A/N: after a few months of hiatus, I finally came back :D
School break is finally here, so that means i can type again! But this time it would take longer because of certain reasons
So enough of my rambling and enjoy the story ;)
Before the rainbow comes the storm. Kusuhara Hikari is a girl who believed that there's happiness at the end of every rainbows. Starting from one end till the other, her world is full of adventures. From childhood to the world of Kings and Clansmen. Will she still find happiness at the end of the rainbow? [summary changed. AU-ish. Takes place before anime. OC]
Project © Gora and GoHands
Kusuhara Hikari © Me
mentions of every things in daily life, not mine
Chapter 1
Brilliant Pink
"Do you have your bag?"
"Yup!"
"How about your books?"
"Check!"
"Your pencil case?"
"Check!"
"Pencil?"
"Takeru-niichan!"
"Gomen, Hikari-chan! It's just that this is your first day of school and I want to make sure you got everything!" Kusuhara Takeru said happily, closing his eyes as he claps his hands together. He was the eldest of the two Kusuhara siblings by two years. It was the beginning of a new school year for him and his little sister. The young boy was more excited than his little sister about her first day in elementary school.
On their way to school, Takeru kept on asking about Hikari's school supplies—even to what's inside her pencil case. "Aren't you excited?" he asked with a smile.
Hikari sighed and pouted, "It's just going to be like kindergarten again. No big deal, Nii-chan." she said with a bored tone. She wasn't too excited about going to the first grade. The truth was she didn't know anyone from the same kindergarten as her going to theelementary school she was going to be attending from now on. She didn't want to admit it, but she was scared of not making any new friends in her new school.
Takeru grinned, "Don't worry! You're going to make lots of new friends! I'm sure of it!" he said enthusiastically, pumping his fist up to the air. He knew his little sister all too well.
Hikari pouted, puffing her cheeks out as she crossed her arms. "Hmph! Who says that I'm worried about making new friends? I can make friends!" she refused to let her brother know that she was worried.
"Eh? Who was the one who didn't want to let go of her brother's hand when she was in her first day of kindergarten?" The black-haired boy teased, poking Hikari's cheek a few times. He has a smug grin on his face as he watched his little sister cringe at the memory.
"Th-That was a long time ago!" Hikari defended. Her cheeks were red from embarrassment. She turned her head away from her brother, hiding the blush. She heard her brother snicker. She clicked her tongue in annoyance before grabbing her brother's hand. "Shut up! It's not funny! Argh! Let's just go before we're late!" she shouted loudly, running while pulling her brother along.
"Waaa! Wait up, Hikari-chan!" Takeru whined, struggling to keep up with his little sister.
Takeru—being the eldest—was always the one taking care of his little sister. He looks out for her like a brother should. He always plays with her in the afternoon and takes her out for ice cream after words. A warm and gentle face was always present, greeting everyone around with a smile. He might be a klutz, but he was the perfect brother.
Hikari was the more mischievous and energetic one. She has the energy to play all day long and rarely gets tired after playing a bunch of games with her was considered weird by her classmate in kindergarten because she found playing soccer and mud more entertaining than dolls and tea parties. A happy grin was given to every people who talked to her. She might be a tomboy, but she was the perfect little sister.
Takeru and Hikari were close to each other because of their parents' job. Their mother was a nurse in the hospital, who sometimes took the nightshift. And their father was a businessman. Their parents were busy, but not all the time. Even with their busy schedule, they will always spare their time to play with their children. The family of four was a simple and average family, not rich and not poor, just average. They live in a fair house and in a fair neighborhood, away from the busy streets of Shizume City.
"We made it!" Takeru panted heavily as he placed his hands on his knees for support.
"Of course we made it! We ran!" Hikari replied, pouting at her brother.
Takeru took a few deep breaths, trying to steady his heartbeat and breathing. He smiled soon after and grabbed his sister's hand, dragging her to a large announcement board beside the school gates. "Come on! Let's go check out which class you're in!" he shouted.
His brown eyes scanned over the list of six year olds. He narrowed his eyes at the small printed names, trying to find his sister's name on the piece of paper. "Ah! There's your name!" he exclaim out in surprise at finding his sister's name while Hikari just looked apathetically at her brother enthusiasms. "You're in 1-A! The same class that I used to be in! How cool is that?!" he grinned.
Hikari sighed before closing her eyes at a bright flash. It was a camera's flash. Her blue eyes trailed over to a family of three. A dad, a mom and a daughter, and they all have smiles on their face. A small frown appeared on the brunette's lips, disappointed that her parents couldn't come to the opening ceremony. Takeru watched as a disappointed look came across his little sister's face. He frowned before grinning.
"Hey! Cheer up! Otou-san and Okaa-san said that we're going to celebrate tonight!" The black-haired boy said happily as the brunette kept on frowning, still upset that their parents didn't came because of their jobs. The boy huffed and pinched both of Hikari'scheeks, pulling them. "What's with the frown? This isn't like you. Now smile, please~" he said with a warm smile.
Hikari pouted and pushed her brother's hand away.
"C'mon… where's that smile?"
The brunette suddenly gave a huge fake smile before pouting again.
Takeru laughed, ruffling Hikari's hair, "That's it! Now c'mon! Let's go to your classroom." he said, taking Hikari's small hand into his as the two made their way inside the school building. He happily guided her across the halls, humming to himself while Hikari listened to his hum. She likes listening to his hums. It soothes her anxiety down. They both stopped right in front of a sliding door. "Alright! We're here! Go on and meet your classmates!" he announced, grinning widely.
