Year of the Idol

Chapter THREE

Namiko couldn't get Kyo off her mind that night and well into the next day. On her way to school, every time she tried to focus on something else, her thoughts wandered back to Kyo or what Yuki had said to her about him. Why did he save her?! Why did Yuki think that Kyo was dangerous?

Stuck in her own head, her feet had taken her to the front entrance of Kaibara. Maybe she did remember Tokyo better than she thought? Glancing at her watch, she turned out to be 20 minutes early. Since it was warm out, Nami sat on the front steps and watched as students entered the building.

A familiar face graced her view as Tohru skipped towards her. Two girls were following close behind. One girl had beautiful, silky black hair that was twisted into a braid, and the other was a tall girl with her blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun.

"Good morning, Namiko! I want you to meet my two friends, Uo and Hana!" Tohru was all smiles as she introduced her two friends. They gave her genuine, but small smiles in return when Nami stood from her place on the stairs and bowed her head to them.

"Lovely to meet you both," Nami greeted them. She remembered that Tohru had mentioned something about her two best friends the day before. Glancing around at the students going into the school and then back to Tohru, Nami whispers, "Hey, Tohru... Do you know if Kyo... doesn't really like me?"

"Wh-what? Why would you even say that! Kyo can be a little hot-headed, but he's a really, really great guy!" Tohru blushed, hurriedly explaining that Kyo was not great at first impressions. She seemed to really have a soft spot for him. "Why are you asking?"

Nami explained to the three girls that last night, she had narrowly dodged being mugged by two men who thought she was a tourist. She told them about Kyo saving her, rushing to finish her story as she saw Yuki, Haru, and Momiji approaching them. She didn't want to cause a scene, but Yuki's keen hearing picked up what Nami hoped it wouldn't.

"Kyo really helped you? That's the first selfless thing I've ever heard of him doing." Yuki scoffed, his face emotionless. Although his words held different feelings, he seemed unimpressed by Kyo's actions. The three girls continued to question Namiko, hovering around her, asking if she was okay. Tohru inspected a cut on her wrist, fussing over her.

"No, really, it's quite alright!" Namiko brushed her hair behind her ear, face growing hot from all the attention. Momiji pouted at her and grabbed her hand, concerned for her even though she tried to calm the situation.

Just as Kyo was walking towards their group, seeming less hostile than he did yesterday, Yuki blurted out, "Kyo's so selfish, I can't believe he did this just to make himself look good."

Kyo stopped dead in his tracks, tension growing in his face. The group grew quiet as Namiko's eyes met Kyo's, widening as Kyo hunched his shoulders and scowled.

"You better shut your mouth, you damn rat!" Kyo growled, taking a step toward Yuki.

"Please Kyo, not at school. I have to get to class. Have a good day, everyone." Yuki said his goodbyes as he walked slowly up the steps to Kaibara, not even giving Kyo's behavior a second thought.

Everyone else seemed to shrug it off, except Nami and Kyo. Kyo puffed his chest up and walked in after him, gripping his bag by the straps at his chest. Nami blinked a couple times, trying to register once again, what the hell had happened there?

"Tohru, is that... normal? Do they fight like that all the time?" Namiko looked around the group, trying to get a straight answer just from their faces, but everyone seemed a little uneasy.

"Well, Kyo and Yuki don't have the best relationship. They're cousins, but they are nowhere near friends. I hope one day they can get along, but... that day seems very far from today." Tohru sheepishly said. Uo and Hana waved goodbye as the first warning bell rang. Haru and Momiji stuck around. Namiko grabbed her things, swinging her bag onto her back.

"Is Kyo always such an ass?" Nami asked, walking next to Tohru and into the building. "When he saved me last night, I asked to make him dinner as a thank you, but he just said no... I want to repay him," Nami firmly said, stopping to face Tohru. "I don't know what else I can do for him, but I know I won't feel right until I say a proper thank you. My dad always taught me that if you don't know what to get someone, give them the gift of friendship and food!"

Tohru laughed, nodding her approval. A light bulb seemed to click in her head as she grinned from ear to ear. "Nami, I have the perfect idea! Why don't you come back to the Sohma's home tonight with me after school and we can make Kyo dinner? He can't say no if it's a surprise!"

Tohru seemed overjoyed, a sparkle in her eyes as she continuously nodded when Nami agreed. She looked up from her feet at Tohru, unsure of what to make of this sudden invitation. She'd never had people flock to her in America so easily. She actually didn't have many friends at all besides her sister, in America or Japan. "Are you sure it's no trouble? I can even stop at the grocery store and buy all of the food!"

Without missing a beat, Tohru put a hand on Namiko's shoulder. She felt a surge of warmth as Tohru said, "Please, don't worry about it. I know this is the right thing to do. After all, I just want everyone to be friends!"

Nami felt her heart skip as Tohru waved goodbye and said she would meet her at the gates of the school after classes were over. She hadn't even noticed that Momiji had grabbed her elbow and was leading her towards their classroom, as Haru trailed behind them.

"Friends? Am I... Am I part of their friend group?" Nami thought to herself. She pursed her lips and clenched her jaw so as to focus on not letting a tear escape her eye. She had only been at Kaibara for less than 48 hours and she already had found friendship with multiple people. Namiko had a feeling that maybe this big move back to Japan had become a fantastic situation after all.