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The Nakamura's New Year, Part 2 [Complete]
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Post by Yuko Himura on Sept 22, 2019 17:12:06 GMT
In the previous chapter, we saw Yuko and Junpei as they were graciously let into the lavish estate of the Nakamura family, where their friend Mikazuki had invited them to spend New Year’s Eve with him, his parents and even his grandparents. While the lovable boy-giant was as always delighted to spend time with his friends, his parents had quickly established themselves as not their biggest fans. To be fair, the two delinquents had really tried this time, dressing up for the occasion, minding their words and putting an honest effort to make a good impression. However, Mika’s parents in their so-called infallible judgement had deemed them unworthy of their respect. The clock would point at midnight any minute, but Yuko had voluntarily locked herself inside the guests’ bathroom, wanting nothing but to be left alone. As the pierce-faced teenager leaned over the sink and took heavy breaths, the Nakamura patriarch’s harsh words played back in her head over and over… He called them dropouts. He thought they were only taking advantage of Mikazuki’s inherent kindness. He accused them of planning to use him and then toss him aside like used garbage. “It’s not fair… it’s not fair!” Yuko cried out, slamming her fists against the counter. She assumed that someone would come looking for her eventually, out of obligation if nothing else. She had to cool herself down before that happened. |
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Post by Mikazuki Nakamura on Sept 22, 2019 17:43:48 GMT
The greetings, as per usual, had Mikazuki warmly hugging his family and asking questions for a bit, catching up with the few people the Nakamuras allowed to be amidst them during such a time. Surprisingly, no youngsters were amidst them, which was... surprisingly something the boy giant was not unfamiliar with. Up until now, he was always surrounded by caring adults and though he missed the teen company, there wasn't much that his family didn't cover for.
But today was different. As the party moved, the blonde felt more and more uneasy as he couldn't find Yuko or Junpei joining in on the festivities. Despite it being almost time for the big moment, they had yet to appear. "I'll be back soon, Ok?" he told his uncles and aunts before rushing to his parents' side, who were currently engaging in talks with some friends who had joined the celebration this year.
"Mom, dad? Have you seen Yuu-chan and Junpei-Chan?" he asked in a bit of worry, which startled the two adults, who immediately shared a look that weird Mika out. As if they felt... guilty about something. "We didn't, sweetie." Kaede answered, "The last time we saw them was at the main hall."
Without delay, Mika sprinted away to their surprise, prompting Kaede to discreetly (and painfully) elbow Soichiro as soon as their baby boy was out of sight. "Ow!" the tycoon yelped and could only look in confusion towards his wife, who directed a scolding glare at him.
"What was that about?!" he whispered to her, leading them both away from the party. "Next time, TRY controlling your temper!" her tone was civil, yet was still firm enough to take Soichiro aback. "If your little tantrum ruins Mika's night, you will sleep on the couch tonight, you got me?"
"I'm not apologizing for protecting my son, Kaede!" he responded in earnest, not backing off. "We dealt with those sort of people once. You know it hurts when they discard you." His eyes were firm, but Kaede didn't back down. "Yes, but regardless, they are Mika's first friends! You don't need to treat them like you do the bad employees." she retorted just as firmly. "Has it dawned on you that, if they are, you know, NOT lying, Mika will be upset at US instead?"
Soichiro pouted and looked away stubbornly, prompting Kaede to (quite gracefully) facepalm. "Look," she told her husband, involving him in a hug. "Just apologize to them once you see them, Ok? You don't need to be sunshine and rainbows with them, just... try to respect them until they hurt Mika, if at all." she forced her husband's face to look at her, flashing him a comprehensive smile and prompting him to sigh in response and give her a quick kiss. "I don't know what i'd do without you, Kaede-chan..." he addressed her with a much softer tone this time, not unlike their son.
"You'd be a very unhappy man." she poked his nose and went away from the party, with her husband in tow as they helped look for the two delinquents.
Meanwhile, Mika's search was not proving fruitful. "GUYYYYYS!!!" he called out in worry, looking throughout the house for the duo.
