Blindfolded
Hi, readers! This is a story to prove how cliche and hopeless I am when it comes to writing romance. Me + romance stories = serious brain damage, for some reason. However, I'll try my best to make any adjustments and improvements, so make sure to tell me if there are any changes you would like me to make, such as, correcting spelling mistakes, plot ideas, etc.
I put this story under the genres Humor/Romance, but please be aware that there may be chapters where I decide to make them quite dark/sad, thus the story is rated T.
Actually, this story was a request, or rather, a challenge from one of the readers who reads my other stories, Яe-Birth and A Fall From Grace, and suggested that I should try to write romance stories for a change.
Normally, I would happily decline BUT as this is a challenge, I won't back down!
Finally, this is an AU story (kind of?) where Aichi is female and is the same age as Kai, Miwa and Misaki. There are no cardfights either.
Disclaimer: I don't own CFV.
Summer
That day, it was warm. The distant chirping of cicadas composed a harmonic melody, fitting to the heat of the summer. Like my mother used to once say, the wind smells like the sun. I would have thought that too, if not for the fact that I was standing, threatened, alarmed, by the glares of twenty students observing me. I raised my hand, in an unsuccessful attempt to wave; to greet the twenty pair of eyes that were suffocating me under the summer heat.
A flicker of green stood out between the cold, unaccepting dark eyes, and I turned my gaze, only to meet with his. He tensed, green eyes, reminiscent of two transparent emeralds, widening in a contrast of curiosity and indifference. I looked down, and he turned his gaze back to the clear window, the moment of intersection between our gazes forgotten.
The teacher smiled, attempting to ease my nervousness, but his forced smile was wavering, hesitant, fragile.
At first glance, I could tell that everyone hated me.
It's always the same.
I can never make friends... because, I am Sendou Aichi.
Despite that, my smile was still intact, even as the teacher pointed to guide me to a seat. Even as a blond boy grinned and introduced himself.
When my eyes, again, met those green eyes, my smile wavered.
"Yo, new transfer student! I'm Miwa Taishi, and this is Kai!"
Kai... somehow, that name was familiar. Kai-kun.
"I-I'm S-Sendou Aichi. Um... n-nice to... meet you."
The student, Miwa, blinked, then grinned brightly, but said nothing. He shifted his gaze to the other person who was looking out of the classroom's window, Kai-kun, and nudged him with his elbow, complaining when he received silence as a response.
"Hey, make the new student feel welcome! At least respond!" He scolded halfheartedly, in a hissing whisper. Kai-kun kept silent, glaring at him- one which Miwa-kun understood without words- 'Don't talk to me'. I smiled, slightly unnerved by their close behavior, but Miwa-kun noticed my discomfort and smiled at me.
I smiled back.
Kai-kun raised his eyes to observe me with suspicious, narrowed eyes, and for some reason, my smile faltered. He looked at Miwa-kun, who seemed displeased with his behaviour, sighed.
"Kai Toshiki." He spoke, voice deep and confident, yet his undertone carried unfamiliar coldness. He returned his gaze to the window, observing the bright clouds that decorated the summer sky. Through the reflection of the glass, I could see his eyes lose focus after a few seconds, and even though to anyone else he seemed to look out of the window, from my angle, I could see his eyes reflected in the clear window look at me. I gulped, flinched, and was about to offer my usual smile, but suddenly, I found myself unable to smile anymore.
Perhaps it was the effect of the hot sun; perhaps the heat; perhaps the heated glares I received from students. Perhaps, it had been Kai-kun's eyes, reflected in the glass to give them a bright shade of green, that gave off a vibe that meant:
'I hate your fake smiles.'
I was taken aback by this, hoping it was just my imagination; the summer heat casting illusions. However his eyes grew distant.
"I like your hair," he said, absent-mindedly, looking at my bewildered expression from the window glass. "It's blue."
"Huh?"
Miwa-kun gasped, opening his mouth then closing it, unsure of how to react to what seemed to be an odd behaviour. We shared confused looks as the class fell silent.
Miwa-kun laughed, I blinked. My cheeks coloured crimson.
