Chapter 10

Heartbeat

Author's Note: Finally got to writing (transcribing) this chapter from my notebook, where it's been for several months. I'm sorry for the long wait. My parents got divorced and depression + work got in the way of many things. Feel free to comment about the chapter in your review, (What did you like the best? What scenario would you like to see in the following chapters?) Ever since I wrote the story I know the end, but the chapters to getting there, have been thought up on the spot.

The next day I was feeling better. The doctor had given Kukai's mom the medication I had left at my old 'home' and she had given it to me right away, fussing over my temperature and well-being in a caring, motherly way.

The door opened and she appeared, carrying a breakfast tray and a huge smile. I smiled as well, although, a bit sleepy.

"Good morning, Amu~! I brought you your breakfast."

She laid the tray on top of my legs and I slowly sat up.

"Thank you."

She fussed around with the napkin and the eating utensils in the tray, muttering something about hygiene, but I couldn't really listen well, the cold affecting my senses. Once she was done, her hand met my forehead, checking my temperature. She smiled.

"You are really a fast healer, aren't you, Amu?"

I nodded sweetly.

Yeah, I WISH.

"Anyways," she started, turning around and walking to some sort of bookshelf, "The doctor said to keep giving you the medicine until there was absolutely no sign of any cold."

Her fingers fumbled with one of the shelves, pulling out the medicine, and then continued to walk towards me.

Ewww. Meds.

I think she saw me wince, because she laughed.

"Don't worry, Amu. It's not a needle."

I took the medicine which was the liquid type (they always lie about the flavor. "NEW STRAWBERRY FLAVOR!" Yeah, right. IT STILL TASTES LIKE FREAKING MEDICINE!) and Kukai's mom left, leaving me to my breakfast.

Last night, the doctor kept his promise and told them it was just a little 'fever'. Then, after the doctor left, she moved me to her room. I guess it's because she thought it was unacceptable for her son to be in the same room as another girl.

I laughed. Parents.

Anyway, all I could say was that her room looked like a princess's hideout. There was a canopy on top of the bed, everything was covered in pink and white and even the mattress was frilly and stuff. Whereas Kukai's room was boyish and appropriate for his age.

Where is he anyway?

I hadn't heard him at all after last night.

Taking one last bite of my breakfast, I got out of bed, and put on the pink slippers that were next to it. The pajamas Kukai's mom had given me were a bit big on me, but I hadn't complained.

I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where I found Kukai's mom making sandwiches.

"Oh why, hello, Amu," she smiled, noticing me, "You already finished your breakfast?"

I nodded.

She returned to making the sandwiches, carefully placing the mayonnaise on the bread.

"May I help?" I asked, interested.

"Sure. Come over here and sit."

I sat down on a chair and she made space for me on the table, while she handed me napkins and then pointed to the finished sandwiches.

"Wrap them up and place them in the picnic basket, while I pass them to you."

I was handed the first sandwich as I began to wrap. Meanwhile, she started humming.

I continued to wrap, sandwich #: 2,4,7,9,12,..

"Are we going on a picnic to an elementary school? These are a lot of sandwiches."

"Oh, no, honey. Since today was my day off, I decided to bring sandwiches to Kukai at soccer practice. Of course, it's also for his team."

Wait.

So, Kukai wasn't still sleeping in his room?

I laid the sandwich currently in my hand on the table, turning to face her completely.

"When did he go? I really didn't see him all morning."

"Well, he left long before you woke up. Speaking of which," She looked at me, eyes sparkling with excitement, "Would you like to go with me? I'm sure Kukai would like to see you."

I nodded hurriedly and returned to wrapping the sandwiches, before the blush completely took over my face.

What the hell is up with me? Am I still sick or something?

I shook my head quickly.

It was just that he was kind of hot, nothing else.

kind of.

Sort of.

Okay, ALOT.

I shook my head quickly again, trying to clear my mind.

Sandwiches. Yes. Wrapping sandwiches.

That is what is important right now.

Learn the art of wrapping sandwiches.

Good thing Kukai's mom was humming and totally not paying attention to me. I must have looked like a weirdo.

About half an hour later, we arrived at the high school. I got out of the car, carrying the picnic basket, and just stood there, in complete awe.

This high school was WAY bigger than mine back 'home'.

"Whoa," I said. Kukai's mom closed the car doors and then stood next to me, smiling.

"Well, let's get going to the field. There are some hungry grown boys waiting for us."

We walked around the school and got to the back, where, sure enough, some guys in uniforms ran around a little ball. Kukai's mom pointed over to the guy that was taking the lead.

"That's Kukai. He makes me so proud!"

Brownish-reddish hair poked out from the rest, while he moved swiftly, in charge of the ball. I smiled unconsciously, and my chest started feeling something different.

My heartbeat.

