Considering starting a new fanfic.

This time it’s Final Fantasy 13.

Fang Lightning pairing.

I’m going to start experimenting with angst, tension and something more fast paced than Tasogare.

No, I’m not abandoning my Shiznat fic. I’m just inspired to write a FLight one at the moment. Still plodding through Tasogare although priority might change.

It all really depends on inspiration. I’ll get back to work now but not before dropping a preview of my new fic.

Fight or Flight

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 13 belongs to Square Enix

Chapter 1: Weaknesses

“You’re a coward.”

Lightning turned away, eyes hard. No, she won’t show that whiplash of a comment hurt.

“There you go again.” That low, arrogant voice floated towards her effortlessly. “Always running away, turning away from things you’re too scared to understand.” Twigs snapped and wet soil squelched as the footsteps sauntered closer.

Lightning’s fists clenched yet she stood her ground, refusing to face the taunting eyes of the speaker. Don’t let her get to you. The footsteps stopped and with that, the breath she never realised she was holding escaped, relieved. There was a soft rustling of cloth behind her, most likely Fang crossing her arms or something. Lightning kept her silence. She owned that woman no explanations.

“It’s that damn cowering attitude of yours that landed us here in the first place.” Lightning thought she could feel Fang’s low voice, cool and biting as winter, stirring the loose tendrils of her hair. That infuriating habit: Fang’s lack of respect of personal space. Her teeth grit at the thought.

Without turning around, Lightning asked, “What do you mean?”

A soft chuckle. Lightning could imagine her eyes taunting: You know what I mean. But instead, Fang’s answered flowed out, mockingly, “If you had asked, hadn’t stuck your damn head in the sand… Serah and you wouldn’t have been in this situation. We all wouldn’t have been in this situation.”

“Don’t you dare drag Serah into this!” Lightning whirled around in a flash and almost bang her nose against Fang’s. The two women’s eyes locked. The freezing blue and the piercing green hardened, trying to burn the other down.

Lightning was initially surprised at Fang’s actual proximity but soldier that she was, she utilised it to her advantage. Snapping her arms forward and snatching up the fabric covering Fang’s front, she snarled up at the taller woman. “It wouldn’t have changed anything. She’d still be a l’Cie! NOTHING. Would have changed!”

Unfazed, Fang raised her eyebrows accompanied by a challenging smirk, “Well, I dare you to prove it.” The words flowed out calm and slow in her confident drawl, “I dare you to prove that this attitude of yours won’t leave you any damn regrets.”

“You don’t know anything. Don’t act like you do.”

“I know that you’re a coward. Always had been. You ran away and left her to die.”

A resounding slap filled the cold night air.

Anyway, this might spoil the chapter… Consider it a teaser. But it’s still subject to change. I don’t know, I’m not satisfied with it… yet. Too early for Shiznat development? It doesn’t flow right… Oh God, I need to work on paragraphing.

Tasogare

Disclaimer: Sunrise and Stephanie Meyer own Mai-Hime/Otome and the Twilight series respectively

Chapter 4: Fujino Shizuru

“You shouldn’t do that,” a soft voice called out from behind Natsuki.

Natsuki’s body tensed up when she recognised the voice. She gave a loud frustrated sigh. Instead of going limp as the figure behind her expected, there was a sudden, furious rush of energy as Natsuki attempted to jerk her arm away.

It barely budged.

The steadfast grip on her arm was surprisingly gentle. This contradiction must had confused Natsuki as she tugged again, refusing to believe that the hold was strong enough not to yield to her.

“You’ll hurt yourself if you keep doing that,” the soothing, quiet Kyoto-ben chided. Her tone was laced with startlingly genuine concern.

“Leave me alone, Fujino,” Natsuki growled. Too angry to use honorifics. “It’s not your place to tell me what to do.”

“I am on the Student Council, it is my duty to-”

“Mind your own frigging business. This has nothing to do with you!” the snarl ripped through the air like a crack of a rifle, freezing both Shizuru and Natsuki herself. Natsuki was unsettled by her own tone, still resounding through the garden loudly. It reminded her of the days before therapy, before she had learnt to coexist with her demons. Natsuki squeezed her eyes shut. Great, I just took another three steps back.

The slackening of the tension in her grip brought Shizuru out of her shock. Glancing down, she noticed a slight purple shadow starting to bloom across the fair skin of the wrist she was gripping. She bit her lips angrily, realising she’d actually hurt the girl.

“Kannin na,” the whisper fluttered past Natsuki’s hair like summer’s breeze. She relinquished her hold of Natsuki’s arm, watching it as it fell back to her sides, limp.

“Why’re you being so nice to me?” Natsuki brows furrowed. She flicked her phone lightly away, a defiant gesture. Neither spoke as they watched it roll a short distance away.

There was a soft chuckle, “It’s not healthy you know…” there was a rustle of movement which Natsuki deduced as Shizuru adjusting her position. “…to release your anger like that.”

Natsuki noticed the voice sounded further off. Turning, she watched as Shizuru settled into the shade, leaning casually against the tree. Crimson eyes twinkled in the darkness, thrown by the canopy of leaves above.

“You got a better idea?” emerald met ruby in a challenging stand off.

“You could always talk to the school’s counsellors. They’re qualified psychiatrists.” Shizuru gave a nonchalant shrug, “There are plenty of alternatives, you know.”

Natsuki’s eyes never left her face, a defensive display of anger and frustration trying to tell her to back off. Though Shizuru found the raw emotions painful to look at, she continued the eye contact, seemingly unfazed. Both realised that in this game, it was about pushing the boundaries of comfort. But then again, Shizuru thought, amused, this may simply be a battle of stubbornness.

“Well, you think I would?”

The smile that always adorned Shizuru’s face widened a fraction before shaking her head. “Ah, that’s why I’m so worried about your health. I guess you’ll just bottle it up until it explodes, no?”

By this time Natsuki had stood up, arms crossed and leaning her weight on her right foot. Eyebrows still raised in that defiant expression. “I told you, this is none of your concern. And don’t start that ‘it’s my duty’ crap.”

Holding back no longer, Shizuru let out a laugh. Her ringing mirth warmed the atmosphere quickly. Natsuki, too, could help but feel amused by their conversation, letting a smirk settle on her face. “Kaichou, you said there are many alternatives. You have yet to give me a convincing one.”

Shizuru gave a sigh before pushing herself lithely off the tree. Natsuki, you are quite an interesting person, you know that? And impossibly stubborn. As she neared the girl, she let her smile take on a more mischievous edge. She stopped inches before Natsuki’s face, watching her tense up but not backing away. Let’s add competitive to the list. Shizuru smirked as she bent down to Natsuki’s level. She could see a delicate eyebrow twitching, most likely in annoyance. They locked eyes once more: one questioning and one playful. Shizuru raised a finger and gently traced down Natsuki’s cheek. Her smirk grew wider as she felt the red heat bursting across those fair cheeks. Oh my, was that a slight tremor?

“Wh-?! Argh!” Natsuki shook away her hands and swiftly turned around, her back facing Shizuru to show her displeasure. Natsuki turned to glaring daggers at the grass beneath her feet. Mentally cursing as she realised that it wasn’t just the blood vessels in her cheek rebelling against her, her heart was thumping an erratic staccato.

The infuriating chuckle ran out behind her. “Kannin na. I just cannot resist someone as adorable as you, Natsuki.”

“St-stop teasing me! I thought we’re having a serious discussion about my mental wellbeing!” Right now, Natsuki hated the sluggish stuttering of her speech. What the hell is wrong with you?

“Oh, the atmosphere had become too tense for my liking so I lightened it up a bit.” Another nonchalant gesture, unseen by Natsuki. She was still facing the other way, fighting her blush.

“Too tense? You’re the one who made it awkward!”

“I apologise. Let’s get back on topic, shall we? Pray remind me, where did we left off?”

Natsuki rolled her eyes at the flower bush in front of her. She raised her hand tentatively to her cheeks first, just to check. Damn, still warm. She was not going to give that woman the satisfaction of seeing how affected she was. She collected herself and answered, “You were supposed to convince me there’s other ways than throwing a tantrum.”

“Ara, then the answer’s quite simple. You…” A sudden rustle and Natsuki found herself wrapped in a cool embrace. The abrupt feeling of Shizuru’s arms slithering around her waist set her face ablaze, again. “…simply need a hug.”

Natsuki let out a surprised gasp, body frozen. Shizuru’s chestnut coloured locks cascading over her shoulders and brushing teasingly against Natsuki’s cheeks. Her body flamed up. Every sensation seemed to be magnified. She could feel the rise and fall of both their chests as they breathed, Shizuru’s cool, sweet breath tickling her neck. The scent of green tea and something floral assaulted her nostrils. The stillness of her own body allowed her to detect a small quivering of the body in contact with hers.

But with her back to Shizuru, Natsuki didn’t realise the disturbing cause of the quivering. If she had turned around, then she would have witness an extraordinarily rare sight. Shizuru’s usual pleasant mask was distorted by a feral expression of such self loathing and hunger. She could feel herself slipping, mind succumbing to her own darkness.

She realised in a panic that she made the wrong move. Yet the pleasant warmth of their combined body heat, Natsuki’s soft, pale neck was deliriously tempting. It took Shizuru all her energy to restraint herself from letting her predatory instincts take over. She could feel the opposite forces tensing and straining her muscles, sending her body quivering. But otherwise, she remained stationary. Her vision blurred. The soft light bouncing off Natsuki’s neck gave it a welcoming glow, beckoning her. Shizuru’s tongue slowly glided across her dry lips and she took a shuddering breath.

Another mistake. She was almost knocked unconscious by the force of desire that erupted within. Natsuki’s sweet scent numbed her brain like a drug. The throbbing of Natsuki’s lively pulse was so tangible- the rhythm resonated throughout Shizuru. Several times, her quivering lips had come hovering dangerously close to Natsuki’s neck, with mouth parting open and canines extending into fangs.

Each time, with her beautiful face contorting up in pain and disgust, she managed to pull herself away. The difficulty increased steadily. She attempted to hold her breath in, determined not to let Natsuki’s scent tempt her. Exhaustion gnawed away at her self control. She squeezed her eyes tight shut, determined not to let the sight entice her, hoping her irrational desires will pass soon.

“K…Kaichou! I don’t need a hug!” Natsuki pushed her away, finally regaining control of her own body. Though not entirely. Her face appeared to be set permanently in that ripe shade of red.

Shizuru let out a sigh of relief as she willingly allowed herself to be shoved. Shizuru, Shizuru. She chided herself. Don’t get overconfident about your self-control. It was suppose to be just an experiment; to prove a point to herself. But she had no idea that she had almost bitten off more than she could chew. Funny metaphor, that. Composure resettled itself as the wild look rippled away. Her smile reappeared in time as Natsuki whirled around with a glare.

“If you feel you have to maintain that tough image in front of everyone, including me, then I can just instruct Hikaru to give you a daily dose of hugs. Affectionate, understanding, motherly gestures are said to be comforting after all.” Shizuru gave her a playful wink, mentally sighing in relief when she felt in control of herself again.

“Tch, nice try. Hikaru won’t hug me. She, for one, actually knows what personal space means,” that was bluffing but Natsuki would rather not reveal to her that Hikaru had a tendency to glomp her like a teddy bear. She gave a small sneer at the recollection of her cousin before asking again, “Anything else? If you don’t, then you should stop minding my business.”

Shizuru’s playful expression dropped into something more serious. “You can always talk to me. I’m quite willing to listen.”

Her serious proposal seemed to have stunned Natsuki. A long silence followed as Natsuki looked like she was debating over the suggestion. A small flame of hope flared up with Shizuru as she smiled at Natsuki’s look of intense concentration. Her face underwent several changes, brows furrowing or relaxing depending on the thoughts that flew across. The girl was so vulnerable and so open once the ice had melted through.

Don’t forget. Shizuru stiffened. A familiar, yet faceless, voice echoed through her mind. Who was it? Why can’t she remember? Don’t forget your promise. Shizuru gritted her teeth as she searched through her memories for the owner of that voice. Images from long lost past flashed by. Smiles, tears, births, deaths, nameless people, friends… A sudden pain throbbed at her temple, coinciding with the flash of darkness that engulfed her. Nothing. A black emptiness stretched out before her. Only the pain remained, pulsing with a regular beat. Shizuru bit down on her lips to stop a gasp from escaping. Then voice came again, feebly this time. Protect her with your life. My summer princess… The words faded, the pain subsided. Shizuru’s brows furrowed slightly in confusion. What was that?

“Kaichou…” a tentative, uncertain voice brought Shizuru back.

She smiled reassuringly to cover her little slip, “I’m sorry, you were saying?”

Natsuki rolled her eyes, “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“I’m sorry, I… You see, there’s a lot on my mind too,” Shizuru was surprised at her own frankness but continued despite that, “It might do me good if I practise what I preach.” Hoping that would be enough to cast away Natsuki’s discomfort. Trust is a two-way street after all.

Natsuki stared at her, a little surprised at the implications of her words. Why would that kaichou want to confide in her? She shrugged, not knowing if it was directed at Shizuru’s words or herself. She’s weird but at least she’s actually concerned. It felt nice, Natsuki had to admit, to have someone, other than her family, watching out for her.

Fidgeting slightly, she repeated, “I said I’d… like that. To talk to someone, I mean you, about my…troubles,” This time, she got through without stuttering. Thank god she didn’t hear me the first time. Natsuki mentally slapped herself.

Natsuki watched as Shizuru’s smile widened into genuine, contagious happiness. Her own lips curved up in reflection. It was a hard decision to come to though, since she had never even thought about consulting someone outside her family circle. But she had rather enjoyed talking to the kaichou. It was different, at least entertaining, for them both. It didn’t feel like some social obligation. Sometimes, it was easier to speak to a stranger than someone close. A stranger would probably not be as judgemental or biased.

Natsuki looked at Shizuru, “There’s a condition to that though. I’ll talk if you’re willing to follow through your part of the deal.”

Fair eyebrows rose, extremely curious, “You wouldn’t mind me harping on about my complaints?”

“I tell you my problems. You tell me what’s troubling you in exchange. Fair deal to me.”

Shizuru chuckled, happy to see that they’d made some progress, “All right. So, who’s first?”

A smirk tugged at Natsuki’s lips. “You. Starting from why you ran off this afternoon.” Seeing the quizzical look, Natsuki clarified, “Why you ran off during biology.”

“Oh that,” Shizuru actually looked uncomfortable. She swallowed. It’ll be hard to explain but getting Natsuki to open up to me is worth it. “Fine, it’s a deal.”

They reached forward to seal the deal with a hand shake. When it ended, Shizuru was still holding onto her hand. Natsuki was about to protest but a gentle pull cut her off. Shizuru gave her an assuring smile before nodding her head back towards the big oak tree. “We should get comfortable. Might be a long story.”

Natsuki laughed as she allowed herself to be led to the base of the tree, “Anything to get away from festival preparations.” She sat down, cross-legged, besides the kaichou. Shizuru tugged her long legs beneath her body. Natsuki couldn’t help but wonder if she would get pins and needles. Natsuki’s old teachers used to punish her by making her kneel in that posture, with a straight back, for hours on end.

Shizuru’s scarlet eyes lidded, clearly relaxed in her position, “But first,” Her melodic Kyoto-ben danced out her lips, “You should start calling me Shizuru. It’s only fair since I had already started calling you Natsuki.”

Natsuki laughed. She adopted her relaxed air before replying, “Fine with me, Shizuru. So tell me, are you scared of blood?”

TBC… That’s only the first 6 pages. Judging by my recent condition, it’ll probably be another 20+ pages chapter…

Tasogare

Disclaimer: Sunrise and Stephanie Meyer own Mai-Hime/Otome and the Twilight series respectively

Acknowledgements:

Chapter 3: The Student Council

“Ah, I’m so glad it’s over!” joints clicking, muscles stretching followed heavily anticipated ringing of the bell- signalling the end of a double lesson of Japanese. Natsuki let out her tenth yawn for the morning.

“Looks like our leader can’t stand just a bit of Japanese,” a taunting voice flowed across from a few seats away. A vein near Natsuki’s temple throbbed at the mention of the unwanted label. Luckily for Natsuki, Nao’s further remarks were blocked by her own urge to yawn.

“Geez, Nao, always so sharp-mouthed. But hey, who wouldn’t be bored after two hours of analysing all that anyway?” Chie, seating a desk away from Nao, reached over and poked her sides with a ruler. Nao yelped and slapped her ruler away, indignant.

“Hey, don’t touch me!” Nao launched herself at Chie when Chie’s retort was another rally of jabs. Aoi, standing a few seats away, shook her head and let out a sigh about “kids these days” as Hikaru and Natsuki moved to her side of the room- the safe zone. Well, Chie had a ruler after all.

As the class filed out the door for recess, the rest of the giggling group pulled themselves out of their seats and followed; staggering slightly and clutching their bellies. With tears in Hikaru’s eyes, she struggled to get her words out, “Oh god that was brilliant… It’s so the insult of the day, Nao! Shove that…” incoherent words “down your…” The rest came out in a warble as she completely lost control of herself, sending the rest roaring with laughter and groans when the stitches came back.

Natsuki quietly disengaged herself from the chattering girls and merged into the current of crowds heading in the direction of the garden she saw out the window during class. With the weather like today, it was a chance too good to waste.

Yank. A restrictive pull on the collar of her shirt. “Where do you think you’re going?” Three pairs of slithering limbs shot out and barred her passage. “You’re going the wrong way.” Evil glint and smirks filled her vision.

“What?! Wait, let me go! No!”  Against her protesting, Hikaru and her friends turned her around and steered her in the opposite direction, towards the cafeteria instead. They seemed to be saying irrelevant things about the need to socialise more. What part of lone wolf don’t they get?

The kidnappers were rather efficiently organised. They’ve sent someone to scout ahead. While Hikaru, Chie and Aoi were dragging their grumbling captive down the far side of the cafeteria to their usual headquarters, Nao was already there, busily playing, as per usual, on her cell phone. She greeted them with an absent-minded grumble when the rest of them delivered a chorus of thanks for bagging their table. Hikaru plonked the still-struggling Natsuki between her and Chie. Natsuki would have grumbled more about her rights being infringed if it weren’t for the fact that the last seat left was next to fiery red head.

Conversation had bubbled up even before they dropped into the seats. Customary to her usual behaviour, Natsuki barely spoke; simply listened and answered only when directly spoken to. Chie and the others weren’t offended. Natsuki was told she had the right to remain silent when they “arrested” her. And what other way is more efficient to show your displeasure of being forcefully imprisoned between two talkative girls?

“Chie-san, have you checked out the lunch special today?” an enthusiastic voice called out. The widely smiling girl with what looked like Caesar salad on her lunch tray approached the table. Quickly followed by four more people. Chie invited them to join her group while proceeding to introduce the newcomers to Natsuki. “This is Yumemiya Akira and Erstin Ho. They’re in the other class.” Chie pointed to the two of the newcomers. Yumemiya Arika was the bubbly, brown hair girl, while her quieter, blonde friend was Erstin. The two girls approached Natsuki with an amiable greeting before introducing themselves. Natsuki did the same, but with much more reserve.

“So how do you like Fuuka?” the girl called Erstin asked abashedly. Natsuki opened her mouth to answer.

“The school’s so big, isn’t it? I still get lost these days.” Arika jumped in and effectively snapping Natsuki’s mouth shut. Her eyebrow twitched slightly while she was debating on whether to be offended by Arika or be thankful for the diversion. “Oh and have I told you the time I…” Natsuki bit her lips before a whisper of a sigh could escape. A small wave to her left caught her eyes. Turning, she noticed Aoi had been trying to catch her attention.

Satisfied that Natsuki’s looking her way, Aoi proceeded to wave the three remaining newcomers closer to the table. One was the clingy Yuusuke from before and the other two, Natsuki was told, were his friends. “That’s Yumemiya Hideki. He’s the twin brother of Arika,” Aoi pointed to the boy with curly brown hair and a beaming smile that showed all his sparkling teeth. Natsuki chuckled inwardly as she turned her head to the boy. I could feel the family resemblance there; they do have the same vibe.

“And this is Asano Shoutaro, the captain of the baseball club.” Aoi continued, giving a name to the last new face on the table.

“Yo, nice to meet you.” Asano Shoutaro greeted her casually. “Heard a bit about you from Yuusuke.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Natsuki replied politely, trying hard not to roll her eyes at the mention of Yuusuke. “Oh, you did, eh? Words spread pretty quickly here.” she chuckled dryly, “Sorry but, you don’t look like you’re in our grade.”

Shoutaro shook his head with a laugh of his own. “Nah, I’m in the year above. But everyone knows who you are by now.” From what little exchanges between Chie and Hikaru that Natsuki had caught, the respected Shoutaro was the much talked about senpai of Hideki and Yuusuke. Both boys were involved in the baseball scene. Tch, no wonder. Yuusuke had been sulking to his senpai.

The curious newcomers, encouraged by Shoutaro’s initiation of a conversation, proceeded to interrogate Natsuki on her mysterious life story. Although none of them were as skilled as Chie, their pestering buzz of questions still managed to squeeze something out of the usually tight-lipped girl. Unable to eat her apple in peace while battling through many rounds of questions, Natsuki desperately looked around for some sort of distraction. It was only when Arika waved to a friend of hers across the room that Natsuki finally noticed them.

There were nine people sitting at the two long tables joined together in corner of the cafeteria directly opposite Natsuki’s. It looked more like the large group was broken into smaller sub-groups and they were chatting privately among themselves. Occasionally, however, they seemed to talk collectively as a group. None of them were eating the food on their trays, except for the smallest girl with short, spiky black hair, who was devouring large bowls of ramen at an insane speed.

