You don’t want to let her get too close because you’re afraid she might not love you enough to fight for you.
The words kept repeating itself in Minato’s mind no matter how hard he tried to exorcise them from his memory, and by the time he headed back to school the next day, his mood had drastically deteriorated to the point that he was unable to hide behind his usual mask of politeness. Instead, Minato’s true nature came to the fore, and the combination of his impatience and acid tongue caused even his own teachers to alternately stammer and mumble at his presence.
Why the hell did Karin have to say that, anyway?
His mother meant the world to him, but he wished just this once she had kept her mouth shut instead.
All that talk about Aya was pointless.
Goddamn pointless.
It was as if everyone and their cousin had seen Aya and Wind on one of their dates during Thanksgiving break, and ever since classes resumed, it was all everyone could talk about. If he heard one more person talk about how Wind did this or that to Aya, honest to God, but Minato might just end up committing murder – whoever that unlucky person might be.
Karin lifted a brow when she saw her son. “Someone certainly woke up the wrong side of the bed,” she said dryly.
“Whose fault do you think that is?” he snapped.
Karin wasn’t at all insulted and she doubted she could feel so no matter how much she tried. Right now, she was just too stunned – and pleased – that Minato, for the first time ever, was acting his age and talking back to her.
She took a deep breath, intending to congratulate him for finally acting like a normal eighteen year old rather than holding himself back like a noble, selfless samurai of old, but just as she opened her mouth, her son beat her to speaking.
“I’m sorry.”
Karin pressed her lips together to prevent herself from smiling ruefully. Oh well. It was good while it lasted.
“I didn’t mean to snap at you,” Minato apologized tautly.
“You’ve obviously had a bad day,” she observed sympathetically.
He answered her with a shrug, which Karin wisely interpreted as a ‘yeah, I did, but I don’t want to talk about it’.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
Footsteps that suddenly halted by the doorway had both of them looking up.
It was Aya, pale-faced, clutching a pile of books.
“Aya!” The librarian was the first one to speak, her pretty face breaking into a smile of genuine welcome. “It’s been so long since I last saw you.”
Aya felt her heart starting to crack. The older woman obviously meant every word, and the only way she could feel like that was if she was a thousand percent secure of Minato’s feelings for her.
“Sorry I interrupted you guys.” She kept her gaze glued to the librarian, knowing that if she let her look at Minato, it would be the end of her.
“You did no such thing,” Karin protested.
And of course the other woman would say that, Aya thought.
“Mr. Landers told me he’d give me plus points on the next quiz if I dropped these off for him---” In the corner of her eye, she saw Minato start to walk towards her, and Aya’s heart skipped a beat. “So, umm, anyway…” Panic started to spiral out of control inside of her as she sensed him approaching, and she anxiously looked around, hoping for some nearby table or chair she could dump the books and be on her way –
“Let me help you with that.”
Minato’s deep voice struck her like lightning, and Aya almost lost her hold on the books as the sound made her literally jump back.
A moment later, the reality of her situation hit her, with Minato standing so close the scent of his aftershave once again teased her nostrils, and her body began to ache and burn at his presence. Another moment, and he was reaching for the books, his fingers accidentally brushing her skin –
AAAAH!
As the books fell to the floor, Minato caught a glimpse of the horror on Aya’s face, and his lips tightened.
Did he disgust her now that she and Wind were going out?
When she started to turn away, his brain told him to let her go, but even so his hand was moving at the same time, his fingers wrapping around her wrist – and then he was forcing her to turn around as he demanded, “Why are you avoiding me?”
Aya kept her gaze to the floor. “Please let go of me.”
“Not until you answer my question.”
Aya couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “How can you even ask such a thing when she’s here?”
Minato was perplexed and frustrated. “What do you mean she?”
Her head shot up at the way he was pretending to be obtuse about everything. “You really want me to spell it out?” she asked shakily.
“Spell what out?”
“I’m talking about Ms. Grant,” she cried out.
