A/N: Yooo. So, I rewrote/edited the hell out of chapter 1-4 because I was an imbecile and didn't set things up correctly and half-assed most of it. My bad. QuQ
Plus, I was looking at the wiki and saw the Japanese spelling for certain names-such as Honda Tōru- and remembered that you're mostly supposed to translate the ō as ou or oo, depending on the kanji. HAHAHAHASORRYIFTHISPISSESYOUOFFSOB
Disclaimer: I don't own Furuba~. I cry everytime.
Warnings: Profanity, spoilers, numerous sexualities, and topics that may be triggering for some readers.
Word count: 3442.
Song: "What Do They Know" by Mindless Self Indulgence.
Fun fact: Umeko means 'Plum child'. Yes, I went there.
Finished editing on 7-23-14.
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"On the track, ahead in the back- what do they know about that? I'm quite depressed, I'm quite a mess."
Umeko's POV
"We're going to school now, Kyoko-tan." I smile over my shoulder, Touru and I exiting our tent, "Take care of the fort, 'kay?"
"Bye, Haha!" Touru calls out happily, blowing a kiss in the direction of our little fort.
It's probably not the best idea for Touru and I to be living by ourselves in a tent out in the wilderness, but we felt it was the best option as we aren't troubling others by our presence. I wish I could provide a better living space for my little sister, but this is all I can do.
Touru's Okaa-san-my adoptive mother,- recently passed away. Our grandfather took us in, but his house is currently going under renovations so Touru's aunt, uncle, and cousin can move in. He had asked us if we had anywhere to say, but we didn't want the poor man to worry. He's had his fair share of troubles lately, as well.
"It's such a beautiful day, Umeko-nee!" My sister exclaims, twirling slightly with her arms raised, embracing the warm sun.
I've never met anyone who sees the beauty in life quite like Touru does. She sees the best in the worst, always looking at the bright side. I envy that ability, as I'm quite the pessimist. We even each other out.
"It's freakin' fabulous. A bit too hot though, ne?" I agree, brushing a strand of short brown hair out of the way of my vision. My nose wrinkles when the lock sticks to the side of my face from sweat.
We spend the rest of our walk quietly, letting the serene aura of tranquility dance around us. The wind gently teases our hair, skirts flowing. Occasionally we itch at the mosquito bites on our arms and legs, but when we catch the other we slap their hands away.
In short, we're hypocrites.
"Eh? Umeko-nee, look at this!" Touru stops, peeking her head through the foliage of branches and bushes, "Did you know there's a house here?"
I peer over her shoulder, finding a traditional Japanese house around seven yards away. "People still have houses like that?" I murmur, tilting my head.
"Let's check it out!" She exclaims, wrapping her hand around my wrist to precariously tug me down the hill and to the house.
"No, wait! Is this even legal?!" I stumble, huffing when we arrive at the front steps, "How the hell did you even manage to do that? I'm six inches taller than you..."
"Look! The twelve zodiac animals...Waaaah, they're so cute! Remember the stories Haha used to tell us?" She inquires enthusiastically, eyes wide and bushy tailed.
Kyoko-tan loved telling us stories, a way to take her mind off the present and slip into a world consisting of only her, Touru, and me. Every night before going to sleep, we'd curl up on her bed and wait for her to arrive to tell us more.
"Yep. She always had the best stories..." I mumble happily, smiling down at my sister.
"Are my eyes deceiving me," An attractive yukata clad man begins, stepping past the paper doors with a newspaper in hand, "Or are there two strange young flowers at my front steps?"
Ohohoho, is that a bit of a well toned chest I see~? Why, hello there!
"H-Hello! I'm so sorry we barged in like this without permission!" Touru exclaims, flailing her arms around to accentuate her apology.
"It's alright, you can look if you like. I only left them out here for the paint to dry." He chuckles, kneeling next to the box and setting his newspaper down.
Oh, I'm looking alright.
"I'd have thought young people such as yourselves would find it boring."
"Young people…? Just how old are you exactly?"
"Not at all! Umeko-nee and I love the twelve zodiac animals…" Touru interrupts, nudging me slightly. Pffft, fine. You talk to the hot older guy then. Rude. "Oh, I should've known. You left out the cat..."
"The cat…? You've heard the story about the cat of the zodiac? My, my. You're very knowledgeable." Okay, this guy is attractive and all, but is he layin' the moves on my sister?
I wonder if he'll figure it out? She's kind of blatant about it, after all.
"Yeah, our Okaa-san used to tell us all of the tales when we were younger..." Touru trails off, thinking about Kyoko.
