Butterflies, Ladybugs, Bumblebees, and Fireflies
A/N: First of off, yes I acknowledge that I need to get back to my main stories, but...This is an itch I need to scratch. Therefore, it shall be scratched!
*ahem* Yes, a HagaXRebecca friendship-or-romance-depending-on-how-you-look-at-it one-shot. A serious, thoughtful, slightly humorous, one. Bit of angst, too, at some points, with some uplifting messages mixed in. Thinking about it, this is actually sort've like a bizarre character analysis for Insector Haga.
Basically, it's a lot of stuff. XD Might become a two-shot, actually...If enough people like it.
All right. Just for context, this takes place a couple days after the ending credits of the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" series. And here starts the one-shot!
After meeting Yuugi at the airport, Rebecca Hopkins couldn't help but feel somewhat empty inside.
Yuugi, Anzu, Honda, and Jounouchi, were all planning on going to Florence, Italy, for a school world history class trip the next day. It had been really sudden and Yuugi had of course apologized for leaving Rebecca and her grandfather in Domino that way. Still, it didn't do much. It didn't change the fact that they were going to be gone for a week.
And, sure, Rebecca's grandpa had Yuugi's grandpa to talk and play card games with. But that still left Rebecca with no one.
So it was based on her grandfather's suggestion that Rebecca "excavate" a forest off to the west side of Domino.
"Excavate," of course, wasn't really the most accurate term. It would have been more accurate to say that Rebecca was simply taking a three-foot shovel and a brush and running off to the forest to see what she could find after digging holes in the earth for a while.
It had sounded like a good idea at the time.
"Darnit!" Her shovel hit a buried tree root for the fifth time that hour. "This is getting me nowhere near a revolutionary discovery!" She concluded with a pout as she threw the shovel to the forest floor and sat down on a half-buried rock.
Rebecca had spent four hours of the day in the forest so far. It was now six o'clock in the afternoon and all she'd managed to accomplish was the digging of approximately twenty-seven holes and the accumulation of countless dirt stains all over her blue-hued clothing.
Oh, and she'd found a chicken bone an hour ago or so but she somehow doubted that this was the key to a lost civilization.
Now Rebecca decided to move on to a new area of the forest. She'd been digging in the same small clearing for the past half hour after all. So off the blonde girl went to find a new and hopefully improved place to dig.
It wasn't long before she felt the ominous sensation of being watched.
Rebecca shivered slightly before quickly whirling around to see that someone had indeed been watching her.
Strikingly frozen blue eyes stared intently out from behind large, golden, glasses. A deep scowl creased the boy's slightly impish features. Two small locks of his smooth, aqua-marine, hair poked up from the top of his head, almost giving the impression of antennae. He wasn't attractive, but he had a distinct aura of simply not caring the slightest about his appearance.
"What are you doing with that shovel, Young Miss?" He interrupted Rebecca's examination of him. He was wearing black shorts and a green, long-sleeved, shirt with a beetle silhouette pattern on it and was standing with dignity on a tree branch ten meters above the ground. So, he'd had to call down a bit for her to hear him.
"Ah…Oh, this?" She looked down at her shovel and laughed nervously before regaining her composure to look back up to the boy. "I'm excavating in this forest to find a lost civilization!"
"And not doing too well, by the looks of it." The boy laughed, obviously referring to Rebecca's filthy clothes. This messy attire meant that she'd been working for a while. Which she had, and with no civilization to brag about.
"Hey! It's not like this is easy, you…"
But, before she could finish, the boy leaped down from his tree branch and landed easily on the ground, bending his knees only slightly. When he straightened up, his eyes had a bold glint in them.
"You haven't dug up any tree roots on accident, have you?" He hissed.
Rebecca suddenly felt her confidence draining. The tenseness in the air was positively crippling.
"Well," She rubbed the back of her neck and bit her lip, feeling a little guilty now. This boy obviously seemed to care about his forest. "Maybe one or two…I didn't mean to though! I mean…er…Sorry."
At first, the fists that the boy's hands were clenched into were shaking. Then, however, he slowly calmed down before sighing and shaking his head.
"Very well. I'll let you off this time, then. Just as long as you cease your digging and leave this forest as soon as you can. Try not to step on too many plants on the way out though. It all wears down over-"
"What? Hey! Why do I have to leave?" Rebecca scowled with fists on her hips. "There's still lots of forest I haven't excavated for lost civilizations yet! You're not the boss of-YIPE!"
Before Rebecca could react, the boy's face was an inch from hers and he had her pinned to a rather large tree she'd been standing nearby. Jeez, he's fast, she thought in what resembled awe.
"You have to leave, Miss, because your digging is going to desecrate this forest if you continue to be as reckless as you've obviously been! I've planted seeds all over, for that matter - most of which I wouldn't be surprised if you've accidentally dug up. Do you get the big picture now?"
Rebecca's eyes were wide as she looked back at him and bit her lip, puffing her cheeks out stubbornly.
"But…B-But!" She crossed her arms and stared back defiantly. "No! I don't want to! I've got nothing else to do because Yuugi and his friends are off in Italy! So, I'm digging. I'm going to dig and find a lost civilization so that Yuugi will spend more time with me!"
The boy's eyes widened for a moment and he lost some of his menace, which calmed Rebecca down slightly.
"You can't possibly mean that Yuugi Moutou." Then, his jaw dropped as realization dawned on him and he examined her a little more closely. "Wait a minute! Don't tell me that…" He then shook his head. "No, no, it couldn't be. Did that actually happen? I thought it was just a dream..."
Rebecca blinked and tilted her head to the side.
"What? What happened?"
"Ugh. All right. Listen, Miss, do you know anything about the 'Orichalcos'?"
Rebecca gasped suddenly and would have pointed, had the boy not been so close to her.
"Wait! So, you're that boy! That guy who biked off with that other guy, who…"
He was nodding vigorously, now.
"Yes, yes, yes. And you're that girl who clung to Yuugi like moss to a tree." He paused. "And you're also the American National Duel Monsters Champion Rebecca Hopkins, aren't you?"
"Wait! I remember. You're Insector Haga! The Japanese National Champion. The one who likes insects a lot…Didn't Yuugi beat you in Duelist Kingdom?" She smirked.
The boy, who turned out to indeed be Insector Haga, gave her a bitter glare that was particularly fierce at such close proximity.
"Don't. Speak. About. That." It was straight and to the point. Rebecca realized the one topic that she should never, ever, ever, bring up ever again while speaking to Haga.
"Er…Sorry." She didn't really sound sorry.
"It's fine. Just leave now."
"But, I don't-"
"Leave."