More used to the inquisitive glances of school as they recognised her as the new kid, Natsuki was surprised by the lack of interest the strange group displayed. No, it wasn’t just a lack of interest in her. It was more the lack of interest towards anything around them. The group was so exclusive, so distant that it wasn’t hard for Natsuki to feel a niggling curiosity grow within her. Several giggly, gushing girls had approached the group. Natsuki watched as they were politely knocked back or more rudely ignored, depending on who they approached. However, it wasn’t just the slight peculiarities and the slight air of snobbery this group had that caught Natsuki’s attention.

Natsuki swallowed with difficulty as she felt her mouth dry up. What’s with the feeling those people are giving out? A strange aura seemed to be emitting from the group, sending Natsuki’s senses tingling. Being a girl who frequently roamed the streets of Tokyo, she had learnt to trust her keen instincts. Right now, her impulses were surging, electrifying . They’re so different to everyone else; their auras are… so unfamiliar and almost… Unable to formulate words to match her thoughts, Natsuki continued to scrutinise them, hoping that the answer will materialise itself. That’s weird. Some of them seemed paler than the rest. Natsuki pondered as she took in their peculiarities. Some, indeed, have skins in a few shade lighter than the norm. This peculiarity was brought out more strongly if they sat next to another with a darker tone. Yet, the pale was not to the point of sickly. So is that natural, like albino natural or what? What’s more, those who are paler had, under their eyes, slight bruising shadows; seeming implication of nights deprived of sleep.

Curious, Natsuki scanned the faces at the table. There were four boys and five girls. The boys had nothing much in common. God, they look fit, Natsuki noted sarcastically, referring to two smaller boys. One had brown hair and purple eyes, while the other had curly, black hair. The brown hair boy almost looked weak of health. But the curly hair guy is verging on anorexic. Bet he can’t even lightly jog a hundred metres without puffing. Her thoughts prompted a soft snigger unheard by the rest of her table as they gossiped on without her, leaving her to her silent observations.

On the contrary, the remaining two boys were their exact opposites; both of them were tall and looked toned by years of outdoor activities. The one with the badly dyed, spiky, yellow hair and oddly matched brown sideburns clearly looked like a sportsman. The last had messy, black hair and a quiet, yet unsettling demeanour. God, what’s with his scary eyes? Natsuki felt herself shiver and quickly looked away as the said eyes turned towards her side of the cafeteria. The boy lazily scanned the area, gliding over faces with disinterest. But to Natsuki, the laziness masked a more penetrating, almost predatory gaze. Those eyes and that pretty face don’t match. His calm, handsome face may appear soothing to most but to Natsuki, his keen grey eyes only enhanced an odd, sinister air surrounding him.

Natsuki flicked her eyes over the girls of the group. They had even less in common than the boys. There was, however, this busty, orange hair girl who seemed to have, at least, some resemblance with one of the boys. What’s with those two? They have the same feel about them. Natsuki racked her brains to figure out their connection. Suddenly, the orange hair girl turned to face the sickly looking boy. A flash of purple was reflected in the boy’s irises. Natsuki almost slapped herself as her eyes flicked from the girl’s face to the boy’s. Purple eyes. Similar face structure. They’re probably siblings.

Beside the grey-eyed boy sat a small girl with spiky hair that matched the boy’s own dark hair colour. She was the one eating the huge bowl of ramen. There was something odd about the way she acted. She reminds me of a cat, Natsuki thought, taking in the girl’s almost feral and feline movements. Her yellow eyes aren’t helping either… Purely instinctive were the ways she jerked her head up to listen and scan the room before going back to her meal, eating it quickly and hunching over her ramen possessively like an animal guarding its catch.

Natsuki did a double take when her eyes roamed over the face of the person sitting on the other side of the sickly boy. It took a moment of lip-chewing for her to finally realise what was bugging her about the person with green hair pulled back into a thin ponytail. Holy crap! She’s a girl?! From the position Natsuki was sitting, she noticed that the girl was dressed in the boy’s uniform; trousers instead of skirts. That little bit of inspection had almost misled her. Despite the fierceness the green-haired girl displayed, it was still not enough to hide her growing, feminine features, Natsuki noted. As if to contrast the sternness of the girl, the person sitting opposite her was the typical teenager. Her bright, happy face was framed by her short brown hair tied up in a small, bobbing ponytail. Natsuki couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she watched the girl cheerfully chatted with the boy with the curly hair, her arms wrapped around one of his. Their soft giggles was perhaps the most animated interaction within the group.

Natsuki watched the private interactions of the group. Their exclusive behaviour didn’t really improve their reputation of being arrogant. But the animation between the members, the relaxed smiles, soft whispers that occasionally leak out of the rigid social confines added a different layer to them. They actually had a familial feeling of comfort radiating from their interactions with each other. There was, however, one exception. There was, just one girl who sat a little apart from everyone else; at the very head of the long combined table. She’s the one with most of the giggling fangirls and fanboys. Natsuki noticed with amusement. Probably drawn by the strange yet pleasant air that surrounds her; an air of elegance and dignity possessed only by people of the higher class.

[SGHS1]

Natsuki’s attention focused solely on this lone girl. This time, it wasn’t the air about this woman that had drawn Natsuki’s attention. It was… everything about her [SGHS2] . Natsuki was stunned as her eyes travelled across the striking features of this alluring woman. The woman’s gleaming, chestnut coloured hair flowed softly past her shoulders. Her face, bright and beaming, was forever adorned with a soft, half smile. Though she looked friendly and inviting, she still managed to keep people at a distance. She had an air, elegance and sophistication aside, which Natsuki could only sum it up as subtle strength. In character or physically was hard to determine. Natsuki had seen small girls flip men twice their size during Judo classes so she knew it was wise to never underestimate anyone. A small smile quirked up her lips involuntarily at the though. Natsuki’s eyes rested upon those full lips frozen in that mask. Or that was what Natsuki felt. She continued to watch the display of a high level of self control. The girl never allowed any of her thoughts to stray across her face; always smiling at a joke that she only shares with herself. Detached and lost… in her own private world?

Almost as if she’s responding to Natsuki’s thoughts the girl turned her head around to the direction Natsuki was currently sitting. In that instant, their eyes met. The forest green of Natsuki’s eyes stared into the swirling depth of the rusty red of the girl’s. An unexpected feeling of powerlessness overwhelmed her as she lock onto the fierce red gaze.

The cafeteria had disappeared, replaced by an inky darkness. A moment feeling of weightlessness sent Natsuki’s guts lurching. Her eyes flew open as the sickening screech of tearing metal resounded in her ears. The scene that focused before her was sickeningly familiar. The feeling of soft, plush leather under her hands felt so real. So did the tight restraint strapped across her chest, securing her safely against the seats. She looked warily around the box environment- the insides of a car? Natsuki’s head turn with hesitant slowness towards the driver’s seat. Was this a dream or her memories?

Long, flowing dark hair swirled around the face of the woman in front. Mum? Natsuki’s mouth shaped those words but no sound came out. Panicked, she was about to try again when the figure turned. Those memorable green eyes made contact with Natsuki’s own. Mum! Kuga Saeko looked at her dear daughter with a beautiful smile. Natsuki wanted painfully to smile back but the look in her mother’s eyes froze the blood in her veins. The raw terror leaking out of Saeko’s eyes overpowered her attempt to reassure her daughter. Saeko suddenly broke eye contact. Natsuki quickly followed her eyes as she watched the awful shade of fear wash across her mother’s entire face, erasing the smile that had kept Natsuki from submerging into panic. Looking out the window, Natsuki gulped.

What the fu-? Natsuki watched as the blue of the awesome twinkled up at her instead of the grey tarmac she expected. Her brain wasn’t given a chance to react as the blue rushed up to engulf her world.

Splash! The thunderous crack of wretched metal and glass met the suddenly very solid wall of water. From the autopsy reports Natsuki had read years later, death was instantaneous for her mother and her pet dog Duran. Natsuki had recently controlled herself enough not to get teary at the memory of both Saeko and Duran manoeuvring themselves to shield Natsuki from the impact of both the crash and the fall. She was divinely lucky enough to get away with no fatal injuries.

A searing pain ripped through Natsuki, jerking her back to the scene in front. She was so sure that this was only a memory, or a nightmare of the past. Yet, Natsuki was forced relived the panic and re-experienced, once more, the horrors of that day. What kind of sick game is this? Natsuki thought as she desperately willed herself to snap out of it. The images of the memory only sharpened, refining the tiny, crisp details, much like watching a HD TV. Suddenly, Natsuki felt light headed. Chest heaving as she struggled to draw breath, she realised with horror that she could actually feel the cold water suffocating her past self; feel the blood that flowed from the gaping cuts all over her. She could feel every, single sensation, as if she was drowning at that very moment. Her struggles were utterly powerless.

[MSOffice3]

Unable to control her own actions, Natsuki watched as her body moved mechanically towards her mother. No matter how much she struggled, she could stop those small trembling hands from reaching across. Shaking, shaking hard to try to wake her mother again and again. Even though she knew that Saeko was dead already, Natsuki could not stop herself from repeating every movement she made in that distant past. She figured that some unspoken rule dictated that as the memory played out, she must re-enact and follow through all the actions. Tears threatened to flow down her cheeks as she watched her past self’s desperate actions. It was another hopeless attempt to change what was set in stone. What kind of torture is this? Wake up, dammit! Wake up!

Finally, running out of energy and oxygen, the thirteen year old memory of her stopped trying to wake her mother, she now turned to struggling to find a way out. Water steadily gushed in from the half-opened windows; threatening to flood the insides of the car. The precious little supply of oxygen remaining trickled out second by second. Her instincts took over, washing her mind blank. The rush of adrenaline filled her with sudden, explosive energy to kick, cracking through the rest of the window. There was only one thing on Natsuki’s mind: survival. In this case, what she needed was more oxygen.

Tumbling out of the car, she was met with a current of icy cold water. Being spun and twirled by the current, she lost all sense of coherence or direction. Which way is up and which way is down? The water looked murky on all sides; there was no way you could tell the difference.

The darkness closed in on Natsuki. Her lungs were bursting. She clawed at the water frantically. The reflexive action of needing to breathe threatened to take over her self control. How much longer can she hold on? In a panic, she swam in the direction which she thought was the surface. The lack of oxygen was causing white spots to appear over her vision. The black, cloudy water from all around locked her in like a cage; slowly constricting her.

Suddenly, the searing pain in her lungs and in her throat caused her to instinctively open her mouth to take in more air. Muscles flexing, she took in a big gulp. Instead of the sweet oxygen which will relieve the pain, a surge of cold, salty sea water gushed in, filling her nostrils and her mouth and ripping down her throat. The pain in her lungs only worsened. The water burned her lungs. Needing more air, her brain sent a signal to her muscles in her nose and mouth; opening them in hope that, this time, the much needed oxygen could be taken in and the water coughed out. But it was of no use, she was still in the water and so the torturous routine repeated itself.

Without warning, the pain dulled. Natsuki noticed something strange. At this point, the memory was supposed to start blurring because her thirteen year old self would be semi-conscious from the increasing volume of water in her lungs and the effects of half drowning. Instead, Natsuki could still see clearly. In fact, the vision sharpened, the pain dulled to a numb throbbing and she could breathe. Before Natsuki could ponder upon the sudden changes, she felt a sharp, unexpected tug on her arm.

Natsuki tried in vain to turn around to face whatever tugged her. Except that having absolutely no control over the actions of her past self, she could only watch the scene unfold in front of her; completely powerless and vulnerable. A wave of fear washed over her. Is it a shark, drawn by the smell of her blood? Or is it-

When she felt that her unresponsive body was being turned around, she unnecessarily stifled an incoming scream to prevent herself from the notion of ingesting more sea water. She almost lost her self control when she saw what tugged her. The usual fuzzy, hazy image that always frustrated Natsuki, the blank spot in her memory, unexpectedly became a lot clearer. The edges of the shadow solidified. Swirls of brown and two spots of red focused. The mass of brown solidified into textured, flowing strands; surrounding her. The red spots sharpened, a spot of black was now evident in the centre of each of the red, like blinking beacons staring right back at her.

Abruptly, Natsuki broke through the murky surface of the water and was jerked back into the light of day. Gasping, she snapped back to reality. The cold sweat glistening on her forehead and short puffs of breath coming out of her mouth were the only indication of the silent, private horror she had just experienced. The sounds of laughter and chatter filled the void left by the sounds of the waves. The harsh light faded back into the cafeteria scene Natsuki left a while ago. The students were still talking and eating, completely oblivious of what had just happened. But Natsuki was just as oblivious of them; the image that remained etched into her mind was of the shadow and the two piercing red spots that stared right at her. The image before her wavered and the red spots merged into the red orbs of the girl she was staring at earlier; watching her with the same intensity as before.

To Natsuki, the flashbacks seemed to have lasted for several minutes. But in reality, only a few seconds had elapsed. She recovered her senses fast enough to realise she was staring for far longer than was polite. But just as she was about to break eye contact, she caught a look of amusement and confusion fly across the girl’s face, temporarily displacing her always present smile. It melted back to the calm, indifferent mask she usually wore so quickly, Natsuki thought it was just another of her hallucinations. She held eye contact with Natsuki for a fraction of a second longer; causing Natsuki to suddenly blush from self-consciousness.

The girl’s lips twitched in an attempt to stop her smile from spreading into a wide grin before she finally broke eye contact with Natsuki. Her eyes briefly drifted to Natsuki’s right. Natsuki was just able to make out a small raise in the girl’s eyebrows before she turned back to face her group. Curious, Natsuki turned her head to the right while reminiscing over what just happened. What the hell was th-

“Woah!” Natsuki yelped, almost falling out of her chair in surprise.

“What?” came an indignant reply. “Am I that ugly?”

Natsuki was pleasantly alarmed by her cousin when she had turned around. Her cousin was sitting close to her and staring at her with an unreadable expression on her face.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Natsuki backed away slightly, unnerved by the amount of interest in her cousin’s stare. This is not good…

“You got something on your chin,” Natsuki’s hand reached up, frantically felt around her chin before realising she’d been duped. She glared daggers at her amused cousin while her cheeks flared up.

Hikaru turned away with a smirk, “I see that you’re quite…fascinated by her.” She nodded her head in the direction of the mysterious woman at the far table.

“N-no, I wasn’t interested in her! I-she…I was just, um, curious,” Natsuki stammered, while trying to deny fervently. Her cheek took on a darker shade of pink just as she realised why Hikaru was really watching her. She seemed to have caught that little ogling competition between Natsuki and that girl. “Anyway, who are they?” Natsuki coughed before pointing to the long table where the odd group was, taking care not to point to where the girl was sitting. She aimed, instead, at the boy sitting furthest from her.

Changing the topic are we? Hikaru mused as she took a bite of her apple, deliberately prolonging the silence to annoy Natsuki. I’ll deal with you later. She leisurely turned to Chie, who was busy gossiping with the rest, and gave her a hard elbow jab in the ribs to get her attention.

“Owww! Why are you always so harsh?” Chie howled while rubbing her bruised ribs.

“Natsuki’s interested in them.” Hikaru explained, jerking her thumb over her shoulders towards the big group.

Chie’s eyes sparkled as soon as she took the hint. She cleared her throat and sat up straight, putting on an air of a news anchoress. “They… are the Kurans.” She announced grandiosely, pausing for effect.

Every single eye on Natsuki’s table immediately focused onto Chie, every single ear perked up to hear what she had to say about the well-known yet mysterious Kurans.

Feeling smug about being in the spotlight, Chie quickly continued. Fame and attention was like a drug to her; she wanted more.

“The girl currently chatting to the curly hair boy is Higurashi Akane. As you can see by the way they can not keep their hands off each other during the mating season, her mate is clearly Kurauchi Kazuya.” Chie reverted to a David Attenborough imitation, with added measures of sarcasm. “From those rare recorded observations, these two creatures’ mating habits…”

“Ahem…” Hikaru and Nao coughed. “We’re not really all that interested in their mating habits…”

“Right, moving on then.” Chie gave a sheepish smile. Pointing to tomboyish girl that sat opposite to Akane, she said, “That’s Okuzaki Akira. Apparently she was mistaken as a boy by even the teachers when she first came here. I seriously think she has a thing for Tokiha Takumi, Mai-san’s younger brother. (And might I add that my journalist’s instincts have yet to be proven wrong.) Oh, Takumi? That’s him right there, next to her.”

“He looks…sick,” Natsuki commented.

Chie laughed sadly, “Yeah, heart condition. Poor guy, still so young.” There was a short pause as the rest murmured their agreements before Chie got back on topic. “But he’s one lucky guy. Both his girlfriend and his sister pay way too much attention to him. I feel sorry for Mai-san. Because she had to take care of him, she barely has any time to go out with that boyfriend of hers. That’s Mai over there. Yes, the busty one. And…Tate Yuuichi, her boyfriend.”

“I don’t like his hair,” Yuusuke muttered darkly. “If you want to dye it, then do it right. What’s with the brown sideburns? I feel like grabbing a razor and shaving them off!” He clenched his fists tightly.

The rest of the table just rolled their eyes and sighed. “Tate is good friends with the kendo captain. You wouldn’t want to be in his bad books now, would you?” His sulking was finally stopped by Shoutaro.

“Yeah, but still…” though tempted, Yuusuke argued no further not only because he knew the fearsome prowess of Takeda Masahi, the kendo captain, but also of his respect for Shoutaro senpai.

Seeing Natsuki’s confused look, Aoi took the initiative to explain to her privately that Takeda Masahi favoured Tate not only because of their friendship, but also because Tate was one of the most skilled members of the club. “If Takeda had heard Yuusuke’s insult, he would duel Yuusuke, utterly smash him then punish him with running laps or push-ups.” Aoi explained. A look of amusement and understanding appeared on Natsuki’s face. Wouldn’t mind seeing him do more laps though. Teach him to shut up.

Arika, who was next to Aoi, murmured, displeased, “Just because Yuusuke’s parents are professional hairdressers, he reckons he is more knowledgeable than the rest of us when it comes to hairstyles.” Hikaru and Nao both sniggered, whispering to Natsuki about their personal opinions about Yuusuke’s expertise.

“So, who’s the one trying to break world record for scoffing down ramen in the shortest time?” Natsuki asked sarcastically, finally getting back on topic. She was very curious about the mysterious, red eyed girl and her family. But her nagging curiosity irritated her. Why do I care?

Everyone turned to see who she was looking at before bursting out laughing. Chie seized this moment to reinsert herself into the spotlight after being ignored for the last couple of minutes as the rest chatted about something else, “Minagi Mikoto, human black hole. She needs to eat, constantly.”

“But she doesn’t get fat!” Arika exclaimed with an envious gleam in her eyes.

Erstin nodded in agreement, “Lucky.”

Chie chuckled quietly to herself, “A major blow to our self esteem.” She quickly moved on after sensing a cloud of gloom descended upon the girls, “Oh and her brother’s perfect as well; charming, good with ladies, popular with lads and sitting in the second highest chair.”

“What?” Natsuki asked, staring at his chair in confusion.

“Not literally, silly!” Chie chuckled as she noticed her puzzled look, “I meant that he’s the vice president of the School Council! Kanzaki Reito was voted the perfect bishounen during last month’s poll.”

As soon as the boys heard his name, the cloud of gloom moved over them instead. Trust Reito to damage their self confidence. Who are we, the boys thought miserably, compared to the guy admired by almost all the girls of the school.

“What poll?” Natsuki asked in confusion. The boys perked up and echoed the same question. Seriously, the guys thought, What poll?

Chie rolled her eyes at the boys’ ignorance, “Fuuka Gakuen’s weekly gossip mag, Loud Mouth. Aoi and I are the editors by the way. God, boys! Every girl in the school has heard of it and most read it like their bible!”

Natsuki slapped herself on the forehead, Of course! Every school has one, an unofficial student’s fangirl magazine for all their pointless gossip.

“I think, Chie, you left someone out…” Hikaru was waiting for Chie to introduce the girl Natsuki was staring at earlier. She didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see the expressions on Natsuki’s face, and to tease her about it. Oh this is fun! The best part’s coming up.

“Oh, how can I forget?” Chie performed a dramatic facepalm. “That girl there, she sits on the highest chair.”

“School Council President?” Natsuki picked up the hint this time round. Crap… No wonder Hikaru gave me that look. Way out of my leagu- wait, why am I even thinking that?

“Yup. The perfect girl of this school. The boys love her. The girls want to be like her, not to mention some loves her too. Top student and very traditional as well. She knows all those cultural things: ikebana, tea ceremony, Aikido, calligraphy. You name it.” Chie went on.

The boys looked dreamy; the girls looked impressed except for Nao and Hikaru. Nao looked annoyed while Hikaru had an indifferent, meditative look on her face.

“Wait a sec, why am I talking about kaichou-san?” Chie suddenly turned to Hikaru. “You’re her personal assistant; you should be the one to spill all the juicy details.”

Hikaru, surprised at being suddenly thrown into the spotlight, held up her hands, “I’m just her assistant. I just get ordered around to copy things, pour tea and run messages. I don’t know her much at all.”

She glanced at Natsuki in her peripheral vision, wondering if she was getting annoyed at not knowing the name of the girl yet. Chie had unintentionally put off saying her name, enhancing that feel of suspense for Natsuki. Just as Hikaru predicted, Natsuki’s left eyebrow was twitching, her telltale sign of frustration and annoyance. But she kept quiet instead of asking like she did the previous times.

She’s trying not to draw attention to herself, isn’t she? That’s why she didn’t ask for kaichou’s name outright. Subtle, very subtle. She’s got more self control than I thought. Hikaru sighed and gave in. I’ll spare her this time. She turned, and though addressing Natsuki personally, she made sure everyone else could hear her, “Fujino Shizuru, that’s the name you’re so desperate to hear.” Hikaru just couldn’t resist taking a final jab.

