AN: Well, this is my first ever FanFict, and as such, I'm a complete newbie in terms of writing these sort of stories. I would appreciate any comments or thoughts on both the plot and even the language I used.
"Hey, it's your turn now, Hibiya", Momo spoke up after having to wait about five minutes for him to finally move his chess piece, which happens to be the King.
"Check mate, I won. Again", with the "again" part being emphasized by the idol. Hibiya grunts in frustration.
"Tch. I'll just keep losing if I continue playing with you.. umm.. uhh.. Momo-nee". Hibiya blushes, as this is the first time ever that he calls the idol by her first name.
Well, Hibiya isn't alone though, because Momo seems to have brighten up as well.
"Ah!.. Hiyori-chan.. uh, wh- why don't you play with Hibiya ne- next game?". Momo stutters, trying her best to cover up her bright-red face. It works very effectively against Hibiya, as he didn't notice how flustered the idol was. Though, the same could not be said for Hiyori, who has the power half of her sight at the weekly girls magazine she's holding. From Hibiya blushing to Momo stuttering - she noticed it all. Momo knows that, but it seems to her that Hiyori didn't care to the slightest.
"This game is too stupid for me. In fact, I think I'd beat an idiot like him every single game", Hiyori said with pride, some hints of annoyance, but mostly pride. That hits Hibiya real hard, but he managed to maintain his composure, and not throwing any sort of retort back her direction, not
even a grunt he gave to Momo earlier.
"Well, Momo-nee, let's play another round, I thought up some really smart strategies", said Hibiya with a tone of confidence, wanting to break out of the awkwardness caused by Hiyori as fast as possible.
"Un, ok". Momo, knowing Hibiya's intention, nods and then sets up another round of chess game.
It has already been two years since Hiyori was rescued from the Heat Haze, but it seems to Hibiya as if her personality has not changed whatsoever, apart from the fact that she's a lot less, if at all, obsessed with Konoha. And it's not just Hibiya - even the idol herself, who've spent significantly less time with Hiyori still get the gist of how she acted towards Hibiya back then. However, Hibiya does notice something different, but he couldn't quite put his fingers on it.
"Hey, you two, how about we go hiking tomorrow", the idol asks as her Pawn's about to capture Hibiya's Knight.
"The heck? My knight! I swear, you've got to be kidding..", Hibiya refusing to believe that embarrassing things such as loosing at a game of chess for more than ten times could happen to him.
"You're really good at this game, Momo-nee", complementing her as he calms down a little.
"I'll go.. Well, it's not like I have anything else to do anyway. And I think it's a lot more fun than watching an idiotic whining brat loosing at chess every ten minutes", Hiyori, once again, condescending on Hibiya. This time, he only grunts, as he still manages to hold his annoyance in, only barely, though.
"Ok, I'll go". Hibiya sighs for the fact that he can't- well, it's not that he can't, but more like chooses not to go back at her. He knows that the time she spent in the Heat Haze wasn't the most enjoyable, especially if you have to be there longer than anyone else, so he allows her to release all that on him. Well, that's what Hibiya thought anyway.
Next Day
"Ahh!", Momo screams as she falls down to the ground from trying to put up her tent, which collapses on her in no time.
Hibiya let out a small giggle.
"Geez, Momo-nee, you're really dense when it comes to these sort of things - here, let me help you", said Hibiya, lending her a hand in order to get her out of the fabric mess. Both of them were so into helping each other that they didn't notice the annoyed gaze fixed from nearby. It's that of none other than Hiyori's. Seeing the happy faces of her two friends puts a weird feeling into her; it was so weird that she herself could not pinpoint her thoughts on it, but she at least knows it's not a good feeling - in fact, it was more unpleasant than anything she had ever experienced.
"It's so annoying", Hiyori whispers to herself, her right hand hardening the grip on a tent stake, and her left clenching on top of her chest.
Though, what she's about to see would turn that unpleasant feeling into what she can only describe as painful. Hibiya slips on one of his feet while trying to help Momo up and falls onto her. His face was only about his pinky length away from her face. They were so close, the only thing preventing them from kissing each other's lips are their noses. Well, that's about to change; as soon as Hibiya comes back to his senses, both of Momo's hands are already placed on Hibiya's cheeks, respective to the sides they're on. The idol then begin pulling his face towards her's slowly.