"…Okay." It was getting late, anyway. And it was obvious that Haga was not going to let her go until she said that she'd leave the forest. Besides, he clearly cared for the forest's safety and that was why he wanted her to stop digging. He wasn't nice, but she thought that maybe she should respect his good intentions and dig somewhere else the next day.
Maybe, I was just being immature… She thought with an inner sigh as Haga released her and took a couple steps back. Rebecca turned to go.
"Wait."
"Wha?" Rebecca nearly fell on her face as her feet screeched to a sudden stop. Haga caught her by the back of her shirt collar and propped her up on her feet.
"You're new to this forest, right? I haven't seen you around. Do you have a map that you can use to find your way out?"
"Er, umm…" The girl twitched as she realized that she now had a problem. "No."
"Oh. Well, I'll have to help you, then." He stated simply.
"What?" Rebecca blinked, not expecting that at all. "Why?"
"Well, obviously, I can't just abandon you…This is a 150-acre forest. You'll never be able to leave and come out the same way you entered on your own. I want you out of this forest. And no one knows this place better than I do. So, I'm going to lead you out."
"Oh…"
"What? Did you think it would be out of the kindness of my heart or something?"
"…" A blank stare.
"Don't answer that. Anyway, we should get going. It's going to rain pretty soon and this forest gets muddy when it gets showers. Plus, it's getting late."
"How do you know it's going to rain?"
"Because it's obvious. Now, let's go."
"Right." Rebecca stored her shovel in the brown canvas backpack she was wearing at the time. Part of it stuck out at the top, but that was okay. The two kids began walking through the forest.
Neither one spoke for what felt like two hours, though it was actually ten minutes, with Haga leading and Rebecca following. Eventually the strangely subdued tension nearly drove Haga crazy. So he ventured to start some sort of conversation.
"Do you like insects?"
"What?" Shocked out of her spacing out, Rebecca took a second to remember what Haga had just asked. "Well, um…I like some insects, I guess."
"Like which ones?"
"Like butterflies, ladybugs, fireflies, bumblebees, and…that's about it." Rebecca shrugged.
Haga frowned.
"What about caterpillars?"
"Hm. You know, I like those, too. Some of them, I mean. Some of them can be really cute."
"Wasps?"
"They hurt! I don't like them." Rebecca scowled.
"And beetles?"
"Ew! Gross." Rebecca made a face.
Haga twitched and spoke over his shoulder.
"How can you think that way?" He asked this as if it were an absolutely genuine question.
"Think what way?"
"That way. About insects."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean…" Haga sighed raggedly. "How can you like some insects and not like all of them in some way?"
"…" Rebecca pushed a branch away from her face as she walked. "Well…I guess it's because some look cute, like ladybugs, bumblebees, and caterpillars, and some look pretty, like butterflies and fireflies. But, then some bugs, like beetles and cockroaches, look really gross or creepy. Though I guess some beetles have shiny, colorful, wing covers, but…"
"So, basically, the bugs you like are the pretty ones and the cute ones while the bugs you don't like are the ugly ones."
"Well, I guess…"
"That's horribly superficial, you know." Haga had a glazed-over look in his eyes as he walked, and had slowed down to walking side-by-side with Rebecca.
Rebecca blinked, replaying her own words in her mind. Wow.
"But, I never really thought about it that way…"
"Caterpillars. You said some were cute, right? What did you mean by that?" Haga was staring straight ahead.
"…That's all. Some are cute and fuzzy. Some are gooey and squirmy-looking. That's all…"
"But, a caterpillar's a caterpillar, isn't it? I mean, no matter what it looks like…It's still a caterpillar. So, why would you like some caterpillars and not like others, just because of how they look? I just don't get it…" He looked straight at her, now. "Why are looks so important?"
Somehow, Rebecca had the feeling that they weren't talking about insects anymore.
There was a long pause before Rebecca finally spoke.
"Haga…What insects do you like?"
"Oh. Me? I like all insects. And arachnids, too…"
"Why is that?"
"…That's going to take a long time to talk about." Haga sighed, though he was actually smiling genuinely for the first time since Rebecca met him. "So, let's start with the insects we both like. I like butterflies because they pollinate flowers, fly, and, to me, are the epitomes of positive change. A flightless caterpillar changing into a butterfly with wings, you know? It's really cool. Plus, some legends say that they're the lost souls of dead children. Which is sort've awe-inspiring. And then there are ladybugs. I like them because they're harmless to humans. They also eat aphids and therefore help plants live…"
"So, wait, does that mean you don't like aphids?" Rebecca quickly asked.
"…No, I like aphids. They're important in their own way, after all. Without them, ladybugs would all die off."
"Oh…That's true, I guess."
"Right. So, anyway, I like fireflies because they help decorate the night and are really cool with how their bodies can create light. I mean…we always think of light as coming from things like the sun, stars, and human-made objects. But, we'd never imagine light coming from a living creature if fireflies didn't exist. Sure, there are other fish I've heard of at the bottom of the sea that make light. But, it's just not nearly as cool because those fish had to evolve to get those lights for survival. Since the bottom of the sea's so dark. Fireflies need their lights for survival, too. But, in a different way. Bumblebees pollinate flowers and also strike me as pretty harmless and docile. And then caterpillars…Well, I think that I've already made that apparent. They represent positive change. And they help keep plants from overrunning everything. Plus, a lot of them are fuzzy. And who can resist fuzzy little things like that?"
Rebecca giggled.
"I know I can't. I like fuzzy caterpillars…"
"Some spiders are fuzzy." Haga piped up hopefully.
Rebecca shivered.
"Don't remind me."
Haga groaned.
"Okay. Now, on to the insects I like and you don't. For your superficial reasons." He ignored it when Rebecca stuck her tongue out indignantly. "Spiders are one of my favorite types of creatures…"
"But, they eat insects!" Rebecca tilted her head to the side.
"It's not like they can help it." Haga scowled at the interruption. "The same way humans can't help but eat plants and other living things. I'd go on and explain the circle of life for you, Rebecca, but I think you're smart enough to know about it already. Right?"
"Right." Rebecca sighed. "Go on."
"Very well. Spiders. First off, they make incredible webs that I consider to be works of art. Particularly when they're covered with dew in the early morning…"
Rebecca nodded. She couldn't blame him for that. Even if she didn't like spiders, she liked their webs…when she didn't accidentally walk into one of course.
"And spiders spend their whole lives living so that their children can be born. Spiders eat insects and make webs just so that their children can have a chance of surviving in the future…And what's sad about it is that female spiders die right before their eggs actually hatch. They don't even get to see it when their children are born, yet they fight their whole lives for it to happen. Spiders are admirable mothers…"
"But, that doesn't really mean much. I mean, it's just instinct." Rebecca shrugged. "All creatures live for the sake of reproduction and passing on genes. That's all it means to spiders…"
Haga raised an eye brow at her.