Natsuki’s cheeks immediately flamed up. Though finally hearing the name was a relief, there was still a price to pay. She quickly turned her head so the rest of them wouldn’t catch the blush as they turn their curious stares her way.

“What do you mean, desperate to hear?” The others began their onslaught of questions, wanting to know why Natsuki was so interested in the kaichou. Natsuki turned to her cousin and begged her silently for her help.

“Puppy eyes don’t work,” was the only answer she got. Hikaru left Natsuki to deal with their nosy friends alone. Damn you! Natsuki screamed in her head as she tried to evade their questioning. Wait till I get you back!

“Ara, always so noisy here,” an accented voice spoke from nearby.

There was immediate silence as everyone, aside from Natsuki, recognised the voice. Both fear and astonishment washed over their faces. Slowly they all turned in the direction of the speaker. Arika, Erstin and Aoi gasped their surprise. Hideki, Yuusuke and Shoutaro just gaped. Nao sneered. Chie gave a low whistle and Hikaru chuckled. Natsuki was the last one to turn. The only one who didn’t understand the reason for everyone’s silence.

Thinking the rest of them were over-reacting, she joked, “Did the devil pop up to take you all down to hell? Why the serious… faces?” she trailed off as she turned and stared into a pair of familiar crimson eyes.

Natsuki felt like she had been slapped in the face. Standing not far behind her was none other than Fujino Shizuru. Well, speak of the devil… She laughed dryly in her head. Then she realised why the rest had stiffened when they had heard only her voice. They had recognised the unique Kyoto-ben heavy in Shizuru’s speech.

Shizuru winked at Natsuki, reminding her of their previous, silent encounter. Natsuki quickly looked away, trying to stop the blood from rushing to her cheeks again. The rest were still silent but turned their heads from Shizuru to Natsuki and back again, wearing that eager something’s-going-on-between-those-two-and-I-want-to-know-about-it expression on their faces.

However, Shizuru said not a word to Natsuki or to anyone else. She walked up to Hikaru and tapped her lightly on her shoulder. “Don’t forget, meeting at lunch.”

“Hai, hai.” Hikaru tried to answer enthusiastically, attempting to break the tension in the air. “I won’t be late.”

Shizuru smiled, there was a mischievous gleam in her red eyes when she added, “Oh, and bring your cousin. The School Council is quite keen to meet her.” After receiving the confirmation nod from Hikaru, she walked off, followed by the rest of the Kurans.

Everyone spun around and looked at Natsuki, some in awe, some in jealousy while most were just curious. Seeing those eager looks again, Natsuki promptly chucked Chie a question to distract them, “I thought you said they are the ‘Kurans’. Are they related? They all have different last names.”

“Oh, nice question!” Chie cheerfully replied, completely forgetting that she was just about to ask her about her relationship with Shizuru. “Some of them are foster kids, actually. Most of them are like homestay students. Kuran Kei lets his friends’ or relatives’ children stay with him while they attend Fuuka Gakuen. It might be cheaper staying with a family friend rather than with the school.

“But I know that Shizuru, Reito and Mikoto were all adopted by him. Reito and Mikoto shared the same mother but different father. Reito’s father died during an accident. Later on his mother married Mikoto’s father. The Minagi family owned a shrine which, ten years ago, caught fire. Her parents perished in that incident. I’ve heard that Kuran-san was a devoted follower of Shinto, so he frequented their shrine. He became friends with their family and agreed to take the siblings in after the death of their grandfather, their only guardian left.

“Shizuru’s background, however, was pretty vague. There was something about her parents being very successful and rich enough for people to send hit men to deal with them. Shizuru survived, changed her identity and is now living with Kuran.”

“Wait, isn’t that a bit farfetched?” Nao interrupted, “If she had such an awful and dangerous past, would she have told people about it?”

Hearing Nao hinting about the lack of credibility of her information, Chie retorted hotly, “These are all unconfirmed rumours. After all, I’m only the queen of gossip, not a biographer.”

Nao sniggered. She turned around and gave Natsuki a scrutinising look, “What’s with you and Fujino?”

“Nothing.” Natsuki quickly replied, praying that a blush will not creep up her cheek to betray her.

“Yeah, right. Care to explain that rather intimate wink she gave you? Wow, new girl catching the attention of the elusive kaichou. Totally new material for those disgusting books her obsessive fangirls make.” Nao added barfing noises as sound effect.

“I-no, it wasn’t anything! I don’t know why she did that!” Natsuki defended herself.

Unexpectedly, it was Arika who leapt to her defence, “Nao, we know that kaichou-sama flirts with everyone…”

“Yeah, well, just teasing the clueless. It was fun watching you blus-” Nao was cut off mid-sentence by the bell which signalled the end of recess. Natsuki spoke a silent prayer for the well timed interruption before they all headed back to class. However, Nao wasn’t someone who let’s things rest so she bickered with and teased Natsuki all the way back, not giving her a moment to rest.

A few hours later. Lunchtime. Student Council Room.

The Student Council room was situated in the primest location of the school: the highest floor in the central building. From the large windows in the room, not only could they see the mountains that surround the campus or the expansive, high quality track and sporting fields, the majestic Crystal Shrine was also directly underneath, providing the Student Council members with the most dazzling and breath-taking view of the famous Shrine. It was only fitting for the Student Council, the elites of the student body, to be elevated so high. Despite all that, Natsuki was surprised to find them very down to earth and modest, both in manner and style. Not as hostile or distant as they first appeared.

Even though the Student Council room was considered one of the largest classrooms in the school, the furnishings scattered around did not emphasis the importance of the place. The singular, most impressive furniture was kaichou’s mahogany desk, backed by a large blackboard. It sat at the front of the room and would have allowed the kaichou to face the rest of the Student Council like a CEO in an important meeting. Funnily enough, Shizuru rarely sat in that seat during meetings. She preferred to position herself on the same level as the rest. She only sat there when she needed to use the laptop, which she had exclusive access to, or when she had to go through her paperwork.

The Student Council room was separated into three distinct areas: Conference area, informal sitting space and some room for miscellaneous use. The primary conference area was furnished by two long tables on either side of the mahogany desk, making a U shape. Beyond the conference area was the smaller, informal sitting area purely for relaxation purposes. It was a small, low coffee table, surrounded by a couple of couches. The last section was located at the far back. The members of the Student Council affectionately called it the Tea Area, Shizuru’s personal bubble or the Back Corner. Despite its names, the miscellaneous corner wasn’t just there for the purpose of making tea. One could find a self filled with snacks and instant noodles, a small fridge under a table where the kettle was placed. It should be named Snack Corner instead, Natsuki thought with dry humour, to better take into account its many…miscellaneous uses… Since she got here, she had been already been treated to a bowl of instant noodles. Just a few minutes ago, her cousin had been called away by the kaichou, discreetly, to make them some green tea, leaving Natsuki alone surrounded by mostly unfamiliar faces.

“Here you go,” Hikaru placed a cup of steaming tea in front of Kanzaki Reito, the council’s Vice President.

The Student Council room was rather noisy today. Most of the members had arrived for the meeting. Since Hikaru was busy serving them tea, Natsuki was, unfortunately, sitting directly opposite the kaichou. Natsuki’s face was still red from a previous teasing comment spoken by Fujino Shizuru. God, she really enjoys getting on my nerves! If she doesn’t stop teasing me, I’m gonna burst some blood vessels soon. Natsuki awkwardly massaged her heated cheeks.

“This is good. Shizuru-chan, did you try a new type of tea leaves?” Reito complimented after the first sip of his tea, breaking Natsuki out of her thoughts. All eyes turned to the ever elegant Shizuru who had also took a sip.

Shizuru allowed the tea to swirl around in her mouth to relish in the rich flavours of it as she considered the question. She decided upon a gentle shake of her head as the response, secretly smirking at the fact that no one had noticed that it wasn’t her who made the tea this time. Not comprehending, Reito quirked up his dark eyebrow. Shizuru, with a mischievous smile, turned and nodded towards her assistant.

“Oh?” He gave Hikaru a brief, scrutinising look. “So, Hikaru-chan was the one who made the tea this time.” Reito was genuinely amazed. Usually, Shizuru wouldn’t let anyone else make the tea. “It tastes just like your teacher’s tea.” Reito smiled encouragingly at Hikaru while Shizuru gave her a proud look. Shizuru had to agree on the improvement in Hikaru’s tea making; she had learnt to utilise the high-quality leaves to their maximum potential, creating a flavour nicely balanced and almost rivalling her own. Suddenly, having an urge to show off her pupil, Shizuru had decided to surprise the Council members by slyly asking Hikaru display what she had picked up over the months. Now Shizuru sat, basking in the pride and compliments.

“No, no. Shizuru is just a good teacher,” Hikaru brushed away Reito’s praise with a polite shake of her head, unknowingly adding more to her teacher’s pride or was it ego, while Natsuki groaned quietly by her side, bored already. The warming tea was actually making her sleepy.

Hearing the soft groan, Reito turned his grey eyes towards Natsuki, “So, how do you like it here?” He smiled kindly at her. She noticed that the smile did not reach his grey eyes.

A strange chill ran down Natsuki’s spine when their eyes met. Instinct was screaming at her to stay away. Suddenly, the muscles in her legs quivered. She had this overwhelming impulse to jump out her seat and distance herself from him. It took her all her self control not to back away from him immediately or even squirm a little in her seat. What the hell is happening to me? She took a sip of the warm, aromatic tea to calm her nerves before answering, letting its strong, bittersweet essence numb her irrational fears while making her look like she was formulating her answer.

“It’s…cool.” she started once she felt calm enough to do so. “The teachers are nice; the school is large but comfortable; the lessons are enjoyable and the kids are quite,” she swallowed, “interesting.” Reito chuckled softly at her comment. Yet the sound still disturbed her; it feels like he was chuckling at more than just her comment. Again, she felt this prickling sensation upon her skin. Why do I feel like I have pins and needles all over me?

“Oi! New kid!” Someone suddenly roared from behind them, breaking Natsuki out of her train of thought. She winced at the menacing tone. My ears are bleeding internally…

“Ara, Haruka-chan, there is no need to be so loud in such a small room. Our hearing will become just as bad as yours if you keep talking at the same level of volume.” Shizuru laughed good-humouredly, actually voicing out everyone’s silent, unanimous opinions.

“Oh shut up, bubuzuke onna! I wasn’t even talking to you!” Suzushiro Haruka, the Executive Director of the Suzushiro Executive Team, a small sub-branch of the Student Council, continued to roar. Everyone shuddered. Haruka, feeling challenged by Shizuru, pulled herself up taller and marched in their direction.

Natsuki massaged her ears, finally understanding the meanings of Hikaru’s words about hearing her before seeing her. As soon as Hikaru and Natsuki arrived at the Student Council room, they were greeted by a “YOU’RE LATE!” bellow from Haruka. She reprimanded Hikaru for setting a bad example then continued on to lecture Natsuki about the school rules and threatening to punish her personally if she breaks any of them. The two victims kept silent during the yelling and exchanged sympathetic looks. Both of them were trying their hardest not to roll their eyes at Haruka as she listed their offences and possible consequences. She’s even more nagging than grandma. And that’s an amazing feat. That was the same thought running through the two victims’ heads as they both stood and attempted tune her out.

They were saved that time by the timely appearance of Fujino Shizuru, to whom Haruka redirected her anger towards. “You’re the kaichou and why are you so LATE?! Don’t you know you have to set an example? It’s people like you that gets on my nerves all the time. So unresponsible!” She roared, sending saliva splattering onto their faces. Seeing Haruka distracted, Natsuki and her cousin had slowly shuffled away to protect their eardrums.

Shizuru’s unaffected smile instantly turned the tables upon Haruka. “I’m not late, Haruka-chan. You’re just early.” She pointed to the clock, which, indeed, proved her case. Shizuru was not a minute late, nor a minute early. “By the way, I believe the correct suffix to use here is ‘IR’. Irresponsible not unresponsible.” Flustered, Haruka fought a loosing battle with the kaichou before Kikukawa Yukino, the secretary of the Student Council, and also close friend to Haruka, stopped her. By that time, Natsuki and Hikaru had reached safe ground, taking a seat close to kaichou’s personal desk; Shizuru’s territory.

“New kid! Are you even listening?” A roar sounded, dangerously close to Natsuki’s ears.

Natsuki’s attention snapped back to Haruka. “Yes?” She gulped as she realised how close Haruka had crept up upon her, unnoticed, during her reverie.

“I have my eyes on you! You were caught truanting on several occupations at your previous school!”

“Occasions, Haruka-chan,” Yukino corrected her confused friend. It was starting to dawn on Natsuki that Haruka’s mixing up of words was actually a habit. Hikaru had warned her that only Yukino, Reito and Shizuru could correct her. “Yukino because she’s the only one who Haruka will not bite her head off. Reito and Shizuru because they’re both pretty much immune to her antics.” Hikaru had explained.

“That’s what I said!” Haruka turned and gave Yukino an annoyed look before facing Natsuki again. Natsuki was trying hard not to snigger at Haruka’s speech impediment. Thank god she wasn’t President. At least we don’t have to seat through her mistake-filled speeches and announcements. “Anyway, if you dare to repeat your rule breaking acts, I will make sure you never come back to this school! It is a student’s durability to arrive punctually at school!” she gave Natsuki her version of a death glare which was quite effective, actually stopping Natsuki’s previous train of thoughts. She’s serious business, this one. Natsuki thought as she just nodded meekly, dropping her eyes in a defeated manner. Better stay off her radar.

“Ara, ara. Haruka-chan, which word did you want to use? Duty or responsibility?” amused, Shizuru smiled her usual half smile, breaking the tense atmosphere. “They were both in your head, no?” Durability? That’s a new one. Shizuru quietly laughed to herself. The rest of the Student Council snorted into their tea as they struggled to hold back their laughter. Even Yukino was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

“Keep out of it, bubuzuke!” Haruka hollered, knowing that she was being mocked. “And don’t you dare use –chan with me!”

She turned to Natsuki again, “Ah yes, I haven’t forgotten you, newbie. If only someone will stop interrupting me!” Shizuru smiled innocently when Haruka sent a glare her way. Natsuki kept her head down so that she could roll her eyes without Haruka’s knowledge. You’re not done with me yet? Aw, give me a break, today’s only the first day. Back to Natsuki, oblivious of her thoughts, Haruka resumed, “I saw your track record at your previous school. Not impressed. I’ll be keeping an eye on you from now on.” She added the ‘I’m watching you’ hand sign for extra effect.

Natsuki gulped. She has access to that? Damn, what else does she know? She remembered her trashing of a guy last year. It was done purely in self defence against indecent behaviour. If he hadn’t got the guts to leer at her and smack her butt, she wouldn’t have to use that judo thrown on him in the middle of the cafeteria…

“Haruka-chan! Stop scaring the new student,” Yukino chided her, while pushing up her glasses. Natsuki was slightly amused by that little trait of hers, having seen her repeat that action several times even when her glasses didn’t need adjusting. Turning to Natsuki, Yukino apologised, “Haruka-chan meant no harm. She was only showing her concern.” Natsuki nodded slowly, not entirely oblivious of the dangerous look Haruka had on her face when Yukino said that. Concern? She calls that concern? Right.

Hikaru quickly turned to Shizuru, hoping she could defuse the current situation. “Um, Shizu- I mean, kaichou, why don’t you all explain your roles to Natsuki?”

Shizuru chuckled, “Hikaru-chan, we are no strangers. Why are you so formal all of a sudden?” she received a shrug and a roll of eyes as response. Unfortunately, Shizuru seemed to have understood what Hikaru meant and quickly switched the topic as requested. A soft release of breath and relaxing of posture next to Hikaru showed both Natsuki’s relief and appreciation. “All right, we’ll start with Yukino-han, shall we?” Shizuru continued on.

Yukino, the girl with a ruffle of straw coloured hair, sat up straight and nervously fixed her glasses, again, before speaking, “I-I’m Kikukawa Yukino, the Student Council’s secretary and assistant to Haruka. If there’s any question d-don’t hesitate to ask me.” She stammered quickly. Her nervousness led Natsuki to wonder how she could possibly control Haruka so easily.

Haruka logically introduced herself next, “Suzushiro Haruka, you know who I am. My Executive Team is the one that actually does the real work. The Student Council is just there for the show. We do all the dirty work like investigating reports. They,” she jerked her thumbs towards Reito and Shizuru, “are all too busy sipping high quality tea and picky to do them.”

“Now, now. Haruka, don’t you think that was a bit harsh?” Reito brought up his hands as a sign of peace. “We actually do quite a lot of that too.” Pointing to himself he said, “Vice president, handle things that kaichou doesn’t want to.”

“Now, Reito-han, you’re the one being harsh. You already know that I’m president. I deal with meetings and act as representative of students and, sometimes, even the school. I actually do handle the administration works that Reito and Haruka accuse me of abandoning.” Shizuru defended. Another challenging yet irresistible smile graced her lips as she turned her head towards Haruka, taunting her silently.

Seeing Haruka turn purple in wrath, Hikaru quickly intercepted. “Messenger, assistant to the lovely kaichou, does all the random things they ask me to do.” Cheerful and concise as always. I hope I stalled the volcano from erupting. I don’t think Natsuki can deal with another round of loud, one sided, shouting match. But she’ll get used to it. I just hope Shizuru would stop taunting Haruka.

The round of introduction had concluded. Natsuki sat there nodding her head in understanding while her hands played with the now empty tea cup. “You all sound very busy.” She started as she realised that they were all waiting for some sort of response from her. “Um, Fujino-san, since you’re president, you don’t get much breaks, do you?” The innocent question received an answer she least expected.

Shizuru visibly smirked, “Oh, you’re curious about my schedule? Do you want me to tell you when I might be free to go out with you?” she had been teasing Natsuki mercilessly since she came into the room, confirming Natsuki’s fear that Shizuru had yet to forget their previous interaction.

Natsuki’s eyes widened in horror, “N-no! I’m just asking if you’re job is stressful or not!” Natsuki answered hotly, her cheeks reacting in the way that will only guarantee more teasing. Why must she read so deeply into everything?

Cocking her head slightly to the side, Shizuru gave a small pout, “Mou, worried about me? I’m touched. As a reward, I’ll tell you that I’m free this Thursday afternoon.” Shizuru liked the game a little too much to stop now. She wondered to herself whether or not adding a wink would be overkill.

Unexpectedly, the sliding door moved aside with a loud groan, not giving Shizuru her chance to act. The stern, green haired girl Natsuki recognised as Akira, a member of the Kuran family that she saw at recess, poked her head in tentatively. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Come in, Akira.” Shizuru beckoned with a smile, she did not allow her annoyance at having to end her game so soon stray across her face.

“Sorry, I’m late.” The girl called Akira apologised. “I had to listen to some students making their complaints. Reito-san, Takeda wants something done about lack of hot water for the showers. The rest of the kendo club is not happy about having icy cold showers after training.” She stood near the now closed door, delivering her report with strict formality.

“Are you sure it wasn’t because you needed to stay back to make sure Takumi was doing his homework?” Reito teased her about her over protectiveness. Akira quickly denied it without much emotion, unlike Natsuki’s previous, passionate denials. Reito sat back with a sigh, “Ah, Akira-kun, you’re no fun.”

“I guess I’m not.” Akira deadpanned, leaving most sitting in their seats, puzzling over whether or not she was trying to be humorous or not.

Reito chuckled for a bit before turning serious and nodded thoughtfully, back to talking business, “We’ll have to call for a plumber to fix it soon. Oh, Natsuki,” he turned to her. Natsuki flinched when she saw those cold grey eyes upon her again. “This is Okuzaki Akira, my assistant and she also deals with first aid training for the students.” Akira bowed her head. She was still standing near the door. Could it be, Natsuki thought, that she’s waiting for Reito’s orders?

Feeling slightly awkward at the silence, Natsuki made an effort to fill the quietness, “I’m Kuga Natsu-”

Akira cut her off with a friendly wave. “I know. Everyone here knows who you are.” A warm smile flicked briefly across her features. Soon she turned away to do the tasks Reito have assigned her.

Natsuki watched the girl walk away, noting her confident strides that made no sound at all. Many thoughts turned in her head; the most distinct was the feeling that Akira seemed somewhat familiar. The aura she emitted was that of protectiveness, offsetting Reito’s threatening aura of secrecy and watchfulness. Natsuki shook her head to clear it. It took her a few sluggish moments before she felt Hikaru’s tapping on her arm. She turned with to her with a small apology. Hikaru remained silent for a while, noticing the brows furrowed deeper than usual. Natsuki was about to speak again when Hikaru whispered softly so only intending for Natsuki to hear, “You ok? You don’t look too well.”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry. Just trying to digest all this information. You know, brain overloaded.” Natsuki’s voice was just as low, already noticing the glances the others were sending her way. She couldn’t help but feel slightly as if she was being scrutinised by all those around her; like scientists studying a lab rat running around in a maze.

“All right then.” Hikaru then proceeded to speak on a more normal volume as she addressed the girl sitting across from her, “Yukino-san, we haven’t told Natsuki about the School Festival yet.”

“O-oh. I seemed to have forgotten. Hikaru-chan, could you please help me fill her in?” Yukino, with Hikaru adding more information here and there, then proceeded to explain to Natsuki about the upcoming school festival which was what this lunch time meeting was meant to be about. The Student Council was responsible for organising and running this colossal event.

“Speaking about the school festival,” Shizuru had been quietly listening to their conversation and decided to join in, “For all those involved, there’s an after-school meeting in the school hall to discuss and start the organisation for the festival. Hikaru, you may bring Natsuki. We need all the help we can get.” By the way Shizuru said it; the consent sounded more like a request.