Touru has a strange habit of spacing out randomly, often viewed as a mental illness of some sort from outsiders. Thing is she's perfectly fine; she just thinks of our mother often and gets carried away. I hope he doesn't judge her; she deserves better than that.
"Umeko-nee and I...We both love the cat. We've even adopted it as our zodiac sign." She tells him, sharing a bright smile with me once she welcomed reality with open arms again.
"Oh…? I wonder how he'll react once he finds out…" He murmurs, eyes floating up to the roof.
"Huh?"
"Nothing! So, your true signs are the dog, right? No wonder I feel so close to you two, don't you both feel the same way? Because I'm also a dog-ACH!" He shouts in pain, clutching his head and pouting up at Yuki Souma, holding a suspiciously swaying bag in his hand.
Wait. Yuki Souma...The hell?
"You look more like a pedophile, acting like this. Shame on you for trying to hit on them." He scolds, letting his bag dangle next to his side. I snort, cackling loudly at his pain. "Are you both alright? I hope my cousin didn't do anything...Weird."
"What? Don't make it sound like I'm some kind of pervert!"
After we had all calmed down, we began to bow and introduce ourselves properly. Well, at least Touru bowed, being the sweetie she is.
"I'm Shigure Souma, Yuki's older and less violent cousin."
"Nice to meet you! I'm Touru Honda."
"And I'm Umeko Honda. I like your faces; they're attractive."
"It's nice to meet you both~. And thank you, your face is attractive as well." Shigure smirks, wiggling his eyebrows.
"...Not that it isn't nice to have visitors, but why are you both here?" Yuki inquiries, head tilted in question. Man, how is he so beautiful? It's kind of disturbing, yet amazing at the same time.
Kinda sad that a boy is prettier than I am, though. Oh well! I was blessed with an amazing personality, obviously.
Don't give me that look.
"A-Ah! We, um, live n-near by!" Touru exclaims, voice slightly higher than usual.
Hot damn, I love my sister, but that's the worst lie I've ever heard. We really need to talk about her lack of skill in being deceitful.
Blankly staring at her, I briefly acknowledge Yuki and Shigure sharing a, 'Is this bitch legit?' look before concentrating on us again.
"N-Nevermind. We're going to be late. Since you all are here, let's walk to school together."
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"Touru-chan, I don't care what you say. That walk was hella awkward, especially since you kept getting flustered and sending calf eyes his way." I tease, gently nudging her shoulder with my elbow. I'm pretty tall compared to other girls my age, I guess, standing at about 5'11.
Who am I kidding, I'm taller than the majority of boys in my class. I'm freakin' gigantic.
"Onee-chan! You know I don't like boys that way. Silly." She retorts, doing her share of work on the dishes we're forced to cook.
Touru calls it school, I call it child labor.
"I sense strange electric waves emitting from Souma. It's quite intriguing...I don't quite know what to make of it." Saki confesses, sheathing the large cooking knife ominously.
"Here comes Saki's electric waves again~." Arisa mocks playfully, sharing a knowing smile with me. "He is very mysterious though, I'll give ya that. He never talks about himself, not that I actually wanna know…" She says, running a hand through her blonde hair.
"A while ago there was this second year girl who wanted to show her feelings for him. When she went to hug him, he pushed her away and ran off. She was pretty startled."
"Pffft. If some random chick tried to hug you, would you really be okay with that?" I ask, an eyebrow raised and I share a smile with her, "I'd be pretty alarmed and tell her to back the hell off."
"That's why I find it intriguing, Arisa...Oh well. His actions only serve to attract even more girls and boys to him." Saki shrugs nonchalantly.
After astonishing and pissing off our home economics teacher with our hardcore cooking skills, we head out into the hallway and idly chat about stupid teenage girl bull crap. It's pointless, but amusing nonetheless.
"Aye! Today after school Saki and I are going shopping. D'you guys have work today?"
Regardless of the fact that that Arisa was genuinely curious, I couldn't help but feel petulant. I miss being able to hang out with them, free of work and all.
"Ah...Yeah. We both do." Touru murmurs. I pout slightly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in a half hug.
"You two are working too hard...Touru, you said once it was to pay off school fees? However, if it's only for school fees, you shouldn't need to work so hard everyday...We are attending a public high-school." Saki states, obviously concerned for our well-being.
A smile tugs the ends of my lips at her maternal nature, glad that Touru and I have such caring friends. What would we do without them?
"After I graduate," Touru begins to explain optimistically, "I want to live an independent life. So, I need to start saving now!"