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Post by Junpei Sudo on Sept 22, 2019 18:30:25 GMT
"God dang it, where did that girl go..." Junpei muttered angrily to himself as he raced through the halls of the Nakamura estate, beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead as he searched for the missing Yuko. While he had initially been awed by the size and status of the home, those same features were starting to annoy him; the wide empty hallways made his footsteps echo, no doubt alerting everyone of where he was and making him look like a creeper or a burglar, while the fancy decor kept the home from having any distinct 'landmarks', causing all the halls to blend together and giving the distinct feeling that Junpei was just running in circles. Once he had talked to Yuko, he was definitely having a chat with Mika's parents about proper interior decorating.
Eventually, the rose-haired delinquent slowed down, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He leaned against a wall, muttering angrily to himself as he tried to think of where Yuko could have possibly gone in this big dumb house, and silently praying she hadn't decided to go upstairs or anything. His thoughts were quickly interrupted, though, by the sound of Mika calling out his name, nearly causing Junpei to jump out of his skin from the shock. A wide smile began to spread across his lips, but at the last second it turned downwards into a sharp frown. As much as he would appreciate Mika's help, he knew the boy-giant's day would be ruined if he caught so much as a whiff of what his parents had said to them- and he'd get a whole lot more than a 'whiff' if he saw Yuko freaking out!
As much as the decision pained him, Junpei knew he'd have to avoid Mika, but hopefully it wouldn't be for too much longer. Taking a deep breath, he readied himself before taking off once more, resuming his search of the manor and keeping his eyes peeled of even a hint of where Yuko might have gone, his mind starting to fill with images of her ripping her piercings out or tearing up her kimono in despairs.
It was by a stroke of luck that he found her. Well, 'found' her. Junpei rounded what looked to be a corner, only to practically skid to a stop to avoid slamming face first into the door nestled in the alcove. Before he could properly recover and run off in a direction that wouldn't result in him getting his face smashed, his ears twitched as they caught a hint of what was happening behind the door. It sounded like... fists slamming into a wall? And a feminine voice muttering... wait, that wasn't just any feminine voice! That was Yuko!
A smile broke out across Junpei's face as he realized he had finally managed to find the missing girl, and just as quickly his smile turned into a frown as he realized this now meant he had to try and comfort her. And Junpei wasn't exactly an 'expert' on providing comfort. Grunting to himself, he brought a hand up to scratch at his head, trying to figure out what he should do here, what he could do without messing things up even more... Well, the first step would probably be to let her know he was there, right? Cautiously, Junpei reached out and rapped his knuckles against the door, knocking lightly. "Hey, Yuko? You in there?"
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Post by Yuko Himura on Sept 22, 2019 19:40:21 GMT
The female delinquent was snapped out of her bout of crippling angst by someone knocking on the door. “Who’s there? What do you want?” She asked rather harshly, her first assumption being that the Nakamura’s had summoned one of their gazillion butlers to come and fetch her back. However, the voice that came from the other side actually belonged to one of her friends. “Junpei…?” Crap, Yuko hadn’t considered the possibility that her friends would be the first ones to come looking for her. They were probably worried sick and it was all her fault!
After a painfully long period of silence, the bathroom door clicked open from the inside, and Junpei was treated to the sight of Yuko with all of her piercings intact and her nice kimono thankfully not torn to shreds. She clearly was not ‘fine’, though, which showed in her sullen expression. “I wasn’t crying, you got that? I will NOT show weakness to these assholes!” She kicked things off with a suspiciously specific denial, although her slightly red eyes were telling of a different story.
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Post by Junpei Sudo on Sept 22, 2019 20:07:26 GMT
"Jeez..." Junpei cringed lightly at the sorry state Yuko was in. With how tough she normally was, he was surprised to see how badly she had taken the verbal beatdown. Fidgeting lightly on the spot, Junpei found himself at a bit of a loss for what to say. What can you say when one of the strongest girls you know looked like she had been crying her eyes out because of some stuck-up jerks? "Listen, I..." He faltered for a moment. Looking into her eyes, he took a deep breath and closed his own, exhaling slowly as he forced his jumbled thoughts to come together for just a moment.