The rest confirmed their attendance with a quick tip of their heads or a word of agreement. Natsuki only gave a small nod, still unsure about committing to this sudden request. It was only the first day of school and she was tired. I miss my soft bed…Damn Hikaru, now she’s dragging me to help with this festival. I’m not even sure I’m going.

Shizuru, sensing her reluctance, waited until she caught Natsuki’s eye before giving her a quick wink and mouthed a silent plea. Despite her playful demeanour, her eyes were serious as they begged for Natsuki’s assistance. Stunned by the unexpected earnestness she saw in Shizuru’s eyes, Natsuki was rendered speechless, not finding the heart to just reject the charismatic kaichou. Before she could come up with anything to say, the bell dismissed the Student Council. Each made their way towards their next class; Natsuki’s being AC Biology.

Later in the afternoon. After school.

[Edit to start here:] [MSOffice4] By the time school ended, Natsuki felt like a sack of potatoes that had been lugged around and thrown all over the place. The afternoon had been bad. So many things had happened and she had yet to catch up with the bizarre speed at which situations changed. She ended up without a say in anything. Hikaru and that damned kaichou had forced her to help out the Student Council with the organising even though she didn’t want to. As she reluctantly dragged her tired feet, grumbling and muttering to herself, to the school hall, her cell phone rang.

She had just turned on her phone to text to her aunt, telling her that she would be returning home late and that they might have to start dinner without her or Hikaru. She flicked opened her phone and glanced at the caller’s id. Her thumb hovered over the answer button for a second before it flew towards the cancel button. Natsuki deliberated, letting her thumb rested over that button for a while longer. The ringing of the phone became an ignored background noise long ago as she glared at the caller id: Her father. Her fists clenched.

Remembering her aunt’s family’s encouraging words and her own wish to move on, she sighed deeply, changing her mind at the last instant, and unenthusiastically hitting the answer button.

“What?” Natsuki’s voice was a low growl. Absently she thought she ought to have softened her tone, being harsh wasn’t the most polite way to start a conversation.

She wandered aimlessly, searching for a private place to take the call. Not realising it, her feet had taken her to the garden she had seen early that morning. It was a beautiful, symmetrical and orderly place. Squarish hedges of rose and flower bushes walled the garden. Through the green archways splotched with pink and red petals, she could see a sparking fountain. The rhythmic gurgling of the water added to the chorus of birds and cicadas. Since this garden was symmetrical in design, she assumed that there would be another fountain on the opposite side. She wandered on in search of the second fountain. She gasped silently in awe as she realised she reached the very centre of the place. A large, white gazebo sat like a private, airy fortress. A light breeze blew through the greenery, dancing with the flowers and carrying the floral aromas to tickle her nose. The late afternoon sun was shining softly. Golden rays caressed the leaves of the trees the surrounded the lower half the garden. The shade under those trees beckoned her invitingly. Today had been such a long day. Joints gave unsettling pops as Natsuki rolled her shoulders back. Now she was presented with her chance to finally relax and unwind. This peaceful place might keep her calm when dealing with her father.

“Natsuki! How have you been?” Her father’s loud voice was annoyingly cheerful on the other end. It was enough to snap her back to reality. The feeling of peacefulness she was experiencing was instantly wiped away.

“It’s only been a day and a bit.” Natsuki evaded that question. She plopped down, exhausted, under the shade of a large oak. The gentle, filtered light made her feel sleepy.

“Glad to hear that you’re doing well.” As usual, her father was ignorant of her current emotions and her tone. “Listen, I heard from Yuriko that you don’t want that money. But it’s a gift. Accept it, won’t you?”

Not now! I don’t want to talk about this now. Natsuki sighed heavily, “No thanks. I have another plan. Can we talk later? I’ve gotta go somewhere.” She avoided telling him about the Student Council so that he wouldn’t prolong the conversation than necessary, asking her all those useless questions. She also wanted to enjoy the natural sights and sounds around her without having to think about who she was currently talking to.

“Oh ok. I’ve got news for you. Why don’t you come back for a few days? In two week’s time it’ll be Miko and my wedding anniversary. We’re planning to spend a few days in Sydney to celebrate. Miko and Jin miss you, you know?” Her father’s voice hasn’t sounded so genuinely happy since… Natsuki couldn’t even remember.

“I can’t. I’ve just started school and I’m trying to settle in.” Natsuki declined, leaning back and resting her head against the tree. The garden was surprisingly calming. “Besides…” Suddenly she sat bolt up as something clicked in her mind. In two weeks? Isn’t that when…? She felt as if she had just waken from a stupor, her mind cleared itself off the fatigue.

“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll settle in fine. Come! We’ll pick you up at the harbour. The tickets are booked already anyway.” Takashi completely ignored her excuse. Was he even listening to her?

“Wait, what? You’ve booked the tickets without discussing this with me?” Natsuki’s patience was wearing thin. An eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

“Well, I’m telling you this now.” Her father was painfully oblivious.

A frustrated snarl almost ripped itself from her mouth, “Argh! Will you stop deciding things for me without consulting me first?! What if I don’t want to go? In two weeks? Do you remember what’s on in two weeks?” Natsuki’s voice was rising. “And no, it’s not only your stupid anniversary with that woman!”

“Woah, calm down, honey! What’s up in two weeks?” Takashi racked his brain for the answer, hoping he wouldn’t disappoint her. What does Natsuki have on in two weeks? Is it her birthday?

“Mum’s death anniversary! How can you forget?” Natsuki yelled, enraged. “Maybe you don’t care but I do. Do you think I’ll be able to have fun with you on that day?” Hot, angry tears flowed from her eyes. She clamped them shut to stop the flow. Her fists were clenched so firmly that the skin across her knuckles stretched white and taunt and her nails dug painfully into her flesh.

“Oh.” Takashi was quiet. “I’m sorry.”

Natsuki refused to answer. She was trying to calm herself by taking long, deep breaths. But rage threatened to cloud over her common sense and self control. She swore she could see a cloud of red, veiling her sight. Breathe, focus on breathing. She told herself.

“But we could always reschedule?” Takashi offered his alternative. “I’m sure Saeko wouldn’t mind if you miss it this year.”

“ARGH!” In frustration, Natsuki snapped her phone shut and lifted it over her head, wanting to throw it against a tree with all her might. Her father’s uncaring voice still rang in her ears. She wanted so badly to smash the phone and make his voice disappear.

Suddenly her swinging arm was jerked to a sudden stop. Someone had caught her arm tightly, refusing to let her move. Natsuki’s eyes widen in shock.

“You shouldn’t do that.”

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­TBC

Next chapter: Fujino Shizuru

Tasogare

Disclaimer: Sunrise and Stephanie Meyer own Mai-Hime/Otome and the Twilight series respectively

Chapter 3: The Student Council

After a double lesson of Japanese, Natsuki was mentally worn out. But she wasn’t the only one. When the recess bell finally rang, everyone in class snapped their books shut in an unconsciously/unintentionally[MSOffice1]  synchronised movement and hastily packed them away. Everyone had been eagerly anticipating recess; they can finally take a break from the draining task of analysing some of the ancient Japanese poetries from the Kokinshu.

The class filed out the door after their teacher. Most headed off to the cafeteria for a small snack while others went off to the gardens or the sports grounds, most likely to socialise since the break is only twenty-five minutes long. But as Natsuki headed in the direction of the garden she saw out the window during class, she was stopped by Hikaru and her friends. Against her protesting, they steered her towards the cafeteria instead, saying something about her needing to socialise more.

Hikaru, Chie, Aoi and Natsuki sat together at a long table near the far side of the cafeteria. They chatted about random topics while they ate their recess. Natsuki didn’t do much of the talking; she simply listened and answered only when directly spoken to. The others didn’t mind because they thought Natsuki was still annoyed at what happened between her and Nao. Hikaru didn’t mind because she knows that Natsuki was naturally the quiet type.[冠助貿易股份有限公2] 

Before long, the girls were joined by five more people. Chie proceeded to introduce the newcomers to Natsuki. The two talkative girls were friends of both Chie and Aoi and were both in the other class. Yumemiya Arika was the bubbly, brown hair girl, while her quieter, blonde friend was called Erstin Ho. Along with the girls were three other guys. One was the annoying Yuusuke and the others were his friends. It turned out that one of the boys with curly brown hair and a hyperactive personality was none other than the twin brother of Arika, Yumemiya Hideki. The last boy, Asano Shoutaro, was the eldest out of them all. From what Natsuki heard, he was the senpai of Hideki and Yuusuke and the captain of the baseball club, which both boys were involved in.

The curious newcomers proceeded to ask Natsuki all sorts of questions about herself. Although none of them were as skilled as Chie at interrogation, their pestering buzzing of questions [冠助貿易股份有限公3] still managed to get something out of the usually tight-lipped girl. Unable to eat her recess in peace while battling through many rounds of questions, Natsuki desperately looked around for some sort of distraction. It was only when Arika waved to a friend of hers across the room that Natsuki finally noticed them.

There were nine people sitting at the two long tables joined together in corner of the cafeteria directly opposite Natsuki’s. But it looked more like the large group was broken into smaller sub-groups and they were chatting privately among themselves. Occasionally, however, they would talk collectively as a group. But none of them were eating except for the smallest girl with short, spiky black hair. She was devouring a large bowl of ramen at an insane speed.

None of them were looking her way, unlike the rest of the people in the room; none of them seemed to show the same curiosity the rest of the people displayed when they recognised her as the new kid. Neither did they seem interested in the people around them even though many, especially giggly girls, had approached the group several times, only to be politely knocked back or ignored. However, it wasn’t the slight peculiarities and the lack of interactions of this group that caught Natsuki’s attention.

Natsuki’s attention was caught by the strange aura that seemed to be emitting from the group. Being a girl who frequently roamed the streets of Tokyo she had learnt to trust her keen instincts. Right now, her instincts were tingling, telling her that those people, though they looked normal, are more than what they seemed. All of their skins were, strangely, a few shades lighter than the rest; but not sickly pale. Under their eyes were slight shadows which usually result from lack of sleep.

Curious, Natsuki scanned the faces at the table. There were four boys and five girls. The boys had nothing much in common. Two of them looked physically unfit, with the one with brown hair, and purple eyes the most sickly looking of them all. The other that had curly, black hair looked so skinny she doubted that he could even lightly run/jog[冠助貿易股份有限公4]  a hundred metres without puffing. But the remaining two boys were their exact opposites; both of them are tall and physically powerful. The one with the badly dyed yellow, spiky hair and oddly matched brown sideburns clearly looked like a sportsman. The last had messy, black hair. His calm, handsome face may look soothing to most but to Natsuki, his keen grey eyes further enhanced the odd, sinister air surrounding him.

Natsuki flicked her eyes over the girls of the group. They had even less in common than the boys. But there was this busty, orange hair girl who seemed to have some resemblance with one of the boys. It was only because the girl was sitting next to the sickly boy that made Natsuki realise this: they were siblings. Aside from their obvious purple eyes, Natsuki had noticed the subtle similarities in their faces.

Directly opposite the busty girl, and beside the sinister boy, sat a small girl with spiky hair that matched his own hair colour. She was the one eating a huge bowl of ramen. There was something odd about the way she acts; her movements were almost feral and cat-like. Purely instinctive were the ways she jerked her head up to listen and scan the room before going back to her meal, eating it quickly and hunching over her ramen possessively like an animal guarding its catch.

Natsuki did a double take when her eyes roamed over the face of the person sitting on the other side of the sickly boy. It took a while for her to finally realise that the person with green hair pulled back into a thin ponytail was actually a girl. She was dressed in the boy’s uniform; trousers instead of skirts. Despite the fierceness she displayed, it was still not enough to hide her growing, feminine features. As if to contrast the sternness of the girl, the person sitting opposite her was the typical teenager. Her bright, happy face was framed by her short brown hair tied up in a small, bobbing ponytail. She cheerfully chatted with the boy with the curly hair who Natsuki deduced to be her boyfriend. They giggled and whispered to each the entire break time.

Suddenly, it struck Natsuki. All of them seemed to be paired up in a way. It wasn’t just the giggling lovebirds. The green haired girl positioned herself protectively close to the sickly boy; the busty girl bickered with the sideburns boy; and finally, she was startled to finally make the connection that the sinister boy, who the ramen girl was sitting next to, was actually her brother. All of them were sitting nicely besides their special person. There was, however, one exception. The last remaining girl sat a little apart from everyone else; at the head of the long combined table. Natsuki noted that girl was the one who had most of the giggling girls and boys coming to her, probably drawn by the strange yet pleasant air that surrounds her; an air of elegance and dignity possessed by people of the higher class.

This time, it wasn’t the air about this woman that had drawn Natsuki’s attention, but the way that her features pulled her in amazed her. She was stunned as her eyes travelled across the striking features of this alluring woman. The woman’s gleaming, chestnut coloured hair flowed softly past her shoulders. Her face, bright and beaming, was forever adorned with a soft, half smile. Though she looked friendly and inviting, she still managed to keep people at a distance. She displayed a high level of self control; never allowing any of her thoughts to stray across/reveal[冠助貿易股份有限公5]  itself on her face; always smiling at a private joke that she only shares with herself. Suddenly, curiosity overriding her instincts, Natsuki had a strong urge to know more about this woman; to know the reason behind her puzzling smiles.

Almost as if she’s responding to Natsuki’s thoughts the girl turned her head around to the direction Natsuki was currently sitting. In that instant, their eyes met. The forest green of Natsuki’s eyes stared into the depth of the rusty red of the girl’s.

Her mother’s car had just flown over the railings and plummeted down the cliff and into the waters below. Once they hit the waters, death was instantaneous for her mother and her pet dog Duran. Both of them had manoeuvred themselves to shield Natsuki from the impact of both the crash and the fall. She was lucky enough to get away with no fatal injuries.

Though it was only a memory, Natsuki relived the panic and re-experienced, once more, the horrors of that day. This time, the images of the memory were crisper and the details were sharper. She, too, could feel the cold water suffocating her; feel the blood that flowed from several cuts she sustained from the crash. She could feel everything her past self felt, and yet she could do nothing to change her situation.

Unable to control her own actions, Natsuki tried to wake her mother again and again, even though she knew that she was dead already. She could not stop herself from repeating every movement she made in her memories; as the memory played out, she must re-enact and follow through all the actions. Tears threatened to flow down her cheeks as she watched her past self’s desperate actions.

Finally, running out of energy and oxygen, the thirteen year old memory of her stopped trying to wake her mother, she now turned to struggling to find a way out. The water steadily seeped in from the cracks; threatening to flood the insides of the car. Her survival instincts took over and the rush of adrenaline filled her with the energy to kick through the cracked window/rest of the broken window[冠助貿易股份有限公7] . There was only one thing on Natsuki’s mind: self preservation. In this case, it was the need for more oxygen.

Tumbling out of the car, she was met with a current of icy cold water. Being spun and twirled by the current, she lost her sense of direction. Which way is up and which way is down? The water looked murky on all sides; there was no way you could tell the difference.

The darkness closed in on Natsuki. Her lungs were bursting. She was running out of air. She clawed at the water frantically. The reflexive action of needing to breathe threatened to take over her self control. How much longer can she hold on? In a panic, she swam in the direction which she thought was the surface. The lack of oxygen was causing white spots to appear over her vision. The black, cloudy water from all around locked her in like a cage; slowly constricting her.

Suddenly, a searing pain in her lungs and in her throat caused her to instinctively open her mouth to take in more air. She took a big gulp. Instead of the oxygen which will relieve the pain, a surge of cold, salty sea water gushed in, filling her nostrils and her mouth and searing/ripping[冠助貿易股份有限公8]  down her throat. The pain in her lungs got worse. The water burned her lungs. Needing more air, her brain sent a signal to her muscles in her nose and mouth; opening them in hope that, this time, the much needed oxygen could be taken in and the water coughed out. But it was of no use, she was still in the water and so the torturous routine repeated.

Without warning, the pain dulled. Natsuki noticed something strange. At this point, the memory was supposed to start blurring because her thirteen year old self would be semi-conscious from the increasing volume of water in her lungs and half drowning. But, instead, Natsuki could still see clearly. In fact, the vision sharpened, the pain dulled to a numb throbbing and she could breathe. Before Natsuki could ponder upon the sudden changes, she felt a sharp, unexpected tug on her arm.

Natsuki tried in vain to turn around to face whatever tugged her. But having no control over the actions of her past self, she could only watch the scene unfold in front of her; unable to move or react. A wave of fear washed over her. Is it a shark, drawn by the smell of her blood? Or is it-

When she felt that her unresponsive body was being turned around, she stifled an incoming scream to prevent herself from ingesting more sea water. She almost lost her self control when she saw what tugged her. The usual fuzzy, hazy image that always frustrated Natsuki, the blank spot in her memory, unexpectedly became a lot clearer. The edges of the shadow solidified. The swirls of brown and the two spots/beams[冠助貿易股份有限公9]  of red focused. The mass of brown solidified into textured, flowing strands; surrounding her. The red spots/beams[冠助貿易股份有限公10]  sharpened, a spot of black was now evident in the centre of each of the red, like blinking beacons staring right back at her.

Abruptly, Natsuki broke through the murky surface of the water and was jerked back into the light of day. She snapped back to reality; the cold sweat glistening on her forehead and short puffs of breath coming out of her mouth was the only indication of the silent, private horror she had just experienced. The sounds of laughter and chatter filled the void left by the sounds of the waves. The harsh light faded back into the cafeteria scene Natsuki left a while ago. [冠助貿易股份有限公11] The students were still talking and eating, completely oblivious of what had just happened. But Natsuki was just as oblivious of them; the image that remained etched into her mind was of the shadow and the two piercing red spots that stared right at her. The image before her wavered and the red spots merged into the red orbs of the girl she was staring at earlier; watching her with shared intensity.

To Natsuki, the flashbacks seemed to have lasted for several minutes. But in reality, barely a second had elapsed. She recovered her senses fast enough to realise she was staring for longer than she politely should. But just as she was about to break eye contact, she caught a look of amusement and confusion fly across the girl’s face, temporarily displacing her always present smile, before melting back to the calm, indifferent mask she usually wore. She held eye contact with Natsuki for a fraction of a second longer; causing Natsuki to suddenly blush from self-consciousness.

The girl’s lips twitched in an attempt to hold back a smile before she finally broke eye contact with Natsuki. Her eyes briefly drifted to Natsuki’s right. Natsuki was just able to make out a small raise in the girl’s eyebrows before she turned back to face her group. Curious, Natsuki turned her head to the right while reminiscing over what just happened. What the hell was th-

“Woah!” Natsuki yelped, almost falling out of her chair in surprise.

“What?” came an indignant reply. “Am I that ugly?”

Natsuki was pleasantly alarmed by her cousin when she had turned around. Her cousin was sitting close to her and staring at her with an unreadable expression on her face.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Natsuki backed away slightly, unnerved by the amount of interest in her cousin’s stare. This is not good…

Hikaru turned away with a smirk, “I see that you’re quite…fascinated by her.” She nodded her head in the direction of the mysterious woman at the far table. / Her eyes flickered back and forth from Natsuki to the object of her previous staring/ogling.[冠助貿易股份有限公12] 

“N…no, I wasn’t interested in her! I…she…I was just, um, curious,” Natsuki stammered, but trying to deny fervently. Her cheek took on a shade of pink just as she realised why Hikaru was watching her: She had caught the eye contact shared by Natsuki and that girl. “Anyway, who are they?” She pointed to the long table, taking care not to point in the direction the girl was sitting, instead, pointing to the boy sitting furthest from her.

Changing the topic are we? Hikaru mused as she took a bite of her apple, deliberately prolonging the silence to annoy Natsuki. I’ll deal with you later. She leisurely turned to Chie, who was busy gossiping with the rest, and gave her a hard jab in the ribs to get her attention.

“Owww! Why are you always so harsh?” Chie howled her answer while rubbing her bruised ribs.

“Natsuki’s interested in them.” Hikaru explained, jerking her thumb over her shoulders towards the big group.

Chie took the hint. She cleared her throat and sat up before beginning her introduction. “They… are the Kurans.”

Every single eye on Natsuki’s table immediately focused onto Chie, every single ear perked up to hear what she had to say about the mysterious Kurans.

Feeling smug about being in the spotlight, Chie quickly continued, for fame and attention was like a drug to her; she wanted more.

“The girl currently chatting to the curly hair boy is Higurashi Akane. Her boyfriend is Kurauchi Kazuya. They can’t keep their hands off each other.” Chie sounded slightly disgusted.

Moving on to the stern, tomboyish girl that sat opposite to Akane, she said, “That’s Okuzaki Akira. Apparently she was mistaken as a boy by even the teachers when she first came here. She’s currently dating Tokiha Takumi, Mai-san’s younger brother. That’s him right next to her.”

“He looks…sick,” Natsuki commented.

Chie laughed sadly, “Yeah, heart condition. Poor guy, still so young.” There was a short pause as the rest murmured their agreements before Chie got back on topic. “But he’s one lucky guy. Both his girlfriend and his sister pay way too much attention to him. I feel sorry for Mai-san. Because she had to take care of him, she barely has any time to go out with that boyfriend of hers. That’s Mai over there. Yes, the busty one. And…Tate Yuuichi, her boyfriend. Conveniently close to her.”

Yuusuke started sulking about Tate’s hair. The rest of the table just rolled their eyes and sighed. His dark muttering was finally stopped by Shoutaro who warned him sternly about not offending Takeda Masahi, the captain of the kendo club where Yuusuke, Hikaru and Chie are a member of.