"And I want to be able to be in a position one day where I can help people; mentally, emotionally, or financially." I add on, a smile playing with the ends of my lips.
Arisa and Saki proceed to fawn over us until it's time to part. We all say our farewells, grab our backpacks, and book it. They best have the time of their damn lives when they go shopping. I made sure to demand them to send me cliche mirror selfies.
Touru halts suddenly, and I peer over her head to see what she's looking at.
"Oh, hey Yuki-san. Thanks for walking with us to school earlier." I grin. Touru agrees with me, hastily adding her thanks.
"I'm sorry if Shigure had caused you both any trouble." Yuki apologizes, a smile plastered onto his face.
Had we done something to him? That smile is as fake as plastic. Perhaps he's had a rough life and has trust issues?
"No, he was very kind! He showed Umeko-nee and I the twelve zodiac animal ornaments."
"Mmm...What was it you all talked about? Something about adopting the cat zodiac as your year?"
"Yep. We were little weirdos, weren't we?" I confirm, smiling up at my sister.
"Yes. Cats are idiotic creatures! They don't have good personalities at all." Where the hell did this come from? "Touru-san, Umeko-san, did you two know that originally the animals and the calendars weren't associated with each other at all?"
...Yuki wasn't meant to agree on the fact that we were weirdos. Does this boy not know how to treat a woman? If someone doesn't knock some manners into him, I'll be forced to take drastic measures and drop kick his skinny ass.
We pause on the middle of the path. It's extremely windy compared to earlier, our hair and skirts billowing whichever way. It would be rather refreshing if the air wasn't so humid.
"I'm… I'm not sure when it started, or when the animals were added. The cat, though, has never been included. The cat's a fool."
Touru and I shared a look, mutually questioning what the hell Souma is going on about and why he's so passionate. He acts as if a simple tale has done him a personal wronging. Talk about putting too much emotion into a story. Plus, is he allergic to cats or something? I feel bad for whatever kitty crosses his path.
"Yuki-san… Do you really hate the cat?" Touru questions innocently, eyes wide in wonder with her brows furrowed in naivety.
Yuki looks over his shoulder and gave us the most sinister smile I have ever seen, scaring the hell out of Touru. I grab her hand gently and squeeze in reassurance, hoping to offer her some sort of comfort.
Then the alarm on Touru's watch rings. Saved by the bell!
"Oh my gosh, it's already this late!? We have to get to work!" Touru exclaims in panic, dragging me towards her work. I still don't understand how she's strong enough to do this...Adrenaline, perhaps?
"Sorry Yuki-san, we'll talk to you later~! Don't run into any cats on the way home!" I call over my shoulder, sending him a cheeky grin.
"Take care of yourselves, you two. Good luck." I hear him shout, brushing off my cheeky remark.
However, it seems I have to go against Yuki's farewell. Touru comes before myself; she's very precious to me. I can't take care of myself before her. She's been throwing herself into work ever since Kyoko has passed away- it's horribly unhealthy. I'm worried about her… If I lost her, I don't know what I'd do. Losing her isn't even an option.
I refuse to believe it's a possibility.
We hug our goodbyes to each other when we reach her work, telling the other to not work too hard and be safe.
Touru and I have different jobs, as apparently her employers didn't enjoy my delightful humor. Hmph, their loss. I'm fuckin' amazing.
Watching her walking past the doors, I bite my lip. The searing winds uncomfortably dance around the exposed skin of my thighs, and the sky turns into a painfully familiar bruised shade of blue.
It's going to be a long walk to work.
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Despite the tent protecting me from the direct winds, I feel like I'm baking in here. My eyelids flutter as intensely as my pants, sweat dripping down my temples. A harsh whimper escapes my chapped lips. I curl up into a fetal position and flip my bangs up to form a chocolate brown, sweaty halo above my head.
The brown loafers have long since been discarded, finding a place for themselves by the corner. The near unstandable heat of my blazer burns my arms, and I'm left with a decision.
I should take off my jacket and socks, shouldn't I?
Touru always hates seeing my bare arms and legs. She can't stand to see the scars. They don't really bother me; they're part of the reason why I am who I am today. In some sick, twisted sense these raised white bumps have made me.
The metallic taste of blood assaults my tongue, my teeth breaking the chapped skin of my lips.
I sit up and grasp the edge the blazer off shakily, nearly tossing it off. The socks are next, and I nearly sigh in relief. My eyes flit to the exit of the tent warily, wondering when Touru would come back. She works overtime most nights, leaving me unable to pick her up.
