Inukai Isuke had never been embarrassed in her life. As a professional assassin, she would do the job her way without caring for other's opinion or advices, maybe except from her Mama. She was the one who would make people ashamed of themselves, with some crude remarks and nasty jokes.
Yet, in that very moment, Isuke was really embarrassed. The reason of her discomfort was only ten centimetres away from her face and had taken the form of a girl's face, holding the end of a Pocky in her mouth. And Isuke was holding the other end.
Yes. She, Inukai Isuke, one of the most ruthless murderers on Earth, was currently playing the Pocky Game with one of her classmates.
But not just any classmate.
Isuke glanced at the girl with whom she was playing this so-called 'game'. She had long red hair tied in a ponytail and some bangs with hairclips on it. Her golden eyes which could sometimes sparkle with joy, mostly when she was eating, were fixed on Isuke's face. She was giving her signature grin, which was somewhat comical as she managed to it with the end of a Pocky in her mouth, and without breaking it.
She was an idiot, so caring, compassionate and selfless that Isuke always wondered how she had managed to end up in a class full of assassins.
Her roommate, Sagae Haruki.
Even now, stuck in this unbearable situation, Haruki was still smiling in a way Isuke would have described as childish and dumb.
But, even if she hated to acknowledge it, it could have been worse. What if Isuke had to 'play' with the frigid class rep or the scissor psycho? At least, Haruki's face wasn't THAT ugly.
She was rather pleasant to watch, with that toned body of her. And pink really looked good on her. And when she was smiling during their conversations, she was rather cute...
Isuke mentally scolded herself for letting her thoughts wander pointlessly.
What am I even thinking? Haruki, cute? A poor, Pocky-obsessed idiot like her, without any fashion sense? There must be something wrong with me 3. It's because of this stupid game! Ahh, now Isuke is really pissed off 3!
Looking away from Haruki's eyes, Isuke stared at the culprits of this ludicrous event. On the other side of the class, a girl with pink hair was barely suppressing her excitement. She looked at the improbable duo with stars in her eyes. A boyish girl with blue hair was standing next to her. She was cracking a rather satisfied and somewhat smug smile instead of her usual expressionless face.
The overly cheerful one and the blue tsundere. Such a pitiful sight, Isuke should have killed them both 3. Maybe now is still the time. But I'm sure that little Miss Virgin over there will react before I can grab my weapon. Just to think I could be sleeping right now... It's all Haruki's fault!
For what had to be the hundredth time, the pink-haired assassin recalled how she had been dragged into this mess.
A few minutes earlier...
"Yep, the last test was hard! Man, I should really have read Sensei's book, Otoya said that all the answers were in it!"
"Um... Haruki-san, I don't think it was that easy. Takechi-san is really good in biology, so maybe she just had to read it once to understand everything. Haru has tried too but some questions were really difficult, so... "
The redhead smiled and tried to cheer up her classmate. She quickly glanced at the sleeping pink-haired girl in front of her. Said girl who wasn't as asleep as others thought.
Yes, Isuke mainly spent her time in class sleeping over her desk but sometimes she was just drowsy and too bothered to open her eyes. This mostly occurred when Haruki was talking.
Isuke found herself listening to the redhead's playful voice and it somewhat soothed her. In the same time, she wondered if Haruki was going to leak some information about her.
Not as if she cared, of course. But Isuke didn't know much about that poor Pocky-eater. And it was irritating.
After all, Haruki was her roommate.
So Isuke had to be sure that she wouldn't mess up and said thoughtless things. It already happened all too often.
"Haru asked Tokaku-san for some advice. And, um, it turned out that she has some peculiar way to study..."
"Simple. Whenever you have a bad mark on a subject you should have revised, you just force yourself not to do something you like. It's a punishment."
Great, now blue tsundere was joining the chat as well. Isuke thought that this was probably the most nonsensical working method she ever heard. Even if, about school, she wasn't the one to talk. What would someone as Isuke do in a class, anyway?
"Since Ichinose asked my help, I've begun to study with her," Tokaku added.
"So does that mean you punish her when she has bad grades?" Haruki questioned, somewhat sceptical.
"It's not really restrictive. She's just forbidden to eat melon bread for two days."
"That's too harsh Azuma!"
And now, you're gonna speak about that garbage you poor people are calling food.
"I, for sure, wouldn't last a day without some Pocky!"
See? Isuke knows you by heart. Actually, Isuke should go and hide all of your precious Pocky to see if your body has become that dependent to that chocolate-filled thing. It could be funny.
Curiously, just thinking about Haruki being in pain because of her made all of Isuke's fun disappear.
