• CHAPTER 100 - MOVING IN

    So you're moving in with your fiancée, feeling like everything was going right after a grim talk the night before, and you're greeted with an unexpected present in your suitcase. Either it's a prank or help or a sign.

    It took me the whole forty-five minute drive to the new home to just halfway calm down. My nerves of moving in with Kai were acting up so severely that I was positive a heart attack would grasp me. My palms were sweating mildly but I kept fondling with my fingers and gnawing on my lip. There wasn't much to distract me; the only thing we did last night was take a dip in the pool--forced upon me--and discuss grimly about the contract and...made out with a "Do Not Disturb" or a "No Molesto" sign on the door knob.

    "Take a right on this upcoming road," Kai broke the silence.

    It was about time; we had been driving straight for an eternity. I quickly and clumsily turned right in my car--thankful the road wasn't gravel--and continued on my way. The silence was uncomfortable, but not awkward. It was more uncomfortable than anything because of the discussion about the contract. The one thing that finally distracted me was a few trees off in the distance. As we approached, Kai told me to start slowing down and the silhouette of a house came to view.

    "Right here," he pointed at the driveway as soon as we approached the house.

    I pulled into the driveway and put it in "park" and jumped out of my car immediately. I gaped in awe at the house; it was a one story house with little trees in front but plenty of trees in the back yard. It was such a large house an such big windows where one bedroom was at the front of the house. All around us was the view of mountains no more than five miles from us. Kai offered to park my car in the garage but I refused his offer, too busy looking at the house.

    "It's beautiful!" I squealed. "Let's go in!"

    I opened the trunk and hauled my suitcase quickly to the front door where the house key and a spare were already lodged into the deadbolt. Opening the door, my senses were greeted with the faint smell of honeydew melon air freshener. I squealed again and jumped once, too concentrated on the house than I was of Kai or my car the other moment. I immediately kicked off my shoes and ran around the kitchen--the first room in the front door--with my suitcase on its wheels behind me. I entered the living room which was raised on a platform about six inches higher than the kitchen floor and I smiled at the plush white carpet oozing between my toes. There was even a fireplace in the living room; my own fireplace. There was so much more I wanted to see, but I had to unpack before anything else.

    "There's an office right there for when you start college," Kai pointed to the left side of the house and surely enough, adjacent to the living room, was a secluded office with a finicky laptop and supplies.

    "Is this the bedroom?" I pointed to a closed door that was right behind me.

    Kai nodded and I opened the door and I froze once I did. What I couldn't see from the outside window was now crystal clear in front of me. There were red rose petals sprawled all over the floor from the door and onto the bed. The lights were dimmed and...was that romantic music I was hearing in the background??

    I stood with my mouth open while Kai ignored the bedroom and explored the rest of the house. I hurried into the bedroom and slammed the door shut behind me. My face was red and my heart was beating; it was all from Takeuchi and Kira!!

    I followed the trail of petals again to the bed that was also risen on a six-inch platform and there was something sitting on the bed. I peeked closer and noticed a pair of matching black lingerie with hooks on the lacy underwear that hooked onto some fishnet stockings. The bra was pretty skimpy too...but what was sitting next to the lingerie? With a redder face from the provocative lingerie--also given by Takeuchi and Kira--was a small box. I picked it up and turned it around over and over again, confused; on the front, it said "Trojan" and I read no further.

    I exited the bedroom and Kai was in the living room, standing in front of the unlit fireplace that had a television hung above it. I tapped Kai's shoulder with the box of "Trojan" in hand and he turned around.

    I held the box up for him to see, "What are these?" I asked, seriously clueless.

    Kai's face fell immediately and his eyebrow started twitching. He snatched the box from me, crushed it in his hand, and threw it into the garbage can in the kitchen. I cocked an eyebrow at the display of violence to such an innocent box and Kai clearly showed that I didn't read the box close enough.

    "They're nothing," he looked away with a red face from either anger or embarrassment.

    "Takeuchi and Kira also put matching lingerie on the bed," I mumbled, looking down while tapping the tips of my index fingers together. "Is that a bad thing?"

    "I'll kill those assholes!" Kai yelled while slamming his fists on the kitchen counter.

    "What? What was the box?"

    "You don't need to know," Kai blushed heavily and ran his hand through his hair to avoid eye contact.

    I shrugged, "Okay, whatever. I'm gonna need help in picking up the rose petals they sprawled all over the bedroom."

    I left as soon as Kai started up his own moment of colorful words aimed at Takeuchi and Kira. I pretty much learned not to ask Kai what "Trojan" was anymore. I figured maybe it was some kind of pain medication; I wouldn't know because I didn't read the whole box. I turned the lights on all the way and searched around the room for five minutes until I found the remote to the radio and I turned off the romantic music. I tossed the embarrassing and revealing lingerie into the new dresser and opened the suitcase.