He hit Kai playfully on the back, who seemed confused by the whole situation, yet managed to hide it well. "Way to go, Kai! Just now, was that a pick-up line?"
His eyes steady, he answered a blunt "No."
Miwa-kun, amused, announced loudly and excitedly, without consideration to the teacher writing on the board, "It was, wasn't it? So girls like Aichi are your type, after all?"
Kai-kun turned his gaze to Miwa-kun, his eyes bored, yet calmly threatening. "Miwa."
"She is, isn't she?!"
Ignoring my blush, I tried to calm the loudest of the pair. "U-Um... we're in the middle of a class..."
The piece of chalk snapped in the teacher's hand, and he turned to us, fuming. "You three!"
"Y-Yes?!"
"Detention!"
That was how we met again, after ten years.
They had met on a pathway in a small park, not far away from the main road. Their gazes shifted to one another, blue and green eyes widening, and that contact instantly disappeared as soon as it happened when the little girl looked down, and continued walking, making the other boy wonder if he had imagined it.
Kai eagerly put down his unsolved maths homework on the bench he was sitting on, and walked up to the girl.
"Hi!"
Aichi ignored him, the grip on the strap of her schoolbag tightening.
Kai sighed, feeling a drop of nervous sweat slide down his cheek. "Don't ignore me like that..."
She abruptly stopped and turned her eyes to him, expecting him to make a comment about the bruises on her cheeks. Kai grinned at her, pleased at finally gaining the girl's focus.
"Your eyes are so cool! Especially your hair," He paused before her, oblivious to Aichi's silently shocked expression. "It's blue!"
For some reason, over the sounds of screaming and laughing children around the different areas of the park, she was able to hear his voice clearly.
The girl looked up at him; drowned in her eyes were fear and confusion which were quickly replaced with a blank look. He noticed this and laughed, hoping to break the layers of shield she instantly put on.
"I'm Kai Toshiki! What's yours?"
"Sendou... Aichi..." She mumbled quietly, hesitation clearly showing on her face. It wasn't normal that strangers would come up to her and ask her what her name was. No one had cared enough to do so, even with all those bruises visible on her face.
"Couldn't hear you?" The girl blinked as he leaned closer to her, tilting his head. She blushed slightly, her feet digging into the soil. "U-um..."
"Sendou..." She paused, eyebrows furrowing in concentration, before hesitantly adding, "Aichi."
She closed her eyes, expecting him to laugh at her or hit her like anyone she met would do. When nothing came, she opened her sapphire blue eyes to meet with emerald green, his eyes twinkling with excitement and life. "Nice to meet you, Aichi!"
Aichi blushed, lowering her gaze. His cheerful smile radiated warmth and it gave him an air of strength and confidence.
"Ah! I know this school!" He continued with pure excitement motioning toward her uniform. He raised a hand up to his chin thoughtfully. "I have a friend there, but..." His eyes lit up, waving away his previous sentence. "Anyway, are you going home?"
"Yes..." Her smile faltered noticeably and her eyes brimmed with tears. She hid her face under her bangs, pursing her lips tightly. Kai noticed this and frowned; he had asked something wrong thanks to his curiosity and intention to become friends with the girl.
Kai nodded and replied with a simple "Oh."
Silence seemed to pass by, and Aichi decided to walk away. She was stopped when Kai grabbed her by the wrist gently with an apologetic smile. He didn't know what had made her so upset, but considering that she did not cry yet and she was able to hide her tears so well, he saw her as a strong and admirable girl. He needed to apologise or at least keep her company until she recovered. "Hey, I was about to drop by the store. Wanna come?"
Kai tended to her injuries with care. He made sure to be extra careful each time the girl flinched under his touch. It must have been either because his hands were cold or she was too sensitive.
"Ai-chan?"
She blinked, honestly not knowing exactly where from the clouds the new nickname came from.
"Huh?" She answered absent-mindedly.
Kai grinned at her. "Like your new name?"
Finally understanding what Kai was referring to, Aichi blushed different shades of red and let out a cute pout, slightly offended. Kai failed to keep a straight face as he burst out laughing. Honestly, this girl was so fun to tease!
