A/N: Hi guys! I'm still on hiatus, but I wrote this beforehand since someone requested me to write this. I didn't want to publish this until I get off hiatus, but I felt bad since I already made her wait so long.
This is a one-shot for Shiranai Atsune, and is in no way connected to my other stories :)
Not much to say, the OC used here belongs to Shiranai-san, not me. This is so crackish and bad, sorry Shiranai-san.
I've always felt like Natsuki searching for people to eat his cookies sounds like some creepy monster looking for scared little children to victimize. Which isn't far off from the truth. Lol.
This is light fluff with mild jealousy.
My attempts at humor never turn out well, so this is not humor. It just turned out strange. I don't know what I was thinking.
So, Shiranai-san, a lot of this is crackish. I am so, so, so, so sorry. The sudden deepness at the end, is based on when you told me that Chigusa wanted to be "unique, not average."
Summary: Meet Hanazaki Chigusa, an eccentric idol and a "friend" of STARISH. Just a friend? A chance encounter with HEAVENS causes some hidden feelings to be revealed.
~~Just a Friend? by Crystalized Flowers~~
It was a normal day in the Master Course Dormitory. Well, as normal as a day in the Master Course could get.
"Chi-chan!"
"Hanazaki, run!"
Hanazaki Chigusa froze in the hallway immediately. Her heterochromatic red and gold eyes widened as she glanced over her shoulder to see Natsuki rushing down the hall with a tray of Piyo-chan shaped cookies and an exhausted and desperate Syo right behind him.
Now as friendly as Chigusa was, even she knew that being friendly would not help in any situation where Natsuki's cooking was involved in.
She ran, her spiky shoulder length crimson hair waving wildly behind her.
"Kyaaa! Syo-chan, this is all your fault! Why'd you let him into the kitchen?!"
"I didn't! I was asleep after doing all the work Ai gave me until I smelled something burning!"
"It's your fault for sleeping!" She argued childishly as she nearly tripped on her way down the stairs.
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
Turning a corner on the first floor, Chigusa burst into the nearest practice room before Natsuki could see where she went. Panting heavily, she slammed the door.
"Eh?"
"Hanazaki-san?"
Oh. She glanced up to meet the gazes of Otoya and Tokiya, who stared at her as if she was an alien from Mars. Blushing slightly, she raised a hand in greeting, showing off her studded wrist band. "Yo."
"What happen-" Otoya began, but all three occupants of the room froze when they heard Natsuki's voice echoing from down the hall.
"Chi-chan! Where are you? I already gave Syo some of my cookies; they were so good that he fainted! Don't you want to try some?"
Otoya and Tokyo's eyes widened in horror. Chigusa nodded solemnly. Rest in peace, Syo.
"Chi-chan! Ara, could you have gone into one of the practice rooms?"
Otoya seemed to be panicking. Tokiya, ever the calm one, approached Chigusa, whispering in her ear. "You're the one he's looking for. Jump out the window and go to town. We're on the first floor, it isn't high up. I'll direct him in the other direction and call you when it's safe."
She nodded, blushing furiously at their proximity and glad that Tokiya wasn't looking at her as he was talking. She glanced at Otoya, who gave her a weak smile of reassurance.
"Right. Arigato, Toki-kun~" She winked at him to hide her flustered expression before doing exactly what he said, unaware that his cheeks had been tinged slightly pink.
"Shinomiya-san, Hanazaki-san went upstairs when you weren't looking..." Tokiya's voice faded as she got farther away from the dorms. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Arigato, Tokiya."
It didn't take long for Chigusa to reach the town nearby. Her usual combat boots were quite easy to run in.
Wait... her usual clothing?
"Shimatta!" She swore underneath her breath. Despite her rock appearance, swearing was something she rarely did. However, this was a seriously bad situation. She couldn't go back to the dorms; Natsuki would surely feed her his cookies of doom. But walking into town like this! She would surely be recognized!
Being an idol was never easy. Taking the slightly less dangerous option, Chigusa continued on her way into the town, head down, not making eye contact with anyone.
However, it was futile.
"Kya! It's Hanazaki Chigusa!"
"Isn't she that friendly idol with a tough appearance?"
"Yeah, that's her. See!"
Chigusa had not walked five steps before she was utterly and completely swarmed by fans.
"Ano, gomenasai, minna-san! I can't really talk right now! I have to be somewhere!" She lied over the crowd's noise. "Let me through, nee?" She winked persuasively at the fans.
No one heeded her words.
Suddenly, an arm dragged her out of reach of the fans, onto one of the roofs of a nearby shop.
"Nope! We can't simply let this talented onee-san be mobbed by fans, can we?" A voice chimed cheerfully.
"NAGI!" The fans below screamed.
Chigusa looked up, recognizing her captors. A blush flitted across her face when she realized that Kira was holding her.