"Then, explain why some animals eat their own young and why some humans abuse their own children."
Rebecca rubbed the back of her neck and smiled weakly.
"…Good point."
"Anyway," Haga sighed. "Spiders also help keep the insect populations under control…"
"But, I thought you-"
"Overpopulation is never a good thing, Rebecca. If there were too many insects, there wouldn't be enough food for them. Locusts and the like would devour the world and we would all be left with no vegetables, fruits, etcetera. Then, we would die. And then the insects would all die. In short, Rebecca, we would all probably die sooner without spiders."
Rebecca blinked, laughing nervously as she ducked beneath another tree branch.
"Hahaha…Okay. I think I see why we need spiders but I still don't like them. Maybe it's because I sympathize with the bug that gets trapped and then drained of all its fluids."
"That's fine. I sympathize with the bug too, but I'm also happy for the spider. It's a ridiculous contradiction that I'm still trying to figure out."
"Maybe, it's like good sportsmanship!"
"How does that make sense?"
"Oh, you know! You're unhappy that you lost, but happy for your opponent. That sort of thing."
"Got it…Sort've. Honestly, it's difficult for me to get it since I don't give a crap about good sportsmanship."
"Why not?" Rebecca asked, blinking wildly.
"Ugh." Haga shook his head. "Because there's no point in congratulating your opponent for beating you. I mean, if you do that, then why the heck did you play the game in the first place? The fun in games is that you get to gloat about it when you win!"
Rebecca smiled weakly. She used to feel the same way, before meeting Yuugi. Maybe she and Haga weren't so different.
"But, that makes your opponent feel bad. I mean, isn't it bad enough just to lose? What's the point of rubbing it in afterwards? You've already got the self-satisfaction of winning after all…I bet you don't like it when people gloat after beating you. Right?"
"Hm? Ha!" Haga laughed bitterly as he reached down to help Rebecca over the meter-wide root of a great tree. "Why should I care about how my opponent feels? My opponent never cares about me!"
"Well, maybe your opponent would care more about how you feel if you acted like you cared about how he or she feels." She blinked down at Haga while lowering herself into his arms to get past the aforementioned tree root.
"As if." Haga waved his free hand dismissively at the suggestion.
Rebecca twitched.
"Hey. You care about this forest because you care about the insects, right?"
"That's a major reason, yes."
"Do the insects care about you?"
Haga frowned at this. He really liked to think that the insects cared about him but, deep down, he wasn't entirely sure. When he'd speak, he'd receive little in the way of response from them. When he'd fall, he'd sense little to no concern on their part. He had a sneaking suspicion that he was just another human to them. One that they weren't afraid of, maybe, but a human.
"Well…I'm not too sure. But at least they don't ridicule me, or hurt me for no good reason…"
Rebecca couldn't help but feel for him a little, inferring that Yuugi and company hadn't been the first to mistreat Haga. Still she pressed on.
"Well, why can't you treat humans that way then? I mean, caring about them even if you're not sure that they'll care about you?"
"Because humans are fundamentally cruel and sadistic."
Well, that was enough to strike Rebecca speechless for a few seconds.
"No, they're not!"
"As a species, yes, they are. Insects do their best to simply live their lives and take what they need to survive. Same with most other animals actually. Humans destroy and kill needlessly. Whether that means stomping on an ant hill or pointlessly attacking some country, city, or person…And humans are the only species, far as I know, that is capable of that kind of evil."
"B-…But, humans are also the only species that's capable of true kindness too!"
"Not true. I've actually heard of a lioness taking in, and caring for, a baby antelope. It may have been an isolated case, but humans aren't the only species capable of that sort of kindness. And, even if they were, the bad outweighs the good in this case!"
There was a long pause.
"I…I don't think so." Rebecca frowned.
Haga stared intently at her for a moment before sighing and rolling up his sleeve to check his watch.
"7:30 or so. Wow. Guess it's getting late."
Rebecca nodded slowly. It was Summer, so the sun was just in the middle of setting. But still, it was going to get dark soon.
"Yeah. This forest is so big. It's amazing you know your way around it…"
"Thanks…Anyway, back to insects. I like ants because I find it extremely admirable how they all work together to support their queen and colony, sacrificing some of their own comfort for-"
"But humans do that too!" Rebecca had apparently made it her mission to prove Haga wrong about humans.
"Not really, Rebecca. In case you haven't noticed, it's mostly every human for his or herself in this world. Even when humans do work together, it's usually because they're either forced to or they're combining effort to compete against some other humans. Ants, on the other hand, naturally…"
"Not always! What about friends? They help each other…"
"Hmph! Friends. What do they do? They're great to have to pass the pointless days, I suppose. But, when it really counts, when you're in deep trouble, they're going on about how you just should or shouldn't have done whatever you did or didn't do in the first place. Let me tell you, Rebecca, I may have never had friends, but I've seen what happens to many people when they do. It's not appealing!" His voice was increasing in pitch as he was becoming slightly angry, even though it didn't seem like he was necessarily upset at Rebecca…
"What about that Ryuzaki guy you were with back in the Orichalcos incident? Isn't he your friend?"
Haga shook his head.
"More like an accomplice. Accomplices are something I'm used to. But, friends…" He laughed bitterly.
"But you just have to find the right friends! I mean, I know it's not easy. Some will stab you in the back and some will let you down. But, true friends will help you through life's hardest times. At least…" Rebecca frowned slightly. "That's…That's what I've heard."
There was yet another long pause as Haga seemed to be thinking about this.
"You don't have any friends either?" He sounded strangely serene with these words.
Rebecca smiled weakly.
"Well, I mean, I guess I'm technically friends with Yuugi but really," She shook her head. "Sometimes, it doesn't feel like I am. I mean, he has his own group of friends he always hangs out with, you know? And, besides that, it really seems like he treats me as nicely as he treats everyone else he's on good terms with. I used to like to think that we were going to get married and all that, but…Really, I realize now that I was just lying to myself."
"'Married'?" Haga raised an eye brow. "How old are you, Rebecca?"
"Twelve."
"Okay, that explains it." He actually chuckled quietly with a small smile. It wasn't entirely unheard of for kids to consider marriage so lightly after all. So, he wasn't too shocked. It somehow bothered him though, that Rebecca had even considered marrying "Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes" as the insect duelist so disdainfully titled Yuugi in his mind…
"Yeah, I know. I think I just realized…" Rebecca beamed at Haga. "I think that I liked the idea of Yuugi that way more than anything else. You know?"
