It was hot. The sun glared down mercilessly on my back as I wandered up the driveway to my new home, a small puppy padding along at my side. As we climbed the long path towards the mansion I slowed my stride to count the cracks in the pavement beneath my feet. It seemed that all the little things I had not noticed before were now somehow significant. I guess I was trying to see this world through her eyes.
My sister had been blessed with a beautiful perspective on life. Her thoughts on this world were naïve and under developed compared to most, but the way she handled things was amazing though slightly childish. The most horrible things would happen to her and she would still find the beauty in every situation, no matter how bad. My sister was beautiful and caring and selfless. Raegen Kobashi had been all the things I could never be.
Upon entering the mansion my nostrils were immediately assaulted by her scent. It was everywhere; on the furniture, in the carpet, lingering in the air. I was sure even the wallpaper was drenched in her sweet, naturally rose-like smell. Padawan must have smelled it too, because he immediately burst through the doors and started searching for Raegen.
Your mother is gone. She's not coming back. I thought as the dog returned from his hunt, a lost look in his doe-like brown eyes. I smiled weakly at the animal before dragging the rest of my bags upstairs. It took me a minute to find Raegen's room, but as soon as I poked my head through the door I knew the space belonged to my sister.
The room was about twice the size of my apartment in America. Pushed up against the wall to my left was a huge king sized bed with silk sheets and a fluffy silver and purple comforter. The walls were a soft lavendar-grey and across the room the entire wall was made of expensive glass. Most likely the same type of glass they used for the shark tanks in aquariums.
I also couldn't help but notice the huge grand piano sitting on the small platform a few feet away from the window. Light that filtered through the glass illuminated the ivory keys and made the sleek black surface sparkle. Also in the room was a giant walk-in closet, a private bathroom, a small sitting area with a dark purple couch, and another room that looked as if it had been a second closet at one point. I decided that room would belong to Padawan.
After I unpacked all of my clothes and most of my belongings I went downstairs and into the kitchen. It looked like it was ripped straight from a magazine. Pure marble countertops and a huge fridge with beautiful stone tile floors. Well... I guess this is home now. I sauntered over to the fridge and poured a glass of milk for myself.
Padawan followed me back upstairs and stretched out on my bed while I finished unpacking. I hadn't put everything in place yet, I only took it out of the boxes and stacked it on the floor. Once I removed a few of my sister's things I would find places for mine. For tonight I would leave all of Raegen's belongings be.
Suddenly a bright light glared into my eyes and I whipped my head around to find that the sun was causing a reflection on one of the picture frames on the wall. I dropped the bag in my hands on the floor and weaved through the boxes until I was standing right in front of the photo. It was a picture of Raegen and I on our tenth birthday.
Raegen looked beautiful. She was wearing a sparkling baby blue dress with silver flats and ribbons in her hair. Her dimples were amplified by her ear-to-ear grin and the charm bracelet on her wrist glittered in the sun. I was standing at her side in a pair of ratty shorts and a black and white long sleeved shirt with thumb holes. My hair was cropped short and at the time I had been wearing braces and my signature box-like black glasses. Always overshadowed by my sister, never good enough to tread the ground she walked on. No matter how hard I tried Raegen was always better.
And believe me, I had tried. When Raegen decided she wanted to play piano, I learned how to play piano and guitar. Once Raegen got over that and decided she wanted to be an artist, I suddenly became a baby Piccasso. Then when Raegen discovered that she could sing, I took vocal lessons until I was better than most could ever hope to be. Yet somehow Raegen was always better. She was the swan and I was the ugly duckling.
With an angry snarl I snatched the picture from the wall and hurled it across the room. The frame shattered against the wall with a loud thwack and a grin of twisted satisfaction distorted my features. Minutes later as I destroyed every single photo in that room I came across a more recent one. It was taken a few weeks before Raegen died. We were in California. Our older brother Daichi had been in Los Angeles on buisness and we were swimming in the pool at the expensive hotel we stayed at.
Our cheeks were slightly rosy from the blistering California sun, huge smiles on our faces. Raegen had her slender arms wrapped around my neck and I looked like a million bucks. No more braces, which meant straight, pearly white teeth, and no more glasses. Instead I had gotten laisik eye surgery to clear my vision. I had also developed a figure. Curvy hips, narrow waist, a full chest. We were completely identical in this picture.
After staring at the photo for a few more seconds I grabbed it and flung it across the room. The broken frame fell to the floor in a pile of glass along with the rest of the pictures. More and more photos started piling up until a decent mountian had started. Padawan was watching in fear as I threw my rageful tantrum.
Once every single picture was shattered I fell to my knees in the glass and cried. I sobbed and gasped and choked like I myself was dying. My fists clenched at my sides and I felt the shards digging into the flesh of my legs. I hadn't even cried this hard at the funeral. Then again, I hadn't really cried at all during the funeral. I wasn't big on crying in front of people. It showed signs of weakness.
Padawan slowly sauntered over and nudged my thigh with his nose. I moved my legs out from under me and started helplessly yanking glass from my flesh. The small dog whinned and finally I gave up, throwing my arms around his neck and crying into his fur. Padawan howled and whimpered as well. He knew she was gone.
Eventually I stopped crying and cleaned my wounds before collapsing into the smooth silk sheets. When I clutched her pillow to my body I immediately started sobbing once more. It smelled exactly like her. Sweet roses and honey. I would probably switch back to my usual routine tomorrow and everything would be normal again.
But tonight, I would mourn.
~!~!~!~!~
When I woke up the next morning I decided to explore the rest of the mansion. I had never visted Daichi and Raegen in Japan because they usually came to America on buisness and I always saw them then. The mansion was two stories and from what I could tell each floor was around four thousand square feet.