Seeing Natsuki’s confused look, Aoi took the initiative to explain to her privately that Takeda Masahi favoured Tate not only because of their friendship, but also because Tate was one of the most skilled members of the club. If Takeda had heard Yuusuke’s insult, he would most likely punish Yuusuke with extra laps or push-ups during training. She also had to explain that since Yuusuke’s parents are professional hairdressers, he reckons he is more knowledgeable than the rest when it comes to the topic of hairstyles. Hikaru and Nao both sniggered, whispering to Natsuki about their personal opinions about Yuusuke’s expertise.

 “Who’s the one trying to break world record for scoffing down ramen in the shortest time?” Natsuki asked sarcastically, finally getting back on topic. She was very curious about the mysterious girl and her family. But her nagging curiosity irritated her. Why do I care?

Everyone turned to see who she was looking at before bursting out laughing. Chie seized this moment to reinsert herself into the spotlight after being ignored for the last couple of minutes as the rest chatted about something else, “Minagi Mikoto, human black hole. She needs to eat constantly.”

“But she doesn’t get fat!” Arika exclaimed with an envious gleam in her eyes.

Erstin nodded in agreement, “Lucky.”

Chie chuckled quietly to herself, “A blow to our self esteem.” She quickly moved on after sensing a cloud of gloom descended upon the girls, “Oh and her brother’s perfect as well; charming, good with ladies, popular with lads and sitting in the second highest chair.”

“What?” Natsuki asked, staring at his chair in confusion. “That chair looks no higher than the rest…”

“Not literally, silly!” Chie chuckled before answering, “I meant that he’s the vice president of the School Council, Kanzaki Reito.”

As soon as the boys heard his name, the cloud of gloom moved over them instead. Trust Reito to damage their self confidence. Who are we, the boys thought miserably, compared to the guy admired by almost all the girls of the school. [冠助貿易股份有限公13] 

“I think, Chie, you left someone out…” Hikaru was waiting for Chie to introduce the girl Natsuki was staring at earlier. She didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see the expressions on Natsuki’s face, and to tease her about it, when Chie finally reveals who the girl was. Oh this is fun! The best part’s coming up.

“Oh, how can I forget?” Chie performed a dramatic facepalm.[冠助貿易股份有限公14]  “That girl there, she sits on the highest chair.”

“School Council President?” Natsuki picked up the hint this time round. Crap… No wonder Hikaru gave me that look.

“Yup. The perfect girl of this school. The boys love her. The girls want to be like her. Top student and very traditional as well. She knows all those cultural things: ikebana, tea ceremony, Aikido, calligraphy. You name it.” Chie went on.

The boys looked dreamy; the girls looked impressed except for Nao and Hikaru. Nao looked annoyed while Hikaru had an indifferent look on her face.

“Wait a sec, why am I talking about kaichou-san?” Chie suddenly turned to Hikaru. “You’re her personal assistant; you should be the one to spill all the juicy details.”

Hikaru, surprised at being suddenly thrown into the spotlight, held up her hands, “I’m just her assistant. I just get ordered around to copy things, pour tea and run messages. I don’t know her much at all.”

She glanced at Natsuki in her peripheral vision, wondering if she was getting annoyed at not knowing the name of the girl yet. Chie had unintentionally put off saying her name, thus creating a feel of suspense for Natsuki. Just as Hikaru predicted, Natsuki’s left eyebrow was twitching, a telltale sign that indicated her frustration and annoyance. But she kept quiet instead of asking like she did the previous times.

She’s trying not to draw attention to herself, isn’t she? That’s why she didn’t ask for kaichou’s name outright. She’s better at self control than I thought. Hikaru sighed and gave in. I’ll spare her this time. She turned and addressed Natsuki personally, “Fujino Shizuru, that’s the name you’re so desperate to hear.” Hikaru just couldn’t resist taking a final jab.

Natsuki’s cheeks immediately flamed up. Though finally hearing the name was a relief, there was still a price to pay. She quickly turned her head so the rest of them wouldn’t catch the blush.

“What do you mean, desperate to hear?” The others began their onslaught of questions, wanting to know why Natsuki was so interested in the kaichou. Natsuki turned to her cousin and begged her silently for her help.

“Puppy eyes don’t work,” was the only answer she got. Hikaru left Natsuki to deal with their nosy friends alone. Damn you! Natsuki screamed in her head as she tried to evade their questioning. Wait till I get you back!

“Ara, always so noisy here,” an accented voice spoke from nearby.

There was immediate silence as everyone, aside from Natsuki, recognised the voice. Both fear and astonishment washed over their faces. Slowly they all turned in the direction of the speaker. Arika, Erstin and Aoi gasped their surprise. Hideki, Yuusuke and Shoutaro just gaped. Nao sneered. Chie gave a low whistle and Hikaru chuckled. Natsuki was the last one to turn being the only one who didn’t understand the reason for everyone’s silence.

Thinking the rest of them were over-reacting, she joked, “Did the devil pop up to take you all down to hell? Why the serious… faces?/Why so seri…ous?[冠助貿易股份有限公15] ” she trailed off as she turned and stared into a pair of familiar crimson eyes.

Natsuki felt like she had been slapped in the face. Standing not far behind her was none other then Fujino Shizuru. Well, speak of the devil… She laughed dryly in her head. Then she realised why the rest had stiffened when they had heard only her voice. They recognised the unique Kyoto-ben heavy in Shizuru’s speech.

Shizuru winked at Natsuki, reminding her of their previous, silent encounter. Natsuki quickly looked away, trying to stop the blood from rushing to her cheeks again. The rest were still silent but turned their heads from Shizuru to Natsuki and back again, wearing that eager “something’s going on between those two and I want to know about it” expression on their faces.

However, Shizuru said not a word to Natsuki or to anyone else. She walked up to Hikaru and tapped her lightly on her shoulder. “Don’t forget, meeting at lunch.”

“Yup, yup./Hai, hai.[冠助貿易股份有限公16] ” Hikaru answered enthusiastically, trying to break the tension in the air. “I won’t be late.”

Shizuru smiled, there was a mischievous gleam in her red eyes when she added, “Oh, and bring your cousin. The School Council is quite keen to meet her.” After receiving the confirmation nod from Hikaru, she walked off, followed by the rest of the Kurans.

Everyone spun around and looked at Natsuki, some in awe, some in jealousy while most were just curious. Seeing that look again, Natsuki promptly chucked Chie a question to distract them, “I thought you said they are the ‘Kurans’. Are they related? They all have different last names.”

“Oh, nice question!” Chie cheerfully replied, completely forgetting that she was just about to ask her about her relationship with Shizuru. “They’re just foster kids, actually. Most of them are like homestay students. Kuran Kei lets his friends’ or relatives’ children stay with him while they attend Fuuka Gakuen. It might be cheaper staying with a family friend rather than with the school.

But I know that Shizuru, Reito and Mikoto were all adopted. Reito and Mikoto shared the same mother but different father. Reito’s father died during an accident. Later on his mother married Mikoto’s father. The Minagi family owns a shrine. Ten years ago, it caught fire and her parents perished in that incident. Kuran-san was a devoted follower of Shinto and frequented their shrine. He became friends with their family and agreed to take the siblings in after the death of their grandfather, their only guardian left.

Shizuru’s background, however, was pretty vague. There was something about her parents being very successful and rich enough for people to send hit men to deal with them. Shizuru survived, changed her identity and is now living with Kuran.”

“Wait, isn’t that a bit farfetched?” Nao interrupted, “If she had such an awful and dangerous past, would she had told people about it?”

Hearing Nao hinting about the lack of credibility of her information, Chie retorted hotly, “These are all rumours. I’m the queen of gossip, not a biographer.”

Nao sniggered. She turned around and gave Natsuki a scrutinising look, “What’s with you and Fujino?”

“Nothing.” Natsuki quickly replied, praying that a blush will not creep up her cheek to betray her.

“Yeah, right. I saw that adoring look you gave her just now. So full of admiration and adoration, it makes me want to puke.” Nao added barfing noises as sound effect.

“I-no, I wasn’t! I was just curious!” Natsuki defended herself. I’m sure I wasn’t looking at her in that way! Or…did I?

“Well, it looks li-” Nao was cut off midsentence by the bell which signalled the end of recess. Natsuki spoke a silent prayer for the well timed interruption before all headed back to class. However, Nao wasn’t someone who let’s things rest so she bickered with and teased Natsuki all the way back, not giving her a moment to rest.

“Here you go,” Hikaru placed a cup of steaming green tea in front of Kanzaki Reito.

It was lunch time and they were in the Student Council room. Natsuki was, unfortunately, sitting directly opposite the kaichou. Natsuki’s face was still red from a previous teasing comment spoken by Fujino Shizuru. Hikaru was busy serving the members of the Student Council some tea.

“This is good. Shizuru-chan, did you try a new type of tea leaves?” Reito complimented after his first sip.

There was a gentle shake of a head in response. Shizuru turned and nodded towards her assistant.

“Oh? So, Hikaru-chan was the one who made the tea this time.” Reito was surprised. Usually, Shizuru wouldn’t let anyone else make the tea. “It tastes just like your teacher’s tea.” Reito smiled encouragingly at Hikaru while Shizuru gave her a proud look.

“Nah, Shizuru is just a good teacher,” Hikaru brushed away the compliment while Natsuki groaned quietly by her side, bored already.

Hearing the soft groan, Reito turned his grey eyes towards Natsuki, “So, how do you like it here?” He smiled kindly at her but it did not reach his cold eyes.

A strange chill ran down Natsuki’s spine when their eyes met. Instinct was telling her to stay away from him. It took her all her self control not to back away from him immediately. What the hell is happening to me? She took a sip of the warming tea to calm her nerves before answering, “It’s…cool. The teachers are nice; the school is large but comfortable; the lessons are enjoyable and the kids are quite,” she swallowed, “interesting.” Reito chuckled softly at her comment. Yet the sound still disturbed her; it feels like he was chuckling at more than just her comment.

“Oi! New kid!” Someone suddenly roared from behind them, breaking Natsuki out of her train of thought. She winced at the menacing tone.

“Ara, Haruka-chan, there is no need to be so loud in such a small room. Our hearing will become just as bad as yours if you keep talking at the same level of volume.” Shizuru laughed good-humouredly.

“Oh shut up you, bubuzuke onna! I wasn’t even talking to you!” Suzushiro Haruka, the Executive Director of the Suzushiro Executive Team, a small sub-branch of the Student Council, continued to roar.

Natsuki massaged her ears, finally understanding the meanings of Hikaru’s words about hearing her before seeing her. As soon as Hikaru and Natsuki arrived at the Student Council room, they were greeted by a “YOU’RE LATE!” bellow from Haruka. She reprimanded Hikaru for setting a bad example, then continued on to lecture Natsuki about the school rules and threatening to punish her personally if she breaks any of them. The two victims kept silent during the yelling and exchanged sympathetic looks.

They were saved by the prompt appearance of Fujino Shizuru, to whom Haruka redirected her anger towards. Shizuru, skilled in verbal combat, instantly turned the tables upon Haruka. Flustered, she fought a loosing battle with the kaichou before Kikukawa Yukino, the secretary of the Student Council, and also close friend to Haruka, stopped her.

“New kid!”

Natsuki’s attention snapped back to Haruka. “Yes?”

“I have my eyes on you! You were caught truanting on several occupations at your previous school!”

“Occasions, Haruka-chan,” Yukino corrected her confused friend.

“That’s what I said!” Haruka turned and gave her an annoyed look. “Anyway, if you dare to repeat your rule breaking acts. I will make sure you never come back to this school! It is a student’s durability to arrive punctually at school!” she gave Natsuki her version of a death glare which was quite effective.

“Ara, ara. Haruka-chan, which word did you want to use? Duty or responsibility?” amused, Shizuru smiled her usual half smile, breaking the tense atmosphere. “They were both in your head, no?” Durability? That’s a new one. Shizuru quietly laughed to herself.

“Keep out of it, bubuzuke!” Haruka hollered, knowing that she was being mocked. “And don’t call me –chan!”

She turned to Natsuki again, “Ah yes, I haven’t forgotten you, newbie. If only someone will stop interrupting me!” Shizuru smiled innocently when Haruka sent a glare her way. Back to Natsuki she resumed, “I saw your record at your previous school. Not impressed. I’ll be keeping an eye on you from now on.” She added the “I’m watching you” hand sign for extra effect.

“Haruka-chan! Stop scaring the new student,” Yukino chided her. Turning to Natsuki she apologised, “Haruka meant no harm. She was only showing her concern.” Natsuki nodded fervently after seeing the dangerous look Haruka had on her face when Yukino said that.

Hikaru quickly turned to Shizuru, hoping she could defuse the current situation. “Um, Shizu- I mean, kaichou, why don’t you guys explain your roles to Natsuki?”

Shizuru chuckled, “Hikaru-chan, we are no strangers. Why are you so formal all of a sudden?” she received a shrug and a roll of eyes as response. “All right, we’ll start with Yukino-han, shall we?”

Yukino sat up straight and fixed her glasses nervously before speaking, “I-I’m Kikukawa Yukino, the secretary and assistant to Haruka. If there’s any questions d-don’t hesitate to ask me.” She stammered quickly.

Haruka logically introduced herself next, “Suzushiro Haruka. My Executive Team is the one that actually does the real work. The Student Council is just there for the show. We do all the dirty work like investigating reports. They,” she jerked her thumbs towards Reito and Shizuru, “are all too lazy and picky to do them.”

“Maa, maa./Now, now.[冠助貿易股份有限公17]  Haruka, don’t you think that was a bit harsh?” Reito brought up his hands as a sign of peace. “We actually do quite a lot of that too.” Pointing to himself he said, “Vice president, handle things that kaichou doesn’t want to.”

“Now, Reito-han, you’re the one being harsh. I’m president, deal with meetings and act as representative of students and, sometimes, even the school. Also do administration works that Reito and Haruka accuse me of abandoning.” Shizuru defended.

“Messenger, assistant to the lovely kaichou, do all the random things they ask me to do.” Hikaru summarised her role briefly.

Natsuki nodded in understanding. “You all sound very busy. Fujino-san, since you’re president, you don’t get much breaks do you?”

Shizuru visibly smirked, “Oh, you’re curious about my schedule? Do you want me to tell you when I’m free to go out with you?” she had been teasing Natsuki mercilessly since she came in, confirming Natsuki’s fear that Shizuru had yet to forget their previous interaction.

“N-no! I’m just asking if you’re job is stressful or not!” Natsuki answered hotly, her cheeks reacting in the way that will only guarantee more teasing.

“Mou, worried about me? I’m touched. As a reward, I’ll tell you that I’m free this Thursday afternoon.” Shizuru liked the game a little too much to stop now.

The door flew open unexpectedly. For the moment, it saved Natsuki from further teasing. The stern, green haired girl poked her head in tentatively. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Come in, Akira.” Shizuru beckoned.

“Sorry, I’m late.” The girl called Akira apologised. “I had to listen to some students making their complaints. Oh, Reito, Takeda’s complaining about lack of hot water for the showers. The rest of the kendo club is not happy about having icy cold water after training.”[冠助貿易股份有限公18] 

“Are you sure it wasn’t because you needed to stay back to make sure Takumi was doing his homework?” Reito teased her about her over protectiveness. Akira quickly denied it without much emotion, unlike Natsuki’s passionate denials.

Reito chuckled for a bit before turning serious and nodded thoughtfully, “We’ll have to call for a plumber to fix it soon. Oh, Natsuki,” he turned to her. Natsuki flinched when she saw those cold grey eyes upon her again. “This is Okuzaki Akira, my assistant and she also deals with first aid training for the students.” Akira bowed her head.

“I’m Kuga Natsu-”

Akira cut her off with a friendly wave. “I know. Everyone knows who you are.” She smiled warmly, but briefly, before she turned away to do the tasks Reito assigned her. Natsuki felt calmer by the appearance of Akira; Reito’s threatening aura was stabilised by her protective one.

Yukino and Hikaru proceeded to explain to Natsuki about the upcoming school festival which was what this lunch time meeting was about. The Student Council are responsible for organising and running this colossal event.

“Speaking about the school festival,” Shizuru had been quietly listening to their conversation and decided to join in, “For all those involved, there’s an after-school meeting in the school hall to discuss and start the organisation for the festival. Hikaru, you may bring Natsuki. We need all the help we can get.” By the way Shizuru said it; the consent sounded more like a request.

The rest confirmed their attendance with a quick tip of their heads or a word of agreement. Natsuki just gave a nod, still unsure about committing to this sudden request. It was only the first day of school and she was tired. Shizuru, sensing her reluctance, gave her a quick wink and mouthed a silent plea. Despite her playful demeanour, her eyes were serious as they silently begged for Natsuki’s assistance.

Stunned by the unexpected earnestness she saw in Shizuru’s eyes, Natsuki was speechless for a while, unable to just reject the kaichou. Before she could come up with anything to say, the bell dismissed the Student Council. Each made their way towards their next class. Natsuki’s being AC Biology.

As Natsuki made her way reluctantly to the school hall, her cell phone rang. It was after school and she had no choice but to help out the Student Council with the organising even though she didn’t want to. The afternoon had been bad. So many things had happened and she had yet to catch up with the bizarre speed at which situations changed.

She had just turned on her phone to text to her aunt, telling her that she would be returning home late and that they might have to start dinner without her or Hikaru. She flicked opened her phone and glanced at the caller’s id. Her thumb hovered over the answer button for a second before it flew towards the cancel button. It rested over that button for a while longer, the ringing of the phone had long became background noise as she glared at the caller id: Her father. Her fists clenched.

Remembering her aunt’s family’s encouraging words and her own desire to move on, she sighed deeply before unenthusiastically hitting the answer button.

“Hello?” she tried hard not to sound too harsh. She walked into the garden she had seen early that morning. Long desiring to check out the garden but unable to do so today since it was too hectic to give her an opportunity to sit there quietly. Now she was presented with her chance to finally relax and unwind. This peaceful place might keep her calm when dealing with her father.

“Natsuki! How have you been?” Her father’s loud voice was annoyingly cheerful on the other end.

“It’s only been a day and a bit.” Natsuki evaded that question. She plopped down, exhausted, under the shade of a large oak.

“Glad to hear that you’re doing well.” Her father was ignorant of her current emotions and her tone. “Listen, I heard from Yuriko that you don’t want that money. But it’s a gift. Accept it, won’t you?”

Not now! I don’t want to talk about this now. Natsuki sighed heavily, “No thanks. I have another plan. Can we talk later? I’ve gotta go somewhere.” She avoided telling him about the Student Council so that he wouldn’t prolong the conversation, asking her all sorts of questions.

“Oh ok. I’ve got news for you. Why don’t you come back for a few days? In two week’s time it’ll be Miko and my wedding anniversary. We’re planning to spend a few days in Sydney to celebrate. Miko and Jin miss you, you know?” Her father’s voice hasn’t sounded so genuinely happy since… Natsuki couldn’t even remember.

“I can’t. I’ve just started school and I’m trying to settle in.” Natsuki declined politely, leaning back and resting her head against the tree. The garden was surprisingly calming. Suddenly she sat bolt up. In two weeks? Isn’t that when…?

“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll settle in fine. Come! We’ll pick you up at the harbour. The tickets are booked already anyway.” Takashi completely ignored her excuse.

“Wait, what? You’ve booked the tickets without asking me?” Natsuki’s patience was wearing thin.

“I’m asking you now.” Her father was painfully oblivious.

“Argh! Will you stop deciding things for me without consulting me first?! What if I don’t want to go? In two weeks? Do you remember what’s on in two weeks?” Natsuki’s voice was rising. “And no, it’s not only your stupid anniversary with that woman!”

“Woah, calm down, honey! What’s up in two weeks?” Takashi racked his brain for the answer, hoping he wouldn’t disappoint her. What does Natsuki have on in two weeks? Is it her birthday?

“Mum’s death anniversary! How can you forget?!” Natsuki yelled, enraged. “Maybe you don’t care but I do. Do you think I’ll be able to have fun with you on that day?” Hot, angry tears flowed from her eyes. She clamped them shut to stop the flow. The skin was stretched tightly across her knuckles as her fists tightened. Her fists were clenched so firmly that knuckles turned white and her skin threatened to rip open. Her nails dug painfully into her flesh.

“Oh.” Takashi was quiet. “I’m sorry.”

Natsuki refused to answer. She was trying to calm herself by taking long, deep breaths. But rage threatened to cloud over her common sense and self control. She swore she could see a cloud of red, veiling her sight. Breathe, focus on breathing. She told herself.

“But we could always reschedule?” Takashi offered his useless alternative. “I’m sure Saeko wouldn’t mind if you miss it this year.”

“ARGH!” In frustration, Natsuki snapped her phone shut and lifted it over her head, wanting to throw it against a tree with all her might. Her father’s uncaring voice still rang in her ears. She wanted so badly to smash the phone and make his voice disappear.

Suddenly her swinging arm was jerked to a stop. Someone had caught her arm tightly, refusing to let her move.

“You shouldn’t do that.”

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­TBC

Next chapter: Fujino Shizuru

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­A/N:

Sorry about that. This chapter was boring, wasn’t it? But, now, we have the entire introduction type thing out of the way, we could finally move onto the real story/plot. Next chapter is the private meeting between the two. I’m horrible at writing a teasing Shizuru. So bear with me.

Next chapter will be written in a backtracking way so I will be explaining what happened during her AC biology class which I suddenly cut off. It probably annoyed many people when I did that, sorry. We’ll get there. Those who read Twilight will know which scene’s coming up.

I have a request. I need help with my writing so, my dear readers, please drop a comment to tell me how my story is faring, if my characters stay in character, if things need to be improved. Anything. Be honest. Your opinions will make a difference.

Thanks for reading. Hope to see your continued support next time. Oh, a belated Merry Xmas and have a wonderful New Year to you all.

So I bring the draft of chapter 2. Currently stuck on chapter 3…OTL

It’s filled with my corrections and notes. Please bear with it… Sorry.