    While emptying my clothes from the suitcase, a small, blue, plastic case slid out of one of the pockets of my pants. I burrowed my eyebrows together in confusion, not remembering packing a blue case. I flipped the front open and froze; on the label on the inside of the front cover were the words "Ortho tri-cyclin; one a day". Great, birth control.

    It was probably another prank from Takeuchi and Kira. I was fuming up in anger and embarrassment until a note dropped out of the case and into the suitcase. I roughly grabbed the note and unfolded it only to end up staring at an incredibly elegant font; too elegant for Takeuchi and Kira.

    Arisa,

    Please don't think this is a prank from Takeuchi and Kira, they've already had their fun. I'm aware you have told me before about your irregular cycle so I opted to put you on Ortho tri-cyclin; birth control. Don't fret because I know you and Kai are not having sex; birth control is the easiest way to calm down your cycle so don't think of this in a bad manner (and take it this Sunday; it's easier to remember (and don't forget to call them in to refill them)). Kai doesn't have to know if you don't want him to.

    Matsuda and I are both incredibly proud of you; you've grown up so much since you arrived at our home. Kai finally found somebody he actually longs to be with and the same is with you. Ever since Kai first came into our house he was always alone, even when he was with Ayame. You've helped him see the light and we're so happy for that.

    Anyways, enough of my ranting. You and Kai have a lot of unpacking to do. We all love you two so much so be sure to keep in contact. Come over any time.

    Enjoy the house,

    Orihime


    I smiled at Orihime's heartfelt letter and was oblivious to the sound of Kai coming into the bedroom. He gently took the blue birth control case from me and that's when I came back into my senses. I stood up and freaked, slapping Kai's chest and trying to steal the case back.

    "Gimme!" I panicked.

    "Birth control??" he frowned. "It's another prank, isn't it?"

    "No!" I stopped slapping his chest and I blushed. "I have an irregular period..."

    There was a long pause between us and Kai silently handed the box to me which I grabbed from him harshly. I stowed the pills away in a small drawer in the dresser and I blushed heavily. The silence drug on between us and we only stood five feet from each other, both looking in different directions. Kai cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head, trying not to make the silence too awkward.

    "Um...There's a part to the house you might want to see," he continued to avoid eye contact. "It's in the back."

    "O-okay," I blushed as Kai took my sweaty hand in his cool hand.

    We left the bedroom--planning on picking up the petals later--and into the living room. Kai stopped us and turned around to me and gently pushed my eyelids shut. After another second, Kai tore off the brown paper that was covering what I assumed was a back door. Kai stood behind me and gently grasped my biceps from behind after opening the back doors and he whispered to keep my eyes shut. I kept them shut as tight as I could as Kai slowly guided me forward. He should have known better than that; I was prone to tripping over anything while fully conscious and awake, let alone walking blindly.

    As soon as I successfully stepped outside of the back door, the lukewarm breeze slid through my hair and I took a deep breath; I could smell...hot water?

    "You can open your eyes," he whispered to me.

    I cracked my eyes open and they snapped wide open after witnessing what was possibly the best thing I could witness. In the incredibly spacious and commodious back yard was a hot spring, about as big as two or three hot tubs. There were little waterfalls off of piles of rocks into it and a larger waterfall to shower under. The steam oozed off of the water and I was melting just looking at it.

    "To your left is the cabinet full of herbs," Kai pointed to the left and surely enough, there was a brownish-black cabinet about four feet tall with probably hundreds of different herbs.

    "Holy s**t!" I finally exclaimed after I found my voice.

    I had always wanted a hot spring of my own ever since I was little but we could never have one because mom, dad, Aya and I lived in the middle of the city. I squealed and jumped up and down once more and turned around to jump onto Kai and coil my arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around my waist and we seemed to have wiped away that embarrassing prank from Takeuchi and Kira pretty well.

    "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I squealed. "It's awesome!"

    "It's kind of a late birthday party slash graduation present," he smiled. "Same with the laptop in the office."

    My face fell and I sighed, "But Akatsuki didn't come to the party,"

    Kai set me down on my feet with a grim face, "One of his friends was killed in combat,"

    "Oh," I pushed some hair behind one of my ears.

    "He'll be here tomorrow," Kai tried to enlighten me. "Let's get unpacked first."

    What a big day already; I just moved in with Kai--alone--and we were both the butt of Takeuchi and Kira's jokes. And poor Akatsuki, his friend died...he's lost so many loved ones; I wondered how he could ever go on. At least I would see him tomorrow; I missed him so much. Kai and I started unpacking our things, feeling an awkward tension between each other as soon as we entered the rose petal-filled room. I couldn't be any happier...but I couldn't be any more nervous.