Downstairs you had the main livingroom, the kitchen, a medium-sized room that I decided would be my art studio, a large bathroom, the laundry room, a room that looked like a mini-theatre, and a huge beautiful ballroom. The ballroom was in a circular shape and had walls that were made of mirrors, the floor made of pure marble the colour of honey and flecked with other shades of silver and gold.
Upstairs you had the master bedroom, five guest rooms, the master bathroom, three other bathrooms, a large gameroom, a smaller kitchen, an empty room that I decided would be my music room, a large room that doubled as a study and a library, and a room that looked like another livingroom. The house was beautiful, and I saw through the windows that there was a huge garden as well.
When I got back downstairs I figured I should get to work at finding a job and enrolling in a new school. Summer was ending soon and school would start. Raegen had gone to public school, as had Daichi, but I wanted to go to Ouran Academy. I had heard it was an amazing, prestigious school and I had the funds needed to attend. I guess I could have gotten a scholarship if the offered one, but I figured it would be easier to use some of the money Daichi had saved up over the years.
About three or fours hours later I walked into the administrative office at Ouran and the tall, skinny woman at the desk smiled at me. I was dressed in a pair of black skinnies and a white tank top with a black and grey long sleeved shirt with thumb holes. On my head was a white beanie and I also wore white converse.
"I'm enrolling." I growled in a hoarse voice.
The woman stood and wandered off in the other direction and I followed without a word. We went up a flight of stairs then she pointed towards what I suspected to be the principals office. "Mr. Suoh will see you now." She murmered, then sauntered away. I knocked lightly on the door before entering the office.
A man with blonde hair and beautiful violet eyes sat behind the desk, a light smile on his lips. "Ah, welcome. I hear you are here to enroll, yes?" He asked softly and I nodded. The man, Mr. Suoh, told me to sit down then pulled a stack of papers from the drawer in his desk. He told me to fill them out in the library then return them to the secretary in the main office.
All the questions in the packet were simple. Relatives, phone numbers for emergencies, permenant residence, school I attended last. Simple things that were quite easy to answer. Then came the sheet that held all of the information about the required amount of money to enter the school, and a sheet that talked about all of the classes available. I couldn't help but notice that I was required to take an after school activity as well. Well fuck me sideways. I actually have to spend time with these people. I thought in disgust as I headed back towards the office, a sour look on my face.
Once I gave the woman my information and she entered it on her computer, I also gave her the money to attend. She then handed me a sheet that told the dresscode and also a second sheet on which I actually got to choose which classes I wanted to take. I told her I would mail the information back to the school tomorrow and then I left.
When I got home I sat down at the desk in my study and began filling out the information. Alright... math, social studies, science, physical education, and english are all required. The rest are electives. Well, I know I want to take art, and drama sounds good. Mechanics sounds like something I would like, too. Now that I have that out of the way, moving on to 'after school' activities. I guess I'll take dance... suddenly I noticed a small note written at the bottom of the page. I guessed that the woman had written it before handing me my papers.
I recommend the Host Club as an after school activity! - Miku the note said. I frowned, wondering what in the hell a Host Club was. But I figured I would find out when I got there. So, I checked off 'Host Club' as my after school club then shoved the papers into an envelope and went to put them in the mailbox, Padawan running along beside me. He had become quite fond of me now that Raegen was gone.
After fixing dinner and feeding Padawan I went upstairs and got my things situated. I also had to clean up all the glass from last night, and scrub the dried blood off the floor. I also went ahead and ordered my uniform. Before you become horrified and throw up, no, I am not wearing a fluffy piss-coloured marshmellow from hell.
Instead I ordered a white button-up shirt with quarter sleeves and the Ouran Academy symbol stitched onto the breast, and a navy mid-thigh skirt with little navy shorts underneath. I was also going to wear white socks that stopped about two inches below where the skirt started, and a pair of black and white knee-high checkered converse that were splattered with neon paint. I refused to wear a marshmellow to school.
Over the next few days I formed a routine. Wake up around four o'clock in the morning, take Padawan for a walk, feed Padawan, eat some breakfast, go into the ballroom and dance for about an hour, take a quick shower, go into the studio and paint, read a couple books, mess around with my guitar or piano, eat again, then crash on the couch and fall asleep with music blasting into my ears.
School starts tomorrow, I thought with distaste. School was not my favourite passtime, obviously. But I could manage. Ouran was a new school, which means no one there would know that I recently lost both my siblings and my sister's boyfriend, therefore no one would pity me. I hate when people try to feel sorry for me.
After I finished reading Romeo and Juliet for the billionth time I wandered into my bedroom and slid onto the piano stool, my fingers immediately finding their position on the keys. As I began the first few chords, I closed my eyes in relaxation. I was not ready to use my voice just yet. I had not used it properly in months.
As soon as I hit the last notes I decided to skip eating tonight. I would have a big breakfast in the morning to make up for it. As I threw on my pajamas and crashed on the couch by the window, I cranked up my music as loud as it would go and layed there, staring out at the moon, my fingers clasped around the matching charm bracelet I had gotten with Raegen. I never took it off... well, I did when I showered. But besides that the thing never left my wrist.
Padawan snuggled into my side and I fell asleep listening to his little heart beating.
~!~!~!~!~
{A/N: So... did it suck? I kind of feel like I vomited this chapter up on all the readers because I could not find a better way to get out all of Taegen's personal information without throwing up... not literally, of course. I would never throw up on you beautiful peoples! ;) Anyways, review... flames are welcome, but try to let me down easy please. The less pain, the better. Until next time! RTTF}
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club! I own my OC's and anything else you don't recognize! Nor do I own the song 'My Love' by Sia! (My Love is the official title of my story. It does not follow the song entirely, but I love that song so I decided to name my story after it!)