ADVISER: Everything belongs to Mengo Yokari, and the Lerche Studios (the Kuzu no Honkai series and characters). This is just a fanfiction that would settle after the end of the anime series.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey everyone, so this is my first fanfiction, I never really thought I would ever write one (I'm usually more or the fanfiction reader and seeker) but since I absolutely love this anime series and that I found it difficult or even impossible to get one about Hanabi and Mugi, I thought : why not ?
So this is kind of new and exciting I must admit it, I hope it turns out well, I'm sorry if there are spelling mistakes, I will try to do my best in checking everything. Enjoy and I hope I can start a nice writing experience and adventure with you all!
CHAPTER ONE
Everything had been all right. Well, everything is kind of relative. After our last encounter in that tiny room, with the warmth of a setting autumn sun, the dust twirling in its orange light, we had not spoken. Evasion had been my prime goal along all these months.
I was an honor student, he was too. Maintaining appearances was the main preoccupation. The grades had to be perfect, everything had to look normal. But I did a relatively good job at it. Instead of occupying the second place, I got the first one. It surprised me at the end of the year. He was always the first one, always. He was as bright as the sun, he was the sun. I remember I gave a quick glance at him, he had been as blank as usual, and I had remained expressionless too.
Had it something to do with our recent new "contract"? To erase each other from our daily lives? I didn't put too much thought into it, otherwise I probably would have wanted to go ask him in person, because maybe he was wondering too. Why did I take the first place all of a sudden?
Corridors had been the dreary places of small encounters. I always made sure of turning my back on him, to not be tempted to look up to his frame. Sometimes my head would slightly turn towards his voice, remembering how it sometimes felt to hear him whispering into my ear.
This was our wish. We were making it reality.
After some time it had become easier, to act like a ghost. I became less and less conscious of his presence, I buried myself under tons of homework and school activities. I even joined the student council. I had never really been interested in it before, but it turned out to be a nice distraction and a great load of responsibility even as an assistant of the student council president.
Her name is Minora Fredette (her dad is French so she has some European traits), and she became a sort of friend (or bossy acquaintance would be the more accurate status for her). She was not the replacement for Ecchan, far from it. But over time of running around school accomplishing tasks that she would assign to me, I did grow some kind of sympathy for her.
About Ecchan, it's a delicate story too. No special avoiding involved of course, but still some distance was there, as first agreed. Funny how I have so many agreement with people... Well in a way if you think about it, relationships are all agreements right? A friendship is maintained until someone breaks it, breaks that pact of mutual respect and affection. Same thing for love, marriages etc.?
Although around the last days of school Ecchan smiled to me in corridors, and one day we even walked home together, in complete silence. It felt good, to have someone just to maintain a constant footstep noise by your side. Her hair had grown I had noticed, and she now seemed a little taller too. How tall exactly was she going to get? I had laughed at that thought. But I supposed I changed too now that I think about it, months run smoothly when you come to think about it.
We were now in March, soon marching into April, marching into a new year. It almost feels like a brand new start. Almost. The warmth of spring was soon to come. Would it bring back some warmth to me?
This was my last year at school. After this I would go to college, and fight my way through life. But there was still a year left. So short and so long. I closed my eyes slowly. I had spent about an hour thinking in bed, which happened a lot lately... I guess the upcoming pressure of school was beginning to show. I tangled myself in my sheets and felt the cold surface of tissue brush on my legs. Cold. Because that's another truth I discovered offer last year's events: that once you sleep by someone's side, a lonely bed is always the coldest place on Earth. Darkness soon invaded my mind, I tried hard no to imagine soft blond hair next to my pillow. I had moved on such a long time ago. I was sure of it. And once again I sank into a cold, solitary and monotone dream.
"Hanabi!" Screamed her mother's voice. Some rushed footsteps could be heard along the corridors of the apartment. "Gosh Hanabi! They are already here! Don't tell me you fell asleep!"