"Er, yeah, sure." Haga really wasn't too sure. He wasn't exactly experienced in these matters. "So, anyway, I like cockroaches because they're the strongest insect. And wasps are cool because they-"
"Can we talk about something else?"
"Hm?" Haga sounded really surprised. "Hey, you were the one who asked me about why I like all insects in the first place!"
"I know. I get it now. You like insects because they have their own virtues but I'm getting bored of that. I want to talk about something else."
Haga sighed.
"Ugh. Kids…"
"Hey! You know, I'm only three years younger than you."
"Yeah, but you're still a kid."
"So are you!"
"Well, you're an even younger kid."
Rebecca, as if to prove Haga's point for the fun of it, stuck her tongue out and made a funny face at him.
"Bleh! Who's the kid, now?"
They both were surprised to find themselves laughing hysterically at this, since it didn't seem like something that should be that funny.
For a while after that, Rebecca and Haga somehow ended up talking about the daily things. Like school. It turned out that they were both starting college next year. Though Haga wasn't what you'd call a "prodigy", he was indeed very intelligent. Enough to be pushed forward a couple years. They also talked about music. They both liked classical, though Haga liked all sorts of alternative techno and rock while Rebecca liked alternative pop. They talked about movies. Both agreed that theatres no longer showed anything good anymore, and longed to see something that wasn't just a re-hash of all the old stuff. Somehow, they got around to the subject of food. She liked pizza and seafood. He liked to eat bee larvae, which confused Rebecca immensely until he reminded her about "The Circle of Life". They both loved ice cream. A big subject for them consisted of books. Rebecca liked fantasy and historical novels (fiction or nonfiction.) Haga liked to read all sorts of nonfiction because he loved to learn about the world. After being questioned as to whether or not he liked to learn about humans, Haga just shrugged and said that, though he didn't like humans as a species, he thought they were somewhat interesting. For that reason, he had begun to study psychology a few months earlier. Rebecca had laughed and told him that he sounded like an alien studying humans in his detached sort of way. He didn't deny it.
Eventually, Rebecca felt a drop of water bounce off of her cheek.
"Hm?" She held out a hand and caught another raindrop. "Uh-oh."
"Got that right. This forest's soil is the type that becomes extremely muddy. For some reason. If you ask me, it's because a lot of the topsoil isn't as bunched around tree roots as it should be, which is actually one of the reasons I've been planting trees here. So, we'd better be very careful." He said as the small drizzle intensified into the beginnings of a downpour.
"Agh. I wish I brought my rain boots." Rebecca groaned as she accidentally stepped into an unexpectedly deep puddle – about four inches deep. It soaked straight to her socks. Haga helped her out and back on to the path.
"Hm…Rebecca, I know it's getting late, but I don't think that we'll be able to-" It was at that moment when a loose rock beneath his foot gave way and he fell flat on his back. Since Rebecca had still been holding on to him, he dragged her down as well. And since the soil had gotten so muddy and they'd been walking down a slightly sloped path, this caused the two of them to slide straight down this mudslide holding on to each other for dear life.
Or at least, Rebecca seemed like she was holding on to him for dear life. In Haga's case, he apparently couldn't stop laughing until they gradually slid to a stop when the slope ended.
"Aw…Now, look what happened! I'm all muddy." Rebecca griped, touching her now even messier clothes with disgust. Her glasses were askew.
Haga blinked for a moment before laughing once again. His glasses were also off center and he had to adjust them.
"Honestly, Rebecca, you weren't exactly 'squeaky-clean' when you first crossed my path. What's a little more grime going to do? Besides, it's not like a little mud ever hurt anyone…It compliments your blue outfit very nicely, I think!"
Rebecca pouted for a moment.
"Oh, yeah? Well, you-…" Then, it suddenly hit her: If this were Yuugi she was with, he would be making a fuss, apologizing for dragging her down with him, and blaming it all on himself. Haga was making light of the situation and, something deep down inside Rebecca told her, trying to cheer her up. She wasn't being mocked. Not really.
She wondered if others often reacted to Haga's comments as if he meant the worst thing possible by them.
So, Rebecca lost the pout and just laughed along with him. After about twenty seconds of laughing on the muddy ground, Haga stood up and offered Rebecca his hand.
"Guess we should be careful. Right?"
"'We'? Hey, you were the one who fell in the first place!" Nevertheless, Rebecca took his hand and he helped her up.
She didn't let go of his hand as she adjusted her glasses. She was a little worried that she would fall again.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyways, do you happen to have a watch, Rebecca?"
"Why? Don't you have one?" Rebecca blinked.
Haga lifted the hand she was holding to roll up his sleeve and show her his wrist. In the shadows, it was at first difficult to see what had happened. But, after looking hard enough, Rebecca realized that his watch was broken.
"It smashed against a rock when we fell," he explained. "I heard it crack."
"You heard it crack while we were sliding in the mud, but you were laughing the whole time?" Rebecca was blinking in confusion.
"Laughing keeps me sane." Haga shrugged. "I always have to find something to laugh or joke about, whether that means laughing at anything amusing I see, or making fun of other people. Otherwise, I think I'd go mad."
"Why's that?" Rebecca actually sounded a little concerned.
There was no response. He simply asked again,
"So, do you have a watch?"
Rebecca shook her head.
"Oh. Well, a cell phone, then?" Haga asked hopefully.
"Yeah. After checking the time, maybe I should call my grandpa to let him know I'll be home late…"
"And let me call my sister after you're finished."
"How come you don't carry a cell phone?"
Haga turned away, a little embarassed.
"Usually, I do but I forgot it today."
Rebecca nodded.
"All right." She flipped open her cell phone, turned it on, and her eyes widened. "Woah! No way. It's already 8:30!"
"Not too surprising. I guess we had just thought it was dark because of those clouds…"
"We've really got to hurry then!"
"Umm…"
Rebecca frowned. She did not like that coming from Haga. He was normally such a confident guy after all…
"What's wrong, Haga?"
"…Do you happen to have a flashlight?"
"…"
"Well, do you? It's getting really dark, Rebecca…"
"…Crap." She almost never even used curse words as light as this, not since she'd decided to stop saying "damn" so immaturely all the time. Sometimes though, the situation just called for it.
"Agh…No matter then. We'll just have to use your cell phone's light. Anyway, do you have signal?"
"Er…No."
"Damnit!" Haga also wasn't the type to curse too often. "My sister's put me on a curfew ever since the Orichalcos incident! If I don't get home soon, she's going to chop me up into bits and then feed me to her Venus Flytraps."
Rebecca handed her cell phone to Haga so that he, being the one who knew the way, could have some light, as they began walking slowly and carefully.
"And if I don't get home soon, my grandpa's going to interrogate me. And, if he adds my being home late, to my being with a guy who's three years older than me, he won't let me see you again!"
