore!"
"I'm just watching TV… is there anything wrong with that?"
"YOU…ARE…A…USELESS…COUCH…POTATO!" Kaouru shouted with emphasis on every word while beating the hell out of her boyfriend.
The guy grasped her wrist to stop her and said, "What's your problem! Everyday at this hour, I watch TV… why should today be the day that you nag about my hobby? Huh!"
She removed her wrist from his grip then reasoned, "HOBBY? YOU have been sitting in front of that BOX for 10 HOURS – everyday!"
"Kaouru… THAT is an obvious exaggeration! I start at 7am and I stop at 4pm. That's NINE hours, not ten."
At that, you can imagine a Rukawa Kaede jaw-drop mode… now make him have longer hair and make his features more feminine. That's how Kaouru looked – not a pretty picture nee? And very OOC for that matter…
When Kaouru fully digested what her boyfriend just said, in an instant it was followed by a very loud, "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The next scene would be a Kaouru leaving an apartment and her boyfriend trying to change her mind.
"Kaouru… it's almost been a month, but your sofu never took back his decision. If you go back, you're gonna have to marry that Ichigawa."
She just rolled her eyes "It's Yagazawa. And let me tell you that anything would be better than living with YOU!"
"Come on… give me another chance Kao-chan…"
Without delay, that phrase was followed by the Rukawa glare. He knew he couldn't change her mind.
Teary-eyed and all, he at least tried to calm her down by, "Honey, sweetie, baby…"
"Don't you get it? I can't stand another day seeing the same fat a$$ in front of the television! WE ARE FINIIIIIISHED!" It was obvious that he wasn't successful.
The last time he heard Kaouru's voice was when she said, "It had been a once in a lifetime experience for me – but all things good and BAD must come to an end, so goodbye, adios, au revoir, arrivederci, and sa-yo-na-ra!"
Mitsui cut the story again, "Wow… she sure has a way with words… unlike you." Then, just like Kaouru's ex-bf, he got to taste the RUKAWA GLARE. Mitsui then said, "Ok…continue your story and never mind what I said."
Rukawa Residence #1 (where Kaouru and Kaede live)
"Welcome back Miss." was the sentence that greeted Kaouru the moment she set foot in their estate. It also didn't take long for her mother to greet her.
"Finally, you decided to come back. Otou-san would be very happy."
"Ch. okaa-chan, I didn't come back to make him happy. I still won't marry that Yagazawa."
"Kao-chan… ever since you left, otou-san never wanted to speak to anyone not even your father or Kae-kun."
"What? He should be glad that the disgrace is gone."
"Kao-chan…otou-san is… ill. At first it was just complains about headaches and dizziness, now he doesn't even get out of bed and refuses to eat."
"You can't be serious…"
"I am. He wanted to see you… but your teachers said you skipped school and you don't answer any call from anyone in the family, even from Kae-kun… so we never had the chance to inform you about his situation."
"Okaa-chan, of course I'll see sofu. But, you have to tell me… why is he feeling this way?"
"Oh Kao-chan, otou-san is aging. It's but normal to feel unwell and have difficulties in some areas."
"But okaa-chan, sofu isn't even near 80 years old. (pause) Why do I feel that you're hiding something from me?"
"Because I am… … …Kaouru there are things better left unsaid."
"Not this thing mother… tell me."
"No regrets?"
"No regrets."
"(sigh) Effect of the operation he had years ago. It turned out the doctors didn't want him to undergo that operation because he's too old – but otou-san being otou-san, he did it."
"What are you talking about – sofu never undergone an operation! … … …except the one that saved my life… $h!T!"
"Kaouru, since when did you learn to cuss!"
"I'm going to see sofu." she answered ignoring what her mother said.
Again, there was a cut from Mitsui… "Wow…you're sister isn't so bad after all."
"Can you just listen?"
"I will… if you just start that vision part. You said you'll skip right to it."
"Just listen."
Rukawa Residence #2: Sofu's House (at his room)
Kaouru quietly entered the room to find a sleeping old man relying on dextrose to live. She was too dumbfounded to react properly and let out quite a loud "sofu…" that the old man woke up who, like Kaouru, didn't know how to react. She immediately ran to his side.
"The day you ran away, I asked your father to call off your engagement to the Yagazawa heir. That would be the last time I will set you up with someone." Her grandfather smiled weakly.
"Gomen… I'm sorry for running away." was the only thing she could say. For the first time, Kaouru reflected on what she did and its outcome.
She couldn't bear look at her grandfather in this kind of situation so she excused herself out of the room and made her way to the garden. There she had a conversation with Kaede.
"Mom said you were here." he started (Wow, it was KAEDE who started the conversation!)
"Since when was he like this?" she asked
"The day you last talked." he replied monotonously.
"So, it IS my fault…" she whispered.
"Don't blame yourself."
"How can I not blame myself? He saved my life and I never showed my gratitude to him – not even in the simplest ways. I repaid that sacrifice with headaches, problems, worries, all kinds of burden! Now he can't even eat, because of me, again! … …How can I be so selfish?"
"…"
"Kaede, I have to make sure that sofu's going to be ok."
"He'll be fine. Don't worry so much."
"I want to make sure; to do that, I'm going to need your help."
"How?"
"Let's take a peak at the future."
"You're crazy." he protested.
"I'm serious… if you help me, we'll see the vision clearer."
"What if we see something we're not supposed to see?"
"…" she couldn't utter a reply.
"It can change everything…"
"I don't care. Sofu's life is the most important thing now. Please Kae-chan…I need your help on this one."
Rukawa Residence #1 (where Kaouru and Kaede live)
Kaede and Kaouru are in a dark room where only candles provide light for them. They're sitting on the floor opposite each other and both wearing black kimono. They did their thing – looked at their grandfather's future and found out that he will be fine after a few days. But their vision didn't stop there; they saw more than what they wanted like Kaede said. They saw two different futures – but both ending in their grandfather's death.
"Who would have thought that the Sendoh heir was my future…" Kaouru started.
"You don't get along with Akira-san."
"What choice do I have, huh?"
"The other one." he stated the obvious.
"Kaede, if I choose that gangster today, basketball player tomorrow guy from Shohoku I'll upset sofu again."
"If you choose Akira-san, you'll still meet that guy."
"But I won't fall for him…"
"But, he'll fall for you."
"If I choose this guy, Akira-san won't be hurt… if I choose Akira-san, this guy will get hurt. So basically, you're saying that I should choose this guy so that it's a happy ending for everyone… is that it?"
Kaede nodded.
"(sigh) All my life I've been a burden to sofu and I can never alter what I already did. I could at least make him happy… and I will."
To Be Continued…
Author's Notes: Oh my… I hope this isn't turning out to be such a crap. In one of the previous chapters I said that it's about to end, but because of the short chapters I uploaded, this will have more chapters..coz I planned to end this at chapter10 nyahaha...so sorry...
PS: Many thanks to those who'll give appraisals! ARIGATOU! ONE BIG HUG FROM MISS HACHIGATSU KUROI!