Tasogare Chapter 3 draft #1
Finished the latest chapter! Here’s my roughest unbeta-ed draft. Just ignore my notes at the bottom.
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.
Without warning, the spiralling red whirlpool drew/pulled[冠助貿易股份有限公6] Natsuki, spinning, back into a sea of memories. She swam in oceans of images, swirling past her in incredible speed. One memory stood out among the rest; the one she wished to forget and remember at the same time. Before long, the images blurred and dissolved into that one image she had wished to suppress. The swirling tides of memories faded into those of salt water, dragging her down once more into the depth of the ocean.
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.
Before the image could sharpen any further, the shadowy figure turned and began pulling her in the opposite direction Natsuki was swimming. She tried to thrash and fight her way out of the grasp of the sea creature taking her down further into the sea. But her memory self was limp and immobile; an easy prey. The creature sped up and dived down into the depth, dragging Natsuki with it.
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.
[MSOffice1]Pick
I could always omit most of this if you don’t think involving the minor characters are necessary.
Random Rambling 
I love this fic, I was afraid it had been abandoned.
Natsuki’s father is useless, clueless and downright stupid.
ah thank you. I’m just really busy with school right now. So it’s on hiatus. I’ll pick it up after my final exams and hopefully write with better style.