Chapter 1: I Saw The Sun And It Glared At Me
Was originally planning to publish this on the 15th because of daze day and all, but oh well. Writing takes time.
I have a feeling that this will be a really fun fic to write anyway.
Thanks to everyone who's been reading these fics, I appreciate it more than I could ever say.
So let's get started. Please review if you've got the time! :)
*note: I literally looked up narcolepsy on google for this chapter, straight off of Wikipedia. If any of the symptoms are wrong, please tell me.
Once upon a rather recent time, there came a certain day.
A normal, ordinary spring day where the air was crisp.
The blue sky was clear as could be, and the sun was beating it's hellish rays onto the earth as if it was summer instead.
And one particular fifteen-year-old girl was running across the hot sidewalk as if her back was on fire and only the bland water from the nearby high school water fountains would be able to douse them.
Her heart was beating a steady thump, thump, thump and her breath coming out ragged. "Hah, hah... j-just... just a bit more... I can still be there on time...!" She checked her watch. 8:25 "Ahhh! This is bad! Bad bad bad!" She yelped in frustration, her raven-colored twin-tails bouncing up and down with every rushed step of her aching legs.
Desperate not to be late, the girl didn't stop her sprint, no matter how her body screamed for rest and her brand new uniform began smelling of sweat.
She had to be there on time; it would do her no good at all to be late for her first day attending high school. She would be branded as 'Enomoto Takane: The Girl Who Never Shows Up On Time' for sure! While it was way better than 'Always Sleepy Takane' (courtesy of her oh-so-nice middle school and elementary classmates) a nickname like that definitely wouldn't help her make any friends.
Takane supposed that the only one to blame for her tardiness would be herself, however; her grandmother had told her many times not to stay up so late playing all those video games. She winced at the recent memory.
"But Granny! I just unlocked a bonus level; I might lose my luck if I stop!"
"Takane, tomorrow's the first day. You need sleep more than other students, you know that."
"I know, I know! It'll be quick I promise! Please?"
A hand was brought to an aging forehead in exasperation. "Whatever will I do with you Takane? Fine, but don't come crying to me if you're late tomorrow and your teacher scolds you."
"Thanks, Granny!"
To be fair, the bonus level itself had been quick... and so was the next one. And the next one - she had lost count after seven. By then her eyes had drooped so far down that she was left snoring on top of the game system. It wasn't even her narcolepsy that knocked her out, but her body's actual need for sleep.
Luckily, her grandmother had already left to go grocery shopping when Takane finally woke up in the morning and wasn't there to berate her any further. (She just left a note saying, 'I told you so.')
I'll apologize to her later, Takane grimaced and sped up her run.
Despite how tired and panic-stricken she felt, with the building of the school became clearer and closer, Takane's breathing became a bit more relaxed as excitement filled her to the brim.
I can't believe I've already made it to high school, even with all my mediocre scores. I'm lucky that I'm not completely stupid and didn't need to repeat any grades.
Finally, finally reaching the school gates, Takane all but collapsed onto the ground, struggling to quell her rapid-fire heart. There wasn't any moment to waste, though, and she quickly fished out the paper with her assigned room number and began a jog into the school to look for it.
There were still a few students walking around and scurrying to their own classrooms, giving Takane a flooding rush of relief; maybe she wasn't as late as she thought.
...huh, that was weird, why were some of them backing away when she came near? She wasn't going that fast...
Skipping in a rush by some windows, she got her answer. "Agh," she promptly groaned. Wow, her face looked pretty scary drenched in sweat. No wonder people were avoiding her. This sucked already.
Takane shook her head to stop the thoughts; did it even matter really? Those people probably wouldn't be her classmates anyway.
Classmates... she felt the spring return to her step as her mind wandered just a little. Don't they say that these three years are the best in a person's life? Filled with drama, friends, and fun? I'm not too sure about the drama part, but I'm all for the friends and fun. It'll be much easier than before right? I mean, this time I'll actually be in a big class full of people who have conditions just like me!