Hikari only stared at the door, refusing to let go of her brother's hand. She tightened her hold around her brother's hand as if she was afraid of him leaving gazed down. He tilted his head when he saw Hikari's pouting lips and knitted eyebrows with flustered cheeks. He smiled and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Don't worry, Hikari-chan… It's always hard on the first day, but it'll get better! You'll make lots and lots of friends! And Takeru-niichan will always be by your side!" Takeru reassured, patting Hikari's head gently with a warm smile plastered on his lips. "Eh erm… well, not always… I do have to go to school and stuff, but I'll never leave you! You get the point…right?" he sheepishly laughs, scratching the back of his head.
Big blue orbs stared into his brown ones. "Promise?" she raised her small pinky up.
The black-haired boy nodded his head and raised his pinky up. "Promise." He laced his pinky with hers, sealing the promise. "I'll pick you up after school, okay?" he said.
Hikari nodded her head happily with a huge smile. "Okay! I'll see you later, Takeru-niichan!" she waved her hand goodbye to her brother as he made his way to his class. He waved back with a smile on his face. As soon as Takeru went up the stairs to the second floor, the brunette eagerly turned around. She wasn't afraid anymore. Takeru already promised her that he'll be by her side. "Yosh! I'm gonna make lots and lots of friends to—"
"Ouch!"
"Aw!"
Before she could even finish her sentence, someone ran into her. They both fell to the floor, each rubbing their head in pain. Hikari glared at her attacker, her eyebrows furrowed down and lips set in a frown. It was a boy her age with chestnut-brown hair and hazel-colored eyes. He was rubbing his head while groaning in pain from the impact.
"Oi! Why did you do that for?!" Hikari shouted angrily, revering to the crash.
The boy was startled by her comment, but he immediately snapped out and grew angry as well. "Well excuse me for crashing into you! I'm not the one who was standing in front of the door! Some people are in a hurry you know!" he shouted back, his hands balled up into tight fists.
Hikari huffed, "So sorry for standing in your way,Chibi-chan!" she mocked, arms crossed against her chest.
Pink dusted they boy's cheeks. "Chi-Chibi-chan?! Why you—! Don't call me that, Boke!" he yelled.
"Don't call me a knuckle head, Baka!" Hikari argued, raising her fist.
"Busu!"
"Gaki!"
The two had a stare down, piercing blue eyes against the piercing hazel ones. They both weren't backing down any time soon. The other kids who passed by them cower in fear as they could feel the sparks of hate emitting from the both of them. Growls escaped their throats when the boy grabbed the neckline of Hikari's t-shirt and she did the same by grabbing the boy's hoodie jacket.
Before things got worse, the door slides open.
"What are you two doing?" A friendly voice asked the two kids. The two ignored the voice and continued to glare and growl at each other like lions. A sigh was heard and the two were shoved away from each other. The boy and Hikari finally turned around, only to find a tall figure of a woman in a black blazer over a simple dress. She was the teacher. "What's going on here?" she asked with another sight.
"He started it!" Hikari shouted first, pointing her finger accusingly at the boy.
"Haah?! I started it? You're the one who started it!" The boy accused back, scowling.
Hikari raised her fist threateningly. "Nu-uh!"
The boy did the same. "Uh-huh!"
"Chickpea!"
"Pig!"
The two let out a growl again before turning away with a huff, arms crossed against their chest. How dare the boy call her a pig just because she has her hair in pigtails? He was shorter than her for Pete's sake! She was only telling the truth. He was supposed to accept the fact that she was taller than him.
The teacher sighed again, shaking her head as a small smile appeared. "Can you explain what really happen?"
"He crash into me and called me names!"
"She was standing in front of the door and she called me names too!"
The teacher let a small smile appear on her lips. "Why don't you two shake hands and make up? It was just an accident." she said, crouching down to their eye-level. The two six year olds glance at each other before sharing the same disgusted look. Hikari pouted. Make friends with the one who just called her a Pig and Busu? As if. "Now shake hands and make up." the two kids did as told, but didn't do it full-heartedly. The teacher smiled. "That's better! Now what are your room classes?"
"1-A." The two answered in unison. "Eh?" they both stared at each other before screaming another loud and long 'eh' in unison once more.
The teacher claps her hands together, smiling brightly. "Oh! In that case, I'm your teacher and you can call me Honoka-sensei." she said and stood up. She stepped aside, allowing her two new students to enter her classroom. "Come in and introduce yourselves, I'm sure you two and the others will get along just fine." she finished.
The small girl snorted in return at the word 'get along', earning a snicker from the boy beside her.
"Pig." he faked his cough.
Hikari's blue eyes narrowed as she glared at him. "Chickpea." she coughed back.
The two stood beside each other in front of the class, glaring at one and another as Honoka-sensei went through her speech about introductions and first day of school's activities. "—how about we start with you two?" the two blinked when the question was directed at them.
"Huh?" was the smart reply the two gave.
A few snickers were heard around the room. Honoka-sensei smiled. "Please introduce yourselves. Tell us your name, your likes, your dislike and your hobby." She repeated.
Hikari made an 'O' shaped mouth while nodded her head before grinning like a fool. "My name's Kusuhara Hikari! Nice to meet you all! I like ice cream, ramen, cake, candy, melon bread, salmon, udon—,"
"Pig." The boy cuts in, snickering behind his hand.
"—and everything related to green tea! My dislike… Oh! I hate Chickpea over here!" she pointed her thumb at the boy standing beside her, who blushed as she announced her nickname for him to his classmates. She earned a loud 'Oi' from him, but she chose to ignore it. "My hobby is…playing with my brother!" she finished and the class clapped.
Honoka-sensei nodded her head and turned to stare at the boy.
The boy gulped before straightening up his posture. "M-My name's Yata Misaki—," a snicker was heard from the girl beside him. He shot her a quick glare with flustered cheeks before going back to look at his classmates. "I… I like playing video games. My dislike is… this Pig over here." he said confidently with a smug grin. Their classmates gave another round of snickers. "And my hobby is um… I don't know yet."