That's...not right, Isuke surprisingly concluded.
Making Haruki suffer for her selfish pleasure wasn't right. But it had never stopped Isuke before. When she was bothered or angry, she didn't hesitate to wear down others. Actually, she was proud of her ability to make people cry with a few abrasive comments.
But with Haruki, it didn't feel right. And she couldn't understand why.
Except Papa and Mama, since when do I care for someone else's peace of mind?
The pink-haired assassin didn't question her feelings further, as Haruki's cheerful voice brought her back in reality.
"So it's like taking a forfeit. Haru-chan, you should defend yourself. Azuma forbid you to eat melon bread because of the biology test, right? For her next bad grade, why won't you deprive her of curry?"
Tension rose.
Even with her eyes closed, Isuke could tell that Tokaku had frozen in place.
Nice one Haruki 3. Isuke wouldn't have done it better herself.
Tokaku'reply was totally unexpected and, to Isuke, didn't make any sense.
"Okay. But I think the worst in the class should get one too."
Isuke suddenly had the unpleasant feeling of three pairs of eyes falling on her back.
"Tokaku-san, you mean... a forfeit?" Haru hesitantly asked.
"Yes. Have you ever seen her marks? That can only be good for her. "
Isuke couldn't stand more.
"Who do you think you are, trying to force this ridiculous 'way to improve your grades' onto Isuke? Isuke's Mama? Because you'd make a pitiful fake 3. Besides, there's no way that Mama would ever force Isuke to do something so useless."
Tokaku looked unimpressed.
"I saw your copy. Writing only your name won't help you to get better. Were you listening from the beginning?"
"And what if I was? Your voice was so unbearably annoying it woke me out 3."
The two girls glared at each other, clearly ready to start a fight in the middle of the class.
"Uwaaa, Tokaku-san, please stop! You shouldn't fight your classmates, you know!"
"Hey Isuke-sama, calm down! Not need to make such a fuss, she only cracked a joke, right?"
Haruki glanced at Tokaku, waiting for her approval.
"I was serious. And I think she deserves it."
"Not helping, Azuma..." Haruki mumbled.
"Get off my way, you idiot! I think little Azuma needs a punishment... maybe a good spanking 3."
Haruki scratched the back of her head and awkwardly laughed. Then her face lit up.
"Heeey, I~su~ke-sa~ma ! You don't want a forfeit from Azuma, I got that. But I have an idea..." Haruki dramatically trailed off.
"What? Isuke isn't in the mood to listen to one of your—"
"Why don't we play a game instead? Y'know, it'll be cool. Just have to find the right one..."
"The Pocky game."
Everyone stared at Tokaku, baffled.
They weren't ready for that. The cold and impassive assassin inwardly chuckled.
Seeing both Isuke, Haruki and Haru mouths agape wasn't a common sight. Tokaku was quite satisfied of herself.
Of course, for nothing in the world would she acknowledge that it was actually thanks to Kaiba that she knew the game. He harassed her until she has learnt how to play. It would help her improve her human-relationship skills, he said.
Haruki was the first to recover from the shock.
"Actually, it's not that bad of an idea. Come on, Isuke-sama, let's do this !"
"What ? No way! Why would Isuke—"
"Don't worry. It's not as if it will kill you," Tokaku helpfully added.
"Wait ! Why do you think I—"
"Isuke-sama, if you want, you'll only have one round with me."
"So annoying..."
Isuke plastered a sweet venomous smile.
"I don't recall ever joining that lame project of yours. Do you often hear voices? Maybe you should consult a doctor. Not sure that you poor people could afford it though 3."
Like that, even a dumb idiot like Haruki would understand and leave her alone. That was what Isuke was thinking until Haruki gave her another bright smile.
"Why are you so stiff, Isuke-sama ? It's just a game."
The reply didn't come.
The redhead suddenly realized that she may had gone too far. The beautiful girl wasn't moving a finger, her face blank as she stared at her classmates. Her former smile was long gone and Haruki couldn't ready anything in her eyes. In a way, it was more intimidating than her usual, rude demeanor.
"Hey, Isuke-sama, don't... get mad at me, okay? I'm sorry, I have been bothering you all this time. I'm really...really sorry."
There was a long pause, then Isuke sighed.
"I thought I had told you over and over to stop apologizing to me. It's really irritating," Isuke replied.
She then muttered, in a so low-pitched voice that only Haruki could hear.
"And I'm not mad at you..."
Haruki's eyes widened. At this instant, the pink-haired girl was looking at her, with a softness she hadn't thought the assassin was capable of.
But a second later, Isuke regained her usual composure.