"Snap!". Both Hibiya and Momo are brought back to reality by what seems like the sound of a stake broken in two. He then realizes that not only the two of them are camping together, and stands up away from Momo. He quickly turns back to see what he could consider his worst nightmare. Hiyori eyes are watering nonstop as she covers her mouth with the hand that she just broke the tent stake, trying to suppress her sobs.
At that point he remembers something very important, something that he should be hated by Hiyori forever for forgetting. It's that she's a big fan of Momo. He had gotten closer to Momo than she could be in the past years, and that could've got her to grow jealous.
"Hiyori.. I- ", before Hibiya could continue, she runs away from the camping point with all her might.
He feels like a complete idiot who doesn't know what to do. What he saw just stuns him in place.
"What do I do", he repeats the thought for as many times his brain could handle.
Momo suddenly grabs his left hand, breaking the irrational thought process that he was going through.
"Follow her, and take her back"
"But I.. I can't-", clenching his fist.
"Do you want to lose her again, Hibiya?", she interrupted him.
"Now that you've finally got her back, you should do your best to protect her so that won't happen again, am I clear?"
What Momo said brought rationality back to him.
"She's right, I should stop being a brat that I am.. I should become stronger.. Strong enough so that I could protect Hiyori.. To not let the snake get to her again.. ". Hibiya releases the grip on his hands, and uses his eye power to see where Hiyori could be running. To no one's surprise, he found her, and start running toward her in no time, trying to chase her.
Being a girl, Hiyori finds herself still sobbing, and also getting exhausted before she can even go far enough. She stops to catch her breath.
"I can't stay there, I just can't..", trying to encourage herself to start running again. It was too late for her though – by this point, Hibiya catches up with Hiyori and grabs her left wrist.
"Just let me go!", she said as she's shakes her arm frantically, trying to let Hibiya release her.
"Listen to me!", he yells, making her stop shaking.
" I'm sorry for making you jealous of me.. I'm sorry. I didn't meant to get that close. Momo-nee just caught me off guard by doing that.. I'm sorry. I should have remembered earlier that you're a very big fan of her. I crossed the line. I'm sorry". He couldn't even get himself to look at her in the face, but he tried apologizing anyway, hoping to make her calm down.
Hibiya soon discovers that what he said didn't make the situation any better, but rather lights a fuel that starts up a round of rage when Hiyori slapped him across the face with the other hand. That was not what he was expecting.
"You idiot! Don't act like you understand anything!", trying her best to speak with sobs in between the spaces, tears still running down the face.
"I'm not jealous of you, but of her! Of Momo-san!" What she said sparks many different questions in his head, but the situation only grants him to ask one, and it's "Why..".
"Why would you be jealous of her? Sure, she's an idol and all, but the power of her eye just causes all sorts of trouble for her", trying to get every bit of answer he wants. The thought quickly melts completely from his mind when she forced herself on him, hugging him tightly from the back of his neck, and resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Because I like you, idiot. Just.. get it already.. I'm- I'm jealous of Momo-san because all these years, she got so close to you. Seeing you two together just hurts.", said Hiyori, who has calmed down, but still crying.
"Are you happy now, making me said all that?"
Hibiya finds himself at a loss of words. He couldn't believe what he had heard – he couldn't believe that the girl he has a crush on since before the Heat Daze incident confessed to him. That made him happy though.
"Yeah, very much so", he says as he releases her other wrist, and hugs her back with both his arms.
"I like you too, Hiyori, even before the Heat Haze incident. I've always do"
What she heard makes her shed even more tears, but this time of ones of happiness and relief. The thought of him being close to Momo have disappeared completely at that instant.
"Then from now on, you're mine, and mine only, you hear?", said Hiyori, smiling.
"Yeah"
The now couple didn't notice the orange haired idol,who's hiding in the bushes, who also has been looking at the whole thing. "Huh, my plan works out beyond my expectations", she whispered to herself, satisfied.