"Your hobby is probably like playing dress-up and dolls, ne? Mi~sa~ki." Hikari teased, hands crossed behind her neck, giving Yata a sideway glance.
Yata raised his fist up. "What did you say, Pig?!"
The six year old girl turned her head away from him with her nose up high. "Nothing, nothing," she gave him a mocking grin. "Misaki-chan."
"Why you—!"
It was a good thing Honoka-sensei was there to stopYata from lunging himself at the sharp-tongued crouched down between the two six year olds and separate Yata from Hikari. "Now, now… Hikari-chan didn't mean what she says, right Hikari-chan?" she turned to face the brunette.
"Uh-huh!" Hikari nodded her head happily and Yata clicked his tongue.
Honoka-sensei smiled. "Well then, you both can sit down now." she said and pointed the empty seats Yata and Hikari were going to sit for the rest of the semester. Just in case these two argue again when she wasn't around, she told Yata to sit four seats away from Hikari. "Let's continue with getting to know each other, shall we?" she smiled again and a chorus of 'hai' was heard.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"—my name's Tanaka Nanami. I like playing dolls and—," the voice was suddenly drowned out as Hikari started to doze off. Her head slipped from her hand, almost hitting the desk in the progress. She tried her best to keep her eyes and ears open for her classmates' introductions, but they were just so boring! Her female classmates all agreed on the same thing, play dress up and dolls—which was the complete opposite of her. The boys on the other hand, some were interesting and some…aren't actually interesting.
Her head suddenly slammed onto the desk with a small thud, her hand still above her head. No one seems to notice that she was sleeping, since everybody was busy listening to their classmates'. Honoka-sensei started explaining about what they were going to do and what they were going to have to bring for tomorrow. Hikari didn't even listen to anything.
Yata spared a glance to Hikari with his eyebrows furrowed down and eyes narrowed in anger. He still couldn't forgive her for calling him 'Chickpea'. He saw her head was on the table with her hand above her head. The chestnut-haired boy quickly looked away with a snicker. He looked at his teacher when she claps her hands together.
"I hope we'll all get along!" Honoka-sensei chirped happily, clasping her hands together. Everyone had smiles across their faces, eager to start the year.
Yata only stared apathetically. It was probably going to be a boring year like kindergarten. He didn't have a lot of friends due to his brash and rebellious behavior. He got a lot of time outs because he kicked a ball a little too hard and the ball hit his classmate square on the face. He clicked his tongue at the memory. That boy was a real crybaby. It wasn't like it was going to leave a scar or anything.
"Alright! We're going to have a tour of the school now! Please follow me!" Honoka-sensei exclaimed happily, snapping Yata from his thoughts. The chairs screeched as his classmates began to follow the older woman.
The classroom was almost empty when Yata was about to exit the classroom. His hazel eyes narrowed at the sight of a brunette sleeping on her desk. He looked away, huffing as he remembering today's earlier events. However, he couldn't bring himself to step a foot out of the classroom as guilt formed inside his stomach. His hands were crossed behind his neck as he debated whether he should wake his enemy up or not. A heavy sigh escaped his lips when he remembered that his mother told him to always be nice to girls.
The chestnut-haired boy walked to the brunette's desk at the far back of the classroom. An uneasy frown was seen on his lips as his face went red. He stopped right in front of Hikari's desk and reached his hand out, hesitating for a moment.
Yata took a deep breath. "Oi! Pig! Wake up!" he slapped the back of Hikari's head lightly. Slowly Hikari lifted her head up, resting her chin on the desk as she stared at Yata blankly. Yata blushed and glared at the lazy girl. "D-Don't look at me with that idiotic face, Baka!" he shouted.
Hikari puffed her cheeks out, closing her eyes. "Shut up, Chickpea..." she lazily said, waving the boy off. "It's not like you don't have a stupid face too." she grumbles.
Yata took a step back and clenched his hands. "What's your problem?!" he yelled demandingly.
Hikari glared at her noisy classmate and stood up, glancing around. Seeing that everyone left, she jump off her chair and placed her hands on her hips as Yata kept on glaring at her. "Nothing, Chickpea! I just don't like a boy who likes calling girls a Pig." She struck her tongue out.
Yata's glare hardened. "You? A girl? As if! You're more like a guy than a girl!" he shouted.
Hikari growled and raised her fist up. "You're one to talk, Misaki-chan!" she retorts with red cheeks.
They pressed their foreheads against each other as they have a glaring contest.
"A—Ano… Ya-Yata-san… Ku-Kusu-Kusuhara-san…" A small voice interrupts their glaring contest. Both heads turn to the source and it 'eep'ed. There was something black peeking out of the door as small hands were placed on the door frame. The two brunettes stared at the black thing with blinking eyes. Yata still had his eyebrows furrowed down while Hikari kept a curious look. The head peeked out, reviling a black-haired boy. Shirogawa Takumi, the shy boy who sat in front of Yata. "Ho-Honoka-sensei a-asked me to co-come and ge-get you two…" he spoke quietly.
Hikari nodded her head, "Thanks. Takumi, right?" she asked the boy as she stood in front of him with a carefree grin. The shy boy blushed and gave a small nod. She smiled at him and turned him around, pushing him gently and urging him to leave Yata behind. "Let's go, Takumi." She said.
Yata blinked and raised his fist. "Oi! Why are you acting all nice all of the sudden?!" he shouted.
Hikari stopped and stuck her tongue out at him. "It's because you're rude and he's nice, Chickpea!"
The chestnut-haired boy's cheeks flustered a bright crimson color. "PIG!" he screamed to the top of his lungs, to which Hikari ignored.
