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The Takakura estate was quiet, the sounds of heavy heaving came from the only occupied room inside; which could be found if you went up the stairs and found the second door on your left.
Ken wasn’t having such a good day, Miss Ayase seemed mad at him, and he couldn’t find the courage to ask why. His luck only got worse when he arrived home. A prickly warm feeling bloomed deep in his stomach, though he could feel as it fought to climb out. Gaging as he traveled his way to his bathroom, tumbling onto the floor as he felt as if he emptied his guts onto the floor, the feeling way worse than any of the hits he had taken from Evil Eye.
It felt wrong, the texture of what traveled up his throat too solid, too waxy. He felt as it grew bigger, climbing its way to his mouth, expanding which only brought more coughing and choking. He spit it out, heaving for air as his throat finally cleared. Feeling himself finally breath, while his stomach calmed.
When his breathing evened out Ken opened his eyes, looking down at what had come out of his mouth. A flower?
He moved to sit on his knees, fixing his glasses first before picking the flower up. Holding it up close to his lens, and spinning the single bloom.
The flower was pink, and had layers that overlapped and folded out which added to the size. Not one to focus on plants much he wasn’t sure what species it was, but that wouldn’t explain how it had come out of his gut.
He slowly dragged himself off the bathroom floor, placing the small flower onto his bedside table before changing and flopping into the covers, turning to the side to stare at it; though that wouldn’t give him many answers either.
Ken groaned, peeling his glasses off and placing them next to the flower, the bud only a speckle of pink in his vision now. He turned over again pulling his blankets higher before closing his eyes, hoping that unlike the aliens and spirits maybe this was all some weird dream.
—
It wasn’t. And when he woke up the next morning he immediately rushed to the bathroom, making it just in time to heave two more flowers out of his throat. The buds came out fast, though the pain remained prevalent. Tiny drops of blood stained the white sink, but he let them wash away as he turned on the faucet. Watching as the droplets of water bounced and gilded down the waxy petals.
Was this a side effect of something they had fought? What was he supposed to do? Normally asking Miss Ayase would be Ken’s first move, knowing if she didn’t know her grandma definitely did. Though the thought of asking either of them stressed him out, also remembering Miss Ayase was mad at him now; for a reason he couldn’t seem to piece together.
Ken’s stomach suddenly hurt even more, and he could feel a flower as it fought to climb out; Gaging till he choked it out, looking at the new one that joined the other. He grumbled, this was not something he could let wait. So firstly he had to get on good terms with Miss Ayase.
—
Ken didn’t know what he was thinking, why would he ever think he could get to the bottom of this, looking from afar as she leaned against the school gate, she was waiting, but for who?
He just kept walking, hopping to blend into the crowd as he passed through the gate. A loud sign of relief suddenly left him.
“Okarun! Wait for me.” The voice reached his ears just as a body bumped him on the side, looking to see Momo already walking in his pace. Maybe he was wrong? Maybe she wasn’t mad? Going to clear his throat, ready to mention his current issue.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m still mad at you.” she added almost right after. Nope, stupid Ken, why would you ever think she wasn’t mad? Swallowing the words that almost left his lips, feeling as something started to fight its way up his throat.
He held the frame of his glasses as he looked down, what had he done to make her mad?
“Miss Ayase-” Ken had just about worked up the courage to ask what he had done when the bell rang.
“See you after class!” she smiled, bounding off into her own homeroom Miko and Muko greeting her at the door. He awkwardly waved her off, gripping tight to the straps of his bag as he walked off to his own classroom.
He fumbled into his seat, slinging his bag onto the side of his desk; pulling a stack of books out his desk, tuning out those around him as he indulged in the world of words.
After flipping through the first book he picked up the next one, his mind constantly trying to remember the interesting things so he could tell Momo all about it, that pressure in his stomach suddenly coming back. He swallowed it, regretting that action right away as the pain only got worse.
On the verge of asking to be excused when suddenly it got too quiet, Ken raised his head noticing how his whole classroom was now empty; quickly standing up from his desk and running to the adjacent classroom, knowing she would be there.
He burst through the door, finding Momo already busy fending off two Serpo. Her giant blue hands just barely fending the creeps off, the whole scene made Ken anger quickly.
He transformed easily, ignoring the cracking of his own bones; and how the pain in his chest got worse with his change of form. Instead he ran to Momo, grabbing her up and speeding to the hallway.
“Babe, what's the plan?” Ken asked glumly, taking a quick look backwards as she shifted around on his back, feeling the familiarity of her thighs gripping his sides.
“Plan is we destroy those creeps!” she yelled, whipping around as he took a tight turn to climb up the stairs. Ducking down, as her arms snaked around his neck.
“You should hold me like this more often Momo.” Ken responded; which was more intended to be an inner thought. Though in this form he could care less what left his mouth, only unhappy when he felt her hit him across the head.
“Don’t say stuff like that Okarun!” Momo yelled, sitting up slightly; to only grab back onto him right after, Ken could tell she was pouting.
“Sorry babe, couldn’t help it.” he huffed, slowly to a stop as they made it to the roof. Straightening his back as Momo slid off, though his posture remained rather crooked.
The Serpo came up the stairs a little while later, their extraction arms already out and ready. Eerie smiles still clinging to their inhuman grey skin, what a mood killer.
Momo got right to work, extending her blue arms and grabbing at one the Serpo’s extraction tools. Ripping it clean off and throwing it off the roof, listening to the alien cry out and crumple to the floor momentarily.