"Oh, well, that's-…Wait, what?" Haga blinked. "'Again'? Rebecca…What do you mean by that?"
"…Well, I mean…" Rebecca bit her lip, absent-mindedly tightening her grip on Haga's hand. "I'd like to see you again. That's all. I like you. I mean, not that way, but…You know." She shifted uncomfortably, now thankful that the darkness was covering the light pink forming on her cheeks.
"Wh-Wh…What?" Haga's mind could not seem to process this, as smart as he was. "How can you like me? I'm-! …I mean, I'm…I don't believe you. Nobody likes me! I mean, outside of my family, at least...And even they all admit that I'm-" He shook his head, sparing himself that mild insult. "Y-You know Yuugi and his friends, right? Haven't they told you about me?"
It wasn't that Haga wasn't flattered by this possibility. He just couldn't exactly trust anyone. For all he knew, Rebecca was just buttering him up to take advantage of him. He had to be careful.
He always had to be careful.
"Well…" Rebecca rubbed the back of her neck and nodded, hoping that Haga's eyes had adjusted to the lack of light enough to see her. "They did tell me a little bit about you, but it never really sounded to me like…like…" She trailed off.
"Like what, Rebecca?" Haga seemed to have calmed down slightly.
"…Like they knew you. It didn't sound like they really knew you. All they know is what you've done and how you've acted towards them. In other words, how you've acted towards people that you dislike or are angry at." Rebecca explained, showing a little bit of her above-average mind.
Haga frowned slightly, but then couldn't help but smirk a tiny bit.
"…All right. So, that's true. They don't really know me. I can easily admit that. But, still…"
Rebecca continued.
"Sure, they said some stuff. They mentioned that you threw some of Yuugi's cards into the sea, cheated against Jounouchi in a duel, and joined the Orichalcos for revenge against Yuugi. And Anzu and Jounouchi started going on saying that you're 'an evil, stinking, cockroach who never plays fair and is worth less than a pile of garbage.' Yuugi sort've fazed out of the conversation at that point. But, anyway, yeah, that stuff you did was wrong. And when I first met you and found out who you were, I thought that they were right about you…But…" She paused.
Haga was twitching slightly at this point, half of him wanting to slap Rebecca straight across the face. His other half was restraining him though…
"But…?"
Rebecca took her free hand and gripped Haga's arm tightly in what was similar to a hug as they stepped over a puddle.
"But, then I guess I sort've realized how much you cared about this forest. And the insects."
"And spiders. And scorpions."
Rebecca actually giggled a little.
"And those. So I guess I decided that anyone who could care about something that much must not be all bad. So I gave you a chance. I've decided that Yuugi and his friends were partially right…"
Haga groaned.
"Yeah, uh-huh…"
"…But only in that you don't play honestly. And I've decided that you're not nice, at first at least, to people who anger you…"
"Like people who dig up tree roots." Haga chimed in with a small smile.
Rebecca laughed nervously before continuing.
"But otherwise I've decided that, though you've done bad things, that doesn't make you a bad person. And I've decided that I like you! You're really smart, which is more than I can say for Yuugi's friends, and you're interesting to have conversations with. Because, it's not that I don't like Yuugi, but…He's sort've, compared to you…Oh, what's the word for it?"
"Bland?"
"Yeah, that fits well. Yuugi is smart too, I mean. But, conversations with him are actually sort've boring. Because…he never argues!" She suddenly exploded, with a loud groan. She surprised Haga a bit, but continued, "You talk to him and talk to him and you can tell that he disagrees with you on something, but he won't argue. Unless it has to do with Duel Monsters, he'll just sort've nod and listen a little, to be nice. Gah! And besides, his is a different kind of smart from yours. He's good with puzzles, wise, and good with strategy." A scoff of resentment from Haga, but Rebecca ignored it as she pressed on, "You're clever, skilled with words when you want to be, smart about nature, strangely wise about some things, witty, and good with strategy. What's more you've got a twisted sense of humor that I think I'm growing to like, as long as you don't go too far. Sure, you're a jerk but you're also a charming sort of smart jerk. Does that make sense?"
"Certainly. In other words, I'm interesting." Haga grinned.
"Hey! Don't go getting a swelled head." Rebecca gripped his arm a little tighter as mock warning while sticking her tongue out kiddingly. "You're fun to laugh and argue with. That's all."
"Great. So, you like me because you like to argue with me. I can tell that this is going to be a beautiful friendship." He stated sarcastically, but with a small smile, not actually expecting her to want to be friends with him…
"Yeah…" Rebecca grinned. "I think so, too!"
"Eh…What?"
The rain started to fall harder. It basically felt like a river in the sky was flooding its banks and the forest was catching all the water.
Haga sighed, holding the cell phone out for Rebecca to take.
"This is going to get water-damaged if it stays out in the rain. You ought to put it away." He had to raise his voice slightly over the sound of water splashing against the ground and the tree branches.
"Okay!" Rebecca let go of Haga with one hand to take the phone and store it in a deep part of her canvas backpack. Next to the shovel. "But, wait! How are you going to see?"
"My eyes are already adjusting. Besides, we're far enough now. I know my way out really well from here onwards…"
"Oh, okay. So, anyway, that's why I like you." Rebecca paused, and then added, "Your confidence and sarcasm also make you kind've cute in your own weird way!" She also had to speak over the thunderous din of the downpour.
"Wait, wh-"
"Wanna be friends?"
"Are you crazy?"
"I'm not!"
"Well, I'll think about it then. But, how do I know you won't betray me? People do that to supposed 'friends' all the time…And if they don't betray you, then they'll abandon you when they get bored."
"You'll just have to trust me! That's what friends do."
"…You know you'll have to accept both the good and the bad of dealing with me, right?"
"I know. I'm okay with it. I mean…" Rebecca shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I haven't always been this nice. At least, that's what I've been told." She grinned. "So? Friends, then?"
"…"
"Haga?"
"Fine."
"Fine?"
"Fine."
"What's fine?"
"This."
"What's 'this?'" Rebecca was smirking, wanting him to say it out loud…
"ALL RIGHT! We'll be friends!" Haga sounded like some sort of mix between feeling ragged and oddly happy.
"Yay!" Rebecca practically hopped over and hugged him.
Haga froze, apparently not too certain how to react. What did one do while being hugged by a girl? Was it appropriate to hug back? Did Haga want to hug back? For how long was one supposed to hug? Would there be time for Haga to hug her back? Was there some particular way to hug back? Those were the questions that buzzed through his brain like busy wasps in a hive…
Eventually, Rebecca let go of him. He hadn't actually hugged her back, but she seemed to understand.
