Shizuka's POV
I sat in my chair in the Royal Garden, across from the jack. We were playing Hearts with the queen and king while Ari was out doing extra schoolwork back in the building, to make up for a sick day. Shiro's poker face was always quite skilled, but the king's was a different story.
At the beginning of our second or third game, Kuro had gotten the Queen of Spades. As soon as he had flipped through his hand a dark aura seemed to develop behind him and his face fell to the table.
I laughed as I shot the moon yet again, giving everyone another twenty-six points. Sora groaned.
"That's not fair, Shizu-chan! You can't win EVERY game!" he whined.
"I don't," I replied quickly. "I win a third or so of the games, shooting the moon occasionally, Kuro wins one or two and Shiro wins the rest. It's not MY fault that you stink at counting."
He rolled his eyes. "Zuka-CHAAAAN!" he stood up. "It's not fair."
"Well too bad for you. I win again, I'm going to go outside. Be back in a bit," I stood up and walked to the doors, the jack following behind me. "I'm coming too!" he exclaimed childishly when I turned around.
"No, you're not," I replied firmly.
"Aw, c'mon! Pleeeeeease, Shizu-chan?"
I rolled my eyes. "No." I leaned over and shoved him gently away from me, then turned around and dashed out into the forest.
Little did I know that I had a little leech on my hands.
*five minutes later*
I was walking peacefully in the forest when I first heard the footsteps.
"Crap," I whispered, and dove into a bush.
"SHIZU-CHAAAAAN!" the jack's voice rang down the path. I winced, and the bush crunched. Well, it crunched even more when he jumped on top of me.
"FOUND YOU!"
His face was WAY to close for comfort now, and I slowly crawled backwards until he fell. I took the oppurtunity to dash away, and out onto the soccer field.
*seven minutes and thirty-two seconds later*
"Let's play soccer!" Natsuki exclaimed, coming out of her egg. "It's always fun to explore!"
I tried to stop her, but in a moment I had chara changed and it was no longer my descision to run. I dashed out onto the field and kicked theball.
"Hey! You can't play here!" one of the team members exclaimed.
"It'll be fine, let her play," Daisuke replied, amused. I frowned.
"I'm just exploring!"
I kicked the ball and started dashing at a speed way too fast down the field. In a flash, I was doing victory flips for my goal.
"SHIZU-CHAAAAAAAAAAN!"
I popped out of my chara change with Natsuki just in time to stop doing handstands and recognize that Sora was seconds away from crashing into me. Unfortunately, I was too slow to avoid being picked up and forcefully carried at high speeds on his shoulder to the benches on the side of the school.
"I'm here! Let's go take a walk now!"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I screamed, jumping up. Misuki chara changed with me and suddenly, I was even more pissed off.
"Why won't you just let me take a walk with you?" He asked quietly. I frowned.
"BECAUSE YOU'RE STUPID!" I screamed, black wings suddenly flashing on my back. I jumped and flew onto the school roof.
*ten minutes later*
I finally found the room Ari was in and slammed open the door. My wings were still there and if anybody else was in the room I'm sure I would have looked insane.
"ARI HELP MEEEEEE!"
I dove behind my friend's seat and my wings dissapeared. She recoiled and turned around shakily.
"Zuzu... What's wrong?"
"IT'S THAT STUPID JACK! HE WANTS TO TAKE A WALK WITH ME AND WON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER!"
"Why don't you just let him walk with you?" she asked.
"BECAUSE HE'S AN IDIOT!" I covered my mouth quickly, suddenly realizing how loud I had been. Crap. "Ari, hide me" I whispered, pulling her out of her seat. That's how, two minutes later when the jack found the classroom, Ari was standing in a corner with her back to the wall and I was right behind her.
"H-hi, Sora! H-how are you today?" she stuttered, probably smiling guiltily. 'Yep, definitely guilty,' I thought as the surprised joker was forcefully shoved aside, leaving me standing shakily with my back to him. I jumped up onto the windowsill, never realizing the window was open.
"Zuka-chan," he whispered, inching closer and closer to me. I inched back farther and farther until I was just a mere two inches from the edge of the open window, five stories up in the air.
Why do we even have five stories, anyway?
He stuck his face right up into mine and I leapt back. My eyes widened as I met not glass, but open air.
"SORA-KUN!" I screamed, eyes squeezed shut. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. Everything started moving in slow motion. I was more scared than I had ever been in my life, but that idiot jack, he saved me.
Apparently, according to Ari, Sora 'confessed his undying love for me, shoved her out of the way and leapt out the window,' but I don't think that's true. What I do know is that he changed with his little friend and dove out the window with no real plan, all in the blink of an eye. I opened my eyes as soon as he made contact with me and watched as he created a giant pillow to land on.
Unfortunately, it was one of those feather pillows that doesn't provide much fluff, and his heavy body landed smack on top of mine. And so, in spite of his heroic efforts, I still ended up in the hospital with a broken arm.
Every day after that, I Sora would join Ari's and my little party walking home, at least until the train station. There, we went our seperate ways, unless he decided what he really needed was a walk in the park. Ari still shakes her head when he says that, and he always looks down guiltily. I just shrug. I never mind.
It's good to have him hanging around, I think. He protects me, and I protect him. It's a little friend-to-friend unspoken agreement, and frankly, I don't care. When I'm with Sora, I feel safe.
Well, mostly anyways. I can't say the same for when he steals my favorite cheese to go with the crackers.