“My---”
Aya saw the way the librarian stiffened at Minato’s slip, and the crack in her heart grew larger. “My what, Minato?” She saw the older woman pale and even Minato looked thrown off, but she no longer cared. She was suddenly sick and tired of having to tiptoe around the tissue, and just this once she wanted everything out in the open.
“You misheard---”
“No,” Aya whispered. “We both know I didn’t.” And when she saw Minato stiffen, she said wearily, “There’s no need to lie. I know everything.”
Minato’s face turned impassive, and his voice was very much controlled when he asked, “What exactly are you saying, Aya?”
“I’ve almost known from the very start. It was…impossible not to notice, the relationship you and Ms. Grant---” She broke off at the older woman’s gasp. A moment later, the librarian had hurriedly left her counter to join them, a look of tremendous worry on her face.
“What do you mean it’s impossible not to notice, Aya?”
Because I love Minato, Aya thought sadly, and so it’s impossible not to see how much he loves you.
“Aya?” The librarian’s voice was anxious. “I just want to know how you could’ve possibly figured things out on your own.”
Aya started to shake her head, but Minato then said in a steely voice, “This isn’t a game. We need to know how you found out---”
It hurt to hear Minato speak of him and the librarian as part of a ‘we’, and so she hastily cut him off, saying, “I promise I won’t breathe a word to anyone.”
“That’s not enough,” Minato said coldly.
“Please, Aya,” the librarian said quietly. “This is so important to me and my son.”
“I know. And I---”
Wait.
Just…wait.
And think.
What was that Ms. Grant had just said?
Had she just referred to Minato as her…son?
“What is it?” Minato asked sharply.
“I…I…”
Aya seemed to start hyperventilating, and alarmed at her increasingly deathlike pallor, Minato took hold of her shoulders to give her a swift, hard shake. “Breathe, Aya.”
Instinctively reacting to the commanding note of Minato’s voice, Aya’s breath whooshed out of her, and color started to return to her cheeks.
“Now, speak.”
And she blurted out, “I thought you were lovers!”
The words kept repeating itself in Minato’s mind no matter how hard he tried to exorcise them from his memory, and by the time he headed back to school the next day, his mood had drastically deteriorated to the point that he was unable to hide behind his usual mask of politeness. Instead, Minato’s true nature came to the fore, and the combination of his impatience and acid tongue caused even his own teachers to alternately stammer and mumble at his presence.
Why the hell did Karin have to say that, anyway?
His mother meant the world to him, but he wished just this once she had kept her mouth shut instead.
All that talk about Aya was pointless.
Goddamn pointless.
It was as if everyone and their cousin had seen Aya and Wind on one of their dates during Thanksgiving break, and ever since classes resumed, it was all everyone could talk about. If he heard one more person talk about how Wind did this or that to Aya, honest to God, but Minato might just end up committing murder – whoever that unlucky person might be.
Karin lifted a brow when she saw her son. “Someone certainly woke up the wrong side of the bed,” she said dryly.
“Whose fault do you think that is?” he snapped.
Karin wasn’t at all insulted and she doubted she could feel so no matter how much she tried. Right now, she was just too stunned – and pleased – that Minato, for the first time ever, was acting his age and talking back to her.
She took a deep breath, intending to congratulate him for finally acting like a normal eighteen year old rather than holding himself back like a noble, selfless samurai of old, but just as she opened her mouth, her son beat her to speaking.
“I’m sorry.”
Karin pressed her lips together to prevent herself from smiling ruefully. Oh well. It was good while it lasted.
“I didn’t mean to snap at you,” Minato apologized tautly.
“You’ve obviously had a bad day,” she observed sympathetically.
He answered her with a shrug, which Karin wisely interpreted as a ‘yeah, I did, but I don’t want to talk about it’.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
Footsteps that suddenly halted by the doorway had both of them looking up.
It was Aya, pale-faced, clutching a pile of books.
“Aya!” The librarian was the first one to speak, her pretty face breaking into a smile of genuine welcome. “It’s been so long since I last saw you.”
