I'm sure this topic's been done over and over again, but…oh well. I might as well try my hand at this.
I basically skimmed over this, so please point out any mistakes! Thanks in advance!
Kagerou Project belongs to Jin.
She wasn't exactly sure what got into his head, but here was the endearing Haruka Kokonose, beaming and standing at her door with the clock showing that it was seven-thirty in the morning.
Now, Takane was wearing nothing put a really old shirt and rolled-up pajama pants, because frankly, she wasn't too fond of doing her laundry. Besides, it's not like anyone would see her (ha); it was summer break, and that meant putting her fan on high and playing video games like there's no tomorrow.
But it didn't seem that way to him.
She'd fallen asleep somewhere around twelve, an early time considering her condition. She could have squeezed in another hour or so had it not been for the loud doorbell that jerked her awake, the sun blinding her in the eyes as rays peeked through her window. And when she saw that face of his through the peephole – oh, was he in for a storm.
"What exactly are you doing here?" Her voice wasn't exactly the kindest, but she wasn't trying to be nice in the first place. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
She was trying her best to hide the embarrassment that had spread throughout her body, all because her hair was all over the place and she, like always, looked downright tired. She didn't look good at all, and she worried about it…in front of Haruka, she may add, but it's not the first time she's thought of such a thing. Takane always managed to look presentable around him, but right now…
"Ah, yeah…sorry, Takane!" His laugh's sheepish, and she takes pride in such a thing. (Good, he should feel sorry for waking me up at this ungodly hour.) "It's just, well…"
Haruka's eyes light up as he whips out two tickets from behind his back, waving it in front of Takane like he'd just won the lottery. The words "amusement park" comes to view once he's positioned it right in front of her face, and she blinks back with obvious shock.
"The amusement park?" Just the thought of all those people and sugary snacks made her head ache, and the world seemed to be spinning a bit. Clearing her throat, she tries her best to show off her deadliest glare ever (but Haruka's used to such a thing by now). "Seriously, what makes you think that's a good idea? You idiot…you could collapse there!"
Was it just her, or did Haruka's smile falter a little bit? Maybe it was the summer heat playing tricks on her. He practically shoves the tickets into her face, and it didn't help that he practically towered over Takane. It was much easier to get away with things like that.
"Don't worry about me, Takane!" He pleaded, and he backed the tickets away to give her a chance to look up at him (n – not that I wanted to do such a thing anyway…). His eyes were brimming with enthusiasm, and Takane could honestly say that the expression he made was similar to a child's. "I know I woke you up early, and I'm sorry again, but…there's no one else I'd rather go with! We're going to have a blast there there, I promise!"
Somehow, she found it difficult to say no. It almost felt like she didn't put up a fight.
Agh, and what's with the heat that's started on her cheeks?
"Fine…" She muttered, and that grin of his stretched wider than she's ever seen before. She pointed up to him, and he held his hands up in defense; somehow, she felt like this would keep him still. "Wait here, got it? I'll go change into something decent."
Takane turned around before she even gave the boy a chance to respond, slamming the door behind her with her sloppy twin-tails swaying in the momentary wind. Not that he wanted to say anything, anyway; he didn't have much to say anyway, opting to only open his mouth if she was still unwilling to go.
His first (and probably last) time at the amusement park needed to be with Takane. She was his precious classmate and friend, and he wouldn't mind collapsing as long as she was there. Haruka trusted her to do what's right; she was kind, after all, despite her stubbornness and harsh words.
It would just pain him to see her cry for his sake.
(Say, when a year's passed and I'm gone…I'd still want you to go to the amusement park. I want you to have fun in my place. So please, Takane…today, I want you to smile!)
"It's hot…" Takane wiped the sweat forming on her forehead, taking a sip of lemonade through its straw (Haruka insisted on paying for it, and after much quarreling, he finally got what he wanted). It was easily above ninety degrees, and it didn't help that they were surrounded by people and metal machines.