Since that they, their little argument turns to a competition. In each subject and activity, they would compete on which one of them is better. Their classmates already knew of Yata and Hikari's rivalry and they let them be. They tried stopping them from fighting, but gave up after the sixth try. It was a usual thing for them to hear Yata and Hikari's mocks every day.
A month has passed and their arguments continue, behind the teacher's back of course.
"Alright class! Draw your friend across from you and remember to smile!" Honoka-sensei announced, walking around the classroom to inspect her students' drawings.
Apparently, Hikari was paired up with the person she hates the most. She looked up from her paper, glaring at Yata with a pout. Her hand kept on scribbling to draw Yata's face. Yata also looked up, glaring at Hikari with the same frown.
"Cih! Stop frowning!" Yata half shouted-half whispered.
"You stop frowning!" Hikari argued back. Her eyes caught how big Yata was drawing her nose. Her left eye twitched in annoyance as she pouted. "My nose's not that big!"
Yata looked up. "Oh yeah? Looks big to me, like a pig." He snickered. The brunette huffed as she started to scribble on her paper, changing her previous drawing. Yata raised an eyebrow before glancing over to Hikari's paper. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped wide open. He was speechless. She was drawing him with a big head and a small body in a dress… In a freaking pink dress and a tiara! "Oi! Who are you drawing?! Me or someone else?!"
Hikari glared. "You of course, Princess Chickpea!"
Yata growled and began to re-draw what he drew. He changed everything, turning the picture of the girl sitting in front of him in a mix hybrid of a human and a pig. He finished his drawing and puffed his chest out in pride, crossing his arms over it. Hikari looked over and her eye twitched. She quickly added some more girly features and chickpeas around her drawing. Yata cracked open an eyelid when Hikari was finished. His head hovers above the piece of paper and growled. They both suddenly pressed their foreheads together, glaring.
"I don't look like that!" Yata complained.
"I don't look like that either!" Hikari snapped back.
Honoka-sensei suddenly appeared beside their table. She picked up the two drawings and let out a loud sigh. She tweaked Yata's and Hikari's ear, pulling them apart. Both six year olds gave out a yelp of pain. "This has gone far enough. You two need to stop this." she said, shaking her head in disappointment. The two looked away, pouting and ducking their head in shame. The blonde woman sighed yet again. "Now go outside and think about what you two have done." She ordered.
The two grumbled something under their breath before they complied. Hikari was out first followed by a sluggish Yata. The two stood in the halls waiting for their time out to be over. Hikari leaned against the wall, staring out of the large window across from them. The leaves rustled against each other as the wind went by, blowing the fallen leaves away. She sighed and shifted her weight onto her right leg, not noticing that something fell out from her pocket.
Yata noticed something fell out of Hikari's pocket. He bends down and took it from the floor, examining it. His eyes widened in surprise. "EH?! No way!" he suddenly shouted, making Hikari jump.
"What the—oi! What are you shouting about?!" Hikari closed her ears with her hands and glared at the chestnut-haired boy. Something was shoved to her face. Her eyes crossed for a moment before she took a step back to examine the object more clearly. "He-Hey!That's mine!" she snatched back the item when she realized that it was hers.
Yata remained impressed. "No way! You like Kamen Rider too?!" he asked.
Hikari blinked. "Ye-yeah? Why ask, Chickpea?" she placed her hands on her hips after she securely shoved her Kamen Rider handkerchief inside her pocket. She went back to her usual tough demeanor. She saw the look Yata was giving. "What's the matter with girls like watching Kamen Rider?!" she looked away, cheeks red in embarrassment.
Yata blinked, "Not-Nothing… I think it's cool." He admitted, scratching the back of his head—completely forgetting the fact that they are rivals. "I just thought all girls would prefer Hello Kitty o-or Barbies! No of-offence if you like them—I ju-just found them girly!" he said embarrassingly.
"I think so too."
"S-Sorry! Huh? Wait—what?" Yata blinked a few times and stared at Hikari as if she grew two heads.
Hikari shrugged and crossed her arms. "I just don't like anything girly. I like action figures better like KamenRider o-or Ultraman…I-I'm not saying that anything girly is bad or anything…" She paused for a moment to see Yata's expression. "…Did you know that there's going to be a new Kamen Rider?" she asked, changing the topic.
An excited expression came across Yata's face. "Yeah! I heard that it was going to be named Kamen RiderKuuga!"
"I know! I can't wait for the series to come out next year!" Hikari exclaimed, her eyes glinting.
"Who's your favorite Kamen Rider so far?"
"Kamen Rider Black!"
"Me too!"
"Did you remember the time when he turns to Kamen Rider RX?!"
"Of course! 'I am the child of the sun! Kamen Rider Black! RX!'"
After Hikari posed herself as Kamen Rider Black RX, they both started to laugh. Yata grinned for the first time at Hikari. She really wasn't that bad when he get to know her. Turns out, she has the same interest as him. "You're actually not bad, Pig!" he laughs.
Hikari grinned goofily. "You too!"
"How about we start over?" Yata suggested and Hikari nodded happily. The chestnut-haired boy grinned and stretched his right hand out. "Nice to meet you, my name's Yata Misaki!" He introduced.
The brunette grabbed his hand and shook it. "I'm Kusuhara Hikari, but just call me Hikari." She smiled happily, happy that she has a friend who she can call asa best friend.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
~3 years later~
"Oi! Hikari-chan! Takeru!" a loud child-like voice shouted to two siblings waiting by the gates of his house. The chestnut-haired boy push opened the gates with a creak and grinned sheepishly at the two siblings. "Sorry for making you two wait…" he said, scratching the back of his head.
Hikari huffed and crossed her arms. "I'll forgive you if you buy me some melon bread!" she pointed her finger at Yata's face, making him cross his eyes to look at the finger. She grinned smugly at Yata's flustered face, he tried spluttering out words but none came. "Great! There's a new bakery that just open up two blocks away and I heard their melon bread is the best in town!" she grinned as she began to walk away.