Tasogare

Disclaimer: Sunrise and Stephanie Meyer own Mai-Hime/Otome and the Twilight series respectively

Chapter 2: Fuuka Gakuen

Sunlight shone seeped through the cracks in the curtains and onto Natsuki’s tired eyes. Ah damn it, need… more… sleep! Natsuki, havingwas never been much of an early riser, so predictably she just flipped over and continued sleeping. She Poor Natsuki had been tossing and turning all night, thinking about the little discussion she had with the rest of the family last night, and was unable to fall asleep till one in the morning. Why am I still so worked up about it? It’s been three damn years… No! Stop thinking, I need SLEEP!! Natsuki grabbed her ringing alarm and threw it to the floor, pulling the covers over her head; she tried once again to fall back to sl-eep.

Oof!

“Argh! Get your ass off me, you retard!” Natsuki growled angrily at the person sitting on top of her, the source of her rude awakening.

“First day of school and you’re gonna be late if I haven’t been nice enough to come by and wake you.” Hikaru replied, playfully bouncing up and down on the bed in an attempt to thoroughly wake her up.

“What’s the time?” Natsuki asked groggily, massaging her temples. Damn, now I have a headache… The bouncing isn’t helping either.

“A bit past eight. You slept through at least ten alarms,” Hikaru got off her and walked to the door. “Hurry up and get dressed, will you? Kaa-san and the old man had gone to work already! Breakfast is on the table.”

That’s when Natsuki noticed wthat Hikaru was already wearing:in her school uniform which consisted of anan orange vest over a white school blouse and a tan skirt, the standard Fuuka Gakuen uniform. “Oh shit!” Natsuki yelled, bolting right out of bed.

In a surprisingly swift rate, considering how tired she had been, Natsuki was by the breakfast table, fully dressed, in five minutes flat, trying to swallow her breakfast in one big gulpIt’s surprising how fast Natsuki leapt out of bed and got ready considering that she was in a tired and slow state only a second ago. She was by the breakfast table, fully dressed, in five minutes flat, trying to swallow her breakfast in one big gulp.

.

“Slow down or you’ll choke! It’s not like we’re going to be late.” Hikaru laughed, amused by the sight before her while trying to eat her breakfast in a more decent way.

“But you said that it’s already past eight! Doesn’t school start at eight forty?” Natsuki asked with her mouthful.

Oops. “Oh, /Ahahahaha… I lied. It’s actually only half past seven. Tricking you is the only way to get you out of bed so quickly.” Hikaru couldn’t help but laugh harder at Natsuki’s surprised face that soon turned sour.

Natsuki sent a death glare her way. Oh crapshit. Hikaru immediately scrambled away from the table. Just as Hikaru managed to get herself out of her chair, Natsuki lunged herself at her poor cousin with a murderous glint in her eyes. Natsuki leapt across the entire table in one leap, earning an impressed but guarded look from Hikaru. What theDid she just…? She thought to herself but she didn’t have time to ponder on this for too long. when sShe soon found herself under the attack of her furious cousin.

Hikaru tried in vain to defend herself from a constant flow of unpredictable blows and jabs. “If you have so much energy, then get to school already!”

Hearing that, Natsuki finally stopped her frenzy attacks. Suddenly having an anxiety attack, she blurted out, “Forget about school. I feel like slacking off already.” She was starting to feel nervous about going to Fuuka Gakuen, the prestigious private school she managed to get into. What if I don’t like Fuuka? That means I’ll have to go back…

Hikaru rolled her eyes and asked sarcastically, “You want to get a truancy record before ever setting your foot onto the school grounds? If you want to get to class late you can always walk by yourself. I’ll be taking the bike.”

Natsuki snorted, saying that she could become a legend for truanting without having even gone to the schoolthat. However, when Hikaru mentioned the strict policies of the school and the possibility of getting expelled for truanting, Natsuki immediately had a change of heart, “Argh. Fine. Let’s get to school.” She quickly moved towards the door. “Like, now!” she urged her cousin who was trying to stifle her suppress herincoming laughter.

Seeing Natsuki’s panicked expression she gave up the teasing, “Ok, ok, I’m coming.” Suddenly Natsuki stopped midway through the door, almost causing her cousin to crash into her. She turned around with a question forming on her lips. Knowing Natsuki well enough, Hikaru quickly , informed her before she even had the chance to ask. “Oh, you can take my old bike if you want.” That earned her a small chuckle from Natsuki. Hikaru, knowing Natsuki well enough, informed her before she even had the chance to ask.

Grateful that Hikaru was being so considerate and understanding, Natsuki thanked her profusely before picking up the keys dangling from Hikaru’s outstretched hand. “Just don’t scratch my bike.” Hikaru warned her half-seriously.

“Yeah, I’ll be really careful not to scratch your precious bike.” Natsuki deadpanned. “I’ll do better; I’ll crash it.” Hikaru’s horrified expression caused her to crack up laughing this time.

Both girls cleaned up[MSOffice1] before heading towards the garage. While on their way out the door, Hikaru reflected on the events of this particular morning. She turned around and gave the house a long, thoughtful look before heading to the garage.

Natsuki took off her school vest and stuffed it in her bag before pulling her leather riding jacket over her school blouse. She was ready and standing nextar both of the bikes to Hikaru’s old bike by the time Hikaru got there. Natsuki gave her younger cousin an inquiring look. Hikaru smiled. Always so polite. Hikaru nodded her head and gave Natsuki an encouraging push to to the leftwards where her older bike, a Kawasaki Ninja, stood before heading over to her own.

“Is that bike ok?” Hikaru’s asked, her voice was slightly muffled by theher helmet she had just donned.

“Of course. It’s awesome. Sorry to trouble you so much on my first day here.” Natsuki apologised.

“It’s all right. You can ride it till you can get a new one.”

“Thanks. But I don’t think I can afford one any time soon. I am not going to use his money. It’s too weird to just accept it if you know what I mean.” Natsuki replied, as stubborn as ever. She revved the engine to emphasis her words. Its powerful roar sent a wave of excitement and confidence flowing through her body, calming her nervousness.

“I know, I know. We’ll just have to take it one step at a time,” Hikaru sighedencouraged her., “Right now, Yyou really shouldn’t worry about the money business yet. We should worry about getting to school.” She reminded Natsuki her before she turninged her bike around and drove out onto the main road. Seriously not wanting to be late on her first day of school, Natsuki hastilyquickly closed and locked the garaged door before speeding after her cousin.

The trip to the school was rather uneventful. The road they travelled along was a major, busy road so the two bikers dare not go pass the speed limit like they usually do on the emptier scenic roads, unless they want the police after them so early in the morning. Fuuka Gakuen was a long drive off the main road, surrounded by woods and backed by a mountain. It’s a larger than normal private school and has its own dormitories.

To get into Fuuka Gakuen, youcandidates need to take an entrance exam or you have to pay a fairly large amount of money. Only people that passed the entrance exam with flying colours will receive a scholarship that pays for all the costs otherwise paid by the rest of the students. Luckily, Natsuki had enough motivation to get her to study this hard to get into Fuuka with a full scholarship. Normally she just wouldn’t give a damn what marks she gets. Though she is a very talented student, she just can’t be bothered to try very hard if she thinks the task is pointless. Thus it stunned Hikaru and her family when they learnt that Natsuki made it to Fuuka on full scholarship.

The two girls arrived at school fairly early. Most of the people already on campus were those that lived in the dorms on the other side of the school. Hikaru led Natsuki past an enormous, ancient magnificent oak tree situated close to the neighbouring woods of the school near the student car park and parked their bikes behind the screen of the foliage provided by those trees.

“It’s a nice spot, isn’t it?” Hikaru turned to Natsuki as they were heading towards the main school building.

“It’s got a nice viewpretty inconspicuous.” Natsuki nodded approvingly. She turned back briefly to appreciate the beauty of the woods. “It’s pretty inconspicuous too.”

“It has to be. Truth be told, it’s against the school rules to ride bikes. But no one really cares except for that Executive Director, Suzushiro. If she catches you, you’re dead meat. She can be’s so annoying!” Hikaru explained, smiling/noting to herself (at) how quickly Natsuki picked things up, before continuing to bad-mouthing the Executive Director under her breath.

Natsuki chuckled at her cousin’s childish behaviourlaughed before deciding to ask for her cousin’s opinion on theis idea she had in mind for a while, “Hey, Hikaru. I reckon I should get a job as a mechanic at a local garage or something.”

“Why?” Startled by the sudden information, Hikaru half-turned around to face her older cousin, curious to hear what she has to say.

“I want to earn some money to go towards buying a new bike.”

That stopped Hikaru in her tracks. She turned around entirely to give Natsuki her utmost attention, interested to hear more. “So is that how you intend to buy a bike by yourself without touching your father’s money?”

“Exactly. He can have the money back. I want to get a bike by myself, to prove to him that I can handle things on my own.” Natsuki nodded, a smirk appeared on her face. She was pleased that her cousin caught on so quickly.

“But what happened to the plans to reconcile with him?” Hikaru reminded her though she had to agree thatreckoned Natsuki’sher plan was actually a pretty good idea.

Natsuki snapped back to reality.

“Oh, yeah, that.” Natsuki She paused to reconsider her options. Chewing her bottom lips, she thought hardAfter a moment of hard thinking/silence,. At last, she reluctantly answered sighed. “How about I ask Takashi to help sponsor me as a sign that I’m trying to forgive him. He can pay for the deposit or something and check on me to see how I was going with the rest of the money. That way he can actually involve himself in my life with me feeling that he’s intruding.” As if to emphasise her reluctance, she reasserted. “But I would rather pay for most of the bike myself.”

“Um…You sure you can handle this? Getting the bike all by yourself, I mean” Hikaru asked with concern. I wonder how long it’s going to take for her to earn the money…

“Who knows? I want to give it a go.” Natsuki shrugged but her mood was optimistic. “Plus I still have…what she left behind…” With the small smile fading, her mind drifted back to the past once more.

Seeing Natsuki had already made up her mind, Hikaru decided to drop the discussion. She realised that though Natsuki is trying to be nicer, but she’s still keeping her distance from her father. So leaving Natsuki to work it out her herself, Hikaru turned back around and led Natsuki through the wide, open quads to the front office. [MSOffice2]

As they approached the office door, Hikaru turned and looked at her cousin who stared uncertainly at the door. “You want me to come with you?”

Broken out of her thoughts Natsuki quickly declined, “I’ll handle it from here. Thanks.” NatsukiShe mentioned for Hikaru to go ahead without her. She preferred doing everything herself and doesn’t like to rely on other people very much. This is also one of the things that she wants to handle by herself.

Hikaru nodded thoughtfully., “I’ll wait for you out in the quad we just came through.” She jerked her thumb in the direction of the exit.

Natsuki nodded inclined her head to show her understanding before turning around. She took a deep breath to calm her nervousness before opening the door to the front office. Stepping in hesitantly, she took a look around. The office was cosy and brightly-lit with large windows also providing some natural lighting. Plastic chairs neatly lined up along the wall in the waiting area. The walls are plastered with notices and decorated with framed awards; there’s even a majestic grandfather clock hiding in a darkened corner. Seeing as there wasn’t anyone else in the queue she made her way down to the counter on the far side of the room. A lady in her mid-forties was too busy typing away at her computer to notice her. Natsuki coughed loudly to get her attention.

“May I help you?” The lady looked up, forcing a smile to mask her annoyance.

“Kuga Natsuki. I’m new here…” Natsuki answered while taking out the necessary paper works. She noticed a glint of immediate awareness in the lady’s eyes but her actions did not reveal her interest in the new student.

The lady took a while to inspect the papers that she now held in her hands. Natsuki suppressed an urge to tap her fingers on the counter as she waited impatiently. Finally after typing the information on the computer and triple checking the papers, the lady handed Natsuki her timetables and a map. In a bored voice she explained to Natsuki that because of her excellent score in biology for her entrance exam, she was put into a special Accelerated Course class that combines all gifted senior students to do biology at university level. Fuuka Gakuen provides a lot of specialised Accelerated Course programs, AC for short, catering for many gifted and talented students, thus making it a very academically prestigious school.

“If you do not like the class or you are falling behind the standards, you are allowed to be reallocated to normal biology class,” explained the office lady in a monotonous voice, sounding like she had been repeating thoset lines for hours.

“Now, here is aare you slips that you give to your homeroom teachers to notify them that you’re new.” Natsuki obediently took the paper from her hand. There was a small pause, “So, Aany questions?”

Natsuki shook her head.

The lady looked up and gave her a cursory glance before continuing, “Good. By the end of the day I want you to return here and tell me if you like your AC class. We want to sort the classes out as soon as possible, ok?” Natsuki indicatedn her understanding with a nodded before getting dismissed. As she turned and walked out the office, Sshe failed to notice the office lady lifting her head up and giving her a curious, lingering gaze of the office lady.

“How’d it go?” Hikaru asked as soon as Natsuki came out of the officeinto the quad that was their meeting place.

“I made it into that Accelerate Course Bio class. Are you in any?”

Hikaru clapped her on the back, “Congrats! I’m more a languages person than a science person. So I got ’m in AC for English. I’m more a languages person than a science person.” Hikaru clapped her on the back beforeCurious, she tooaking the information sheets from Natsuki’s hands. After briefly examining the papers she handed them back. “Looks like et’s see… Yyou’re in my class for everything except bio and your chosen electives. Should I show you around now or go straight to home room?”

“Home room. There’s not much time left now.” Natsuki replied with an offhanded wavely while being absorbed in the task of trying to memorisinge the map of the school. This school is pretty big…

“You’ll be fine. You’ve got a great sense of direction. Let’s hope your memory would be just as good.” the corner of Hikaru’s mouth twitched up, giving Natsuki an impish smirk before leading her through a maze of hallways to their home room. On the way, she point out various features of the school to her, asking her if she could memorise them by the end of the day. Always someone who rises up to the challenge, Natsuki accept her little game at once telling her cousin never to underestimate her.

Hikaru led Natsuki to their home room using a shortcut which Natsuki had no trouble immediately committinged to her memory. Before long they reached the door of their home room. This time it was Natsuki who took the initiative despite her nervousness and led them through the sliding door. Their home room was a large, bright, cheerful looking room. Only a handful of students have arrived and taken a seat. Hikaru stirredsteered Natsuki to two tables, placed one behind the other, situated near the window.

“You take the front seat,” Natsuki said. She pushed her cousin forward towards the indicated seat.

“Why?” Hikaru asked even though she probably already knew the answer.

“If I wasn’t pay attention in class, at least you could cover me. You know, not in the teacher’s direct line of sight?” Natsuki explained exasperated. “Obviously!”

I knew it. She’s up to her old tricks again. Hikaru let a small smile pull up her lips, she had anticipated Natsuki’s response and Natsuki never disappoints her. “You never change, do you?” Hikaru said disapprovingly even though she had taken the front seat already.

The bell rang just as Natsuki got into her seat. The rest of the students filed in right after. Soon enoughBefore long, their home room teacher strolled in lazily. She was in her early to mid-twenties, with bright red hair tied up in a messy pony tail.

“All right everyone! I’m your home room teacher this year! I’m Sugiura Midori. As your teacher you’ll have to call me Suigura sensei though that makes me feel old,” Sugiura sensei chuckled. She has this high-pitch voice sounding like someone trying to act cute and younger than her years. Natsuki couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her new teacher. But the class still laughed good-naturedly along with their new sensei.

“Hey, aren’t you meant to hand in that note?” Hikaru turned around to remind Natsuki when the laughter had died down. Sugiura sensei had started marking the roll.

Natsuki groaned inwardly. She scraped her chair loudly against the floor She and, reluctantly unwillingly, got up to hand in her note. Natsuki doesn’t want to be in close contact with someone so hyper and bubbly so early in the morning mainly because Sugiura sensei looked exactly like the type of overly enthusiastic teachers that would ensure she make her do a self-introduction regardless of her protesting. Silently begging for the Suigura sensei not to make her introduce herself, she gave the note to her teacher with nervous hands.

“Oh! So you’re the new kid! Kuga Natsuki? Such a nice name. Now let me think… I don’t really remember any famous historical figures with the name of Kuga…” Sugiura sensei mused. She started listing names that sounded like Kuga beforethen getting more and more off-track. She then proceeded to rambled on about random topics without paying any more attention to the silent girl beside her. Natsuki used this time to make her escape and crept quickly back to her seat.

“Forgot to tell you, Sugiura sensei is slightly… weirdeccentric. Well, Sthough she’s a history freak genius, shebut i’’s still childishly in love with Super Sentai and Sailor Moon…” Hikaru whispered in explanation as Natsuki passed her desk. When Natsuki gave her an odd look Hikaru sighed dramatically, “You’ll see. You’ll see.” Hikaru sighed dramatically.

Natsuki returned to her seat with her raised her left eyebrow still raised in surprise. What a bizarre combination of interests? Weird Eccentric is a bit of an understatement… She thought. Sugiura sensei continued to drone on, this time on the subject of the Edo period because history is their subject right after home room.

The bell finally rang signalling the end of the rather boring tedious ancient history lesson. Sugiura sensei left them quite a bit of homework to do. She cheerfully left the classroom, oblivious to the students’ groans of protest trailing behind her before cheerfully. leaving the class room. As soon as she left, the class bounced back to their good-humoured selves and burst into animated conversations with each other as they waited for their next teacher. Natsuki turned her head and looked out the window at the garden below, watching a fat, grey cat lounge around lazily among the flowers. Hikaru was engaged in a conversation with a girl sitting in the front row and a girl sitting beside her.

“So… You’re the new girl.: Kuga Natsuki?” a voice sounded behind Natsuki. She turned around with a bored expression on her face. There behind her was a tall boy with short, oily black hair.

“Well, I’m Miyano[MSOffice3] Yuusuke. I guess we’ll be in the same class for the rest of our subjects.” he introduced himself enthusiastically. He pushed his hair back in the most cliché way.

Natsuki’s left eyebrow twitched slightly. She can already tell that this guy is going to be the clingy type. She tried to suppress her desire to sigh loudly. It’s the first day of school. I must not stand out for the wrong reasons. She quickly placed a small, polite smile on her face before replying, “Nice to meet you, Miyano-san─”

“Yuusuke is fine.” he interrupted.

She mentally flinched at his eager voice, “Um, right. Yuusuke-san.” Annoyed at how she was rudely cut off, her reply was subtly harsher.she mentally flinched at his eager voice.

“Just Yuusuke.” he smiled at her, obviously unaware of the change in tone. “Need me to show you around?” he offered, extending his hand in a friendly way.

Natsuki stared at the outstretched hand, unsure of his intentions. Damn, he’s the overly helpful type. It’ll be hard to shake him off. Thinking quickly she settled on gentle rejection as the best approach, “Oh, no. That’s fine. But I already have my personal guide.” Natsuki She quickly replied, pointing to Hikaru while ignoring the hand he had shoved in front of her face. Damn, he’s the overly helpful type. It’ll be hard to shake him off.

“Hikaru-chan has been assigned to be your guide? But she’s a rather busy person, you know. Maybe I’ll take the load off her and show you around instead.” he answered promptly. Yuusuke wasn’t about to give up. Natsuki desperately tried to come up with a way to declinereject hism offer without hurting his feelings… yet. It’ll be hilarious if I ended up making enemies instead of friends in just the first hour…

“Yuusuke! So you already met my cousin.” Hikaru shouted out from behind Natsuki, unknowingly Hikaru came coming to her her rescue. Natsuki turned around to face her cousin so Yuusuke couldn’t see her and Natsuki sigheded in relief. She mouthed a thank you at her. Hikaru, still unaware of the current situation, glanced at her questioningly.

“So she’s your cousin! Wow… I should have notice the resemblance earlier. You’re both so eye-catching with your green eyes.” Yuusuke attempted to flirt with them both, winking at Natsuki. Hearing that, Hikaru flicked her eyes from Yuusuke back to Natsuki and a look of understanding appeared on her face.

So lame…Both Natsuki and Hikaru’s met, cringing inwardly, they exchanged a communicating look with each otherthought and cringed. He would be one annoying admirer. They both thought. Realising the silence was longer than it politely should be; Hikaru laughed awkwardly, “Thank you…I’ll take that as a compliment then. Anyhow, I was about to tell you that you shouldn’t trouble yourself too much.” then she added in a colder tone, hinting at him to back off, Hikaru laughed awkwardly, “I’ll show her around myself.” she added in a colder tone, hinting at him to back off.

“You sure? But you’re Kaichou-sama’s assistant! You’ve got lots of things to do.” Yuusuke pressed, moving closer to them. Looks like the thick-head boy did not pick up on that subtle hint.Both girls took an uncertain step back, feeling cornered.

Looks like the thick-head boy did not pick up on that subtle hint. With her patience wearing thin, Hikaru resolved to use her last friendly resort, “Executive Director Suzushiro-san asked me to handle this personally and report to her afterwards.” she lied as skilfully as an actor delivering their lines,. She didn’t forget to heavily emphasiseing Suzuhiro’s name. “If you want to show Natsuki around you’ll have to report to her after.”

The mention of the dreaded name seemed to have done the trick. The entire colour of Yuusuke’s face seemed to have drained all colour off Yuusuke’s face. “Ah…I…I uh… You can do it then. Oh, er…I’ve gotta go…finish my homework!” he stammered before quickly leaving them alone.

When he returned to his desk and was out of earshot Natsuki mused, “Is Suzushiro-san’s name a curse or something? He just bolted away as soon as you mentioned her name.”

Hikaru put her arm around her shoulder, dragging her closer, before chuckleding darkly, “Suzushiro is one of the most feared students on campus. Oh, you’ll definitely hear her before you even see her. Well, I have no other choice but to bring in her name to save you from all that…harassment. No one likes to say that name out loud unnecessarily.”

