Pretty fingers

Chapter 1

It was very rare for her to have any visitors at her club, since it wasn't that much popular, because her school was famous for tennis. It was Monday morning, a new day to start something fresh; she wondered what she could paint on this day. Classes began to start after the bell had rung; she wasn't particularly paying any attention to the teachers, just staring at them, making it look like she was listening. (A/N: Well we sometimes do that, because we we sometimes get bored with listening.)

After a few hours, the bell rang; it was time for their lunch.

She grabbed her lunch with her and went to the rooftop, but before she could do that, she needed to wait for her friends from the other sections. She sighed, and now their daily routine started. First, they went to the comfort room to powder their nose, comb their hair ten times or more, put lip-gloss on their lips, if needed, and this would take 10 minutes.

Out of all her friends, she was the plain one. She didn't like putting powder on her face, or any other make-up they used, probably because her face was sensitive or she likes her face to be natural. After waiting for them to finish whatever they were doing, they decided to go eat lunch on the rooftop, because it was more spacious rather than the cafeteria.

"Haruka, why didn't you tell us that you're Ryoma's cousin?" Hikari asked. She had a crush on Ryoma ever since she first saw him at the tennis courts.

"Simple." Her expression was completely emotionless. "Because I don't like to be the center of attention!"

Yumi and Nadeshiko chuckled. Yumi was her childhood friend ever since they were six years old; she can be very bossy at times, a shopaholic, and has many experiences with love. She also had many boyfriends—ex-boyfriends, to be exact. Right now she was single and didn't want to have any relationship with boys, but Haruka felt that she was not going to keep that promise. This was Yumi they were talking about: if she broke up with her boyfriend and rested for about three days, she'll already have to find another target as her next boyfriend.

"I think it would be best for her too!" Nadeshiko said, smiling. She's also her friend but they've only been friends for 2 years to be exact. She's very smart, and can be good with anything,just not sports or anything that involves music and can be very sensitive when things don't go the way she plans, she'll just cry all day about it.

"Nadeshiko, why don't you join the art club?" Hikari asked. "Since Haruka's the only member on the art club, I'll bet she'll really get lonely out there."

"Gomenasai!" Nadeshiko said, closing her eyes, trying to force a smile. "But I have already so many things to do with my club, that I couldn't really possibly join another one."

"That's okay." Haruka's expression was unfazed. "I like it when I'm alone, that way I can concentrate."

The truth is, she would really like some companies, but nobody goes to the art club except her, she just couldn't tell it directly to her friends, not after what she did when they were younger, she was so childish back then, so childish that people thought that she's annoying, her friends too have also said that, and after that she changed, she matured already, and became independent.

It was dismissal, and it was time for clubs, she grabbed her bag and quickly went to the art room. She took out a key from her pocket and opened the door. The walls were covered with so many paintings, (A/N: You can already guess who made them.) some were still on easel not finished, and some were lying on the table since she ran out of space on the walls. She placed her bag on the floor beside the table and took out all her materials needed for paintings like brushes, acrylic paints and other basic stuff.

She sat on her chair; on her front was an unfinished canvass with an easel. It was a painting of a garden filled with many different types of flowers, with matching bleachers and a fountain. She grabbed a case where she puts all of her brushes and chose a flat brush, and started stroking the brush on the right side of the canvass, then after a few strokes, she can already see that it was beginning to look like a flower. Satisfied with her work, she began to smile a little and continue her latest artwork yet.

"Oi, Ryoma, where are you going?" Eiji asked, looking suspicious at the boy.

"It's getting a bit noisy in here." His voice was so cool, that the girls screamed. "I'm going somewhere." With that he walked away.

"Ne, where's Ochibi going?" Eiji asked, turning to Momo, who grinned.

"He's probably going to the art room." Momo puts his hands on his back. It had become a daily routine for his kouhai to go there, not like he's complaining but still… "Maybe he's going to visit her."

"Her?" Eiji asked, suddenly interested to know. His mind filled with lots of girls that could be Ryoma's type, or maybe one of his aquantances. From the look on his face, it looked like he wanted to meet this girl quickly; it showed on his face."Is it someone we know?"