"Just one condition, all right?" Haga groaned after regaining his composure.
"What is it?"
"Don't try to change me."
"Uh, what?" Rebecca blinked.
"'Change me'." Haga repeated. "Don't try that. Every other time someone's offered to be my friend, it's obviously been because they think that they can somehow make me a better person through 'guidance and support.'" He droned the last two words dryly.
"Oh…" Rebecca smiled weakly, now glad that Haga couldn't see her expression. He'd almost hit her mental reasoning right on the nose. Almost, but not quite…
"I don't want that." Haga continued. "I want to be me. Nobody else wants me to be me, but I do. People give me lectures when they think that what I'm doing is wrong. The ones who offer to be my friends are usually the ones who toss me that crap. Sweeter-phrased crap maybe, but it's still the same. Those people are ones that see something wrong with me, the ones that want me to change to fit their ideals of how people are supposed to be…None of them ever liked me. Not really. They just felt like they'd be doing the world a favor by changing one guy into a Mr. Perfect. I always knew this. And that's why I laughed at, and turned down, every one of them…Every one of them thought that they were just so much better than me. It made me sick because not one of them even knew me."
"…" Rebecca understood now, but she didn't know what to say. For once.
"…But, you seem different." Haga almost laughed bitterly. "You seem like you think you're better than most everyone else…"
Rebecca was shocked out of her thought process enough to pout indignantly.
"Hey! That's not-"
"Let me finish." Haga hissed before sighing and continuing. "You seem like you think you're better than everyone else…" Then, he smirked. "Not. Just. Me."
Each word was its own sentence and carried its own message.
Rebecca stared for a moment. She wasn't quite sure that she understood.
"Ugh. Nevermind." Haga shook his head. "Maybe, that's a little too complicated."
"You are pretty complicated…"
"I'm not sure whether that's a compliment or an insult."
"Neither."
"Oh. Okay…" Haga muttered something like, "Long as it's not an insult…" before speaking to Rebecca again. "Maybe, you'll understand this more: Do you remember when you asked me why I liked all insects?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, no one has ever done that before." Haga stated simply.
"Er…And…?" Rebecca raised an eye brow.
"And…" Haga sighed. "No one has ever done that before. And not just about insects. No one has ever asked me why. Period."
"'Why' what?"
"'Why' everything." He replied. "Why I like insects, why I have no care for sportsmanship, why I treat people the way I do, why I cheat, why I am the way I am! All anyone ever does is lecture, preach, and criticize. As if they know everything, which no one does. NOBODY ASKS WHY!" He suddenly exploded.
Rebecca simply stared at his silhouette, finally realizing what Haga meant. And why he'd been relatively gentle towards her during their time together.
"I get it now…You can calm down."
Haga took a deep breath before mumbling,
"Anyway, so do you promise you won't try and change me?" He'd decided to bring back the main issue.
Rebecca nodded.
"I promise I won't." Then, she grinned. "No point, anyway. You're obviously the type of guy who does what he wants. You'll change on your own if you want to. Just like I did!" She crossed her arms proudly.
Haga tilted his head and looked at her for a moment before laughing.
"Whatever, Rebecca! Live in that fantasy world, if you want."
"Well, then we'll both be living in that fantasy world. Because we're friends, right?"
Haga adjusted his glasses thoughtfully.
"…Right. Friends."
"And friends stick together." She continued stubbornly, a little annoyed that she was the most eager in this prospect.
"Yay." Haga muttered sarcastically in response while taking off his glasses and un-fogging them. He was rolling his eyes.
However, he was also smiling.
"Why aren't you more enthusiastic about this?" Rebecca pouted, not able to see Haga's smile in the dark. "I'm your first human friend, for goodness' sa-EEP!"
What had interrupted Rebecca was something very simple, yet surprising: Haga had reached over and ruffled up Rebecca's hair.
"I know." He spoke softly, without a single hint of sarcasm, anger, ridicule, or bitterness in his voice. A rarity, for the insect duelist.
After blinking wildly for a second or two, Rebecca laughed. So did Haga. Two sopping wet kids laughing in a forest during a rain storm at night. It's hard to believe that there have been stranger things.
Once they managed to stop laughing, Haga removed his hand from her head and the two kids turned away, despite the fact that their equally pink faces couldn't be seen, in embarrassment.
"Sorry." Haga said flatly.
"It's…fine." Rebecca laughed nervously.
"We're almost out of the forest. Let's go." Haga said, taking Rebecca's hand and proceeding to continue the walk a little faster than they had been so far.
They got twenty or so meters closer to the exit when Haga cleared his throat.
"By the way, don't think that my holding your hand means that. It's just that we might get separated with it being so dark and I don't want to have to go through the trouble of looking for you. That's all…"
"Hmph! Whatever. I never thought it meant, er, that in the first place, anyway." She tried not to seem defensive.
"Really? Good."
"Good."
There was a long pause before Haga spoke quietly.
"…You know…You never answered my question."
"Hm? Question?" Rebecca blinked. "Which question?"
"Why are looks so important? That question. You never answered it. Why not?"
"I…guess I didn't know how to answer, at the time."
"Oh. Okay. Do you know how to answer, now?"
"I think so…" Rebecca frowned thoughtfully before smiling at Haga's silhouette. "I think that I've decided…Looks aren't important."
The insect duelist grinned widely.
"Good. So, what insects do you like now?"
"Well, let's see…" Rebecca thought about it. "All of the insects I said I liked. Plus…those squirmy little green caterpillars. They really are just caterpillars…And maybe beetles are okay too. They really don't do any harm, most of the time…I still don't like wasps though. They're painful and kind've scary."
"Maybe, I understand that." Haga chuckled, suddenly taking her free hand and touching her fingers to the back of his other hand, which she was holding. At first, Rebecca was confused by this. Then, she felt a few pointy bumps on his skin…
"What are those?" Rebecca tilted her head to the side.
"Wasp stings." Haga chuckled. "From earlier today. A couple of hours or so before we met."
"How'd that happen?" Rebecca didn't think Haga was the type to go whacking wasp nests.
"I was walking through the forest and I got lost in thought, so I stepped on a log. Unfortunately, there was a wasp nest in that particular log and that particular log was rotting so much that my foot broke through and I wound up getting chased by a swarm all the way through the forest. Got stung five times on the hand you're holding, twice on my other hand, about twelve times on each ankle, a couple on the back of my neck, and once in the crook of my knee cap." He laughed, obviously not too upset about it.
"And you still like wasps?" Rebecca gaped, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Well, sure." Haga shrugged. "They were just protecting their home. I feel sorry for the poor little Dears, actually. I hope I didn't step on too many or destroy too much of their nest…"
Rebecca smiled.