Reaching out, he placed what he hoped was a comforting hand on Yuko's shoulder and opened his eyes slowly. "Yuko..." His eyes hardened and his grip tightened, though hopefully not enough to hurt her. "Who gives a flying **** what they think?!" With a growl he pulled back, crossing his arms over his chest angrily. "Seriously, so what if they know we're just a couple of delinquents?! They can treat us like dirt all they wants, cuz it won't change the fact they're wrong! Mika's our friend, and if they don't believe that, then that's their problem, not ours! Besides..." His expression shifted into a confident grin. "Just makes it better when we end up making Mika happier than they ever could!"
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Post by Yuko Himura on Sept 22, 2019 20:30:41 GMT
Just as it took Junpei several seconds to figure out what to say, so too did Yuko stand there silently after her failed attempt to act tough. There were few things she hated more than feeling weak and helpless. So, for a few seconds they were just two teenagers awkwardly standing there without much to say, until Junpei finally placed his hand on the girl’s shoulder and broke the silence with one big F-bomb!
His words of encouragement certainly helped her get out of the bog of depression she had sunk in, but with Yuko always being the realist, she failed to see the silver lining that Junpei so confidently saw in the horizon. “Of course I know they’re wrong, but it doesn’t matter. If they decide that we’re not good enough for their privileged little circle, they can and will take Mika away from us. And we can’t do a damn thing to that guy, because he’s rich, powerful and freaking huge! Do you know how many friends I’ve lost because of shit like this?”
Brushing past the red-haired youth, Yuko turned her back to him, hugging her left arm and speaking in a lower tone. “I’m tired, Junpei… Just because I don’t live my life like everyone else, it gives them the right to judge me without knowing me…”
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Post by Mikazuki Nakamura on Sept 22, 2019 20:39:08 GMT
Touching as the moment may have been, the solace both friends found in each other's company was broken as steps of moccasins and stilettos closed in on the two. Once they were to look towards the direction of the hallway, the delinquents would note that once more they were in the less-than-auspicious company of Mikazuki's parents once more.
The two stared at the people they have hurt so badly for a moment before Kaede broke the silence.
"...We owe you an apology." She said solemnly, subtly pushing Soichiro towards them.
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Post by Junpei Sudo on Sept 22, 2019 20:53:09 GMT
"And do you think Mika will let them?!" Junpei spun around, a strange fire igniting inside him as his mind raced faster than it ever had to come up with a way to assuage Yuko's fears. "You remember what he told us, right? How he had to kick up a stink to get his parents to stop homeschooling him?" He took a few steps closer to Yuko, standing behind her. "We're his best friends, ain't we? Do you really think he's gonna just let them shut us out like that? Just let them say he can't see us any more? Heck..." A small smile graced his lips. "I bet you anything that would be the first time we get to see him angry!"
Junpei placed a hand on Yuko's shoulder, though this time he didn't suddenly rip it away a second later. He opened his mouth to speak, but before anything could come out, the two were suddenly interrupted by the very objects of ire that had put them in this situation to begin with. The delinquent's eyes hardened as he subconsciously moved to place himself between Yuko and Mika's parents, ready to respond to whatever verbal tirade they had prepared in the few minutes since they had last seen each other. What he was not expecting, however, was for them to want to apologize, but he managed to recover quickly enough to still fire off a biting remark. "Oh, I'd say you owe us a heck of a lot more than just an apology!" He huffed and crossed his arms.
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Post by Yuko Himura on Sept 22, 2019 21:43:54 GMT
Yuko nodded at Junpei’s words. She did remember Mika telling them that story, as well as how proud she felt of him at the time for having grown a pair and stood up against his parents. She imagined that whole scene playing out in her head now that she actually had a visual for what Mika’s parents looked like. She even managed to crack a smile, but it soon dropped. “Yeah… I also remember how his parents mean the world to him, even if they’re two-faced jerks. I don’t wanna drive a wedge between them…”
Speak of the devil and they shall come! Mr. and Mrs. Nakamura caught up with them, bearing regretful expressions on their faces. Kaede spoke first, saying that they wanted to apologize, but Junpei was having none of that, and neither was Yuko for that matter. “Yeah, and the big guy there doesn’t look that apologetic to begin with!”