There was a loud Plock! as Kukai's foot came in contact with the ball and it flew towards the goal, missing the goalie and making contact with the net. The rest of the team cheered and he gave some high fives, grinning from ear to ear.

His mom escaped from my side and ran over to him.

"Kukai! Mom is so proud of you!"

The guys surrounding Kukai looked over to see where the voice came from, only to dodge swiftly as she sped to her goal. Kukai.

His shocked face was all I saw before the impact.

"You are the best! My baby!" She said, rubbing her face against his, arms completely around him.

Kukai, on the other hand, was trying to figure out how to get out of the hug. His team snickered, looking at his embarrassed face.

I laughed internally. It was a pretty funny sight.

"Haha, yeah, okay mom. Can you let go of me now?" He nervously looked at her, trying not to hurt her feelings. Kukai looked so uncomfortable, it was hard not to laugh at his current predicament.

Hahaha! Look at his face!

Before I could do anything to prevent it, a laugh escaped my mouth and found its way out, onto the field. Everyone turned to look at me. I had forgotten that no one had even sensed my presence. I covered my mouth with one hand but everyone had already seen me.

Kukai looked up, confused, but then grinned as he saw my face. He raised a hand up as a greeting.

"Feeling better already?"

Kukai's mom instantly let go of him and ran over to me, taking a hold of the picnic basket.

"Amu and I made sandwiches for you boys, since you've been training hard~."

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Hell yeah!"

"Damn I'm hungry."

"I really need some nutrients or else I'll die~."

"Dude, Your stomach is a bottomless pit."

The boys ran over to Kukai's mom, who had already started to set up on a picnic table nearby. Some of them stared at me, wondering, I guess, who the hell I was. Kukai appeared next to me, staring over to where my attention was. I hadn't realized he was there until he spoke up.

"So," he said, startling me, "Do you feel any better?"

I had to look up at him. Damn, he was taller than me.

"Yeah," I said, smiling, "Your mom took really good care of me."

He laughed and scratched the back of his head in nervousness, "Yeah, sorry 'bout that. She's a little too caring."

I held up an X with my arms.

"No, not at all! I'm really grateful."

I bowed, showing my gratitude. He laughed again and I felt him ruffle my hair. A tingliness instantly washed over my body.

"Anyways, did you see me play?"

"Yeah," I said, getting up from my bow, "You were really good!"

He looked away from me and back at the picnic table while his arms rested at the back of his head. Then, his eyes wandered over to me and he shot me a seductive glance. Those electric green eyes played with my heart, making it beat erratically.

"I bet you already fell for me, huh?"

...

His remark caught me off guard, and I instantly felt the warmness of my face.

"Wha-What?!" I asked, startled.

The serious, sexy and seductive glance let on for a few other seconds until it got replaced by a teasing and playful one. His arms also came down from the back of his head and came down to his stomach, laughing.

"Hahaha!" He laughed while I pouted.

"That was not funny." I held my arms crossed. His finger flicked my nose, sending another tingliness over my body.

"You are so cute, Amu."

My cheeks felt hot again, leaving me speechless.

He was already running off toward the picnic table, leaving me standing in the middle of the field, like an idiot.

Why did he have to do that?

I internally cursed myself for being so easy. That was a problem in my old school, it made me vulnerable.

Calm down, Amu, return to your normal self.

I breathed in and out.

Once the blush and tingling was gone, I ran over to the picnic table. I took a seat next to Kukai, who was already midway though a sandwich, shoving its contents down his throat in a manly manner.

His teammates elbowed each other and looked at me, as if I were a new species.

What the heck is up with these guys?

I decided to ignore them and grab a sandwich, then stare out to the scenery, which were just trees.

"Sooo, Kukai," one of the guys said, making Kukai look up from his food, now on his 2nd sandwich, with half of it in his mouth. I also looked up, interested, but at the same time taking a bite out of my sandwich. Kukai's mom was talking with the coach, a few yards away, oblivious to us at the table.

"Yeaam?" Kukai said, the sandwich making him barely understandable.

The guys looked at each other, as if exchanging secret messages. The one that had talked at the beginning directed his attention back to Kukai, after taking a look at me.

"Your girlfriend's pretty cute." He nodded towards me.

It took me a while to process what he was saying. This is how my brain thought:

Kukai has a pretty girlfriend.

From what I know, Kukai has no girlfriend.

His teammate nodded towards me and so did everyone else.

So, everyone thinks I'm his girlfriend.

Oh, yeah.

I finally figured it out.

Cool.

…

Wait.

WHAT?!

The violent choking from my side made me leave my thoughts and react. Kukai had been even more shocked than me, if his current predicament was any indication. I hit him hard on the back, (while everyone looked alarmed) and made him calm down.

When he finally returned to normal non-choking-on-his-sandwich-Kukai, I sat back down and sighed.

"So," the teammate said, "What about Utau? You already forgot about –"

Kukai slammed his fist on the table interrupting the guy. Everyone looked over at him, taking the seriousness in.

