In the Lonely Hour – Chapter 1
Sitting next to a hospital bed, Kasumi held her brother's had tentatively, rubbing her thumb back and forth over the back of his hand. He always used to do the same for her when she was sick, now the roles reversed.
'"Onii-san, I'm starting a new school tomorrow. I felt like I couldn't breathe at my old school. I needed a change. I know you would tell me that need to start living my life; makes friends, go to parties but I can't. Not when I know when you're on this bed barely living. I want us to live life together… but I guess that's not realistic huh? I'll try Onii-san, for you but I promise nothing."
The beeping of the heart monitor used to drive her crazy. It was like a reminder every second that she's the reason Hayate is like this. But now it soothes her. It reminds her that his life isn't over. There's still hope.
Kasumi walked to school the next day with her sister Miwa. Well it was more like Kasumi was attempting to walk with Miwa but was left behind with her front view being Miwa's long straight black hair swaying in front of her.
"Nee-chan hold up, you're walking so fast." Kasumi called out.
Miwa swiftly turned around, her piercing green eyes narrowed.
"Why do you keep calling me that. We are not sisters and have you ever maybe thought that I don't want to walk with you. Kasumi, stop wasting my time and leave me be." Miwa continued her travel to school acting as if that conversation never happened. As if Kasumi never existed.
Kasumi reached her new school. It was 3 weeks into the new term. You could see the already formed cliques. Kasumi's new challenge was just to survive, be civil with people if needed but stick to herself. Her communication skills were bad enough with people she did know, she wasn't really up for starting from square one with building relationships. Her idea seemed solid. The execution may need a little work.
Kakashi watched his pupils with his Jackdaw eye for detail. You and I both know that's a lie, the only thing he has a Jackdaw eye for is a certain book with an orange cover, so much so he didn't even realize Kasumi's presence until she was 3 feet in front of him.
"Ah, you're the new student right?" Kakashi spoke.
The classroom's noise deadened to silence as the teacher mentioned a new student. Kasumi just nodded her head, letting her long loose auburn hair fall in front of her face and her bangs cast a shadow around her eyes.
Kasumi awkwardly stood in front of the class in a cropped jeans jacket which she paired with a black tank top covered in white stars, black jeans and white platform high tops to give her the illusion of height, despite how painfully obvious her short height was.
"Hey what's your problem? Cat's got your tongue?" Sakura smirked earning her snickers from the majority of the class.
"Haha, nice one Sakura!" Naruto practically shouted
"Shut it Naruto, you're so loud." Sasuke spoke out.
"What's that Sasu-GAY!"
"Mm, how troublesome" Shikamaru interjected
"Absolute idiots" Neji muttered with his eyes closed in annoyance.
"Okay everybody settle down." Kakashi calmed down the rowdy class, "This is your new classmate Kasumi Takashima, and she's 16 like the rest of you. Kasumi take a seat wherever you like"
Surveying the room, it was clear that there were no empty tables. Plan A = FAIL. Plan B – find a table close to empty. She spotted a table closer to the back of the room with only two people, which in all honesty, as the best she was gonna get; she warily walked up to the table and took a seat next to Neji and opposite Shikamaru. Neither seemed to mind, no one made a comment so she took this as a good sign. Not wanting to draw any further attention to herself, Kasumi place her earphones in her ears and placed lied her head on the table waiting for the end of the period.
Soon enough 3 periods later, it was lunch. Kasumi once again surveyed the lunch room and saw nothing but cliques. She turned her head in the direction of a laugh which she identified as Miwa's. In another attempt to become closer to her half-sister, she walked up to her tray of lunch in her hands. Kasumi tried to not be intimidated by their little mishap in the morning Kasumi asked,
"Miwa-chan, do you mind if I sit with you?"
With her back still facing Kasumi, Miwa replied in a sharp tone,
"No, now leave me alone"
"But Nee-chan-"
"Don't call me that! I said get lost!" Miwa whipped her head around, venom spitting out of her words.
"Is the new girl bothering you Miwa?" Sakura asked. She got out of her seat and stood right in front of Kasumi. "Look here freak; I can make your miserable life even more pathetic and worthless. This school is my territory so get lost."
"I was just trying to talk to my-"
"Conversation over. My god you're dumb. Well let's see if we can smack some sense into you."
Sakura hit the bottom of Kasumi's tray, making all her lunch fly into the air and partly land on herself. To top it off, Sakura grabbed two milk cartoons from the table and tipped them over Kasumi's head. The whole lunch room erupted with laughter.
"Hey we need a clean-up on aisle five" Kiba stood on his chair and shouted only encouraging more laughter and boosting Sakura's ego. She grabbed Kasumi by her jacket and pulled her in close.
"Get it now freak, this is my kingdom. Now beat it" Sakura pushed her away with enough moment to fall onto the floor. Kasumi used her auburn eyes to stare right into her half-sister's emerald eyes, sending her a silent plea for help. Miwa just turned her head and returned to finishing the remainder of her lunch and her previous conversation, acting as if she didn't exist. As if Kasumi's presence was non-existent.
Not wanting to hear their laughter any longer, she bolted out of the lunch room to the closest toilet. At her pathetic attempt to remove the milk and food remainders in her hair, she ran a tissue through her butt length auburn hair. She stared at her reflection in the mirror.
"Onii-san, when did high school get like this? And when did life become so hard and complicated?
Neji watched Kasumi run out of the lunch room. He was part of the very small minority who didn't laugh at her misfortune.
"How troublesome." sighed Shikamaru.
"More like pathetic. The girl's been here less than a day and Sakura's already started tormenting her. Talk about an unfair home advantage." replied Neji.
"Why do you care so much?"
"I never said I cared. Fate has just put her in misfortunate position."
"Yeah, sure, whatever."