Disclaimer: I do not own Galilei Donna
A/N: Currently the anime has aired only up to Episode 7, but I couldn't resist my muse! So if you are reading this after finishing the complete anime, please forgive me for any blaringly obvious non-canon material. Please enjoy the essence of the writing.
This story takes place after the events in the anime. Hazuki returns to Italy, changes her name, and enrolls in a school in Florence instead of Tuscany.
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Twisting Kaleidoscope
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Being alone does not always mean that she gets lonely.
Hazuki's apartment is small, comforting, inviting. She can stretch out in her bed, taking care to avoid the sharp corners of her textbooks, or the miscellaneous pens and pencils that emerge from the sea of quilts. Her gaze trains itself on the ceiling. She thinks about the next day's examinations, the paper that is due in a week, and if she is not too overwhelmed, about the frozen dinner that sits in the otherwise empty freezer. Her stomach grumbles in protest. She will try and not remember the savory tastes and smells of her father's cooking. Even Kazuki's curry sounds wonderful in comparison.
If she runs out of things to ponder (a rarity) Hazuki shifts restlessly on the lumpy mattress, waiting for the atmosphere to grow dark. She bought this apartment, not realizing until the first night that the ceiling was littered with small, glow-in-the-dark stickers, like those that you would find in a child's bedroom, and what was more, they were in the shape of the stars and planets, with no particular concern for the sake of accuracy. Really, it was a poor substitute for the real constellations, but their presence still brings a smile to her face, regardless. She thinks maybe if Hozuki were there to see it she would be inspired to build her own planetarium. Their mother would be proud to see something like that.
Hazuki knows that she does not get enough time to have her own worriless, non-committing thoughts. A warm beer and the shelter of her fake stars are enough company, and tomorrow will bring a new round of obligations and deadlines. In this brief moment of peace, she begins to fall asleep.
That is, until the devil runs his claws on her windowpane, painfully piercing her ears, robbing any traces of drowsiness from her person.
She swears loudly, bolting upright with an attractive disheveled head of now black hair. No matter how many times she hears him it is never less agitating than the last. One strap of her tank top slid down her shoulder as she grabs a fistful of curtain, nearly ripping the fabric from its rod as she allows the light of the moon to flood into her room. Her eyes quickly adjust, so she can make out the long tree branch that continues to rake its tips across the glass. The wind certainly is not the culprit. Something much heavier is the limb to support its greater weight. She grits her teeth, mustering all her strength to turn the rusty latch on the window and swing it open. A sigh escapes her as a crisp evening breeze washes over her face. Then she glares viciously at the redheaded man half concealed by the shadows. She thinks Cicinho looks like a lazy feline the way he lays there looking into her room.
"Well, aren't you just about the ugliest pussycat I've ever seen?" Hazuki hisses, crossing her arms. "Why not do yourself some justice by knocking on the front door instead of prowling through the trees at night like the good-for-nothing perverted criminal that you are?" Cicinho blinks and Hazuki sees the corner of his lips tug in that familiar upward motion. Suddenly she is all too aware of her scant state of dress and unsightly pillowhead, but bravely chooses to ignore it.
"You wound me, Bambina." He uses the endearment that makes her red in the face, and he knows that it is not because of bashfulness. Edging closer: "But if you're inviting me in, then I guess I'd have to oblige…"
The statement flusters Hazuki. "Pig! If you ever enter my apartment I'll have the authorities on you! For all your dastardly crimes! Property damage! Kidnapping! And especially the sexual harassment!"
Urgently, he presses a single gloved finger to his lips. "Damn, woman, do you want to wake all of Florence? There's no merit in breaking down your door. Just keep your voice low!"
"What the hell do you want, then?" she asks, knowing the answer. Though, she is prepared for the usual bull that he sends her way every time he visits.
Cicinho's grin returns anew. "To keep tabs on you. Your family. Roberto." Hazuki scoffs, glancing away. She highly doubts that he hangs around Roberto's window at midnight like a hopeless Romeo. The way in which he stares at her, like a hungry predator eyeing a caged canary, makes her feel more than embarrassed. "I was curious to see if you were happy. Or with someone…" An unladylike snort erupts from her at that, surprising him a little. As if she has time to be with someone in a romantic sense! Hazuki brushes back her messy bangs with careless fingers. He considers her appearance for a moment. "Since you aren't my girl I think it's safe enough for me to say that black doesn't really suit you, Bambina."
"Oh?" She lifts an eyebrow, pretending to be annoyed despite the fact she hates the color too. "And if I were?"
His smile broadens and she can make out dimples. "Only a fool would criticize his Italian wife."
That struck a nerve. "Then I guess you could say my father was such a man." Hazuki hugs herself more closely, shivering from a cold that has nothing to do with temperature. She wants to shut the window on him now, but at the same time he is the only one that comes to talk to her in this large, strange city. Cicinho shifts his weight effortlessly on the branch. He is fearless of heights, she learned. Once she had asked him where the rest of his crew and the mecha laid hidden, but he always evades the question. "How long are you going to keep bothering me?"
"I only wanted a moment to -" he began.
"No," Hazuki narrows her eyes. "I mean, how long…" She makes a sweeping hand gesture. "Of this? Before you finally get caught? Exactly how many more nights should I expect you?" He is a wanted sky pirate, after all. "It's unpleasant," she added quickly.
There's an expression on Cicinho's face that Hazuki cannot quite make out and attributes it to the dim lighting. "Well…" His voice seems to have dropped an octave. "If I told you every time I wanted to be with you, the police would be here waiting for me next time, ne? I can count on you for that." He says it lightheartedly. "But you won't deal with them unless you have to. Unless I threaten you. And I think both you and I know you're in no position to be exposing yourself to the authorities, am I wrong? So to answer your question…" His blue eyes reflect the moon brightly. "As long as I want."
Hazuki sighs heavily in exasperation. "How would you like it if I woke you up with that ungodly sound screeching in your ear at night?"
He chuckles lowly. "If you ever get the opportunity to wake me, Bambina, I can think of about a dozen glorious reasons why you would be there the first place, and your sound would be heavenly."
"Go to hell!" Hazuki does not have anything to hurt him with except her cheap bottle of warm beer, so she chucks it at him with an impressive display of vigor, overlooking the fact half the contents spill back onto her in the process. Of course, Cicinho catches it singlehandedly with ease, and then stands nimbly on the branch, smirking back at her rage.
"I'm in love with you, Hazuki Ferrari." He starts to fade away into the shadows where she can no longer see him, pausing long enough to shoot back another few words. "Thanks for the beer." He presses his lips to the mouth of the bottle as if he were drinking from the elixir itself.
She does not know if he says anything after that because the window is slammed and latched tightly. Hazuki childishly makes a face at the place where Cicinho disappears. She is far too caught up in his brashness and perverted talk she entirely forgets he used her real name, and the way it sounds so lovely that she truly wants to hear him say it again.