“Why is that?”

Hikaru looked around before leaning down and whisperinged dramatically, “Walls have ears.”

Natsuki snorted and gave her a sceptical look. She did believe Hikaru’s words that Suzushiro-san can be terrifying but walls having ears are going past the boundaries and into the realms ofof nonsense.

“You’ll see,” Hikaru assured her with a sly smirk before dragging her to join the conversation that she left a while ago. “Look busy otherwise you stand out like a sore thumb for those excessively eager guys.”

Natsuki complied; she definitely doesn’t want to put up with another round of unwanted attention from some admiring boys. She knew all too well how troublesome it is since she had to deal with them back home as well. Her unwanted popularity seems to travel with her.

Hikaru introduced her to the other two girls. Harada Chie was the taller glasses-wearing girl with short, black hair playing with her cell phone. She is known as the Queen of Gossip by all at the school. The shorter girl with brown hair was her faithful sidekick, Senou Aoi.

“So…you’re the legendary Kuga Saeko-san’s daughter.” Chie purredsaid, sounding like a journalist trying to dig up some fresh scandals. She peered over the frames of her glasseslike[MSOffice4] a scientist observing an interesting specimen.

“Legendary?” Natsuki asked, lifting up an eyebrow. That’s news. As far as she knows, her mother wasn’t a very famous person, let alone legendary.

“Yes, of course. Your mother was famous for achieving top honours at this school. But that wasn’t what made her legendary. She’s a legend among us students for daring to oppose the feared Miss Maria, the infamous woman who pretty much controlslord over this entire school.” resting her chin on top of her intertwined fingers, Chie explained professionally and concisely in a very professional tone. The Queen of Gossip had done her research.

“Miss Maria? Isn’t she the English teacher and one of the teachers who also work in the administration? What’s wrong with her?” Natsuki frowned, perplexed.

Crash!

Chie’s hands slammed onto the table, causing those sitting around her to jerk back. So frustrated and shocked that Natsuki doesn’t know about the dreaded Miss Maria she scolded, “You naïve child! Miss Maria is the strictest, most terrifying teacher of this school. If you get in serious trouble, you get sent to her. Her punishments are the most horrifying. Those who survived it to tell the tale would not disclose to anyone the exact nature of their punishments!” Despite her seriousness, herChie replied theatrical performance sent the rest of them roaring with laughter., frustrated and shocked that Natsuki doesn’t know about the dreaded Miss Maria.

After they’ve all calmed down, Aoi attempted to recreate the seriousness that Chie failed to achieve. “Those poor students were scarred for life. When they see her in the corridors, they’ll run away as if there’s no tomorrow. Some of those that got punished never came back.” added Aoi.

she added ominously.

Natsuki paled. Oh, shitcrap…She’s definitely going to be keeping an eye on me if she knows about my truancy record. However, Hikaru just chuckledlaughed. “They probably just got expelled. Don’t worry Natsuki. Miss Maria’s not that bad; just a bitter, old lady.”

“How would you know that, you traitor?!” Chie cried, waving her arms around animatedly. “You have been brainwashed into obeying her! Stay away from the Student Council!” Chie grabbed and shook Hikaru’s shouldersChie cried, waving her arms around animatedly. vigorously.

“Just because I work for the Student Council doesn’t mean I work for her. The Student Council is an independent body run only by students. They act as the students’ representatives when dealing with school matters.” Hikaru tried to explain as she struggled to pull away from her grasp.

But Chie ignored her protests,. Suddenly she released Hiakru harshly and almost sending her toppling out of her chair. She turneding her attention to Natsuki, she said, “Your mother represented the students and rebelled against both Miss Maria’s decisions and the Student Council.”

Quickly turning to Hikaru, she added, “That shows you, Hikaru, that the Student Councils are not to be trusted!”

Turning back, she continued, “She was about to be suspended. But somehow the Gakuenchou stepped in and over-ruled her decision. Your mother was also the only one that saw the face of the mysterious Gakuenchou.”

“The Gakuenchou never showed his face around here. Yukariko sensei and Miss Maria are the ones that handle the administration. All we know is Gakuenchou’s last name, Kruger.” Aoi elaboratedxplained. “Since Kruger is an obviously not a Japanese name, we can safely assume that he’s probably overseas in one of Fuuka Gakuen’s foreign campuses or even the original campus since Fuuka is most likely to be one of the foreign campuses─ . Anyway, he’s never around.”

“Equally baffling is the deputy Gakuenchou, Viola. We never see her around either.” Chie took oversaid in a mysterious voice. “This school has many dark secrets. Your mother was one of those students who fought to reveal their secrets. She disobeyed Miss Maria about keeping one of her discoveries silent.” Then she declared passionately, punching her fist into the air, “We’ll be looking forward to the day you decide to pick up where your mother left off and lead us students to our freedom from this dark, menacing school.” Though over-dramatic, her words still sent a shiver down all their spines as they reflected on how truly chillingly mystifying the school really is.

“Is that you, Harada, rambling on about the stupidest crap I’ve ever heard?” a new voice spoke from behind them. Startled, all of the girls jumped. Behind them stood a mischievous-looking girl with shoulder-length red hair and pale green eyes. She kept her eyes on the group while her fingers blindly yet accurately operated on her phone.

“You scared the life out of us, Nao!” Aoi exclaimed. She then proceeded to introduce the new comer to Natsuki. “Natsuki, this is Yuuki Nao, my room-mate. Nao, this is Kuga Natsuki.” Both Aoi and Nao are some of the students that lived in the dorms on the campus.

“So this is the Kuga kid we’ve all been waiting for.” Nao frownedsaid with a tone, showing some her disappointment. “So Harada reckons you can lead us?”

“That’s not very nice, Nao.” Aoi reprimanded her room-mate. Turning to Natsuki she apologised, “I’m sorry, but Nao’s like that to everyone. She’s rather antisocial. Don’t take it too seriously.”

Nao just scoffed at her. She flipped her phone close and continued, “So, Kuga, why are you here at Fuuka? Sea change?”

“Personal reasons,” replied Natsuki vaguely, not wanting to reveal the real reason to a random stranger.

“Like, escaping from the past?” Nao pressed, wriggling her eyebrows; little did she know how accurate her guess was.

Natsuki’s well-rehearsed neutral face did not reveal her surprise. She quickly retorted, “What’s it to you, Miss Nosey?”

“Ouch. But doesn’t your remark just revealed how accurate my hunch was, Miss Defensive?” Nao bantered with a sly smirk while pretending to inspect her nails.

“Your hunch wasn’t even close to my real reason. I just didn’t like my old school. Got a problem with that?” Natsuki bluffed, continuing their ping pong game of words. She is damn annoying.

“Is that all? Then why the hell are you doing here at Fuuka Gakuen? You have no real reason to be here, rich bitch. So hHow about your parents? Are you the rebellious, overly pampered type that goes to boarding school to get away from their nagging?” Nao continued her somewhat offensive interrogation struck back, sensing by Natsuki’s lack of proper response as incoming victory.

“My mother’s not around anymore.” Natsuki replied bitterly through gritted teeth, her fists clenching unconsciously. “My reason for coming here is none of your business.”

“Oh I’m so sorry.” Nao didn’t sound the least sorry. “Maybe she’s happy that she doesn’t have to deal with someone with such a troublesome attitude like you anymore.”

Nao’sAt that remark hit the tender spot. Natsuki snapped and burst towards her, ready to smash her fists into her smug face. But luckily for Nao, Chie and Hikaru managed to restrain the agitated Natsuki before she could do any more damage. A small crowd had gathered to watch what the commotion was about.

“Nao! That was crossing the line.” Aoi cried. “Don’t forget your mother is in a pretty bad state herself.” Aoi warned in a whisper.

Nao glared at her, silently warning her to shut her mouth with hateful eyes. Deep inside she actually sympathised with Natsuki because she has this terrible feeling that maybe one day her mother will just give up and never wake from her coma again. But she would never admit that to anyone. Turning back to the struggling Natsuki, she resumed their conversationproceeded to ask in the same rude tone, “So, how do you like Fuuka? It’s not as convenient as Tokyo for some lazy, technology dependent retards with too much money to spare.” Nao taunted Natsuki like a mouse dancing in front of a caged cat, laughing in delight as Natsuki struggled.

Finally Ppushed past her limit, Natsuki’s self control cracked snapped and she torebroke free from the girls restraining her. Hikaru promptly intercepted by getting in between them and holding up her hands as a sign of peace, “Now, now. Let’s not start off on the wrong foot. Nao, please watch your tongue.”

But not someone to let an insult get past her, Natsuki shoved Hikaru away, “Well, you don’t look any better, madly texting away. Talk about being technologically dependent. You sounded like you’re jealous that your mother never gave you enough money for you to play with.”with.” came Natsuki’s savage comeback.

“You!” This time it was Nao who snapped.

They started another fierce round of verbal war that was getting physical until some bystanders helped the other girls to restrain them. We are so going to get along. Natsuki thought bitterly while trying to break free; at least three people were trying to holding her back.

But unknown to her or anyone present, due their little verbal jousting, Nao had established a grudging respect for Natsuki. Not only do they have a similar personality, she was also the only one who had managed to watch her in witbe on par with her when it comes to returning insults. Oh, she’s a tough cookie, Nao smirked to herself. Maybe we should observe her for a bit longer then take the next action.

Nao was about to taunt her some more and pay her back for the jab about her mother but luckily for all, their Japanese teacher walked in. Everyone quickly returned to their seats and all talking ceased as the lesson on analysing Ancient Japanese literature began. This slow paced lesson left Natsuki to ponder upon her mother’s past and her own future. Who was she? There’s so much I don’t know about her… she let out a long sigh, Nao’s right, I don’t have a proper reason to justify why I’m here. So what the hell am I doing here?

TBC

Next chapter: The Student Council[MSOffice5]

A/N:

This chapter was not meant to end like that… Sorry if it’s too sudden. It’s meant to be longer but it’s gonna turn out to be too long if I kept writing till the intended end so I’m splitting it into two. Sometimes your inspiration come at the wrong time and upsets all the plans you prepared earlier. I actually re-wrote chapter 1 so I needed to fix this one too. Oh and Nao was dying to get introduced so that’s what I ended up doing. I was meant to introduce Fujino Shizuru in this chapter… But, sadly, I have to cut. That means Fujino Shizuru and Kuga Natsuki’s meeting will be delayed. Kannin na xD.

Thanks for reading. Comments are appreciated. Hope to see you next time.

Here’s the official link for those who wants it:

So enjoy and wait for the next chapter?

Tasogare: The Parody

by the Almighty Grak-sama

Prologue:

A lone boy hurried down the street, eager to get home before it turns completely dark. He stopped abruptly at an intersection.

Presented to him were two options. Choosing to turn left into the small, shadowy alleyway means shorter travelling distance but he will be travelling in darkness. Choosing to keep going straight down the main road means that he will be walking under the streetlights but he will have to walk for longer. He hesitated and looked at his Hello Moto: 5.30pm.

A sudden blast of cold air blew into his face. Shivering and blinking his sore eyes, he quickly turned and walked down the alleyway.

The boy pulled his jacket around his tighter as he trudged along the shadowy lane. The sound of his stiletto heels echoed loudly against the bare, grimy walls as he walked. He had been working in a transvestite bar ever since he was eighteen months old. He quickened his pace, wanting to get out of this eerie, chilling passage as soon as possible. Suddenly he stopped. He sensed another’s presence behind her. Slightly scared, the boy twirled around.

No one was there.

He quickly turned back and quickened his pace to a brisk walk. The dark alleyway was starting to unsettle him. He was a coward and he knew it.

Then he saw it.

Another set of shadows followed right behind him. Yet he heard no footsteps. Terrified and paranoid, he walked faster. Strangely the shadow kept his pace. When the poor boy walked faster, the shadow walked faster. He walked slower, so did the shadow.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he finally plucked up his courage and turned his head and with all that greeted him was nothingness.

Hysteria overcame him; he broke into a mad run, struggling not to twist his delicate ankles. The shadow reappeared while keeping up with him easily, because he could only do frog jumps since he was wearing a mini-skirt.

No matter how fast he ran or jumped, the silent footsteps were always right behind, jumping with him.

Terrified, he dare not turn back to look but concentrated his energy on trying to out run his pursuer. Finally the shadow drew closer. The boy, panicking, screamed for help as he ran blindly down the street.

Suddenly, the boy’s foot slipped. He tripped gracefully; he tried to do push ups to scare off his stalker but fell hard onto his hands, grazing them. Trickle of warm blood flowed from his wound. Clutching his injured hands, he quickly picked himself up. Not daring to look behind him since his ego was broken due to the push ups, he tore away, hoping regain his speed to lose his stalker.

He had only taken a few steps before feeling himself getting caught in a pair of strong, hard arms and thrown violently against the wall. Winded, he would have dropped to the floor. But he was pinned against the walls by her attacker. He lifted his dazed head and gasped as he stared at the face of his assassin.

His assassin has a divinely handsome face that no mortal would ever dream of possessing.

He was a gorilla.

With smooth, stylish hair and elegant suit of a young, smartly dressed gorilla, his assassin would have blinded him if they weren’t in a situation such as this. But he wasn’t gasping because of its horribly beautiful visage. It was because of the seedy expression he wore. The beautiful face was distorted by a look of dangerous, feral hunger; so ghastly it made him look like a wild gorilla instead of a domestic gorilla. To make him even more horribly beautiful were the red, bacteria infected, glowing eyes that stared at the boy in desire; the desire to peel him like another ripe banana. The poor boy could not determine which was more chilling: the odour of the bestial man’s breath or his infectious eye virus. The boy’s heartbeat raced as his face came closer and closer.

“The smell of your %#$!#… is very… enticing.” his assassin whispered in a seductively gentle voice while rubbing his #!%!#, sending shivers down the boy’s spine. Achingly slow, he bent his head down towards the crook of his neck, breathing against his skin while snort came in and out. His heart sped up as the gorilla closed their distance. He was going to contract cataract.

The boy’s breathing hitched and he involuntarily gasped as his assassin’s tongue snaked out and licked his neck, leaving blobs of bananary saliva. He seemed to have noticed that for he gave the boy a mischievous grin. “You seem to have taken a liking towards me. I would assume you are the natural ‘uke’ receiving end.”

The boy’s eyes widened in disbelieve. He took in a deep breath and opened his mouth to protest on his potential to be a seme but his voice died down as quick as radioactive nucleus breaking down in their half-lives.  The hairy thing bit down hungrily onto his chest. Blood spurted out, spraying both their faces. The overwhelming combination of the sharp pain in his chest, the shock of a man savagely biting his fake water balloon boobs and the draining of his precious cleavage caused the boy to collapse in a dead faint.

That’s much better, the monster thought as he eagerly lapped up the warm liquid flowing from his water balloon. Normal tap water can never substitute sparkling fresh filtered mineral tap water… I can feel my strength returning to me. My mojo is standing up~!!! OHO.

However his feast was cut short by an unexpected explosion of heat at the back of his head. He quickly jerked his head up as the heat was followed by spasm of pain. His hand instantly went to feel the back of his head. What he found surprised him immensely, the hairs on the back of his head were gone and the exposed skull was aching due to the burn.

“Be happy, t’was a free shave, you lightbulb,” a voice spoke out from behind him in a deadpanned manner.

“A bit down you would have got his @^@$#!” replied another with an accented, musical tone.

“Ah. I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” the first voice grumbled. “Let’s go back to the zoo already, Amachi.”

Edit: This is actually draft version 2.5…

Tasogare

Disclaimer: Sunrise and Stephanie Meyer own Mai-Hime/Otome and the Twilight series respectively

Prologue:

It was just past dusk, the sky had turned a gloomy grey. The weather was unusually cold for spring. A lone girl hurried down the street, eager to get home before it turns completely dark. She stopped abruptly at an intersection.

Presented to her were two options. Choosing to turn left into the small, shadowy alleyway means shorter travelling distance but she will be travelling in darkness. Choosing to keep going straight down the main road means that she will be walking under the streetlights but she will have to walk for longer. She hesitated and looked at her watch: 5.30pm.

A sudden blast of cold air blew into her face. Shivering and blinking her sore eyes, she quickly turned and walked down the alleyway.

The girl pulled her jacket around her tighter as she trudged along the shadowy lane. The sound of her stiletto heels echoed loudly against the bare, grimy walls as she walked. She quickened her pace, wanting to get out of this eerie, chilling passage as soon as possible. Suddenly she stopped. She sensed another’s presence behind her. Slightly scared, the girl whirled around.

No one was there.

She quickly turned back and quickened her pace to a brisk walk. The dark alleyway was starting to unsettle her.

Then she saw it.

Another set of shadows followed right behind her. Yet she heard no footsteps. Terrified and paranoid, she walked faster. Strangely the shadow kept her pace. When the poor girl walked faster, the shadow walked faster. She walked slower, so did the shadow.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she finally plucked up her courage and turned her head. But all that greeted her was nothingness.

Hysteria overtook her; she broke into a mad run, struggling not to trip. The shadow reappeared while keeping up with her easily.

No matter how fast she ran, the silent footsteps were always right behind.

Terrified, she dare not turn back to look but concentrated her energy on trying to out run her pursuer. Finally the shadow drew closer. The girl, panicking, screamed for help as she ran blindly down the street.

Suddenly, the girl’s foot slipped. She tripped and fell hard onto her hands, grazing them. Trickle of warm blood flowed from her wound. Clutching her injured hands, she quickly picked herself up. Not daring to look behind her, she tore away, hoping to regain her speed to lose her stalker.

She had only taken a few steps before feeling herself getting caught in a pair of strong, hard arms and thrown violently against the wall. Winded, she would have dropped to the floor. But she was pinned against the walls by her attacker. She lifted her dazed head and gasped as she stared into the face of her assailant.

Her assailant has a divinely handsome face that no mortal would ever dream of possessing. With bronze hair styled in casual disarray and elegant designer suit that gave him the appearance of a young, handsome movie star, her assailant would have dazzled her if they weren’t in a situation such as this. But she wasn’t gasping because of his godlike beauty. It was because of the twisted expression he wore. The beautiful face was distorted by a look of dangerous, feral hunger; so ghastly it made him look like a wild beast instead of a human being. To make him even more inhuman were the red, glowing eyes that stared at her in desire; the desire to consume her. The poor girl could not determine which was more chilling: the face of the bestial man or his satanic, red eyes. Her heartbeat raced as his face came closer and closer.

“The smell of your blood… is very… enticing.” her assailant whispered in a seductively gentle voice while stroking her injured palms, sending shivers down her spine. Achingly slow, he bent his head down towards the crook of her neck, breathing against her skin softly. Her heart sped up as he closed their distance.

The girl’s breathing hitched and she involuntarily gasped as her assailant’s tongue snaked out and licked her neck. He seemed to have noticed that for he gave her a mischievous grin. “You seem to have taken a liking towards me. I would assume you would allow me to quench my thirst… on your blood?”

As soon as she heard the word “blood”, the girl’s eyes widened in horror. She took in a deep breath and opened her mouth to prepare to scream for help when it was suddenly cut off into a strangled gurgle. The man bit down hungrily onto her neck. Blood spurted out, spraying both their faces. The overwhelming combination of the sharp pain in her neck, the shock of a man savagely biting her and the draining of her precious blood caused the girl to collapse in a dead faint.

That’s much better, the monster thought as he eagerly lapped up the warm liquid flowing from her wound. Animal blood can never substitute human blood… I can already feel my strength returning to me.

However his feast was cut short by an unexpected explosion of heat at the back of his head. He quickly jerked his head up as the heat was followed by spasm of pain. His hand instantly went to feel the back of his head. What he found surprised him immensely, the hairs on the back of his head were singed and the exposed skull was aching due to the burn.

“Oops, looks like I missed,” a voice spoke out sarcastically from behind him.

“Ara, it would have hit if you aimed a bit more to the left.” replied another with an accented, musical tone.

“Ok, ok. I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” the first voice grumbled.

The monster whirled around, only to be confronted by two female figures in the shadows. The tallest of the pair took a step forward, lighting up a fireball in her palm. “You do know that drinking human blood here at Fuuka is strictly prohibited. You even signed a blood contract. Don’t tell me you forgot.” her voice was playful yet with a dangerous edge to it.

“But he can’t have forgotten. Vampires have long memories and they can never forget any blood contracts they sign.” the accented voice of her companion informed her with a deeply sarcastic tone directed at him.

“Stop talking about me as if I’m not here!” the vampire growled angrily, dropping his dinner to confront the two newcomers.

“A fallen vampire who had lost all humanity you once processed… You shame the respectable vampires and our hard-earned reputations with your incontrollable urge to drink human blood.” the shorter woman’s elegant voice, though soft, was laced with venom and unspoken threats.

“Oh the hypocrisy, you Reformed bitch. The traitor to the Obsidian Lord and his followers! You chose to join the hunters instead of embracing your true nature like the rest of us.” he spat at her angrily. A fireball sailed past his head, sign of cautioning from the taller girl. “Now I’m angry. I normally won’t fight women but you gave me no choice.” He snarled a warning at them.

“It is a folly to underestimate your enemy.” The accented voice called out in a calm yet sneering way, further annoying him.

[MSOffice1]

His angry roar resounded through the entire alleyway. With indignity blundering his usually graceful movements he brought his right hand out, palm facing upwards, in front of him and a long spear materialised into his opened palm. With fluid movements he twirled his spear and stood in his battle stance with his spear aimed at the Reformed Vampire who had mocked him. “Watch your mouth you insolent bitch woman!”

Before the offended woman could retort smartly, her companion, the “hunter” stepped in front of her, flaring the fireball in her palm, lighting up and revealing the excitement in her green eyes. “Cut the chit chat,” she said giddily, trying to suppress the restlessness in her voice. Turning to her partner she called out, “The hunt is on!” With these words she exploded towards her target, launching her fireballs skilfully in his direction.