The delinquent girl stomped her way up to Mikazuki’s father, having to look up in order to meet the Goliath’s eyes. “I’m SO sorry I didn’t remove my piercings! It’s not so easy to take these things off… not that you would know. But still, I held my mouth and respected the rules of your house. My mother busted her ass off to buy me this kimono on time, because she knew how much this night meant to me! Heck, Junpei wore a bowtie! A freaking bowtie!” Yuko exclaimed, pointing back at the red-haired youth.
“But no, despite trying our best, we still don’t meet your ungodly high standards. Fine, we’re dropouts, whatever! But to accuse us of trying to ‘use’ Mika? What gave you the right? What, you think we’re after his inheritance or something?” She added, her frustration palpable, as she clenched her fists hard. “It might be hard for you to believe when you live in a castle with one million rooms, but some people don’t care only about money!”
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Post by Mikazuki Nakamura on Sept 22, 2019 22:17:02 GMT
Soichiro looked torn. On one hand, he wanted to tear the two apart for implying he was worried about the money. On the other, he couldn't deny that everything the two delinquents said was right. Thus, as per the usual, when he needed someone to be grounded and reply to the matter diplomatically, he did what he usually did: He turned to his wife.
"As I told you before, all we want is for Mikazuki to be happy, Yuko." There wasn't a chan or any sort of honorific, but the socialite's voice was as peaceful as a lullaby. "This doesn't excuse the fact that you're right in we misjudging you. We're incredibly overprotective and that's a fact. We will never stop wanting our son to be happy, and we will always look out for him." She stepped backward, allowing Soichiro to reluctantly step forward.
"I..." Soichiro hesitated, not used to being the one apologizing. "I want you to know that we never minded if you were delinquents or not." There was another nervous gulp and then a sigh. "We- I... I just wanted to protect Mika. I've dealt with people using me for my stature once. I regret to this day not having seen it sooner because there were days I cried myself to sleep until I met Kaede." He turned to his wife, pulling her in a hug but never stopping his repentant stare. "I just... wanted you to be honest with us and with him. Mika is all we have in this life and we don't want him to ever deal with heartbreak that comes from people hiding things."
Soichiro's little sermon was stopped by Kaede putting a hand on his waist and nodding to him. "Anyway... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin this night for you or to make you cry... All I wanted was to see the strength of your character, but I forgot I'm not dealing with my employees."
He all but knelt before the two after that, offering a hand as he stared them Eye to eye. "I want to try this again, if the two of you will allow me. Yuko... Junpei... would you please like to come with us to the party?"
On the corner, hidden from sight, Mikazuki could only stare sadly at the situation.
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Post by Junpei Sudo on Sept 22, 2019 23:55:33 GMT
Junpei simply glared at the giant, eyes smoldering as he merely watched Soichiro practically prostrate himself before the delinquent duo. He almost didn't want to accept the apology; the guy had made Yuko cry, for Pete's sake! Junpei might not have been one for fighting and conflict, but if there was one thing he absolutely refused to stand for, it was making his friends and family cry! But even as he tried to keep his rage going, he felt it slipping away from him, his better nature forcing him to at least try and make amends. Soichiro was right: starting over would be good.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath that shook his entire body, Junpei closed his eyes, letting his thoughts calm as he considered the situation. When he opened them again, the fire he had was gone, and a small smile graced his lips. Stepping forward, Junpei grabbed Soichiro's hand and shook it forcefully. "I'll try if you will. At least this way we won't have to see Mika cry, right?" Chuckling lightly, he stepped back and turned to face Yuko, hoping she might be able to put everything that happened behind her, for Mika's sake at least. "Well, whaddya say Yuko?"