Momo was about to say something when he was grabbed by his senpai and started to run towards the Art club. Meanwhile at Ryoma, he decided to visit his cousin again at the Art room. He wasn't very close to her at all, in fact, both of them just acted cold towards each other, well maybe. He opens the door to the room and found Haruka concentrating on her paintings, and not trying to look who's at the door, because she already knows who's there.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my cousin Ryoma," she teased. Picking the color of scarlet on her palette, she looked at the boy. She can see in his face that her teasing irritated the boy, making her smile. "What's wrong? Attacked again by your fan girls?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He went to the sofa. With arms on his back, his head landed on the pillow and decided to take a nap. "Let me just sleep here."

This darned cousin of mine, he's just here to take a nap, she thought, angered by his presence. He really doesn't care about me. He only cares about himself, just like Uncle (Nanjiroh).

Back to Eiji and Momo , the two of them were panting so hard because of their running, until finally they caught their breaths and stopped at a room. (A/N:By now,you already know what room is this.)

"Oi, Eiji-senpai, maybe you're thinking about Ryoma and Haruka being together," Momo said, still panting.

"So her name's Haruka eh?" Eiji grinned, scratching his chin.

"Senpai, you have to listen to me—"

But Eiji wasn't really listening to him. In fact he was very interested to know what will happen between the so-called-couple which Eiji thought that the two of them mistaken for a couple. The sudden bang on the door made Haruka mixing of colors interrupt.

"Yes?" was Haruka's reply with a stoic smile, and was still not looking at the boys but her painting. From her view, she could really see anyone and tell who they are even if her view's just semi-side.

Ryoma muttered something but he was already half-asleep.

"Ne, are you two together?" Eiji hopped like a bunny. He was very interested in knowing what Haruka's relationship to Ryoma was, but instead she just laughed, which made Eiji confused, while Momo was nervously sweatdropping.

"Me? Go out with that bastard? No way! Not in a million years!" she continued painting, but called Momo. "Momo, since you're the one who knows our relationship, why don't you explain it to him while I go finish this painting."

"H-hai!" Momo stuttered, then quickly grabbed his senpai out of the room and began to explain the details that her relationship with Ryoma are just cousins. Eiji's face flared red in embarrassment as soon as he heard the words Momo had uttered. He flew back into the art room, as fast as an eagle, stopping by Haruka's spacious side and saying "I'm sorry!" over and over again. She waved him off impatiently.

"It's okay," she said, reloading the brush with red paint. "Just don't interrupt me with my painting."

Eiji scanned the painting. "Suggoi, Haruka-chan, I didn't know you were so talented."

Haruka ignored the comment. She had been hearing that every day since she first stepped into the art room with her friends visiting her or other people who want to buy her works. There was a knock on the door. Eiji and Momo turned around to see Oishi and Fuji, standing in front of the door.

"Where were you Eiji? We still have practice this afternoon!"Oishi's eyes roamed over to Haruka. She was still not looking at the door. "Ah, gomenasai for interrupting!" He bowed.

"Ah! We totally forgot all about the new schedule." Momo said. Fuji went to the brunette haired girl and eyed at the painting. His lips curved into a smile. "Your artworks are really amazing!"

She didn't reply to his comment; she just continued to paint, as if no one is there in the room. Then she heard Momo yanking Ryoma out of the sofa, and he was complaining about it, while Oishi and Eiji were just talking outside the art room. Suddenly she let her paintbrush fall down on the floor, which made all of them stop what they're doing.

"Don't you regulars have something to do right now?" she asked, irritated by the noise. "I'm certain when you get down there, Tezuka-kun will give you 300 laps around the school."

"Ne, how did you know?" Eiji asked.

"That's none of your business." Her tone was cold as ice. "I suggest you all leave right now," she closed her eyes and looked at Momo. "Please bring my cousin also."

And Haruka was right. Tezuka gave them 300 laps to run around the whole school for being late. Haruka peaked at the windows, only to see them running around, and couldn't help but laugh. "That's what they get if they are late."

They better not mess with me while I'm painting again, or else... she turned around and fixed her eyes on her unfinished painting. What she didn't know was while she was looking at the tennis courts, a pair of blue eyes stared at her in amusement.

She sure has pretty fingers was the last thing that he thought while running around the whole court along with the others.