The vampire reflexively dodged the fireballs and dashed towards his enemy, his spear aimed at her throat. Both rushed towards each other at blinding speed. As their distance closed they leapt, flying through the air, to deliver their lethal strikes. At the last second before the possible collision the hunter threw her fireball at him and twisted out of the way. She bounced off the opposite wall and quickly regaining her battle stance.

Instinctively the vampire slowed and brought his spear up to deflect the ball of flames. But the sudden change in speed caused him to misjudge his landing; overbalanced, he toppled. As the ground rushed to meet his face, he quickly jammed his spear into the ground, using the impact provided to stop his fall and flipped himself back onto his feet. He instantly pulled his spear out of the ground and stood with it on guard, knowing he doesn’t have a second to spare.

The hunter didn’t wait for him to steady himself. She launched into another series of attack as soon as he dropped his guard while falling. The vampire only managed to block her incoming fireballs for his spear is only good for long-range fighting. Using this to her advantage, she continued to close her distance, never allowing him enough room to throw his spear, while he could only block or dodge her fireballs and attempt to keep her away with his spear. It was a deadly game of cat and mouse.[MSOffice2]

Meanwhile, the woman referred to as a Reformed Vampire made her way towards the poor girl laying unconscious against the bare walls of the alleyway. Knowing her companion is capable of handling the vampire without her help, she decided to use this time as a distraction for the vampire and check on his victim. However, the overwhelming smell of blood that reached her heightened sense of smell stopped her from getting any closer to the girl than a few metres. Even though she had rejected the human blood as her main diet for centuries she still wasn’t confident enough about her level of self-control. Thus she decided not to push herself any further. Sighing out loud, she searched in her pockets for the antidote. Not in my left… Nor is it in my right… AraMy… looks like it’s with her. She thought as she ended her search and looked towards the grappling her companion is currently locked in.

Slightly worried, she glanced at the watch on her wrist: 6:00 pm. Judging by the smell of the venom on the victim’s wound; she concluded that the wound had only been made less than ten minutes ago. We still have around fifty minutes, plenty of time. She thought as she felt inside her pockets once more, this time looking for some blood clotting agents. But I better stop her from bleeding to death. She smiled to herself at the irony of the situation. Ara, at least I do have that. She pulled out a dart-like object with a honey coloured substance swishing inside. She shook it and uncapped it; tapping at the needle of the dart to make sure it wasn’t blocked. Unable to get any closer, her only option was to dart the girl. With a graceful flick of her wrist the dart hit the girl with deadly accuracy near the spot where she was bitten, allowing the blood clotting agents to do their work.

The struggle between the vampire and the hunter intensified. The vampire, frustrated that he couldn’t get enough room to attack, turned his head desperately, trying to find a distraction or an opening for him to attack. A fireball grazing his left cheek brought his attention back to his immediate problem. But not before he had decided his next move. Unable to attack his current opponent, he turned around and ran towards the other woman who currently was unarmed. Getting enough room to use his spear, he swung his arm back to hurl his weapon at her. Or that was what the hunter thought will happened. Seeing her companion in danger, she had stopped attacking the vampire. Yelling out a warning, she dashed towards her friend, hoping to be able to intercept the spear with a blast of fire before it hit the intended target.

But to her immense surprise, instead of the spear leaving the vampire’s hand and launching into the air as she expected, it got pulled back and the blunt end of the spear rammed into her solar plexus, sending her flying backwards through the air and crashing into the wall of the alleyway. The blow, which caught her off guard, had thrown her with enormous amount of force, creating a crater in the wall from impact. Winded and dizzy, she struggled to pick herself up from among the debris.

The vampire’s sadistic and triumphant laughter resounded through the entire alleyway as he walked calmly towards his injured enemy who was still straining to stand upright. When he reached her, he placed his foot on her shoulder and viciously kicked the struggling girl back down. He savoured in watching her hopeless effort and hearing her pained gasps; they increased his sense of superiority. Wanting to see her in more pain he brought his spear high above his head to strike her back down as she tried to stand once more. He plunged his spear down viciously in her direction.As he struck his spear down violently, with a loud crash[MSOffice3] , it was met with an unexpected resistance.

“Clang!“

With an ear-splitting clamour, the spear was stopped by an unexpected resistance. Holding his spear in place was the elegantly curved blade of a katana. His scorching red eyes widened slightly in surprise. She still has enough energy to materialise? The hunter panted as she tried painstakingly to hold up her katana that stopped his incoming blow. The vampire’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the trembling in her limbs. With an angry grunt he pulled his weapon back and swiped it across, knocking the katana out of her hands. His spear scratched a deep, long trail across the wall behind her, just/barely[MSOffice4] missing her head.

The hunter watched in horror as her weapon flew out of her hands and bounced several metres away from her. Her body slid down just in time to avoid the fatal blow. She quickly thrust out her right hand, palm up and attempted to regather the protons back into her hand so that she could resummon her katana. Shit, I don’t have enough energy to rematerialise my weapon! Feeling the heat of the vampire’s gaze she jerked her head up in time to catch the maniac glint in her opponent’s eyes just before he struck once more. She quickly drew her legs into a crouch and pushed off from the rubbles as the vampire’s spear reversed its directions to back hand the unguarded/weapon-less[MSOffice5] girl.

The hunter managed to leap out of the way in time. But as she landed, her legs buckled under her and she fell heavily on her hands and knees. Gasping in pain, her left arm reached up and clutched her bruised stomach which was jolted painfully by the fall. Struggling to even stay upright, the hunter knew she’s in deep shit/water[MSOffice6] and she probably doesn’t even have enough energy left in her to dodge the next blow.

The vampire whirled around. There, presented to him was the perfect opportunity to end this battle in his favour; for his victim was unarmed and powerless. He spat in the hunter’s face. But knowing he had to act quickly before the hunter gets a chance to recover, he began twirling the spear in a pattern he ritually performs before killing an opponent. His victim lifted her head and looked him straight in the eye. He glared at her with undisguised hatred yet she managed to hold his murderous gaze unflinchingly, angering and tauntingdaring him to make his move. The vampire pulled his spear arm back from the final spin and thrust it out fiercely to deliver the final blow.

Out of nowhere a blur darted in and intercepted his attack just in time.

As the vampire’s eyes focused he realised the person standing in his way was none other than the “unarmed” woman he insulted a while ago. But now in front of him, she stood proudly, with a long, red naginata held gracefully in her hands. His gaze travelled from her calm face down to the naginata that dared to obstruct his blow. A blood red Naginata! There can only be one who wields such an ancient weapon. Then she must be… The realisation finally dawned upon him. His eyes widened in horror terror as he recognised the Element and its owner. Yanking his spear away with him, he quickly retreated a safe distance away from that woman.

“Ara, I’m impressed that you recognised my Element. You are also correct in your assumption of my identity.” the woman spoke in the accent of the ancient nobles while slinging the said weapon over her shoulders.

How did she…? The vampire was stunned. She had heard his unspoken words. The line of vampires who have the ability to hear thoughts…No! It can’t be! Kiyohime…?! He gasped aloud, cold sweat broke across his forehead and dread washing over his features/ his face blanched with fear.[SGHS7]

“Impressive, impressive. You are more knowledgeable than you look!” feigning a pleasantly surprised voice, she placed her left hand on her check and tilted her head slightly to the side and faked a smile at him. The injured hunter behind her painfully picked herself up [SGHS8] and, though unsteadily, managed to stand back on her feetbut was still standing unsteadily. She gave her companion a bemused look, raising her left eyebrow slightly.

The Reformed vampire turned back as though responding to her thoughts and gave her a reassuring wink and receiving an exasperated sigh and rolling eyes in reply. The crimson-eyed woman returned her attention to the vampire cowering against the wall. “I applaud you, well done. I am the host of Kiyohime. I’m amazed you know that yet don’t seem to recognise me at the start…” her voice was highly sarcastic.

Upon hearing this confirmation, the terrified vampire picked up his feet and ran off like a dog with its tail between its legs“拔腿就跑”[SGHS9] . With the calm smile plastered across her face the naginata wielder simply whipped her weapon in the direction that he ran off. The naginata’s blade extended into a segmented chain.[MSOffice10] Those metallic, red links lashed out and stretched towards the fleeing figure. The links coiled tightly around the body of the vampire, pinning his arms to his side and rendering him immobile. With gentle tugs, the Reformed vampire slowly pulled her prey closer without over-constricting him.

The captured prey struggled desperately, trying to free himself from the chains that bounded him. The harder he struggled, the tighter the chain coiled around him, digging into his flesh. He gasped for air; the chain had tightened around his ribcage, restricting his lung capacity.

“If you cease your movements, the coils will naturally slacken.” advised his captor gently.

“Let me go! You monster!” his rasping, fearful voice rang out pitifully. He struggled uselessly against his bonds, only succeeding in cutting his rock hard skin against the links of the extended naginata. Silver liquid laced with red flow profusely from his wounds.

“You monster? Who’s the hypocrite now?” came the taunting voice of the hunter who he had humiliated earlier, “Of all insults, monster? You vocabulary is awfully limited. Oh and there goes your dinner.” the hunter was referring to the red streams that flowed within the silver fluid. The injured woman was enjoying her chance to pay him back for all those insults he had thrown at her previously.

“Kill me now! I beg you! Let the hunter kill me!” the vampire pleaded with the taller woman frantically, “Let me die in your hands rather than that traitor’s!”

When he received no positive response he pleaded once more, “I insulted you, so now is your chance to get even. Torture me! Burn me! Anything! Just kill me before she does! I beg you! Not the traitor, please! Not Kiyohime!”

“You, who had not fought honourable, have no right to request your method of death. You had not show the same respect a warrior shows to their opponent. You had mocked me and stripped me of my dignity. Why should you receive such an honourable death?” the hunter replied coldly, “We of the Samurai blood only give vampires the choice if they have proven themselves honourable and worthy enough. You, however, did not.” her voice was full of spite and anger.

“It doesn’t make much of difference, you know,” the Reformed vampire added casually. “Technically we are both vampire ‘hunters’. To end the life of any vampires that crossed the line is just part of our job.” She turned and looked at her companion, waiting for her answer.

The hunter sighed, holding out her right hand, she materialised her katana. She walked towards the trapped vampire slowly. When she reached him she raised her katana above her head. The vampire closed his eyes and waited for the final blow.

But it never came. He felt the breeze as the sword was brought down except that he never felt the searing pain of the katana slicing through his flesh. He tentatively opened his eyes. Stopped in front of his nose was the sharp blade of the said katana. The wielder was smirking at him.

Pulling the katana away she answered cheerfully, “Ah, wait. I changed my mind. I don’t think I can handle the killing blow. My stomach still hurt.” She explained, subtly spiteful, as she removed the katana from the position before his nose and dematerialised it. She turned to her crimson-eyed companion, “I’ll let you have the honours this time.”

“NO!” roared the cheated vampire furiously and struggled harder, knowing his end is near. But his words and actions were unheeded as an invisible exchange seemed to have transpired between the hunter and the Reformed vampire.

The coils around him started to wrap more firmly around him. He felt the chains tighten around his body, pinning his arms stiffly to his side. Even as his ribs were crushed, those chains did not stop. He could feel each coil distinctively, slowly squeezing the life out of him. The metal segments bit into his bones and his “blood” continued to gush out. The vampire screamed in pain as the constriction continued to worsen. Until, at last, the chains stopping moving. He opened his teary eyes and looked at his captor, wondering why she had suddenly stopped her actions.

The woman holding the naginata looked back at him, giving him a gaze that said: “It’s not over yet” before bracing herself. Suddenly she forcefully jerked her naginata back. The segments smashed through his bones and the coils were pulled through his body, choke-cutting him into thousands of pieces. His blood-curdling scream echoed through the entire empty alleyway. The vampire’s ripped flesh and gore flew in all directions, splattering across the walls and the floors. His blood sprayed onto the faces and clothings of the two women who witness his final moments. Then all was silent.

“Looks like I get the dirty job of cleaning up,” the sigh from the green-eyed hunter broke the eerie silence.

“I was the one who struck the killing blow. That was dirtier,” jested her friend. “You were offered the final blow but you didn’t take it.”

“Yeah, but I’ll still have to clean up either way,” the hunter grumbled as she lit up fireballs in both her palms and fired them towards the remains of the vampire that scattered across the area.

While watching the pieces of the carcass burned, the hunter’s expression was suddenly crestfallen. She looked at the ground and exhaled loudly before asking her companion, “Do you think they’ll be pissed at me again?”

“What ever for? / What for?[MSOffice11] “

“I…lost control again,” she whispered shamefully. Her heritage instinctively made her aggressive and blood thirsty when in contact with vampires, similar to a vampire’s reaction to human blood. “I can’t help it. But every single time it feels like my body was no longer in my control…”

“Before one knows how to run, they must learn how to walk,” came the cryptic reply of her friend.

The hunter looked at her questioningly, unsure of what she was trying to get at. The Reformed vampire smiled before replying encouragingly, “To walk, you must take one step at a time, no? I noticed some improvements with your self-control today; though it’s only a small step, it’s still a step.”

She reached over and affectionately ruffled her hair which was already messy from the battle. “Don’t worry, you’re not the only with that problem.”

There was a short pause, “But you might still have to put up with their scolding.” She deliberately added, popping the hunter’s bubble.

“You just have to remind me,” the hunter groaned, slapping her forehead.

As the two women reached the injured girl, the Reformed vampire instinctively flinched and stopped. Once again she came no further than a few metres. The hunter gave her an apologetic smile before kneeling down in front of the victim to check her pulse. Good, she’s still alive. We still have half an hour before the poison take effect. She thought as she rummaged through her pockets for the antidote. Finding it, she quickly uncapped and administered it, sighing in relief as she watched the liquid enter the girl’s bloodstream.

“Your turn. You’ve got to erase her memory.” said the hunter, turning to her friend. “Do you think you need to get closer?”

“No, thank you. I’m fine where I stand.” she replied to her joking just as dryly before getting to work. It wasn’t too complicated. The girl’s inner mind wasn’t closed off like some so she didn’t have to force it open and locating the memories to erase was too easy because they were still recent and floating around near the top of the mind layer. She managed to finish her job much sooner than she expected for the girl’s mind was rather weak and flexible. Just as she completed her job, her cell phone rang.

“What great timing,” her friend commented before being told to be quiet as she took the call.

“Hello?” the Reformed vampire spoke quickly into her phone. An uncharacteristic frown suddenly appeared on her normally calm, smiling face.

Looks like it’s bad news, Her companion pondered, getting increasingly worried as the frown deepened. Otherwise she wouldn’t be frowning like that.

There was a long pause as the woman listened to the speaker on the other end. Except for a few “Ara”, she was silent for most of the duration of the call.

“What do you mean? Is that bad?” another long pause.

“Can anything be done to prevent it? Or even delay it?” Then she sighed in defeat. “I’ll see what I can do.” She suddenly turned and looked at her companion, who was pretty much dying of curiosity, and tried to reassure her with a smile. “I’ll ask her.” she spoke to the phone before finally hanging up.

“What was that?” her companion asked concern clearly evident in her tone.

“She has finally spoken. They had just finished listening to the prophecy. Looks like the wheels are beginning to turn. It’s starting.” she answered straight to the point, not wanting to beat around the bush like the way she usually does.

“Is that bad?” the hunter echoed her earlier question.

“Which one? The prophecy or the…?”

“Both.”

There was a short pause as she gathered her thoughts before answering, “We don’t know yet. The peace bond will expire in six months time. But we don’t know if the arrival of the ‘fated one’ will hasten it or not.” She was slightly frustrated that they couldn’t be sure of the possibilities. They won’t be able to come up plan to deal with this incoming problem until they know more about it, which means that they have wait until the arrival and to let things run its course before acting. They will unprepared.

“Warnings on any sort of dangers?” the taller girl enquired.

“No danger is revealed as of yet. That’s our current problem. We don’t know if the person that’s arriving will be a friend or a foe. She didn’t warn us of anything except…” she unexpectedly chuckled.

“Except what?” her friend prompted.

“Except for a warning to vampires.” she responded with mirth. “One of us will have our heart owned by that person.”

Confused, her companion stammered, “But you, vampires, don’t have hearts…”

The vampire laughed, “Exactly right. Maybe it’s metaphorical. We shouldn’t take the prophecy word for word/literally[MSOffice12] . It probably means the ‘fated one’ will end up controlling one of us.” She paused before turning serious again. “We need to ask for the hunters’ full co-operation, especially yours.”

“Mine? Why?” her friend was surprised by this request.

“The ‘fated one’ has the Lords’ blood,” the vampire explained gravely.

The hunter was rendered speechless as the realisation dawned upon her. “Tell me the entire prophecy,” She demanded urgently.

The vampire complied and smoothly recited the entire prophecy[MSOffice13] ,

“To the ancient island the one who must come

Will arrive when the ancient tie comes undone.

In (their) vein flows rich blood of those Lords

That tirelessly guard these dangerous hordes.

The fated one who an ancient war will start

Will also own a blood drinker’s heart.

The night the Earth’s sky a red moon makes

Is when the Summer Princess awakes.“

After hearing the prophecy, the shocked hunter quickly looked up at the cruel, pale moon with an expression of what might be interpreted as dread before turning back to look at her companion. As if to confirm her unspoken suspicion, the vampire nodded.

TBC

Next chapter: New Beginnings

A/N: The execution scene is a nod to Abandonment by ssjx7squall.

I would also like to clarify some rather important points in the prophecy to avoid future confusion. The prophecy technically should be in Japanese given the setting so the meanings of words I have chosen to fit in the prophecy will be based on direct translation of the Japanese words I have in mind. Here are the words that will need some explanation:

Heart- The word they would have used is “shinzou 心臓”, the organ heart. Not “kokoro 心”, the mind or feelings. So technically the hunter wasn’t stupid when she didn’t think that “heart” can be metaphorical, she heard “shinzou” so she took the literal meaning- the organ. What the Reformed vampire meant by controlling with the heart was that because heart is an important organ that is needed to function properly, owning the heart means that someone can control the body, not necessarily controlling the mind by arousing feelings of infatuation and love.

Own- The word would be “motsu 持つ” which can also mean hold or carry. I chose “own” to make it easier to understand. But they can interpret it as hold or carry as well…

Summer princess- This one is a rather large hint and a possible spoiler. The Japanese would be “Natsu no Hime 夏の姫”. I’m pretty sure some of you would know what I’m talking about. xP

Finally, on a more fun note: The description of the vampire was done deliberately to induce the image of Edward Cullen. It wasn’t me being a copy; it’s just my sense of humour. Symbolism: Edward Cullen is no longer the main character. xD

[MSOffice1]May need to edit this.

[MSOffice2]Include or not?

[MSOffice3]Odd…

[MSOffice4]barely or just?

[MSOffice5]Choose…

[MSOffice6]Oho, shit or water? xD

[SGHS7]Argh…Which makes more sense?

[SGHS8]Need to add stuff.

[SGHS9]Eng version.

[MSOffice10]Think Renji’s Zabimaru…

[MSOffice11]Pick one.

[MSOffice12]Pick.

[MSOffice13]I think this is over kill…

apollyon_0

jaded088

I’m cutting out the stuff about Natsuki’s father sending her a bike. I’m changing that to maybe absurd amounts of money and a rather annoying email that pissed her off. I’m not letting Natsuki forgive him that easily. So the later parts will be changed to fit that…I’m not sure how but I’m working on it now. I also added and cut so dialogue. That’s because some parts are too OoC and unnatural… I’ll get back to work now and hopefully I’ll post something up when I’m done.

Oh and starryheavens07 I might send you the rewritten part to edit…(later perhaps?). It’s a rather major change. Hope you’ll bare with me. Really, thanks for helping me, I’m forever in your debt.

Prologue:

The sky had turned a gloomy grey, it was just past dusk. The weather was unusually cold for spring; a gust of strong wind blew up the abandoned newspapers across the road. A lone girl hurried down the street, eager to get home before it turns completely dark. She stopped abruptly at an intersection. Presented to her were two options. Choosing to turn left into the small, shadowy alleyway means shorter travelling distance but she will be travelling in darkness. Choosing to keep going straight down the main road means that she will be walking under the streetlights but she will have to walk for longer. She hesitated and looked at her watch: 5.30pm. A sudden blast of cold air blew into her face. Shivering and blinking her sore eyes, she quickly turned and walked down the alleyway.

The girl pulled her jacket around her tighter as she trudged along the shadowy lane. Her footsteps echoed loudly against the bare, grimy walls as she walked. She quickened her pace, wanting to get out of this eerie, chilling passage as soon as possible. Suddenly she stopped. Sensing another’s presence behind her, slightly scared, the girl whirled around. No one. She quickly turned back and quickened her pace to a brisk walk. Then she saw it: another set of shadows, following right behind her. Yet she can hear no footsteps. Terrified and paranoid, she walked faster. The shadow kept her pace. She finally plucked up her courage and turned her head. But there was no one behind her at all! By this time the girl was hysterical. She broke into a mad run. The shadow reappeared again, following her easily and keeping up with her. But again she heard no footsteps at all. The girl, panicking, screamed for help as she ran.

Suddenly, the girl’s foot slipped. She tripped and fell hard onto her hands and grazing them. Trickle of warm blood flowed from her wound. Clutching her injured hands, she quickly picked herself up. Not daring to look behind her, she tore away, hoping to lose her stalker. She had only taken a few steps before feeling herself getting caught in a pair of strong, hard arms and thrown violently against the wall. She would have dropped to the floor, winded, if she hadn’t been pinned against the walls by her attacker. She lifted her dazed head and gasped as she stared at the face of her assailant…