Lost in Oblivion [TsukiYama]

Chapter 1

"COME ON, YOU DON'T HAVE any right to turn down Takeda-san's invitation," Yachi chided through the phone.

     "But—"

     "For the love of mincemeat Tadashi, I'm going to kidnap you right now whether you like it or not, so you don't have a choice. WE. ARE. GOING. And that includes you. Is that clear?" Hitoka Yachi hung up. She didn't even waited for Yamaguchi's response despite the fact that she just asked a question. Well, that was probably for the best since Yamaguchi would've argued for another minute about how late it is at the moment, and how they were in a middle of the term, and why he shouldn't come.

     Nevertheless, he got up. Looked for an appropriate clothes—probably a flannel over a shirt, he thought. Well that was his version of appropriate clothes for the occasion.

     For another inkling minutes, he heard a knock, accompanied by the creaking of the opening door.

     "If you're going to open the door nonetheless, what's the use of knocking?" Yamaguchi asked the blonde girl in front of his doorsteps. She was wearing a simple sweatshirt and a skirt. A small bag hanged by her shoulder.

     "That's me being a polite kidnapper at the moment, Tadashi Yamaguchi," Yachi grinned in replied as she ushered Yamaguchi out of his apartment while holding her sandals on the other hand.

     Yamaguchi sighed, reaching for his keys to lock the door to his apartment. "This is definitely not a good idea Yacchan. We have clas—"

     "Shut up with your reasons for a second will you?" Yachi cut him off and closing the door behind them, "If you weren't that compelled to go with me, you wouldn't be leaving your doors unlocked. Besides, you even changed clothes."

     Yamaguchi finally shut his mouth. Girls really do have sharp tongues.

________________

     Once inside their former teacher's party venue, Yamaguchi had every urge to go home once again.

     It wasn't because he hated parties—well probably a bit—but it was because he hated crowds. Especially the kind of crowds where eighty-five percent of them were a complete set of strangers to you, and to your face-recognizing brain. And the remaining fifteen percent were those who insinuate to make you stay.

     He sat uncomfortably on one of the seats in the corner, looking a bit nervous. The place looked just like a bar, with the dimly-lit room and its colorful party lights and loud music, so Yamaguchi didn't notice when someone went to greet them.

     "Finally! You've come! I was worried Yacchan would've failed convincing you," Sugawara-the-insinuator-number-one bemused.

     "Meh. I will not let him go lurk and rot in his apartment once again," Yachi-the-insinuator-number-two chuckled. "Besides, this is a happy occasion shouldn't we all celebrate?"

     "True. Who would've thought Takeda-san would be married? I didn't even know he had a girlfriend to begin with."

     "You were just too busy with Daichi-san, Sugawara-san." Yachi teased.

     "Oh shush pumpkin." Sugawara replied with a slight blush evident on his face.

     Most of the conversations just left out of Yamaguchi's ears. He just stared into nothing in particular; watching nothing in particular; listening to nothing in particular. It actually helps with his anxiety to be honest.

     Only when Takeda-san finally spoke and introduced his future fiancée did Yamaguchi went back to reality. Not because the speech was touchy enough to make Tadashi listen and feel bad for every single-without-partners person in the world. Not because the future wife—the-oh-so-gorgeous-Koharu-Tsumugi—was tantalizing in her simple blue dress. It was because after the introductions and the speech, Takeda-san dropped a bombshell, as if presenting a rare dessert after the main dish.

     He welcomed back a semi-unanonymous person who disappeared for almost four years.

     Standing before them was a tall blond guy with horn-rimmed glasses, wearing his awfully usual look. The guy whom Yamaguchi knew too well. The guy who made his heart beat in an unusual manner. The guy who also 'kind-of' haunted the same poor heart for years.