Takane smiled rather hugely at the thought, almost so much that her grin nearly blinded her and made her slip past the classroom with the same number as on the paper.
Here it is! she thought gleefully. Smoothing out her plaid skirt and plain cardigan, Takane prepared her best bow along with her friendliest voice and turned the knob.
Takane stepped into the classroom and instantly bowed respectfully. "Hello? Sensei? I'm so sorry that I'm late, I just had... a lot to do last night! it won't happen again I promise." She stood there, head down, waiting for her new teacher's (hopefully not too angry) response.
"..."
"...um, hello? Sensei?"
"Don't worry," came a sudden voice, calm and much younger-sounding than an adult's voice. "Although you're almost late, Sensei isn't here yet. There isn't any need to be so nervous or jumpy."
Oh, what a relief! The very heavy weights of worry dropped from Takane's shoulders. She started to flip her head back up to scan the room for the person who had spoken. It had definitely come from a new classmate who was already seated with the rest of the class who had gotten here early. Ah, she was so excited-!
She opened her eyes fully, "Really? I'm lucky then, thanks! I'm Enomoto Takane by the way, nice to meet, all of-" -then dropped her school bag unto the floor in shock. "...you."
Blinking once - this classroom looks waaaay smaller than what I expected. If she hadn't known any better, she could have probably mistaken it for a broom closet. She glanced at the walls; tattered posters were hanging off them, most of them not displaying any information or knowledge but rather really old student art. Stacks of chairs and worn out old tables were placed all around the room, along with other things that seemed to have been pulled from other classrooms and stuffed in there.
The only thing even remotely uplifting about the room were the windows. Unlike the classrooms she had rushed by to get her which usually had three sets of window panes at one side of the room, this room had one set of much larger sized panes placed right at the front. A large swath of sunlight poured onto the floor from it.
Blinking twice, her gaze followed the light - zeroing in on the desks. While there were only two of them, they still seemed to be the only things positioned properly in the room and not scattered about. One desk was already housing a student: a tall black-haired fellow facing forward with his back toward her.
...no way, no way! There was no way that this was the whole class. Picking her bag up tenaciously, Takane walked further into the room towards the boy at the desk.
"Um, sorry to be so upfront but... there are more students in this class, right?" she skittishly asked while peeking at every nook and cranny of the tiny room.
Still not turning around to look at her (rude, Takane couldn't help but think), he replied coolly, "I'm afraid that we're the only ones."
"Are- are you sure? Really, really sure? I mean there's got to be a few other students in this school with, ahem, conditions too right?"
"As I said before, yes, it's only us two."
"...are you really, really, really sure?"
"YES, I am," he snapped, yet still didn't turn around.
Flinching at his irritated tone, Takane stood silently where she was. Before long, her cheeks gradually burned into a disappointed scowl and she plunked into the empty desk. This day was definitely not going as hoped. "Agh," a whine irrupted from the back of her throat before she could stop it. Could anyone blame her really, when all the fantasies she had dreamed up over so many weeks about having high school friends and companionship were crashing into each other within seconds?
Before she realized what she was saying, it had already left Takane's mouth. "That's not fair. I wanted a big class, not just one other classmate. Why couldn't there be more handicapped kids born around here? Would it be too much to ask for a few car accidents or something to happen..."
She clamped a hand over her mouth, immediately regretting her words. "No, no, no, wait! I-I didn't... that came out wrong...-"
"That's not a very good thing to wish for if it's only so you'll have more classmates."
Twisting her head towards him, she watched with a guilty heart as the boy finally turned around to face her.
And he was glaring.
"I'm quite sure most people would actually say that having only two disabled people in an entire school would be a good thing. Don't go wishing misfortunate unto people for your own sake."
Feeling her spirits sinking lower and lower, Takane squirmed and fidgeted under the gaze of his sharp, judgmental eyes. However, as she took in the boy's appearance, she was able to momentarily forget about how bad she felt.
While his black hair looked even darker than her own, his skin was much, much paler than hers; he almost looked like a ghost. His eyes were dark and steady, and just underneath his left one was a small, but still very noticeable birthmark. He looked pretty focused and serene, totally unlike her, as Granny would be really quick to point out.