Ken didn’t let her have all the fun, running at the other and colliding with it. Feeling as it flew off the roof, landing back on his feet. He looked up to see the sky regained its normal shade of blue,
but as he shifted out of his yokai form he felt his driving adrenaline drop; though the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach remained. He breathed heavily, unable to swallow anymore, he felt the flowers climbing back up. He gagged, looking down as his vision got blurry, red mixed with blurs of pink. He could faintly hear Miss Ayase’s voice, before it was all lost to black.
—
When Ken opened his eyes again his vision was still blurry, but as he ran a hand across his face he understood it was simply because he didn’t have his glasses. Reaching around in hopes of finding them, but only finding he had been tucked into a bed; a bed which wasn’t his own. His ears finally tuning him into the yelling which was occurring outside the door of the room he had been resting in:
“Old Hag, you better tell me what's wrong with him!”
“Geez, when are you going to learn to respect your elders?”
‘Will Okarun be okay?”
“You said he was throwing up flowers?”
“Yeah..”
“Let me talk to him.”
“What! Tell me what’s wrong!”
He squinted, watching as the door opened, finally registering he was in Miss Ayase’s room, in Miss Ayase’s bed…
Ken was moving faster than he thought possible without his Yokai form, fighting the layers of blankets, and piles of pillows to get out of her bed, not releasing he was on the edge till he fell off. Looking up at a blurb of white that towered over him from his upsidedown view.
“Momo where did you put his glasses?” he heard Granny Seiko ask from above him, slowly falling to the side as he righted himself up.
“There right in front of you! You might need new glasses at this rate Hag!” she yelled, though he could tell Granny was past that, handing him his thin frames.
He blinked a few times, finally able to read Seiko’s expression in front of him which wasn’t looking all that good.
“Listen kid.” she started, voice much calmer than before, which he knew meant the truth wasn’t going to be fun. “Look I don’t know what trouble is brewing in paradise between you and Momo, and frankly I don’t want to know about my granddaughter's love life. But, throwing up flowers is an effect of unrequited love.”
“Love?” Ken peeped, he was in love with Momo? Does she not love him back?
“Hanahaki disease, bet you’ve heard of that.” she said flatly, twisting an unlit cigarette on her lip. “Won’t get better till you confess, so those them apples I guess.” she added, pulling out a lighter to light her cigarette.
“You better not be smoking in my room Hag!” They both heard a voice yell from the hallway, Seiko backing out of the room with an eyeroll.
“Better sooner than later kid.” she said at the end as she disappeared down the hallway, Confess to Momo? Could he really do that?
“Okarun! Are you okay?” he looked up watching as Momo came right at him, he hadn’t meant to scare her and felt horrible realizing he had.
“I’m fine, I think.” brushing her off, rubbing at his neck and looking away. Not being able to stop her as she wrapped her arms around him, dropping her head onto his chest.
“Don’t scare me like that.” he could tell she was frowning, awkwardly letting his arms rest on the small of her back. Surprised when he felt them be pulled down to her waist, wrapping even tighter. Watching it was also Momo’s doing, her blue arms evaporating as he let himself hold her. Did she actually love him back?
“Yeah. I’m sorry.” he frowned, falling into her. Wishing for his Yokai form’s lack of filter to confess what he couldn’t seem to say normally.
“You should be.” she sternly said back, he was sorry since he couldn’t seem to tell her the truth. He was sorry since he couldn’t be real with his own feelings, he was so sorry.
“Momo.” it felt equally right and wrong as the name left his mouth. Feeling her jolt back unexpectedly, face tinting red as she went to fidgeting with her hair.
“Yes?” she asked, voice cracking; he had her full attention.
“I-” he stopped, pinching the frame of his glasses as he turned to look at her, his stomach already a mess as he swallowed what could only be flowers as they came up. He had to do this right.
“I love you.” Those three words were so small, but saying them he felt a sudden calmness within. His stomach settling as he looked across from him, Momo was staring at him, hands covering her mouth.
Suddenly the pain grew stronger, as he backed up. Was Momo disgusted with him? Had he read it all wrong? He was ready to fall into a poorly thrown together ramble, planning the apologies in his head, ready to accept his fate of loneliness from here on out. He was ready for everything that could have possibly happened.
Except for when he felt her lips against his. Ken felt himself fall back against the side rail of Momo’s bed, while she climbed into his lap. Not sure what to do as her lips moved so easily against his, though finding his hands were able to fit perfectly on her waist.
It was so surreal, that it took a moment to finally let himself give in. pushing his lips against hers, unsure if he was doing this all wrong, though enjoying it anyways. Hands tangled in his hair, as she pushed impossibly closer to him. It took him a moment to remember that he still needed to breathe.
They broke apart, but she didn’t leave his lap, her hands didn’t leave his hair, his hands didn’t leave her waist. They just looked at each other.
Ken’s glasses had slanted at some point, but he could still see Momo clearly. Taking in her flushed face, pink lips that had settled into a small smile; bangs falling in front of her eyes, how had he ever called her ugly?
He blinked watching as one of her hands left his hair, slipping down to right his glasses with a smile he wished was permanent.
“Consider yourself forgiven.” she smiled, messing with a curl of his hair. Ken had totally forgotten she had been mad. “Just remember, it's your turn to say see you tomorrow.” poking his nose to get her point across.
Ken squinted his eyes, but opened them to only smile.
“Okay.”