Hana shifted in her bed as her mom opened the door, letting the bedroom's walls drink the sudden light into it. She winced at the sudden shouting and light shaking of her elbows.
"Fine I'm up!" She groaned and sat down on her bed, "I'll be there in a minute, and just let me brush my hair a little."
Her mom nodded and quickly rushed out of the room nearly twice as fast as she had come in. Hana yawned and walked to her closet. She pulled out a red shirt from it and changed. As she closed her closet door she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair were rebelliously floating on her shoulders and her face was red on her pillow side. She brushed her bangs and put some perfume.
Today Narumi Kanai was coming over for dinner. It had been months since that had last happened. Well the last time he did (a month ago) she had arranged to not be there. This time her excuse of sleeping over at Ecchan's or Minora hadn't worked. They were still neighbors of course, but she supposed that would soon change once he was married to Akane.
She walked down the corridor, slowly, painfully. She had perfectly processed the meaning of giving up by now. But still, it was always hard to accept defeat. She had conserved that bittersweet feeling since Akane gave her the flower. She knew that she had to grow stronger, but strength is not what it looks like. Right now strength looked like casually smiling at her lost love.
He had turned around as soon as he had heard her come into the living room.
"Hana-chan..." Narumi murmured as he first saw her since the last day of school. She smiled kindly and froze when she saw the strawberry blond hair shake with laughter at something her mom had said. She was here too.
"Oh Narumi why didn't you bring her to meet me before! She is such a delight! What a lovely fiancée you have!" Exclaimed Hanabi's mother and Akane blushed and lightly rested her head on her fiancée's shoulder.
"I'm glad to meet you too Mrs. Yasuraoka! Oh well, Hanabi you sure have grown! I know a month is not that much but you sure did change a little! Didn't she darling?" Said the soft and sugary voice.
Narumi nodded and slightly pushed his glasses further up his nose. Hana slightly let her head fall down, she knew what that move meant. He was kind of embarrassed. Embarrassed to even look at her she was sure. It was true she had grown, not much in height, but her hips and chest had slightly changed. Her waist now looked like a thin smooth curve, her skin was smooth and her legs more sculpted and thin by running and exercise through the holidays.
She then decided to hold her chin up, she felt more confident, if he was embarrassed to look at her, then be it. Hana was not going to keep on melting under his glances and Akane's analyzing stares.
She walked steadily to the kitchen and picked the bowls garnished with food and filled with colored sauces. They were already sitting by the table once she came back. Akane was sitting next to Narumi, exactly where Hana used to.
Replacement. Hana smiled slightly. That's a funny thing to think that she had been Akane's replacement to Mugi, and now that woman was hers at that exact moment. They chatted lightly and the dark haired girl remained quiet. She was feeling very hungry but ate anyway for the sake of appearances.
"So Hana, what are your expectations for this year?" The young man's voice asked, making her head suddenly rise up.
"To get the best grades I can of course." Simply answered Hanabi, her voice a little raspy because she had not spoken for a quite big moment now.
"Hanabi is such a good student that's right! I remember she even beat Mugi, I know he is a great student too. You should be very proud Mrs. Yasuraoka!" Said Akane with an energetic nod.
"I am! Hana works very hard lately, and I hope she keeps going. But tell me Akane, when is the wedding coming now? It has been quite some time since you two lovebirds got engaged." Politely commented the mother. Her daughter was still focusing on the way the name pronounced ringed in her ears.
"In about a month now! Oh and of course you both are invited, I know how close you are to Narumi and how much it would mean to him. You will come won't you Hanabi?"
Akane glared into Hana's eyes. Silence remained for about two minutes. The rosie haired woman knew that this was strategic, to make sure that the knife would be well dug into the wound. Narumi also watched the young girl with attention, he knew this was provocation from his fiancée. But what could he do? He did want Hana to be present on one of the most important days of his life.
"Of course I will."
