Tasogare Chapter 3 draft #2

Various changes made. Unedited, unbetaed, unchecked and so, very raw. But it should be the final version, discounting small grammatical changes.

 

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.

 

Without warning, the spiralling red whirlpool pulled Natsuki, spinning, back into a sea of memories. She swam in oceans of images, churning past her at incredible speeds. One memory stood out among the rest; the one she wished to forget and recollect 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.

 

 

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.

 

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. Unfortunately her memory self fell 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. 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

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~ by PhantomBlaze on October 9, 2010.