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Post by Yuko Himura on Sept 23, 2019 8:40:20 GMT
Truth be told, Yuko also felt kinda bad after she had finished unloading on Mikazuki’s dad. Although her anger was justified, she had let it consume her, even if only briefly. You would think that, having a teenage son of their own, they would know that puberty mixed in with bundles of stress and anxiety didn’t make for the most emotionally stable individuals. Well, it had already happened, so there was no use mulling over it.
Once the Nakamura patriarch had gotten on his knees of all things to apologize to them, and after Junpei had been the first to accept the apology, the pierce-faced girl sighed and took her turn shaking the man’s hand. “If Junpei is cool with it, I’d be a real jerk if I said no. Though, you sure have a weird way of protecting Mika… Also, I didn’t cry. Who told you I cried?” She claimed rather defensively, as she drew her hand back and glared at Junpei, as if this was somehow his fault.
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Post by Mikazuki Nakamura on Sept 24, 2019 23:38:31 GMT
The two parents sighed in relief at that. "See? There's no need to be so rough with everything, you big oaf!" Kaede joked, prompting her husband to glare at her playfully. "Oh, shut up! Do I need to remind you of the teaspoon incident?" Soichiro's comeback had his wife blazing red like a tomato, blurting out "I thought we agreed to never mention the Teaspoon incident again!". By the looks of it, Soichiro had gotten even, and he decided to rub it in. "Yes, but you see... I crossed my fingers at that!" He joked, looking smug.
And then, steps echoed right as the two finished talking. Before the little group that had formed had time to react, Mikazuki was before them, eyes downtrod as he clenched his other arm.
"Did you guys fight because of me?" As direct as the question was, its tone was incredibly downtrodden and his eyes didn't lie: Mikazuki was placing the blame on one single denominator.
Himself.
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Post by Junpei Sudo on Sept 27, 2019 6:12:11 GMT
And like that the mood, which looked like it was finally starting to recover a little and go back to the jovial feel one would expect on such a holiday, came crashing back down as Junpei turned to the depressed blonde.He didn't even need to hear Mika speak to immediately realize he must have heard, maybe even seen, everything that had happened, and the question that was asked just confirmed as such. This was... a poor situation, to put it mildly. Junpei's gaze rapidly flicked from Mika's parents to Yuko to Mika himself, the tension in the air sharp enough that you could probably grate cheese with it.
Tension that was broken as Junpei adopted a wide smile, walking up to Mika and draping an arm over the boy-giant's shoulder the best he could. "Fight? Pfft, as-if!" He glanced over at Yuko, the gleam in his eye hopefully being enough to tell the delinquent girl to play along, at least for the moment. "Your folks were just telling me and Yuko some business tips! You know, in case we ever decide we wanna challenge y'all in the food business!" He punctuated his statement with a laugh, but silently he was worried about how much Mika knew. If too much, no amount of playing along or collaboration in the world would fool him...
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Post by Yuko Himura on Sept 27, 2019 8:55:07 GMT
The Nakamura couple seemingly engaged in some playful banter, using some pretty esoteric knowledge as leverage to make fun of each other in good taste. Yuko found their interaction intriguing, if a bit surprising, since it was a far cry from the stern, business couple image they were projecting earlier. Why, it was almost as if adults were people too!
After that shocking, profound revelation Yuko sighed in relief that everything had worked out in the end, however that relief was short lived. “Mika…” The delinquent girl turned to the blonde youth with a look of pity on her face. After all, she was just as guilty about this whole thing as Soichiro was, what with her abrasiveness.
Junpei tried his best to fool the Nakamura heir, or at the very least cheer him up, but Yuko had a feeling that it wouldn’t work. Mika was smarter than that. Heck, he was a young genius, if his grades at school were any indication! So, she took a different approach; She walked up to them and stole Mika’s signature move, wrapping her arms around the boy-giant. She wasn’t used to doing this, mind you, so it was an awkward-looking hug, but a genuine one. “Yeah, we fought… over business advice. But it’s over now, so don’t worry about it, okay?”
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