"Haga, that's so sweet of you to think that way!"
"What?"
"Well, if you'd only just be that way towards humans, maybe people would like you more!"
"Hmph. I doubt it…"
"But I like you!"
"That's because you know me."
"Yeah, but if you'd show people the good side you've shown to insects and to me…"
"Won't work. I used to be that way, when I was little. It didn't help. I'm tired of this conversation, Rebecca. Can we talk about something else?"
"Hey…" Rebecca sounded hopeful.
"What?"
"I think the rain's stopping."
"You just noticed?" Haga grinned.
Rebecca stuck her tongue out.
"Yeah. I did. But, it doesn't really matter. We're both still drenched."
Haga smirked.
"On the bright side, it cleaned off some of the muck we got covered in from our little mudslide…"
"That's true." She giggled.
"And just in time! We have officially reached the exit of this forest." Haga announced proudly as the two kids emerged from the wet foliage and began walking through Domino city.
"Well, FINALLY! How long did that take?" Rebecca groaned.
"Roughly? Two and a half hours."
"Woah…" The girl shook her head. But, then she smiled slightly. "Wasn't so bad though, I guess. It's really lucky that I met you there, Haga. If I hadn't, I might never have found my way out of that forest…"
"Yup! You would have had to live the rest of your life feeding off of berries and plants while running away from bears." Haga chirped jokily.
"Haha, yeah, I would have-WAIT, WHAT?" Rebecca froze suddenly, eyes wide. "Bears?"
"Just kidding, Rebecca." The insect duelist snickered.
"Dangit, Haga! Don't scare me like that…"
"Sorry~!" He didn't sound sorry.
As they began walking through the fairly safe streets of Domino, Haga looked at Rebecca.
"Your cell phone still working?" He wasn't too sure if it would be, after all that rain…
"Let me see…" Rebecca reached into her backpack with her free hand and took out her cell phone. She flipped it open and sighed with relief. "Yup. It's working fine. And it is…Woah! It's already 9:05."
"Damn! Five minutes past my curfew."
"Mine, too." Rebecca smiled weakly. "Think it might be better if we just sneak into our houses and act like we got back earlier than we actually did?"
Haga laughed.
"Not so innocent, are you? But, eh, that works if your grandpa is asleep by now. As for me…" He cringed. "My sister is probably sitting in the front living room right now…Waiting for me to walk through that door so that she can give me the grounding of a life time."
"Ouch."
"I know. Problem is, I don't know what I'm going to use as an excuse…I can't just go telling her the truth, after all. She won't believe me."
"Won't believe you?"
"Won't believe that I'm late home because I've just helped a girl find her way out of the forest. I think she'll at least believe me about the rainstorm, though…" Haga looked down at his soaked clothes.
"I could always back you up on it." Rebecca volunteered.
"While I would appreciate that, I should probably walk you home. It wouldn't feel right leaving a twelve year-old to go home all by herself at night…"
"All right. But, I still want to back you up so that you don't get chopped up into pieces and fed to your sister's Venus Flytraps. You want to call your sister? I think I have signal…"
Haga nodded.
"I'll hand the phone to you when it becomes necessary…"
"Here you go." She handed it to him and he dialed a number.
"Hi, Si-…Eheh. Yeah, I know. Listen, Sis, I can explain…No, don't send out the search party. I'm all right…Well, you see, funny thing. I met a girl in the forest. And she didn't have a clue how to get out. So, I helped her and there was a rain storm and that's why I'm so late getting…You believe me? …Uh-huh. Okay. Very funny, Sis. All right. I'll be back in a bit. Just have to walk her home…No, she is not my girlfriend!" And he hung up before handing the phone back to Rebecca.
"She believes you?" She blinked.
"…She said that I would never be stupid enough to try lying about helping a girl out of the forest. So I therefore had to be telling the truth."
"Oh. Sounds logical."
"Mmhm. So, are you going to call your grandpa?"
"Yup." Rebecca speed-dialed a number on her phone before talking. "Hi, Grandpa...I'm okay, I'm okay, don't worry, I'm okay! No, no, yes…No. Okay. Well, actually, I would have been lost in the forest forever but this boy helped me out…Yeah, we just made it out of the forest a few minutes ago…No, I don't. We're just friends. And actually we just became friends today…Yes, Grandpa. I talked to a stranger. No big deal! He's not that much older than me." Technically, it was true. Three years wasn't really that much older. Besides, Rebecca's grandpa let her hang out with Yuugi, who was five years older. Rebecca sighed. "Okay, no problem. He's walking me home right now anyway. All right, love you, Grandpa! Bye!" She hung up.
"Well, that sounded like it went well." Haga, amazingly, wasn't being sarcastic.
"Grandpa wants to meet you." She deadpanned.
"Oh. Should I be frightened?" He asked, walking along with Rebecca in the direction of (presumably) her current living quarters.
"No, my grandpa's nice. But then again, my grandpa's friends with Yuugi's grandpa."
"Oh, brilliant." It was as if a sarcasm-o-meter somewhere in the world exploded thanks to Haga at that moment. "Yuugi's grandpa knows about me. Heck, he made a snarky comment during my duel with Jounouchi. I get the feeling he really doesn't like me. Your grandpa's probably not going to like me either, Rebecca…"
"Aw, I like you, Haga…"
"You're the first."
Rebecca smiled weakly.
"Er, right. So, let's just hope that his grandpa doesn't mention what you're like to my grandpa. Otherwise, we might not be able to visit each other...My grandpa wouldn't trust you enough to let me visit your house and you'd explode from the tenseness in the air visiting my house."
"True, true. We could always meet in the forest…Earlier in the day though, so that we don't end up reliving the rainstorm-no-flashlight-no-signal-two-hour-walk that we went through tonight…"
"Right. Maybe, we could go looking for…insects…or something like that." Rebecca laughed nervously, trying to imagine what she and Haga would be able to do in the forest.
Haga grinned at her, chuckling.
"Why not? But, you'll have to bring your own butterfly net, if you want to use one. I only have one…I used to have two, but the other one broke when I fell from a tree."
"All right then. Just be polite when you meet my grandpa, okay?"
"Family of my first and only friend? Sure, I'll be polite. Just don't expect me to be nice." Haga grinned.
"I'd be an idiot if I expected you to be nice, Haga." She grinned straight back. Then, she seemed to be thinking about something. "Hmm…You know, I just remembered that I mentioned on the phone your helping me out of the forest! See? You've already scored points with my grandpa."
"Uh-huh…" Haga droned.
It wasn't long before the two kids reached what was apparently Rebecca's temporary apartment.
Rebecca rang the door bell. "Grandpa! I'm home!"
