Circuits & Veins

Circuits & Veins- Chapter 2

       "A photo shoot!?" I sat on my bed in front of Natsuki, eyes wide and mouth agape with disbelief.

        "That's right!" He declared, clasping his hands together happily. The tall boy was bearing a look on his face that seemed extremely joyful, even for him.

        "I was invited to star in a photo shoot for a magazine! It's going to be held all the way in America!"

        "America!? You're kidding! That's seriously awesome!" My disbelief turned to awe and excitement for my childhood friend. This was huge news, after all! Natsuki nodded happily in response.

        "Mm-hm! This really is a wonderful opportunity! We'll be shooting over the course of one week, at some of America's most stylish locations!" He declared, his eyes alit with eagerness.

        "Wow..." I breathed out. A whole week, huh? Ever since Natsuki and I started rooming together, we'd hardly spent a day apart, let alone a week.

        "I guess your counseling really has helped something, Ai-Chan!" He remarked, practically beaming. Despite this, Ai remained silent and emotionless, fingers, as usual, typing away lightning fast.

        "Is that so?" His voice reeked with nonchalance and boredom. My smile suddenly faded in to a scowl. Him? Help? Yeah, right. Natsuki got this job because of his own hard work, not because of anything that blue-haired jerk did. Normally I wouldn't hesitate to point that out, but because Natsuki seemed so happy, I bit my tongue. There was a moment of silence in the room, but still nothing came from Ai. Not one word of congratulations. There never was. Damn! What did it take to please this guy!?

        "Well!? Aren't you going to say something!?" I snapped, suddenly standing up. There was a momentary pause, but afterwards, he spun in his chair to face Natsuki directly. Finally. This was it- this was the moment we'd finally get some recognition.

        "When are you leaving?" He asked flatly, eyes as cold and empty as those of a dead fish.

        "Tomorrow, actually," Natsuki responded. The room was quiet again. I stood there, eagerly awaiting more. Something, anything from our upperclassman. He nodded once firmly.

        "Understood. I will adjust the schedule accordingly." And just like that, he spun his chair back to face the computer and resumed typing. My mouth dropped open. Are you freakin' kidding me!? This again!? All I ever hear is schedule this, research that... it's almost like this guy has no sense of humanity at all. I can't take this anymore. Natsuki looked as if he was about to speak, but before he got a chance, I cut him off.

        "Natsuki!" I called out with gritted teeth, hanging my head in such a way that a shadow fell over my eyes, concealing the emotion in them.

        "...Don't you need to pack? Come on... I'll help you." For a moment, he stared at me peculiarly, but it quickly dissolved into a radiating smile.

        "Syo-Chan, you're always so considerate!" Laughing, he took my hand and dragged me out of the room, presumably to fetch his suitcase.

        "Oi! N-Natsuki! Let go of me!" I demanded, my face a graceful shade of pink. In a huge whirlwind of excitement and noise, the two of us came flying out of the room- the exact opposite of our cold-hearted upperclassman who seemed satisfied typing away at his computer. He couldn't be more different than the two of us, so why did Shining choose him as our leader? I'm not sure I'll ever know.

        Every day, I was sent to bed extremely early- of course, I was never tired, so it seemed counterproductive. But tonight falling asleep seemed to be even harder than usual. I rolled over to the other side of my bed and looked at Natsuki, who was already fast asleep. How am I going to handle him being gone for that long? It means that I'm going to be stuck with that jerk Ai all by myself... I shifted my position again. Well, that's probably a good thing. It'll give me a chance to knock some sense into him. While listening to the ever-present mechanical whir of Ai's PC, I eventually became drowsy. Despite how much it pissed me off on a daily basis, when I was trying to fall asleep, it was comforting somehow. In fact, it was the only thing that got me through those dreadfully long nights. Gently, consciousness left my body as my blue eyes softly fluttered closed.

        "Tomorrow," I thought, just before I fell asleep.

        "Tomorrow, I'll show him what it really means to be an idol."

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        That morning was the first in a long time that I didn't mind waking up early. After all, it was to see Natsuki off before he boarded his plane. It was windy that day, and the two of us exchanged our final goodbyes just outside the area where he would board.

        "Be careful, okay?" I requested, a small smile resting on my face.

        "And make sure you call often! Keep us posted on all the awesome places you'll be visiting!" I said, giving him a thumbs up and my signature smirk. He nodded his answer.

        "Mm-hm! I'll be sure to!" he reassured me with a smile. We nodded once more at each other, a final button to confirm our promise.

        "Oh, and one more thing, Syo-Chan..." He added.

        "Hmm? What is it?" I asked, staring him down with my two curious and wide blue eyes.

        "Make sure you get along with Ai-Chan while I'm gone, all right?" He winked once, and before I had a chance to protest, he turned to head for the plane.

        "If I stay any longer, I'll miss my flight! Bye, Syo-Chan!" he called out, hurrying in the opposite direction. All too soon, the boy had vanished, as the plane we were just outside of took off into the sky with him in it. I averted my eyes to the side in a pouty blush.

        "Idiot. I know that already," I grumbled. However, his request was easier said than done. How was I supposed to survive a week with just that blue-haired jerk and I stuck in that tiny bedroom!? I can only imagine just what the hell might possibly happen!