"Maa Hikari-chan… Stop robbing Misaki-kun's wallet. You already rob his last week's entire allowance on ice cream and arcade tokens the last time you two went out." Takeru laughed as he walked alongside his sister.
"It's his fault he kept losing in Tekken. Not mine."
It has been three years since Yata and Hikari became best friends. The two grew closer in three long years. They were always seen playing or walking home together. Hikari often visits Yata's house, either coming there to play or do homework. Sometimes, she andYata even babysit Minoru—Yata's three year old brother—when Yata's mother goes out for a quick grocery shopping.
Yata finally snapped out of it. He glanced around and spotted his friends were already a few feet away from him. "Oi! You both are being mean to me!" he shouted, running to catch up. He caught up with Hikari and slung his arm over her shoulder. She almost tripped, but regained her balance back after a second of adjusting to the extra weight. "How could you be so mean to your own best friend, Hikari-chan?!" he whined.
Hikari laughed, "Eh? Really?" Her voice was dripped with sarcasm. "But you still stick around me anyway, right best friend? Or should I change into a girly girl instead and talk about dresses and lip-gloss instead?" she tapped her chin a few times, thinking of considering the change.
"EH?" Takeru and Yata exclaimed in unison, but Takeru's was an 'eh' of excitement while Yata's was an 'eh' of horror.
Takeru grabbed Hikari's hands and his eyes gleamed brightly. "You should! You should definitely do it! You need more girl friends and wear more skirts! You need to be more girly! And then I would actually feel like having a cute little sister!" he sighed dreamily, clasping his hands together.
"WHAT?!" Yata screamed in pure horror and then turned to face his best friend. He stared at her with a glare and grabbed her shoulders, making the brunette sweat-drop. "Don't you ever change! I like you just the way you are! Girly Hikari is the worst! Boyish Hikari is better!" he yelled.
Hikari blinked before bursting out in laughter, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. She clutched her sides as she continued to laugh. "Hahaha! I was just joking, Misaki! I can't believe you actually take that seriously!" she slapped her knee, continuing to laugh like a hyena. "Sorry bro, but I ain't ever gonna change!" she wiped her nose with her thumb, grinning.
Takeru sag his shoulders down for a moment before smiling. "Well… who knows? Maybe when you're interested in boys and in high-school, you might change." He shrugged.
"Ew! Takeru-niichan! Since when did you act so gross?" Hikari scrunched her nose up and gave her brother a disgusted look.
Yata nodded his head, "Yeah, who would be interested in this pig?" he joked, snickering as Hikari began to yell for him to quit calling her that.
The black-haired boy tilted his head slightly, staring at his sister and Yata. A grin made its way up to his lips. He sneakily went to their backs and wrapped an arm around them, his right arm around Hikari as his left arm went around Yata. "Who knows? Maybe you two might end up together~" he sung.
Yata and Hikari stood still and their face showed utter disgust and disapproval, "WE'RE JUST BEST FRIENDS!" They both screamed in unison, earning a laugh from the eldest in the group.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Ne, ne, Hikari-chan! Have you heard?" a classmate of her asked.
"Heard what?" Hikari asked back, sitting sideways to face her female classmates. She was in class 4-3 while Yata was in 4-1. She was disappointed when she and Yata weren't classmates anymore, but they always meet up together at breaks. She didn't have any close friends in class 4-3. They were just what she called regular friends. "Why are all of you excited anyway?" she asked again, raising an eyebrow.
Kawaguchi Mia, a girl with long black hair smiled. "There's going to be a new student! I'm sure it's a boy!" she squealed.
Hikari's left eye twitched. "Hah? That's what you guys are excited about? Cih! That's boring." she said, twisting in her seat to face the black board. They were all getting worked up by just one boy—who might not be a boy. It was a fifty to fifty chance. "And since when did you guys started to like guys? I thought they have cooties and sweat a lot." she said, resting her chin on her palm.
"Like Misaki-kun isn't?" Mia wiggled her eyebrow at Hikari with a teasing smile. Hikari simply rolled her eyes and averted them to look outside the window. "Aw c'mon Hikari-chan! Admit it! You like Misaki-kun~!" she poked the girl's cheek a few times.
Hikari closed her eyes and huffed. "We're just best friends, nothing more and nothing less." Honestly, the topics about boys are annoying for her.
"Eeeehhh? But you two have been friends since the first grade, right?" Mia began and Hikari nodded her head unsurely, not sure where this conversation was going. She just wanted Mia to drop the topic and leave her at peace. "And you know how Misaki-kun acts to girls other than you, right? He's like a stuttering mess!" she finished with a grin, hands on her hips.
"So what?" she casually asked and the girls around her giggled.
Hikari leaned back against her seat and sighed. Other than her, Yata acts like a stuttering idiot in front of every girl he meets. Maybe it was because he saw her as a boy instead of a girl, but she didn't mind that. Yatawas fun to be around with and he's pretty awesome with the skateboard—a thing that she wished she was good at. The sound of the door being slide open broke her thoughts. She looked up to see her teacher, Takamiya-sensei.
"Everyone, please sit down." The young woman said and every student went back to their seats, the girls on the edges of their seats—excited to meet the new student. Hikari stared at the teacher with a bored and lazy gaze. "There's a new student who will be joining us from today on. I hope you all will treat him well." she smiled and turned to face the open door. "Please come inside, Fushimi-san."
A few feminine gasps were heard as a small boy entered the room. He was the new student. He stood right in front of the class, back straight and eyes fixed on his new classmates. Hikari was looking out the window when the new student comes in. She then heard gasps and slightly turned her head so she could see the new student as well. The boy has messy dark blue hair with a pair of blue eyes behind thick blackframed glasses. He had a straight expression, causing the girls in her class to swoon.