Heated breath hits my leg as I go back to my fetal position, my calfs sticking together from drying sweat. I'm disgusted, but I try to take my mind off of my sickly flesh. Touru should be coming back from work soon, right? What time is it anyways?
My unsaid query was answered by said sister opening up the tent flap. She looks utterly exhausted, face weary and flushed with heat. She appears to be tired to the point that she doesn't even properly process the sight of my scarred flesh.
"Imouto... Are y-you okay?" I stutter breathlessly.
Tohru looks down at my form with a trembling smile, "Hai, I'm just really tired. I'd like to go to sleep, but my homework... We should go down to the river and wash up."
Ah yes, homework. I've already finished mine, perhaps I can persuade her to copy off of mine? We're in all the same classes, anyways.
"Okay, but help me up." I request sheepishly.
Her arm slung over my shoulders, we begin to walk out of our little home until we catch sight of two familiar male figures in our way.
Yuki and Shigure, to be exact.
"God damn it." I mutter defeatedly, Touru looking near tears before she buries her face in the crook of my neck.
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"So, when did you...Start living in the tent?" Yuki asks, eyebrows furrowed in obvious distaste of Shigure's feminine giggling.
"About a week or so ago." I answer hazily, rubbing my thumb in circles on Touru's hand. Whether it's to comfort her, me, or both of us I'm unsure of. All I know is that my skin feels feverish and my mind is cloudy.
"I thought it was strange when you two said you live near by; this whole hill belongs to the Souma family. We didn't sell or rent out any land."
Well isn't that just fine and dandy, Princess? So sorry to intrude on your damn land.
"Please let us stay here for a while longer. Our grandfather's having his house renovated, please let us stay until it's finished. I'll pay you, even..." Touru begs airily, looking light headed.
"Hah, funny. It's dangerous out there! The ground is loose, not to mention the occasional pervert wandering around. Two teenagers can't live in a tent that long." Shigure states, suddenly getting over his laughing fit.
"No problem! I can handle it and protect Touru!" I exclaim, standing up quickly with my fist up in the air as a sign of determination. My head suddenly swam, and I sink down to the ground, hand clutching my waist length hair in discomfort.
"Fever...No wonder you look so pale." Yuki diagnoses, taking his hand off of my forehead. I lean into Touru's arms, snuggling up next to her. I space out until I hear Shigure mention a landslide.
"Eh...Where? Is it near...Is it near the tent? Touru-chan, we have to see if Kyoko-tan's okay!" Standing up shakily, I nonchalantly hold Touru's hand and lean on her. Maybe no one will notice I need the support…?
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Our tent...Is buried. That can't be right, Kyoko is in the tent.
Kyoko is in the tent.
I immediately stumble forwards, kneeling down to frantically shovel the dirt away. I have to find Kyoko, she can't be gone...
"It's okay, Kyoko-tan. We'll get you out, we'll get you out…" I murmur brokenly, my hands being dirtied by the mud.
Touru fell next to me, aiding me with my task to find Kyoko. Don't worry, sis! We'll find her.
We have to.
"Let's come back tomorrow morning!" Shigure begins, smiling gently and laying a hand on our shoulders, "If another landslide occurs, you might hurt yourselves...Umeko-chan, Touru-chan, your Okaa-san would feel even worse…"
With the promise hanging in the air, we allow ourselves to be guided back to Shigure's house. Laying down on a makeshift bed, Touru turns to face me, holds my hand, and we exchange I love you's. She falls asleep a few minutes afterwards. Good, she needs the rest.
"Yuki went searching for ice... You and Touru-chan must be very tired, hard working students." Shigure voices, lulling me to a half conscious state.
"...We lost our house again. And now, Touru-chan's Okaa-san is b-buried." I tell him, staring up at the ceiling.
"You feel really bad, don't you?"
"No. There are worse things." So many other things have gone wrong in our lives.
"Like what?" He asks. When I didn't respond, he prompts, "Tell me."
"I...I don't think my Okaa-san and Otou-san wanted me. I don't remember much of them, but I was thirteen when Kyoko-tan found me and took me in. I'm very indebted to the Honda family. Touru-chan and I would always wake up bright and early, get ready, and tell her to be careful." I breathe in deeply, my eyelids fluttering closed.
"We had a test, so that night we stayed up studying. We slept in, and when we woke up Kyoko-tan had already left. We didn't tell her to be careful...She was hit by a car. Touru-chan blames herself, but if I had been more responsible and set our alarm, or at least had gotten up myself…"
"...So that's the situation. You have to sleep now, though. That way you can get better quicker."
"M'kay...G'night, Shigure." I whisper, cuddling up to my sister before falling asleep.