"Don't get your hopes up too quickly. No matter how much you plead me, I won't play this ridiculous game!"
Present time...
In the end, she had lasted ten minutes.
And knowing that the mere sight of Haruki was enough to make her resolve crumble, it was going to be a record.
Still, she had thought she could avoid the game with crude remarks and spiteful jokes until Nio barged in, as bubbly as ever, and started to chirp with Haru, much to Tokaku's annoyance.
Upon learning that Isuke stubbornly refused to play the stupid game, she had walked without a word in front of her and smiled.
Not the kind type of smile. Isuke was positively sure that if sharks could smile, they would look just the same as Nio.
She wasn't one to be easily scared. But, truth to be told, Isuke didn't ever want to see that grin again. Or, at least, she had to be far, far away from the blonde.
Right after the scare she got from Nio, it had been Haruki's turn to look at her. And for some reason unknown to Isuke, her puppy-dog eyes, filled with expectation and hope, had managed to drain all her willpower.
Before she could understand what was happening, Isuke found herself in front of Haruki, who was smiling so brightly it eased her mind for a second. Then, the redhead all but forced a Pocky in her mouth, and her thoughts were interrupted as if someone had turned a switch off.
What was she going to do now?
Nio and Haru had tried to give her some advices, but she had bluntly brushed them aside.
Isuke focused her thoughts on the chocolate stick, blatantly ignoring Haruki's grin.
Actually, that stupid game is pretty simple. You lose if you break the stick. But if it's a tie, then it means I would be k-kissing her... No, that won't happen! If that idiot gets too close to Isuke, just from a millimetre, I swear I'll break that stick. It doesn't matter to me if their fun gets ruined, after all 3.
Isuke ate a tiny bite of the stick and finally regained her composure. It was going to be alright. She felt the light blush present on her cheeks since the beginning of this mess slowly fading away. Now that she was given time to think, Isuke knew she was able to stay collected.
Her newly-born confidence shattered in a flash when Haruki chomped a huge bite of the stick, closing the distance between them far too quickly.
Wha-what the heck? You're not supposed to eat it in one go, you moron!
Isuke's blush came back times ten, turning her face in a shade of crimson that perfectly matched her roommate's hair.
N-not good... I need to calm down, otherwise...
Otherwise, what? Isuke wasn't even sure why her cheeks were burning and her heart pounding wildly in her chest. All she knew was that it had to do with Haruki's sudden proximity.
And since the object of her turmoil was practically under her nose, it was only harder and harder for her to think clearly.
The game resumed. But each time Isuke tried to slow down by taking a small piece of the stick, Haruki happily chewed on another of her large bites.
And then, the fateful moment finally came.
The Pocky had been reduced to a tiny shard, now barely connecting the girls' mouths.
I know I should have quit right at the beginning! As we are now, we could really end up kissing... Isuke rolled her eyes in disbelief.
Just considering the fact that she could kiss her...
As if they were acting on they own, her eyes felt on Haruki's lips. They seemed so soft and warm... Maybe the tie wasn't a bad thing, after all...
Isuke jolted at her own disturbing thoughts.
What am I even thinking? That's enough... Isuke can't stand it anymore!
Isuke abruptly stood up, breaking the Pocky and effectively putting an end to the game. That she hadn't realized though, was that her sudden movement, performed with more strength than necessary, would cause her to completely lose her balance.
Isuke tripped and literally crashed on Haruki.
The whole class went silent.
Haruki was the first to come back to her senses. She was currently pinned down on the floor by a dazed Isuke-sama, who lied on top of her, and her head ached a bit.
But more importantly...
Haruki went crimson.
Isuke's lips were firmly stuck on hers. She could feel all the softness and the warmth of the girl's mouth, and smell the light perfume of her hair.
Isuke's eyes finally opened. Maybe, Haruki hadn't even felt it, but during the fall, Isuke had headbutted her really hard.
What is that idiot's head made of, anyway 3?
Isuke then decided to look at the situation she was in, and froze.
Haruki was kissing Isuke. Haruki was... No, more accurately, Haruki wasn't kissing her.
She was kissing Haruki. And practically straddling her, too.
All her thoughts died out.
Meanwhile, Haruki had tried to open her mouth by reflex.
It soon revealed to be a mistake.
Isuke's tongue touched hers and Haruki shuddered felt a surge of heat make its way through her body. The feeling was so pleasant that she let it fill her and rejected the alarms signals her brain was frantically sending to her.
Only to be abruptly brought back to reality when Isuke pulled back, reaching for air.
In her stare, Haruki could read embarrassment, anger, a lot of confusion and something indefinable, a mix of shock and... satisfaction?