That, and being inches away from Haruka was enough to make her nervous and embarrassed. If someone bumped into her, she'd slam right into Haruka without a problem. Their hands brushed every once in a while as well, and that very thought was enough for goose bumps to form all over her arms.
"But we're having a good time, right?" He takes a pause, looking down at Takane with a friendly smile. She wasn't sure whether she was going to melt over the rising temperature or Haruka's (cute) face, but before she could do anything inconvenient, he pointed to a booth on Takane's side, eyes growing wide in excitement. "Look, Takane! A shooting booth!"
The very sound caught her attention, and she willed herself to follow Haruka's finger. It was more or less a…well, "shooting booth"; it was one of those games with water guns, and you had to squirt at a target and get to the top before the other person does. It definitely wasn't as technological as their booth at the cultural festival, and it wasn't as violent.
"Let's go, let's go!" Before Takane could utter a word of protest, her hand's grasped in his (ah, no, my hand's kind of sweaty…!), and he's already whisking her away to the game.
Just her luck.
There had been no one playing upon their arrival, and the attendant was standing idly against the wall, waiting for someone (hint: them) to come along and entertain him a little. Haruka practically pulls Takane into the chair, laughing happily as he takes a seat next to her.
"Ah, they have teddy bears as a prize!" The aforementioned plushies were hung behind the game, different sizes absolutely daunting Takane. For someone as short as her, the biggest one would have obscured her vision. "Let's try our best, okay?"
"Fine, but I won't go easy on you." With a roll of her eyes, she lets Haruka pay the man a couple of coins for their game, grinning eagerly over the small fact that he was playing against LightningFlashDancerENE.
Well, it's not much to be excited about. I'm good at a shooting game, but I'm not so sure about a water gun. Takane shrugged, taking the handles of the gun and holding them with her hands, a thumb already on the trigger and angling it towards the target. The worker droned on about how "the faster you make your gauge go up, the bigger the prize", and Haruka nodded along, trying to soak up all of the info.
"And…ready…" The worker spoke with little enthusiasm, and in the process of his countdown, Takane shot a glance at Haruka from the corner of her eye, finding the fact that he'd stuck out his tongue a little to be a little humorous.
But no, now was not the time to get distracted. She had a reputation to keep up, after all.
"Go."
That thumb of hers pressed the trigger the second the signal was given, water aimed perfectly at the small target. It wasn't much like her video game, but hey, perhaps playing as much as she did helped her to aim better. Haruka was struggling a bit, hands shaking a little as the water sprayed everywhere but the target.
It took a minute for Takane to get to the top with ease, and she eased off the water gun with crossed arms and an eyebrow raised at Haruka.
"Aah, I lost…!" He leaned back in his defeat, and she can't help feeling that racing pulse once more over the quick thought that had passed through her head.
(Huh, Haruka's face isn't so bad at this angle – )
No, no, not today, Takane. Not today. Of all days, it could not be today.
"Here we go." The man gave her a medium-sized bear, and thank god it didn't take up her line of sight. It was still a little big, but she was able to wrap her arms around it with a little effort. It might have been half her height, or maybe a little less.
She took this as the indication to leave, and she got up from seat, Haruka following suit like always. Neither said a thing; Takane was too busy carrying her prize (I didn't even go that fast!), and Haruka was huffing right behind her.
"T – Takane, that was fun…!" After a moderate distance from the game, Haruka had finally caught up with her, breathing a little heavy right beside her. With a hand to his chest, he puts a hand on the bear's head, and Takane chances a glance at him through the glaring sun rays. "Wasn't it? Ah, this is really cute…!"
"I guess it was," she replied, hiding the fact that she took it a little seriously. Feeling that all-too familiar heat on her face, she began to stammer. "I – If you think so, then…you should take it!"
Her arms practically shoved the prize to Haruka, and he laughed. It was a hearty and delightful laugh, and she found the sound pleasing to the ears. (So Haruka can even make a sound like that…) It was wonderful – not that the rest of him wasn't, but…what was she thinking?!
"No, you won it fair and square!" He declared, pushing it back to her. "I don't want to take it from you! You keep it, Takane!"