Utau?

Who is Utau?

"DON'T EVER TALK ABOUT HER AGAIN." He lifted his head and shot a murderous glare over to the guy that had talked. Shivers ran throughout my body. This was no joke. I had never seen Kukai act this way before.

The murderous glare disappeared and he hung his head, getting up from the table and walking away. We all watched as he made his way towards another part of the school.

Why did he get so mad?

Was this Utau person important to him?

It seriously bothered me.

Someone poked my back, so, I turned around and found the entire team looking at me.

"What are you waiting for?"

I looked at them, confused.

"What -?"

But they turned me around again and pushed me gently.

"Aren't girlfriends supposed to cheer their boyfriends up? Go after him!"

I turned my head around.

Girlfriend?!

"No, umm I'm not-"

"Just go after him!"

They pushed me harder this time, sending me running towards where Kukai had disappeared.

"Damn it!"

I guess I had no choice but to follow Kukai and see what was wrong with him. Although it did scare me.

Maybe he would want to be alone or something.

I followed a small pathway towards the side of the school, covered with trees, the perfect emo scenery.

"Kukai?" I said, softly, not wanting to disturb him.

I walked a bit more until I found him, sitting on a bench, bangs covering his face. I felt a bit afraid as I neared him, but the need to console him was greater. I sat down and Kukai looked at me, taking notice that I was there. Although he looked away a second later. I also looked away at the scenery, trying not to make him uncomfortable. An eternity seemed to pass by before anyone spoke up.

"Sorry."

I turned to him, but he was still looking away.

"For what?" I asked, softly.

"For what happened back there. I just..." But he cut off, looking down.

After a bit of more silence, he sighed.

"Utau was my girlfriend some time ago."

I felt a small, unfamiliar pain in my chest when he said the word girlfriend.

Why is this?

"We were friends in middle school up until when I finally confessed my feelings to her. She was the prettiest girl in school and I was just one of the soccer guys, but she said yes."

He looked forward, his hair coming out of his face, revealing a gentle smile and hopeful green eyes.

"She was my first love."

Ow.

The same pain came again.

He stayed like that a while longer, looking longingly up into the sky. But the smile faded and so did the glance from his eyes, turning disillusioned and somewhat sad.

"But it came to an end."

He scoffed, once again looking down and his hair retaking the place in hiding his face.

"Can't believe I was so stupid."

Curiosity hit me.

Why had a relationship with the girl Kukai loved so much, come to an end?

"What happened?" I asked, concerned.

"She cheated on me."

His hands balled into fists.

"Utau had decided to meet him for another date, and I saw them… kissing."

I noticed he was clenching his teeth along with trembling fists.

"I was so blind. Everyone knew but me."

A tear traveled down his cheek, falling down to his hands.

That's when I decided it had to stop. No one should cry for someone who did them wrong. Least of all, Kukai. Someone who had his heart in his hand, and didn't think twice to save anyone.

My hands found their way to Kukai's fists, holding them gently.

His surprised face came to look at me, hair no longer covering his emerald eyes. I could see another tear was threatening to come down, but I rapidly wiped it away.

"I can't tell you what to feel or what to think, nor can I tell you that these feelings will pass, because truly, I've never been in this situation before. But I can tell you I'll be by your side, listening to whatever you have to say. You can count on me."

I smiled reassuringly. Hopefully Kukai would stop dwelling on the negative and see the positive.

Now with me.

His hands calmed down and unclenched. Then he held mine, carefully. There was a sudden electric feeling throughout my body after that single touch.

His eyes looked at me directly.

"Thanks, Amu, I-"

"Amu! Kukai! Where are you kids? Now's not the time to play hide and seek!"

We both jumped up from the sound of Kukai's mom calling us, alarmed.

"We're over here!" I shouted, then I shot a glance at Kukai.

"We should go now," He said, plainly.

"Ha ha, Yeah." I turned and started running, off towards where I came earlier.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!

"I´ll be by your side, listening to whatever you have to say, You can count on me."

What kind of stupid, sappy line is that?! I just embarrassed myself in front of him!

Stupid, Stupid, Stu- huh?

Someone grasped my hand and turned me around, rapidly.

Before I could understand what had just happened, I felt my body hit another more muscular one. The hand on my wrist moved itself to my waist, meeting another and pulling me into a hug.

"Thank you, Amu. Truly."

I just froze in place, shocked, as the electricity passed though my body and the blush crept onto my face.

Kukai.

He let go and smiled.

My shocked expression was still plastered on my face. And I can assure you the blush was still there, as well.

He laughed.

"You really are cute."

I pouted a bit, but he just laughed again.

"Now let's go back to my mom and those delicious sandwiches."

He playfully hit me and then ran off.

And there I was, again, left with the heating blush and altered heartbeat, smiling like an idiot.