"Hanazaki Chigusa... Ii!" The next to speak was Otori Eiichi. "You have great talent. Wouldn't you want to work for Raging instead?"
Eh? Chigusa blinked rapidly. Not even five seconds after they met, she was being recruited?
"EIICHI!"
"Daijoubu?" Kira asked her quietly when he noticed the redness in the female idol's face.
"KIRA!"
In the midst of all this, Chigusa's phone began buzzing wildly. She winced at the loud noise; she had turned the ringer sound on that high before because she had wanted an alarm to wake up early that day to prank Ai since it was April Fools Day. He was the only one she had never gotten before. However, by the time she had crept into his room at 4:45 before the time he usually woke up (with Syo helping albeit grudgingly), Ai-senpai was waiting for her. The minute she opened the door, a bucket of cold ice water was emptied over her head and she was greeted with the sight of her senpai reading calmly with a emotionless "April fools."
She sighed at the memory before fishing out her phone. The whole aggregation watched as she answered it with a cheerful, "Moshimoshi?"
"Chigusa-chan!"
"Ah, Haruka?"
"Ichinose-san told me to call you. He said that you're supposed to come back now or something."
"Okay! But why didn't Toki call me himself?"
"He's kind of... passed out on the floor. Where are you anyways, Chigusa-chan?"
"Oh, yeah! About that." She glanced up at the trio of HEAVENS, who were watching her intensely that it was almost scary. Now that she thought of it, the fans weren't even making any noise. One could hear a pin drop as they all eavesdropped on Chigusa's call. "I'm kind of with HEAVENS right now."
"NANI?!" Syo's voice suddenly burst through the phone.
"SY-"
"OH, SHUT UP!" Nagi finally lost his temper, roaring. "HE'S NOT EVEN TALKING TO YOU!"
The crowd silenced, a few crying at how the poor child of HEAVENS was in his rebellious stage, causing another tick mark to appear on his head.
"Hanazaki-san, we'll be there in a minute!" Tokiya's hoarse voice (probably because of the cookies) suddenly resonated over the phone. "D-don't," He coughed, "let HEAVENS take you anywhere! Stay put!" Chigusa attempted to reply but the call was suddenly cut off.
"STARISH IS COMING!" The fans squealed.
HEAVENS was now in a fierce discussion.
"What should we do? Stay, or run?"
"Run? What kind of coward are you?"
"A coward that is smart enough to know how to not get fed cookies."
All three members of HEAVENS paled. It was a little too late by then.
A fancy shiny dark limo screeched into the now crowded streets, eight people rushing out of it.
"HANAZA- Why are you on the roof?" Syo paused to ask. Tokiya stumbled out of the car to stare at her in amazement, too.
"Ano... hi?" She waved awkwardly. Usually energetic, even she was weirded out by the situation. "HEAVENS may or may not have saved me from the fans."
"What... fans- Oh god." The STARISH members were suddenly completely surrounded.
"TOKIYA, MARRY ME!"
"SYO, KAWAII!"
"REN-SAMA!"
Syo eventually drowned into the sea of tall people. Or at least, people taller than him.
"Uh, so if they're busy, we'll just take onee-san here." Nagi muttered, reaching out for Chigusa's arm.
"What do you think you're doing!" Cecil cried out, his face furious. "Chigusa belongs to Shining Agency! Isn't that right, princess?" His jade eyes pierced Chigusa intensely, who could only nod, trying to hide the blush on her face.
"That's right!" Syo called, though he himself was unseen. "Who do you think you are?"
"Hanazaki belongs with us!" Otoya added fiercely, surprising for the cheerful boy.
"After all, you would destroy such a delicate flower." Ren sent a wink her way, causing Chigusa to avert her eyes, embarrassed but pleased.
"She cannot truly show her talents with all of you." Eiichi narrowed his eyes at STARISH. "She's much too talented."
"Then, we shall do our best to fulfill her needs." Masato declared firmly, his blue eyes just as fierce.
Chigusa was uncharacteristically speechless, almost near tears. She could feel the protectiveness radiating off of the boys - her boys. She felt... completely loved and a sense of belonging. She was someone special to them, not another average person. That was something that she always wanted.
Breaking free of Kira's grasp, she slid down the roof, into the arms of the largest member of STARISH. Eiichi stared at her in astonishment for a moment. "Fine." He scoffed. "But we'll be back." HEAVENS evacuated from the site, half the fans following behind him, the other half sobbing over the beauty of the friendship between STARISH and Chigusa.
"Thanks, guys!" She smiled happily as Natsuki lowered her to the ground.
He smiled gently down at her. "You will always be ours, Chi-chan."
Yes. STARISH will always be with her, step by step. She has found a place to belong. She was someone special and unique to them, not just another idol.
Wait... rewind for a moment. That sounded a lot more romantic than friendly.
"Natsuki! Don't you dare get ahead of us!"