Maybe she was more stunned that she thought, after all, because, a second later, the tiny glow in Isuke's eyes had already vanished.
And Haruki was now too concerned with her safety to give it more consideration.
The pink-haired assassin's whole body radiated a bloody aura, murderous enough to make Tokaku stiffen and Haru recoil back.
Crap what should I do, Isuke-sama isn't kidding! If I don't say something to calm her, I'm dead...
So Haruki spoke out of reflex, without thinking to her words.
"H-hey, Isuke-sama, I'm sorry. You know, I thought I could catch you but it all went too fast and... anyway, I'm really sorry Isuke-sama. Think you can forgive me, please?"
She smiled, hoping to appease the girl's boiling anger.
During the short time they had passed together, Haruki had come to the surprising conclusion that her smile had some little impact on her roommate. It didn't work every time, but it seemed her smile cooled Isuke down a bit.
Luck had to be on her side because the assassin's dreadful aura slowly faded away.
Isuke then averted her eyes and sighed.
"How many times will I have to tell you? Stop apologizing to me."
—–—––—––—
"For the last time Haruki, I'm not mad! So don't you dare look all depressed now!"
Isuke resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
They were in their bedroom, sitting on their respective beds.
After the game had ended, they had decided, much to Haru's relief, to return to their bedrooms. Of course, not without a hundred silent threats from Isuke.
But, just when she thought that everything was over, she was stuck with another problem.
During the whole journey, Haruki had been awfully quiet. At first Isuke was pleased by the unusual change but it had soon begun to get on her nerves.
When she needed calm and concentration, Haruki's perpetual rambling about trivial things distracted her and when she wanted the redhead to speak, said girl went silent?
It wasn't like she didn't enjoy tranquillity, quite the contrary. But Isuke still had that sense of unease. Something wasn't right with her roommate. Whenever she scolded her, Haruki would brush it away while apologizing and laughing.
Now, seeing her in that state just made Isuke's discomfort increase. She never wondered how much she would miss Haruki's carefree behavior.
Isuke had to take matters in her own hands: she wasn't the type to mince her words, anyway.
"No matter what you do, it seems like you always manage to irritate me 3."
Haruki's shoulders dropped.
Yeah, she definitely had gone too far. Even if Isuke's earlier statements tended to prove otherwise, the girl's anger was too real. Haruki's regret swirled inside her. If only she knew how to fix things up...
Despite her harsh words, she really liked her roommate. Isuke wasn't trying to be nice out of pity, and didn't bother to fake sympathy when she felt none. Quite the contrary, she harshly criticized her devotion to her family with what others would consider as scorn.
And yet, when she was with her, Haruki felt strangely at peace. A peace she could only feel when she was with Fuyuka, Aki and the rest of her family. Smiling came to her much more naturally, along with her tendencies to tease the girl.
She really liked all of Isuke: her beautiful features, her cute face when she was asleep, her slight blush whenever she was flustered, even her rough comments that were her quirky way to show concern.
Haruki knew her feelings were different from family love. She wanted more. Sagae Haruki selfishly wanted Inukai Isuke to be with her at all time.
That was why she wouldn't let things end like that. She was ready to apologize over and over until she was fully forgiven.
"I was talking about that current attitude of yours, you idiot."
"Huh?"
Haruki gave Isuke a startled look.
"I always tell you to be more selfish, don't I? And you never obey me. So, from now on, just act like Isuke. I've done worse than making people ill at ease and you don't see me moping or asking for forgiveness! You're so overly noble and selfless, it's making Isuke sick! Is it that hard living for yourself?
Why? Why was Isuke acting like nothing happened? She had to right to be furious, so why...
Haruki's eyes opened wide with realization as she looked at her roommate. For once, she could easily read her gaze. Isuke was worried about her. So worried that she didn't bother to hide her feelings like she usually did.
Gratitude overwhelmed Haruki, washing away all her wavering and anguish, and she gave her roommate a true, bright smile.
"Thanks, Isuke-sama! It's okay now, you don't have to worry anymore: I'm back!"
Isuke recoiled back and averted her eyes, slightly blushing.
"Again with the corny lines, you idiot..."
At that time, a part of Haruki's mind which had stayed dormant the whole time suddenly flared up. Her eyes glowed with mischief.
"Isuke-sama! What you told me about being selfish... is it really okay?"
"What—"
Isuke gulped.
Too close. Haruki was really too close. She had somehow managed to close the distance between them without Isuke noticing. Her pulse hastened. At this rate...
"Isuke-sama... about that game, earlier..."
Isuke could felt the girl's hot breath on her lips. She was sure her cheeks were actually perfectly matching her hair's color.