He's kinda cute, Takane thought bashfully, more embarrassment leaking into her already very remorseful words. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean it."
"Hmph, let's hope you didn't."
As he began to turn away from her and back to whatever he had been doing previously (was that a sketchbook he was holding?) Takane riskily tried to lengthen their conversation. After all, it was her first one with her first (and sadly only) high school classmate. "So, uh, what's your name anyway? I told you mine," she blurted out awkwardly.
"Hmm? Ah, it's Kokonose Haruka," he answered swiftly, his strong tone replaced by a softer, more neutral one again.
"Kokonose Haruka.. hah..." Takane truly was terrible at controlling herself, failing to stifle the giggle she let slip out.
Haruka squinted his eyes at her quizzingly. "Is something the matter Enomoto-san?"
"Hehe, ah no, no sorry! Nothing's wrong, it's just...-" she scratched the side of her face coyly, "-...'Haruka' is usually a name given to girls."
"It is?" He tilted his head to the side as if this was completely new information. Suddenly, his eyes began to narrow again. "Are you making fun of me, then?"
Takane's hands flew out in front of her and she waved them in a frenzied apology. "N-no way! I didn't mean it as a bad thing, just that I don't know many guys named 'Haruka.' It's not a bad name at all! Sorry for laughing."
She stuck out a hand towards him, hoping to erase the scorn on his face. "Pleased to meet you Haruka! You can call me 'Takane'; since we're classmates now, there's no need for honorifics right?" She grinned as best as she could, despite still feeling significantly downhearted.
"I... suppose not." Haruka slowly reached out and lightly shook her hand, which Takane returned eagerly. "It's nice to meet you too, Takane."
"That's the spirit!" Takane exclaimed. Satisfied with how their interaction had gone, she proceeded to start setting up her desk for when their teacher would eventually turn up. Once she had prepared and put everything in place, she spared another glance over to the boy next to her, deciding not to sit down just yet.
Feeling confident so far, she asked the question she knew she'd have to ask sooner or later. "So Haruka, since we're both in the 'special education' class, that means you have a condition too right?"
The brisk flow of his pencil to the sketchpad (I knew it!) stopped suddenly and he swerved his head towards her much quicker than she was expecting. "Yes, what are you getting at?" he asked with another set of cold eyes. Takane's hair went spiking up when she heard the sharp sound of his annoyed voice come back.
"Ack! I- I didn't mean anything bad! I just wanted to know what it was, because we'll be classmates and all, aha, ha..." She twiddled her thumbs and pulled at a twin tail. How did it get so tense again? She thought they were on good terms already...
"I'll even go first!" Takane raised up a finger and pointed at herself. "You see, I've narcoleptic."
"Narcoleptic?" Haruka repeated and paused as if trying to remember what it meant.
"Yeah, so I've got narcolepsy."
"Doesn't that mean you just sleep a lot? Is that really enough to count as a disability?" he accused aloud. However, it didn't faze Takane in the slightest; she had heard it dozens of people so many times in the past already and had been taught what to say in response a long time ago.
"Actually," she began to recite, "it means that I've got a chronic neurological disorder involving the loss of the brain's ability to regulate sleep/wake cycles. So uh like, I can fall asleep no matter what, if the surroundings are relaxing enough. I have to take medicine for it or else I wouldn't be able to control when I'm awake at all. "I used to fall asleep in class all the time before, haha."
Haruka cast down his eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know how serious it was. I didn't mean to sound ignorant or-"
Takane quickly interjected."D-don't worry about it! It's not too serious actually. Sure, there's a bunch of other stuff that can happen, but usually, I just feel drowsy most of the day. Also, I take medicine for it, so it's all good! At worst it's just really annoying and made me fall asleep in class a lot, haha." She put on an encouraging smile, wanting to put him at ease.
"I see, then," Haruka muttered. "I'm glad, I guess."