"Everyone, this is Fushimi Saruhiko-san." Takamiya-sensei introduced and Fushimi did a small bow. His blue eyes scanned his peers, finding that almost every girl's eyes were on him. He looked to the back and spotted a girl who was just staring at him with an equal bored look. She caught him staring back and she looked away to stare at the window. "Kusuhara-san, can you please stand up?"
"Hah? Why? What for Takamiya-sensei?" Hikari replied with a confused and surprised look.
Almost the whole student in class laughed at her respond. Takamiya-sensei let out a giggle before answering. "Kusuhara-san, you're the class rep. You'll have to give Fushimi-san a tour of the school and help him in any way you can." she said.
"Eeeeehhh?" Hikari complained, standing up with her hands on the table. "Can I just tell someone else to do it for me?" she drawled out lazily.
"Kusuhara Hikari!" Takamiya-sensei raised her voice a little, hands on her hips. The brunette flinched and stared at her teacher with a slightly scared look. The black-haired woman sighed before continuing, "You can show Fushimi-san around the school during break times. Now Fushimi-san, you can sit next to Kusuhara-san."
Fushimi nodded his head and made his way towards the empty seat at the back. He got a few short introductions from the classmate he passed, but he only replied with a simple nod. He ignored the stares he was receiving when he finally arrived at the empty seat. The dark-blue-haired boy quietly sat down and crossed his arms on his desk.
"Hey," A voice called him from his left. He slightly turned his head to the source, staring at her behind thick framed glasses. It was the lazy class rep. She has long brown hair tied in a side-ponytail with blue eyes. Her eyebrows were furrowed down as if she was angry with him. "The name's Kusuhara Hikari… the class rep. Nice to meet you." she said quietly in a whisper, sighing out 'the class rep'.
Fushimi stared at the girl and nodded his head. "Fushimi Saruhiko." he said lowly.
"Kusuhara-san?"
"H-Hai!" Hikari suddenly stood up, snapping her head up to face the teacher.
Takamiya-sensei smiled. "Can you please share your books with Fushimi-san? Since it's his first day here, he won't be getting them until tomorrow." she said.
Hikari slowly nodded her head and glanced at Fushimi before sighing. She pushed her desk closer to the boy and sat down. Takamiya-sensei began the class with history, the subject the brunette thought was the most boring subject in the world. She grabbed her book slowly from her red-colored bag and nervously opened her book. Fushimi raised an eyebrow and finally Hikari placed the book on the middle of their desk with shame. The reason she hated sharing books was that her books were filled with…doodles.
Fushimi stared at the doodles with raised eyebrows. He turned his head to face the girl sitting next to him and then back to the book. Hikari noticed his stared and huffed. "Don't judge me. I was bored." she said in her defense.
Fushimi blinked. The young boy kept on sparring glances to the brunette who thought that she has enough listening to Takamiya-sensei's lesson on history. She grabbed another book and opened it, placing it vertically to cover herself. She rested her head on the desk and turned to Fushimi. She lifted her finger to her lips, telling Fushimi to be quiet.
"What kind of class rep are you?" Fushimi asked in a flat tone.
Hikari flashed him a glare. "The kind that loses in Janken." she shot back, clicking her tongue at the boy. "Now be quiet or we'll both get caught."
In a matter of minutes, she was fast asleep.
The dark-blue-haired boy sighed softly. Just what kind of class rep is she? Sleeping in class, back-talking a teacher, doodling on books and has a feisty attitude. Scratch that. Just what kind of girl is she? Suddenly, he doubts that this was actually a girl. She might actually be a boy with a girl's name and long hair. She wasn't even wearing the slightest feminine outfit.
The bell suddenly rung, signaling that it was recess. The kids began to circle around Fushimi's and Hikari's table, but mostly Fushimi.
"Ne, ne, Saruhiko-kun? What school are you from?"
"When's your birthday?"
"What's your favorite color?"
"What's your favorite food?"
"Do you like it here so far?"
Fushimi shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He hated being questioned like this. Unnoticed to him, Hikari seemed to notice his discomfort from the swarm of the newly made Fushimi Fan Club. She was watching the whole scene with a single eye. She has been awake since the bell rang and she never misses the bell. The class rep let out a soft sigh before pushing herself up.
Hikari stood up, the chair behind her screeching. The sound of her chair screeching caught everyone's attention. The lazy class rep rarely goes out during break time. She only leaves if Yata or her brother comes. "Sorry for bugging you all, but Saruhiko has to come with me, right Saruhiko?" she said to the girls and then turn to the boy.
Fushimi gave a nod. "H-Hai…"
The brunette grabbed the boy's wrist and gave a tug, pulling him with her. He almost tripped, but quickly balanced himself. He inwardly sighed. On one hand, he was glad that Hikari was there to get him out of the situation, but on the other hand…he didn't want a tour around the school. The boy let out a sigh. They both kept on walking through the hall, passing by many classes. Finally, they both stopped on the first floor at the entrance of the building.
"Alright, Saruhiko! This is the entrance! You have to put your shoes inside a getabako and wear theuwagutsu inside the building or else you'll get yelled at by Takamiya-sensei." Hikari explained and pointed to the white indoor slippers inside one of the getabako. She saw the look Fushimi was giving her. It was the 'do-you-think-I-didn't-know-that' look. Her blue eyes glanced down to his shoes and she sheepishly laughed."Ups! Haha! I guess you already know. Sorry Saruhiko… alright then! Moving on!" she quickly changed the subject and grabbed Fushimi's wrist again.
"This is the library."
"Music room."
"The school's store."
"The aula."
"The sport fields and gym."
"Boy's bathroom."