That idiot and her incredible physical skills... is she a ninja, or something? So close...
Haruki leaned closer, causing Isuke to muster her will to not back down.
"Haruki, stop that—you're not—that's not—"
Isuke was quickly silenced when she felt Haruki's lips land on her own in a delicate, almost chaste kiss. This whole scenario was so surreal, it felt so good...
Her heart was still wildly beating but Isuke allowed herself to relax and enjoy the kiss she was sharing with Haruki. She surprisingly found herself wishing for that moment to never end.
But even so...
"Now we're even! A kiss for a kiss, y'know!"
Haruki pulled back, pleased by her own joke. Sure, it was a bit risky but, hey, Isuke-sama herself told her to be more selfish.
Haruki giggled and glanced at her roommate, only to immediately lose track of her thoughts.
There was something strange in Isuke-sama's eyes. She hadn't expected them to look so... hungry.
"Haruki... do you really think Isuke is going to let you get away with it 3?"
Isuke kind of bounced in her direction and her survival instinct instantly took control.
Haruki made a dash to the door and escaped in the corridor at full speed.
"I'm sorry, Isuke-sama!"
"Haruki, get back here!"
"Noooo!"
—–—–—–—
Kenmochi Shiena was quietly walking in the hallway. Well as quietly as she could. Having a hug-obsessed roommate didn't exactly help.
Luckily, Takechi Otoya seemed to be quite collected, today, and that wasn't to displease her.
Shiena enjoyed the instant of peace and tranquillity, all too rare with crazy classmates like hers.
Only to be roughly brushed off by what seemed to be two bolts of lightning chasing each other.
"What the..." she muttered in astonishment, trying to get back her fallen glasses.
"Here." A helping hand gave her the precious glasses and put her on her feet.
Shiena turned around to see Otoya's grinning face.
"T-Thanks..." she replied, vaguely wary about the other girl.
Otoya wasn't known for her dedication to others. More for her bullying habits. Even if she was strangely kind with Shiena.
"It's nothing. More importantly, are you alright, Shiena-chan?"
"Yes... I was just surprised, that's all. Anyway, what was that?"
"I saw red and pink hair, so I think it's Sagae-san and Inukai."
"But why were they running at full throttle like that?"
"I do believe Inukai's pursuing Sagae. She looked thirsty, if I can say so."
"Thirsty? You aren't making any sense."
"Oh?"
Otoya drew nearer, eliciting a squeal of surprise from the brunette.
"Why don't you let them be? I'm thirsty too, you know. And Shiena-chan, you're sooo cute..."
Otoya brought her hands together in a 'thanks for the meal' position.
"H-hey, Takechi, wai—"
She was stopped midsentence as Otoya passionately brought their lips together. Little Shiena soon discovered that she really loved those fierce kisses.
And so, Haruki ended up running in Myojo's dorms, an aroused Isuke-sama hot on her heels.
Epilogue
It was a normal day for the assassin known as Azuma Tokaku.
After two hours of draining training and three hours of equally draining class, she finally got to rest at Myojo's cafeteria before Haru arrived with another absurd story she had been told by Nio.
The blue haired assassin headed for the waitress, ready to order her lunch. But, when she looked closer at the food...
Tokaku froze, forcing herself to stay calm and collected. Okay, it wasn't there but maybe because the waitress didn't bring it yet.
To get rid of her anxiety, Tokaku decided to directly ask said waitress.
"Um, excuse me..."
"Yes?" the woman brightly answered.
"Are these all the lunches you propose today? Isn't one missing?"
"About that... I'm sorry but a girl of the Black Class recently complained about having indigestion because of it, and we were forced to throw it away. You might have seen her, she was a really gorgeous girl with pink hair..."
The smiling waitress gently delivered the killing blow on a petrified Tokaku.
"So we don't have curry today. But please don't worry, it's only for a week!"
Author's note:
Finally, my very first fanfic! I was quite nervous in the beginning but it turned out to be really cool writing on Pink Pocky!
I'm already sure you know, but 3 stands for Isuke's hearts :)
Actually, I'm thinking on making this a muti-chaptered fic. The chapters won't necessarily be related one to another, as I want to focus on one, maybe two, pairings per chapter. With Haruki/Isuke as the main focus, of course!
I noticed that my motivation is, well, fickle so please leave a review/comment/whatever you want to say, it will keep my spirits up!
Lastly, if you guys have any idea about a pairing, preferably something funny with fluff, please let me know, I'll do my best to write it (Suzu/Kouko will be hard, though).
Hope you enjoyed this fic and see you later!