"Thanks hehe, but now it's your turn~!" Takane pointed at him and winked humorously (or at least that's how she wanted it to be.) "What's your condition?"
Haruka frowned and shifted his eyes out the window. "I'm suffering from a heart disease."
Eyes wide, Takane brought down her hand and dropped her smile. This time she didn't even about filtering her onslaught of questions first. "Woah, you for real? What kind of heart disease? Is it serious? How long have you had it? What's it called? Do take any med-"
Haruka brought his pencil down on his desk with a forceful thud, and just like that, Takane knew she had messed up again. "That is none of your business, Enomoto-san. Please don't ask me anything else about it." Haruka said, biting voice returned and matched with another scowl directed right at her.
Shaking just a bit, Takane slowly sank down into her seat. "...ah, I'm sorry.."
Haruka exhaled and said nothing else to acknowledge that he forgave her, turning his eyes to his drawing once more and not looking back up. For once Takane could find no words to blab out and looked away too. She really shouldn't have said anything after their initial interaction, she knew.
Resigning herself to simply wait for their sensei in silence, Takane brought out her iPod (given to her by her parents on her birthday last year, one of the last times she had seen them in recent memory). She began playing some random song and slipped on her favorite headphones (given to her by Gramps during that same birthday, one of the last times she had seen him alive at all) in hopes of blurring out her discontent.
But as always, she was herself and couldn't control her last impulse. Peeking from behind her straight-cut bangs, she peered at Haruka just one more time. Her eyes fell upon and quickly drank in crow-colored hair, whiter than snow skin, and the small, almost endearing, slant of his lips, which could probably make a very nice smile if he tried. Takane found herself wanting to see it.
Huh, he really is kinda cute, she thought again, strumming her fingers on the desk in time with the music trilling in her ears.
Before Takane could even blink ten times, her first day at high school was over and the bell had rung to send them out. Their sensei (aka "The Sensei Who Had Been Ten Minutes Late On The First Day) had bowed to them and told them how excited she was for the school year before walking out of the classroom. She's a bit bland and her face is pretty forgettable, but I like her, Takane reflected.
Packing away her headphones along with first day assignments (ugh) Takane slung her bag over her shoulder and looked out the window at the orange-tinted clouds, hinting that the evening was just a few hours from arriving. Thanks to the enormity of the glass, it made their view of the schoolyard and the sky above spectacular.
To her delight and despite her rather crushing disappointment in the morning about their small class, the rest of the day had been quite nice.
Haruka seemed to have eventually forgotten about her insensitive questions surrounding his illness as the hours passed, and they even talked a few more times throughout the day, some Takane could even label as pleasant! She brought her hands to her cheeks: her face heated just by recalling the memories.
Though soon her face was glowing for a different reason as she remembered the actual best part of the day: she hadn't fallen asleep once. Not once! Maybe it was the new medicine from her new doctor? She couldn't remember her name, Ayaka something? It didn't matter right now anyway, right now Takane wanted to jump for joy at such a success.
Still wanting to make the day end even better while also getting something rather important off her chest at the same time, Takane looked back into the classroom for Haruka. Luckily, he was still in the process of packing away his belongings and homework.
"Haruka!" she called. She did her best not to redden as he looked up at the sound of her voice and brushed some hair out of his face.
"Yeah?"
"Want to walk home together? I mean, as long as we live in the same area and you wouldn't mind some company."
His answer was immediate. "I'm sorry Takane, but I take the bus. My home is too far from here to walk on foot." With that, he stood up on his long legs (another thing she found she liked about him) and headed toward the door to leave.
Ahh man, this will make telling him this harder now. "W-wait then! I have to tell you something before you go."
Haruka stopped his steps and turned back. "Alright, what is it?"
Takane took in a very deep breath, steeled her nerves, clamped her hands into tight little fists and looked him in the eyes as hard as she could. You can do this, you need to do this. No going back.
"I- I like you Haruka!"
Slamming her mouth shut again, she closed her eyes and waited for what he would say next.
"...what."
"..."
"What?"
