Thursday, June 15, 2006

chapter 3 part 1
this is gonna be my longest most intense chapter yet! which isnt saying much considering i only have 3 chapters so far...anywho, today i went to the YMCA and swam and played some raquetball which was fun. other than that, regular day. i spent the rest of it writing. so heres the fruit of my labors!

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It’s been 3 days since Imaku spent the night at Suki’s apartment and Kaji has spent every waking moment trying to get details from him. Of course, Imaku has been keeping quiet about the whole thing, but Kaji is wearing him down. That day, the two of them decided to get some fast food for dinner because Kaji’s dad was out at work late. Kaji is still trying to find out just what happened.
“So, what did you and Suki do al night after I left?” he asks for the fourth time that day.
“Alright, alright!” cries Imaku with a frustrated sigh throwing his hands into the air. “Ok, I’ll let you in on a secret, but you can’t tell anyone. He leans over closer to Kaji and whispers, “Suki and I are…” Imaku starts.
“Yeah, keep going,” Kaji urges.
“Well, we’re going-”
“Going out!” shouts Kaji triumphantly. “I knew it!”
“No, no, let me finish,” Imaku interrupts. “Suki and I are going to be parents!” he says excitedly. Pedestrians dive out of the way as Kaji’s car swerves wildly and crashes into a lamp post.
“P-p-pa-par-PARENTS?!” Kaji stammers in disbelief.
“Yeah, you won’t believe how it happened!” continues Imaku. He then describes an experience that Kaji has never seen even in his most hardcore videos, in excruciating detail. Once Imaku is finished, Kaji’s face looks badly sun burnt- with a bit of a green tint too it- and his nose is bleeding profusely. Imaku looks at Kaji’s condition and can’t stop the slow smile creeping across his face. He suddenly burst out laughing, leaving Kaji looking entirely bewildered.
“Dude, I can’t believe you fell for that!” Imaku manages to say through his uncontrollable laughing. Kaji begins to laugh half-heartedly as well.
“So you made it all up?” He asks with a sigh of relief. He pulls back onto the road and continues driving.
“Yeah, we aren’t gonna be parents,” says Imaku casually. “We used a condom,” he adds. The car crashes into another street lamp and Kaji’s jaw drops into his lap. Imaku starts laughing again.
“Stop doing that, dammit!” shouts Kaji angrily.
“I’m sorry Kaji. You’re just too damn gullible!” says Imaku, drying his watering eyes on his forearm. “Why do you want so badly to believe that Suki and I are like that?” he asks.
“What are you talking about?
“Well, there was just now, the other night at Suki’s house, the time me and her got locked in the equipment closet after her track meet, and of course, every festival we’ve been too,” Imaku replies, counting on his fingers.
“Okay, okay!” says Kaji loudly. “I dunno, but I get this vibe from you two. My great grandpa was a powerful Shinto shrine-keeper you know.”
“Whatever.” says Imaku, slouching back in his seat. “Suki and I are friends. Nothing happened at her house. We just talked,” he adds.
“What about?”
“Personal stuff. She wouldn’t like me telling you about it.”
“AH HA!” shouts Kaji triumphantly. “Keeping secrets from your best friend for her! That’s a sure sign,” he adds, nodding sagely.
“Have you been reading those magazines in the orthodontist’s lobby again, Kaji?” asks Imaku with a raised eyebrow and a wry smile. Kaji doesn’t reply and simply scowls for the rest of the drive.
When they return home, Imaku rips the buns and toppings of his two triple hamburgers, stacks the meat patties, and takes a huge bite.
“Mmmmm…good ol’ meat!” he says, tail wagging happily.
“That’s gross Imaku,” says Suki from the window. Imaku’s ears perk up and he nearly flies to the window.
“Hi Suki!” he says excitedly, looking for all the world like a puppy greeting his owner. “I haven’t seen you since that night!”
“I know, wasn’t it wonderful?” says Suki in a sweet, almost blissful, voice. Kaji chokes on his cola and begins coughing uncontrollably. Imaku and Suki don’t notice at all.
“What do you mean?” asks Imaku, genuinely confused.
“Well, didn’t we…you know?” Suki says awkwardly
“No, we didn’t. I slept on the floor.
“Well then why did I…So it was only a dream,” Suki mumbles to herself sounding disappointed.
“Dream?” mutter Imaku, looking like he was thinking. He looks up with his expression looking a bit frantic. “Suki, I need to talk to you,” he says urgently. He ran outside and, taking her by the hand, led Suki around the corner.
“What’s the big deal?!” asks Suki in surprise. “It was just a dream!”
“Suki, you have to tell me how every detail of your dream played out!” demands Imaku very seriously.
“What are you, some kinda pervert?!” shouts Suki angrily, pulling away from Imaku. He grabs her hand again and looks into her eyes.
“Just trust me,” he says quietly. She looks at the ground, then into Imaku’s bright blue eyes, then back down to the floor. Then she tells Imaku exactly what happened in her dream. With every word she says, his eyes grow wider with disbelief. He falls backward and sits completely still, ears placed back.
“Oh my god…” he whispers
“What’s going on Imaku? I’ve never seen you like this,” says Suki. She is growing more and more worried. Her voice is starting to tremble a bit.
“Suki,” Imaku says softly. “We had the exact same dream.”

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more to come! i told you the story gets more intense! from this point in, there will be some comic relief, but its not gonna be a comedy,
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