"Any questions, Saruhiko?" Hikari stopped right in front of their classroom. It took most of their time in recess for the school tour. The class rep stared at the slightly taller boy with narrowed eyes. It wasn't that she hated the boy for stealing her recess time, well a little, but it was more because of the sunlight. The lack of emotion from the boy cause her to doubt that he actually remember everything. "Oi, Saruhiko… what's wrong? Do you need to pee or something? The bathroom is just down this hall and to your right."
Fushimi stared at the girl in disbelief. "No." he replied before walking pass the class rep, who let out a heavy and tired sigh. He went inside without another word, but stopped to spare a glance at the irresponsible class rep half way to his seat. He watched as the class rep chatted with someone. He turned his back again and began to walk to his assigned seat. "Thank you for the tour." He said with a flat tone.
"Hmm?" Hikari glanced over her shoulder, thinking that someone was talking to her. Blue eyes scanned the classroom as everyone chatted with their friends, but no one was talking to her. She spotted Fushimi on his seat with a group of girls surrounding his table. She stared at Fushimi for a moment before shaking her head. An emotionless kid like him thanking her? Yeah right.
Yata looked over Hikari's shoulder, raising his eyebrows in curiosity. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Hikari shook her head, a smile forming on her lips. "Nothing, nothing," Yata shrugged his shoulders and crossed his hands behind his head with a casual smile on his lips. "So…about you buying me melon breads…" The chestnut-haired boy visibly cringed at the mention on melon bread. "Don't worry, Misaki! I only want you to buy me a few!" she reassured, patting his shoulder.
Yata sighed, his shoulders sagged. "Yeah… by a few you mean ten." he said and Hikari grinned. He could already feel his wallet getting lighter by the passing second. A thought suddenly popped up in his mind, completely forgetting the fact that he was going to be broke in a few hours. "By the way have you heard that there's going to be a new student?" he asked, grinning.
This time, it was Hikari's turn to sag her shoulders with a heavy breath. "Don't remind me…" she straightened up and shook her head, rubbing her temples stressfully. "I have to give him a tour of the school and share my books with him for today. You know how I hate sharing books with other people I don't know…" she disappointedly said.
Yata smirked. "That's because you doodled on it and slobbered on it while sleeping."
Hikari's cheeks darkened. "Ba-Baka! I don't do that!" she hit his shoulder as her best friend kept on laughing his butt off, clutching his sides. The class rep of 4-3 wrapped her arm around Yata's neck in a headlock, attempting to give a noogie. "Baka! Stop laughing! It's not like I'm the only one who does that!"
"Bwahahahaha! Oh yeah! You're the only one who does that!" Yata laugh uproariously, his laugh echoing in the halls.
Inside 4-3, Hikari's classmates were laughing at how close Yata is to Hikari. The chestnut-haired boy never acts bold and brave around other girls than the lazy class rep herself and vice versa. The brunette acts a little cold and uncaring toward others than the shy boy and her brother, but when it comes to helping her classmates she would try everything to fix the problem despite hating her title as the class rep.
"Those two are close, ne?"
"Uh-huh!"
Fushimi stared at the bickering pair before sighing. This has nothing to do with him.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"I'm so tired!" Hikari cried out to the sky, stretching her arms above her head. The chestnut-haired boy next to her could only laugh. He was used to her saying 'I'm so tired' every time they both meet up at the getabakos. It was only the two of them since Takeru has to clean his classroom. The brunette let out a heavy sigh. "If only the new kid wasn't so emo and cool, he wouldn't have gotten into that mess in the first place!" she said out loud.
Yata laughed, "Yeah how did the new kid get caught in a middle of tug of war anyway?" he asked with a snicker. The chestnut-haired boy already knew the whole story, but wanted her to retell it. He took off his uwagutsu, replacing them with his own shoes. As he slips his feet inside his shoes, Hikari leaned against the getabakos with her hands crossed behind her head.
The class rep let out a sigh and pushed herself off of the getabakos. She was rolling her shoulder to ease the tensed muscles. "Maaa! I blame Saruhiko! We were just studying and then a stupid speck of dust just had to get caught in his eye! The girls thought he winked at them and boom! Tug of Saruhiko! Grrrr!" she held her head, trying to forget how she got caught in between with a scowl on her face. "Stop reminding me, Misaki! I want to forget!" she claps her ears shut with her hands.
Yata grinned and ruffled Hikari's hair as the girl huffed childishly. "Don't worry, maybe tomorrow everything would go back to the way things were. This Fushimi guy doesn't have to stick around you for tomorrow, right?" he asked as he finished tying his shoelaces.
Hikari let out another heavy sigh. "Maybe you're right." she said, smiling a little. They both headed out of the room went to the sport fields. They both were thinking of playing a game of one on one on soccer while waiting for Takeru to finish with his cleaning duty. They both stopped when they saw a group of sixth graders playing in the field. "Aw man… I was hoping I could beat you in one on one in soccer today…" she said disappointedly.
"Yeah… let's just go play somewhere else." Yata said, turning on his heels to find a vacant spot. They ones playing in the fields were labeled as the 'bad boys' of the school. They bullied and underestimate anyone who's weaker and smaller than them. The boys also act like total angels in front of the teachers and acts like devils behind their backs. They threatened the ones who wanted to tell on them and Yata, being Yata, picks a fight with his seniors. He got in trouble for that one.
Hikari gave a short nod, turning her backs on the bullies. She stopped and turned back to look when she heard mockeries flying into her ears. Her eyes widened in surprise when she found out who was being bullied. Her grip tightens around the straps of her red backpack.
"Hahahaha! Look at him! He's so pathetic!"
"Hey Four-Eyes! Why are you playing with ants? Do you want to join them?"
"We can so totally make that happen!"
"Quick! Get the shovel! Yusei, grab his arms!"