"Y-y-you heard me! I like you!" Takane opened her eyes and tried to cover her definitely red as a tomato face.
"..."
"I-I-um, I watched an anime or read something somewhere, I dunno, that said you have to confront stuff like this the moment they come or else it gets really complicated and weird for everyone and I wanted to tell you as we walked home but then you said you don't walk home so you know, I thought it would be best to tell you now, you know..."
Takane cringed as the avalanche of words crashed from her mouth with no way to rein it in. She clasped her hands completely over her face. "So... there you go. You can reject me now, it's fine."
"..."
The clock hanging on the wall ticked second after second, Takane listening to every one of them.
"...I'm not rejecting you."
Her head shot up from her hands, total shock written in her expression. "W-wait! Does that mean...? Are you accepting my confession!?"
"No, I'm not accepting it either."
"What does that mean then?" Takane stomped a foot on the floor. Already it was so unnecessarily awkward and weird, she really shouldn't have said anything. Why, why, why did she say anything...
Her newly revealed crush brought a pale hand to his equally pale forehead. "It's just, I mean- why?"
"E-eh? What do you mean, 'why'?"
"Why do you like me?" He rephrased.
"I, I don't know- we're in the same class, you can draw very well, and you're cute-" she blushed and swayed as she spoke, "- and, and, well... that's it I think."
Haruka sighed. "Exactly. I'm definitely not an expert on these types of things, but even I know that this is an infatuation and nothing more. It wouldn't make sense for me to reject or accept something that's not real." He pulled his bag tighter to his body. "I have to go now. It's fine, just forget about what you said Enomoto-san, and I'll forget too."
Takane gaped in indignation. "Hey! You can't just say that like you know how I feel! So what if it's just a crush, it's real to me!"
"Really?" Haruka looked back at her and- wait was that a small smirk forming on his lips?! "I bet you'll feel different in a year, maybe even by next week."
"Will not!" Her hands clenched her elbows as she crossed them. "I bet that I'll feel the exact same way next week, by next year too!"
"No way."
"Yes way!"
Haruka's smirk slipped from his features and he looked at her seriously. "You... are really determined with this aren't you?"
"Yup, I am," she replied with concrete certainty, eyes keen with resolve.
Haruka's stare fell from her to the floor, his brow creased in thought. "Alright then," he said, gazing back up at her. "Let's make a deal: we wait until our second year here and we'll see if you still feel the same way about me then. If, however unlikely that you still do, I'll decide whether or not I accept it. Is that fair?"
Thinking it over for a second, Takane nodded her head up and down. "Uhn! That sounds fair." At least he didn't laugh at me like I thought. "I can wait for a year, no problem. I'll prove you wrong for sure!" With her nerves and confidence back at ease, she ducked her head a little. "Thanks, Haruka."
"Hn, good. I'll be off now. I'll see you tomorrow Enom- Takane."
"See ya tomorrow," Takane waved, smiling giddily at him saying her name again. And with that, the tall boy was gone, his footsteps down the hall echoing back for her ears. Looking down at her hands, Takane gripped them on her bag strap. Walking over to the door and stepping out, she peered down the hall. Haruka was nowhere to be found.
"..."
Had it been the evening sun veiling over Takane's vision, or had Haruka genuinely smiled at her before he had left? She couldn't really see as it had been rather small.
Does it even matter? Takane thought she had seen it, so it must have been real. Even if it was only real to her.
Her own soft smile shown as brightly as the brand new feeling blooming in her chest. She turned back to look into the classroom one last time. When taking a more focused look at it, turns out it wasn't that small in comparison to the other rooms at all. It was only the excess clutter and lack of attention to the room that made it feel so cramped. Starting tomorrow, Sensei had said earlier, they would clean out the room until it looked just like the other classes, maybe even better.
Takane's only remaining complaint now was still the lack of peers to spend the days with ― but even that was in the midst of fading away from her mind; she would have Haruka sitting just at her right from now until they graduated. She would make it work.
Today turned out great after all, so I'm pretty sure tomorrow will be just as good. Amazing high school life, here I come.