Aichi smiled softly, watching Kai laugh. "U-um, can I call you K-Kai-kun?"
The boy smiled warmly at her. "Sure," He encouraged. His warm hands pulled away from her face as soon as he finished putting a few plasters. She was so quiet and maybe too shy as well as she fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, so he thought about adding a joke but he quickly decided against it. She looked like she had something to say.
"T-Thank you, Kai-kun," the girl stuttered quietly with crimson-red cheeks and she reached to touch the newly-applied plaster, causing Kai to smile gently.
"Sure, anytime!" He beamed happily at her. "That's what friends are for, right?"
Friends...?
Aichi sealed her lips tightly together, fists clenching.
This is the first time...
She buried her face in his shirt, two small hands reaching to pull the other into a weak embrace.
"I'm glad I met you, Kai-kun." It was his turn for his cheeks to colour.
"T-that's embarrassing, you idiot!"
Kai pushed the girl away slowly, but she refused to let go of his shirt, burying her face into it. He could hear small sobs escape from her trembling lips, muffled against his shirt. His expression softened, turning into a more concerned one. "Are you... crying?"
Panicking, the Aichi let go of him. "I'm sorry! Um, Kai-kun, I didn't mean to-"
He wrapped his arms around her to give her more comfort. He had no idea why he was doing this, but he felt strangely attached to the girl, even if he had just met her. She was simply the purest and kindest person Kai had ever seen, possibly even more than his beloved mother. Unconsciously, his arms around her tightened as he gritted his teeth. Judging from the injuries he had seen later, someone must have done this. He would never forgive them until he had the pleasure of killing them with his own hands.
"Idiot, don't worry about that." She would have flinched at being addressed as an"idiot", but they way he said it was surprisingly soft and comforting, unlike the way those bullies had hit her and laughed at her after calling her an idiot. She had cried silently to herself, curled up against the wall, trying to shield herself from the cruel words and laughter, and her heart would ache and burn as the salty tears slid down her bruised cheeks from the kicks and punches thrown at her mercilessly.
In Kai's arms, she felt safe and warm, even if she did not know the boy too well. She was afraid of approaching him because she was afraid to get hurt. The pain stung in her chest as she could easily imagine him leaving her much like the way anyone who she had met left her.
Her heart saddened as he suddenly let go of her, the warmth leaving her body. Was he going to leave her now? Was he going to mock her and bully her?
But he did not.
He wiped the tears from her face, almost too careful as not to hurt the fragile girl.
"You're really an idiot, Ai-chan." He joked.
Aichi blushed from the embarrassing nickname and her pathetic actions at the same time. "U-um... sorry!"
Kai laughed and patted her head. Aichi closed her eyes at the affectionate touch. He was a stranger whom she had only met about one hour ago, yet she felt like she had known him for many years... it felt so normal to be held in his warm embrace. She watched, curious, as Kai suddenly yelped and jogged up to the bench he had been sitting on, picking up a piece of paper, then sighing in relief. Aichi followed him, seeing his confused expression clearer the closer she got to him.
"How do you solve this again...?" She heard him mutter out loud, so she quietly approached him as to not interrupt his thinking.
"Y-You divide the first number by the third, then a-add two to the answer."
Kai frowned, and played around with his pencil, using it to point at clouds in the sky. A bird entered his range of vision, and with a huge sigh, he turned his attention back to the sheet. "Heh..? Why does maths have to be this complicated-" His eyes widen when he spotted Aichi looking over his shoulder. "Wait- I mean why do you know how to solve this thing?"
Aichi blinked, then cocked her head to one side with questioning blue eyes.
"Never mind..." He sighed again, and moved on to the next question. He felt the weight of Aichi's head resting on his shoulder, and he fought down a small blush. "T-This then...?"
"The answer is a fraction, one quarter."
Kai chuckled nervously at Aichi's automatic response, not sure if he should be glad he was getting the answers he needed or if he should be concerned for his friend's brain.
"You're really smart," Kai complimented, and observed the way Aichi's eyes lit up. He smiled at that, and turned back to the paper in hands, the frown immediately intact. He ruffled his own hair in exasperation.