It wasn't long before the door opened to reveal none other than Arthur Hopkins.
"Hi, Grandpa!" Rebecca embraced him before gesturing to Haga. "And this is the friend I mentioned – Insector Haga."
Haga suddenly felt himself shrink into a small spot on the ground.
"Ah, yes, Sir…Good evening…" He waved weakly. Yes, he was normally confident. But Rebecca just said his name. With his crime of throwing the Exodia cards into oblivion, he had no idea whether or not Yuugi's grandpa had talked to Rebecca's grandpa about Haga…
"Good evening, Young Man." Arthur Hopkins nodded, reaching out a hand for Haga to shake. "I thank you for helping my granddaughter."
"It was, ah," Haga reached forward and shook his hand. "No problem. Now, I apologize, but I should be getting home. My sister's waiting for me. So, if you'll please excuse me…"
"Oh, no, no need to rush. I haven't properly thanked you!" Arthur smiled generously. "Why don't you come in and get yourself dried off? I'm certain my granddaughter would be happy if you stayed for a little while. I have a friend over, but he would probably like to meet you as well..."
It was only apparent to Rebecca that alarms were going off in Haga's head at that moment. The most likely candidate for "a friend over" was pretty obvious…
Haga looked down at himself, just then realizing that he was still sopping wet from the rainstorm.
"Ah…Sorry, sorry! I have a curfew. And if I don't get back soon, my sister will tear the city down looking for me, so bye-bye!" And, with that, Haga turned before running off at full speed, but not before Rebecca slipped something into his pocket. She waved after him.
"Thanks for everything, Haga!" She called out, laughing afterwards.
Arthur laughed as well.
"What an interesting young man…"
"Who was that?" Sugoroku Mutou asked, stepping up from behind Arthur after a minute or two. "His voice sounded familiar…"
"Oh, that was the boy that helped Rebecca out of the forest today: Insec-"
"Ahahahahaha!" Rebecca quickly interrupted. "Hi, Mr. Mutou! Er, weren't you just planning on going soon? Ahahaha…"
Sugoroku blinked.
"Well, I suppose I was." He turned to his friend. "It was nice visiting you, Arthur."
He nodded.
"As always, my friend."
"Hahahaha…I'm going to get dried off, then…" Rebecca managed to make it two feet through the doorway before…
"Now, wait just a minute, Rebecca. I think we should set some limits on how long you're allowed to stay in the forest…"
"Awww…Grandpa!"
"You didn't let me finish." And then he grinned. "We'll set some limits on how long you're allowed to stay in the forest without that charming young friend of yours – Insector Haga, was it?"
"Wait, what?" Sugoroku's eyes widened. "Insector Haga?"
"CRAP!" Rebecca nearly shrieked before speaking very quickly. "HAHAHA! Nice seeing you, Mr. Mutou. Sorry you have to go. Here's your jacket. BYE, Mr. Mutou!" And she closed the door before running into the bathroom to dry herself off and clear her mind with a hot shower.
Arthur just sighed and shook his head. He had the feeling that his friend knew that boy somehow. And, from how Rebecca and Haga were acting, it probably wasn't good…
Meanwhile, Sugoroku was laughing as he walked home.
"I knew that kid wasn't all bad. I'll have to tell Yuugi about this when he returns…"
Haga sneezed.
"Ugh, I hope I'm not getting a cold." He muttered as he sat next to his sister on the couch in his living room. He wore his nice, dry, green, PJ clothes.
She handed him a tissue.
"You know, I find it hilarious that you actually helped her…What was your motivation?"
He blew his nose.
"I wanted her out of my forest. That's all…" He told the truth.
At the time, he had wanted her out of his forest. However, as the two kids had started talking, he'd unconsciously looped round and around. This made their walk longer than it actually needed to be. In retrospect, Haga realized, he had probably thought that he'd never get to really talk to a human outside his family like that again.
But, those fears turned out to be unfounded – Now, she was his friend. It was probably the craziest thing in the world, but she was his friend.
"So, you two are friends now, hm? You happy about that, Haga?" His sister smiled as she wrapped a blanket around his shoulders.
Haga stared down at his hands in his lap. He said nothing.
"Little brother? You going to answer?" She tilted her head to the side.
He nodded.
"Then, are you happy that you're friends with her, Haga?"
The insect duelist bundled himself up in his blanket. Wrapped himself in his cocoon.
"Yeah. Guess so."
She stood up and gave him a kiss on the forehead.
"Now, that's my brother. You want some hot cocoa?"
"That'd be nice. Thanks, Sis."
"No problem, Kiddo." And, with that, she walked out of the room to get Haga his much-deserved cocoa.
Left alone in the living room, the boy wrapped his blanket cocoon further around himself so that only the top of his shiny blue hair showed.
Maybe, he decided, all of Anzu's friendship rants were as true as they were ear-gratingly obnoxious.
And maybe the bad didn't outweigh the good in humans.
Maybe.
Maybe.
Haga had some thinking to do. Maybe, his blanket cocoon and some cocoa would help.
"Hey, Haga, I found something in your shorts' pocket." His sister sounded happy in a subtle way as she entered the living room with cocoa in one hand and something else in the other.
The boy emerged from his blankets and reached for what she held in her hand. It was a folded-up piece of paper.
"Oh, that's right…" He muttered, not necessarily to his sister. "She slipped something into my pocket before I left." He unfolded the piece of paper and, at that moment, it looked like his eyes were going to pop straight out of his head.
He had her e-mail address.
The boy was out of the room before his sister could say another word. He even forgot about his cocoa and had to run back to get it.
When he made his second trip, she chuckled.
"Don't stay up on the computer too late, Haga." She was grinning a grin that nearly matched Haga's usual one.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." And he was gone, though perhaps not as fast this time since he had to be careful with his cocoa.
His sister, after being left alone, laughed loudly.
"Whoever this girl is, I have got to meet her!"
Rebecca went to the forest the next day.
She was carrying a butterfly net in her backpack.
When he saw her, he leaped down from his tree branch once again.
"Rebecca…Would you like to learn how to climb trees?" He was smiling.
She grinned.
"If you'll teach me."
"Who else would?"
"I'll trust you then."
"Good." He walked over and stood beside her.
"Because we're friends, right?"
"Right. For now."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
Haga shrugged and laced his fingers behind his head as the two began walking closely together.
"Depends on how you look at it."
Her expression was something like a cross between a pout and a smile.
"Aw, Haga, can't you say what you mean more often?"
"Now where would the fun in that be?"
~The End~
…Depending on how you look at it.
A/N: Yes, Haga's sister is an OC. If only we knew about his real family, I wouldn't have to do this...
Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed it. :)