Fushimi remained silent and poker-faced when the one named Yusei grabbed his arms from behind. He stared up at the 'leader' with a passive look, staring into his eyes with his dull blue eyes. It was blurry. His glasses were knocked out from him when they kicked a ball at his head. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
His collar was suddenly grabbed, "Oi! Did you just click your tongue at me, Freshmeat?!" he yelled at Fushimi's face. The dark-blue haired boy simply stares at him, making the taller and stronger boy raised his fist, threatening to punch the fourth grader. "We'll see if you're still clicking your tongue at us when I'm done with you." he grinned evilly an evil glint in his and the others' eyes.
Fushimi sighed. This is why he hates everyone. They always try to break his world. Why can't they just leave his world alone and bother someone else's?
"Why don't you idiots go bother someone else?" a rather feminine voice broke Fushimi's thoughts. He narrowed his eyes, trying to focus on the blurry image. It was a girl, he noted. It was the class rep herself standing before him. He mentally clicked his tongue when he figured out who the girl was. Why does she have to be here? Does she want to bother his world too? "Oh that's right! You guys don't have any other friends!" she said with a mocking grin.
"Wh-What?! What did you say?!"
"Eeeeh? Did you guys go deaf? I feel sorry for you guys for being friendless and total idiots…" Hikari shook her head dramatically with a hand on her forehead.
"Do you have a death wish, little girl?!"
"Li-Little?!" Hikari looked offended. "I'll have you know that I'm the fifth tallest girl in my class!" she yelled accusingly before glaring at the bullies. Her eyes became sharp and serious as the silly and childish attitude went aside. "Just because you idiots are taller and are our Senpai, doesn't mean you can go around bullying everyone." She chided with a glare.
Fushimi stared at the class rep in disbelief. Did she really have a death wish? She—a girl who can't even keep up with math and history—was chiding the boys twice her size as if she was their senpai instead. "—didn't you hear me? I said let Saruhiko go before I come over there and whoop your sorry butts off myself!" he lifted his chin up at the mention of his name. He saw her glaring again. "Or else I'll tell on you guys!" she pointed her finger.
"Who would believe a pipsqueak like you?" The leader sneered, his mouth twisted up in a malicious grin.
It was Hikari's turn to smirk. "Because I'm 4-3's Class Rep! Takamiya-sensei would have to believe me! And as proof, Saruhiko can back me up!"
The group of boys seemed to be in thought before scowling. The leader and Yusei released their grip on Fushimi, pushing him to the dirt. "Whatever, c'mon guys let's just leave these two cowards."
They all left without looking back.
Fushimi sat on the ground with his face staring at his shoes. "You alright, Saruhiko?" he heard Hikari asked him in worry. He slightly lifted his chin up to see a blurry image of the class rep, picking up something black from the ground. She wiped the dirt off of the black thing and walked towards him. The brunette handed him something that belonged to him, his glasses. "I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier… Don't worry though. I won't let them bully you again because I'm telling Takamiya-sensei tomorrow right when the class starts. I bet your fan-club will back you up too! They're goo-goo-gaga-gaga over you—hey, what's wrong?" she stopped rambling and stared at him.
Fushimi stared at the girl with a blank look.
Hikari returned the look with raised eyebrows. "What's the matter, Saruhiko?" she asked again, crouching down to his eye-level.
"Hikari-chan! Are you alright?" Yata came running. He was confused and shocked when Hikari wasn't following him. He notices when he found a vacant spot and turned around only to find nothing but air—if his eyes were playing tricks on him, he could've swore he saw blinking black dots took shake of Hikari's figure was present. He quickly ran back to the fields, only to find her crouching in front of a boy their age. "What's the matter with him?" he asked.
"I don't know."
The boy looked away and avoided eye contact, making the class rep sighed. "Don't worry, Saruhiko. If those idiots ever bother you again you can always come to me or Takamiya-sensei or even this Chickpea over here." she reassured, pointing her thumb over her shoulder, revering to Yata. She earned a karate-chop on the head from the boy. "Aw! Okay! Fine, fine, cranky pants!" she yelled at him before turning back to face her classmate. "Or Yata over here."
Yata grinned at Fushimi, "Yo!"
Fushimi remained silent.
An idea struck Hikari's head as she remembered bringing something every day to school. She grabbed her backpack and dug inside looking for the item. It was a piece of strawberry candy—the last piece to be exact and it so happens to be her favorite flavor. She stared at it for a moment before holding her hand out with the pink wrapped candy on her palm.
"You can have it, Saruhiko. Maybe it'll cheer you up. Eating candies always cheer me up when I'm sad or sleepy in class." Hikari smiled.
For the first time in that day, she smiled warmly at him.
The bespectacled boy felt blood rose up to his cheeks. He looked away, hiding the pink cheeks from her. She helped him. She helped him from getting beaten up by the bullies. She backed him up. She protected him. He didn't know why, but somehow…he felt different all of the sudden. It was the emotion he never had. He reached his hand out and grabbed the piece of candy.
"T-Thank you…"
Hikari grinned brightly, giving a thumbs up. "You're welcome!"
Both Yata and Hikari helped Fushimi up, laughing awkwardly.
Hikari really was a good class rep and friend.
Yata was a good friend.
A small smile graced Fushimi's lips.
All those other people have their own world.
He has his own…with her and Yata in his.
how was it? Good? bad? Please leave a review xD
the Chapter's title 'Brilliant Pink' is from pink, I just add Brilliant to it. Pink not only resemble romance, but it also resemble hope, friendship, and etc... At least that's what I read in the internet
This was written on an iPhone because of some technical difficulties I have with my laptop and the internet. So if there is any mistake, ease let me know and I'll fix if.
Translation: gaki= informal term meaning "brat"
Busu= ugly for girl