Aya felt her heart starting to crack. The older woman obviously meant every word, and the only way she could feel like that was if she was a thousand percent secure of Minato’s feelings for her.
“Sorry I interrupted you guys.” She kept her gaze glued to the librarian, knowing that if she let her look at Minato, it would be the end of her.
“You did no such thing,” Karin protested.
And of course the other woman would say that, Aya thought.
“Mr. Landers told me he’d give me plus points on the next quiz if I dropped these off for him---” In the corner of her eye, she saw Minato start to walk towards her, and Aya’s heart skipped a beat. “So, umm, anyway…” Panic started to spiral out of control inside of her as she sensed him approaching, and she anxiously looked around, hoping for some nearby table or chair she could dump the books and be on her way –
“Let me help you with that.”
Minato’s deep voice struck her like lightning, and Aya almost lost her hold on the books as the sound made her literally jump back.
A moment later, the reality of her situation hit her, with Minato standing so close the scent of his aftershave once again teased her nostrils, and her body began to ache and burn at his presence. Another moment, and he was reaching for the books, his fingers accidentally brushing her skin –
AAAAH!
As the books fell to the floor, Minato caught a glimpse of the horror on Aya’s face, and his lips tightened.
Did he disgust her now that she and Wind were going out?
When she started to turn away, his brain told him to let her go, but even so his hand was moving at the same time, his fingers wrapping around her wrist – and then he was forcing her to turn around as he demanded, “Why are you avoiding me?”
Aya kept her gaze to the floor. “Please let go of me.”
“Not until you answer my question.”
Aya couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “How can you even ask such a thing when she’s here?”
Minato was perplexed and frustrated. “What do you mean she?”
Her head shot up at the way he was pretending to be obtuse about everything. “You really want me to spell it out?” she asked shakily.
“Spell what out?”
“I’m talking about Ms. Grant,” she cried out.
“My---”
Aya saw the way the librarian stiffened at Minato’s slip, and the crack in her heart grew larger. “My what, Minato?” She saw the older woman pale and even Minato looked thrown off, but she no longer cared. She was suddenly sick and tired of having to tiptoe around the tissue, and just this once she wanted everything out in the open.
“You misheard---”
“No,” Aya whispered. “We both know I didn’t.” And when she saw Minato stiffen, she said wearily, “There’s no need to lie. I know everything.”
Minato’s face turned impassive, and his voice was very much controlled when he asked, “What exactly are you saying, Aya?”
“I’ve almost known from the very start. It was…impossible not to notice, the relationship you and Ms. Grant---” She broke off at the older woman’s gasp. A moment later, the librarian had hurriedly left her counter to join them, a look of tremendous worry on her face.
“What do you mean it’s impossible not to notice, Aya?”
Because I love Minato, Aya thought sadly, and so it’s impossible not to see how much he loves you.
“Aya?” The librarian’s voice was anxious. “I just want to know how you could’ve possibly figured things out on your own.”
Aya started to shake her head, but Minato then said in a steely voice, “This isn’t a game. We need to know how you found out---”
It hurt to hear Minato speak of him and the librarian as part of a ‘we’, and so she hastily cut him off, saying, “I promise I won’t breathe a word to anyone.”
“That’s not enough,” Minato said coldly.
“Please, Aya,” the librarian said quietly. “This is so important to me and my son.”
“I know. And I---”
Wait.
Just…wait.
And think.
What was that Ms. Grant had just said?
Had she just referred to Minato as her…son?
“What is it?” Minato asked sharply.
“I…I…”
Aya seemed to start hyperventilating, and alarmed at her increasingly deathlike pallor, Minato took hold of her shoulders to give her a swift, hard shake. “Breathe, Aya.”
Instinctively reacting to the commanding note of Minato’s voice, Aya’s breath whooshed out of her, and color started to return to her cheeks.
“Now, speak.”
And she blurted out, “I thought you were lovers!”
At this point in Aya and Minato's story, I wonder if you're asking the same question I asked myself when I first started writing It Started With A Secret.
And that question is -
Will these two finally be able to kiss now that the truth's out in the open?
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