"I don't know…I'm not all that into this type of thing, anyway." Maybe she's just trying to get rid of it. It's already such a hassle.
"But you played the game for it!" And it looks like he won't be changing his mind anytime soon, although his eyes were practically glued to its beady eyes and stitched smile. She could see that he took some interest in it, but Haruka can be as hard-headed as her, even though his stubbornness was for rather unnecessary things.
She'll admit that he looked adorable, but only silently.
"Fine." She squeezed it tighter, sweat forming on her forehead again. "And you know what? I'll even name it."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I'll call it 'Idiot'." Seeing the confused look on his face, she couldn't stop the rather ridiculous explanation that came out of her mouth. "Because it reminds me of you, and you're an idiot for not taking it."
"We're so high up…!" He looked out of his window, eyes wide at the setting sun, hues of orange and yellow mixing with bits of pink to paint the sky. Small bits of clouds drifted here and there, and night was to fall soon. The amusement park would close an hour or so later.
Their last ride – picked by Haruka – was the ferris wheel, and she was glad to sit on the opposite of Haruka. She wouldn't be able to handle such a thing as sitting next to him; she'd get too nervous and too self-conscious over the fact that they might touch shoulders or something, and she wouldn't be able to control all of those feelings chipping away at her heart.
It was that feeling of wanting to be with him, and wanting to be by his side. It was a feeling of overwhelming selfishness, a feeling of wanting to get closer to him. It was a feeling so moving, so warm, and the very thought of even dating him sent butterflies to her stomach.
She was far too troublesome for that, and she tried her best to make up for it. Haruka was a kind and understanding boy, and it seemed like nothing ever bothered him. To her, that overly cheerful attitude annoyed her, although she found it to be his strong suit. That, and his stupid smile and his stupid face and his stupid everything often convinced her to do things like this.
Doesn't he get tired of her?
"Takane." His voice is quiet, sincere, and it draws her attention from the stuffed animal and to Haruka. He was smiling like always, but this time, it was a bit softer, as if he didn't want to blind her. "Thanks for coming with me today! I had so much fun!"
"No, I should be the one thanking you," she began, straightening her back out of her slight awkwardness. "You actually got me a ticket, and you paid for most of my stuff. Next time, I'm the one paying, okay?"
"Yeah, next time…" Haruka trailed off, eyes narrowing a bit and looking at anything but the girl in front of him. His tone was different, as if there was much more to his words than what he had said. Being with him for so long, it seemed natural for Takane to pick up on such a thing.
"What's with that?" She wasn't sure where that burst of confidence came from; maybe it's from the fact that they reached the top of the ferris wheel, or her overflowing emotions finally being expressed. Takane took a hold of both of his hands, losing her hold on the bear and cheeks flaring red as a response to their touch.
She found it in herself to smile, but it wasn't forced; it was something that spoke from the back of her mind, something that urged her to do it, and it seemed (as well as looked) natural. "Of course there'll be a next time! I'll make sure of it! So don't worry about it, okay? We're coming back to the amusement park, and that's a promise. And next time, you'll get a bear and we'll share another cotton candy, got it?"
Before she could let go, and before she could conjure up some excuse for her actions, Haruka's let go of her hands and let his arms wrap around her with practiced ease, trapping her in a hug so comforting she couldn't help but loop her arms around him as well. The car they were in began its slow descent to the bottom, but neither seemed to care.
It was a mutual unrequited lovers' embrace, and through all that warmth and beating hearts, neither of them wanted to let go.
"Takane, thanks for telling me that…" He whispered it into her ear, strands of air brushed by his voice. The pure sound of his statement seemed so real, and she buried her face in his shoulder out of the embarrassment that piled up in her. With a gentle tone to his voice, he says, "I'm really happy!"
"Good," she replied, unconsciously holding him tighter as a response. "You should be."
"Your smile's pretty, by the way!"
No amount of humiliation could pull her away from Haruka's incredible bear hug, but she didn't mind. She'll deal with the compliment later; for now, she'll just stay in his arms, and he'll stay in hers.