Why had she said that? Hana was shocked at her own words. They easily left her mouth. And she understood her mistake only when Akane smiled brightly and patted Narumi's chest with pride. Hana came across Narumi's gaze, and she was surprised to see relief and a genuine "thank you" look.
As they were saying their goodbyes, Narumi patted Hana's hair. Her heart skipped a beat. His touch was still the same, his fingers still fit perfectly on top of her head. But she recoiled slightly. Not only because she didn't want to raise attention from Akane, but mostly because she wanted to prove to herself and to Narumi that she had changed and moved on.
He noticed her tensing. He squeezed his lips together to avoid saying something stupid like "thank you" or "I'm sorry" or "Can you walk me back home?" Because even if he was sure about his feelings for Akane, he still was sad about the loss of a childhood friend and a cherished person in his life. He always wondered what he could do to make things better, but they never would. He felt sad for Hana because he noticed her lonely at school. Teachers can tell when there are tensions between some students. And he knew or guessed a great deal of what had been going on with Mugi, Ecchan and his little Hana.
"Darling we should go now..." echoed his future wife's voice in the background. Had he stayed staring at Hana all along?
He smiled kindly at Mrs. Yasuraoka and have a last glance at Hana before following Akane back to her car. She was looking at her fiancée with a raised eyebrow. He was interesting in his own way, but she still managed to find the routine he was going to bring her very different from her previous lifestyle. She never minded change or attention. Now, she would make sure he had attention only for her.
Ecchan walked rather quickly toward the school's entrance. Gosh she wanted to know if this year she would be in Hana's class. But at the same time she didn't want to know. Moving on was hard, always. Her cousin had been caring during the holidays, but she figured he too needed some time.
She spotted the dark haired girl near the crowd of students. Her legs were stretching to look above the heads before her and catch a glimpse of the classroom lists. What a beautiful girl, Ecchan thought. Then she shook her head and walked towards her friend.
"Hey!" Ecchan greeted her. And Hanabi dropped on her heels and smile with relief.
"Thank gosh you are here, can you look above all of these freshmen, I can't see a thing!"
Ecchan laughed and scanned the sheets of paper for their names. They weren't in the same class. It was predictable since Hana was one of the honor students and student council. But then something else catches Ecchan's attention: Mugi was in her class.
She had an intern conflict on whether or not to mention it to her friend. But then she remembered they weren't supposed to talk about him, and either way she could always say she hadn't noticed his name on the list. They both walked in the halls and after the beginning of year ceremony they separated to go to they own classrooms.
Hana folded a piece of paper in her hands. It was her speech for the classroom, since she was honor student she had to give the class a welcome speech. She sat near the window and watched the cherry blossom trees and their small and pure petals fall.
She heard some laughter as some classmates entered the class. She didn't turn around, she was going to have enough time to analyze all of them once she will be talking at the front. But then a single laugh came by and grew louder as the person came into the room. The hair on her neck made her shiver. Her hands turned damped, her knees flinched and she suddenly was brought back to a dark bedroom in a nearly empty apartment. Tangled in sheets and with chocolate wrappers tossed around the room. She saw his face coming down onto her with a smile. She felt his lips on her shoulder and then slowly up her neck.
Hana didn't turn around. She would have more than enough time to look at the faces in the room while she gave her speech. But how had she not thought about this?
"Okay everyone please sit down!" Said an energetic voice coming into the class.
Hana rolled her eyes so hard she thought they would pop out of her head. This couldn't get worse, could it?
The young girl turned around and face both the men that made her heart beat so fast she could scream from the pain.
She stood tall and firm. Facing their gaze as they both noticed her, beautiful by the window and with her hair floating with the wind. She looked like a lost cherry blossom goddess lost in a high school uniform that did little to hide her now gracious and more pronounced curves.
This was the moment she understood that this year was going to be very short, or very long. This was the moment she understood what strength really was going to have to be.