"I can't do this! Let's get some ice cream or something instead!" He said, impatience growing. Aichi frowned and held onto his wrist, turning around to fully face the boy.
"Kai-kun, you can't... you have to do your homework properly." She scolded, making Kai groan in dismay.
"Great, I have another mother..."
"Kai-kun!"
"Yes, yes..."
The evening breeze blew through the top of trees and the leaves rustled. Both children fell silent as they listened to sounds they had never acknowledged to exist before. They were too indulged in each other's presence to notice the sound of people chatting or cars honking on the road nearby.
Kai's grip weakened on the piece of paper, accidentally letting the wind drift it away.
Standing on her tiptoes, Aichi reached to grasp the paper firmly before the wind could carry it away.
"Wah!" She exclaimed, turning to Kai. "Look, I got it!"
She announced happily with the brightest smile, clutching the homework sheet to her chest like it was a precious treasure. Kai, captivated by her beautiful smile, averted his gaze, trying to hide his blush. Aichi tilted her head in confusion.
He raised a hand to rub the back of his head as a sign of embarrassment, then smiled sheepishly. "Oh... thank you." He reached to retrieve the item but retired his hand as if in contact with flame, when his hand touched hers.
"A-Ah... um, sorry!" They both spluttered at the same time in a nervous manner, cheeks red. When their gazes met, they blinked, then shook the uneasiness off with innocent laughter.
Kai offered Aichi a bright smile, which wilted under the orange rays of sun. "Then, Ai-chan, I have to go home," He said, and reached to ruffle the girl's hair. He bent over to pick up his bag, and slung it over his shoulder, grin widening. "I hope we'll meet again!"
Ever since then, I was given the courage to continue with my daily life. Facing bullies, family problems and all sorts of difficulties was never easy, but when I thought of his smiling face...
... I felt like I could do anything.
Maybe I am naive to think that someday, I'll meet him again, but if I really did meet him- if only a miracle would happen- I would like to thank him for everything. I am still weak, and I may still be shy and fragile, but I want to see that person.
I want to see him again...
Blue eyes widened as she walked out of the bathroom, fully dressed, hair dripping with cold water. She let out a shriek as she noticed the clock on her desk, "EEEH?! It's already this late?!"
Aichi had recently moved from the countryside to the large city without her family, where she applied for school, got help to rent a small room in an apartment and made sure to inform her mother that she was doing well every day. It was difficult to get used to such a large city within a week, but Aichi had managed it surprisingly well. Now her only problem was school. In middle school, she was always getting bullied, and although she tried to hide her bruises, her mother eventually found out and worried about her daughter everyday, so Aichi herself suggested that she should try moving to the city, where there were many other schools compared to the countryside. She disliked the idea, but if it would help ease her mother's worrying, she would do anything.
A ringing sound erupted in the room, causing Aichi to cover her ears with her hands.
"It's broken..."
The ringing stopped, and as if reacting to her surprised statement, the alarm clock displayed the time.
"I'm sorry! I won't think of you as broken anymore, so please don't remind me of the time!"
The alarm clock rung again as if responding to her, causing Aichi to question her sanity.
A white cat appeared from under the covers of her bed, stretching lazily, "Meow!"
"Good morning, Akuma-chan!" Aichi beamed at the cat, and crouched down to pet him. The cat purred contentedly, rolling over to his side. "Did you see my textbook somewhere?" Aichi questioned, eagerly anticipating a response.
She was rewarded with the cat simply meowing merrily in response.
Aichi sighed.
"Shut up."
"Ouch, that huuurt!" A blond teenager exaggerated, walking out of drama class next to his friend. "These two words stabbed your best friend's heart like a sharp knife!"
The other sighed, trying to conceal his irritation. He focused his teal coloured eyes ahead to ignore the gazes and unwanted attention they received from students and teachers on a daily basis due to Miwa's loud voice. He didn't want to be put in the same class as his 'best friend' but of course... they both ended up together in every single class, even drama classes, which were the reason why Miwa was being dramatic. Kai had decided that he despised the principal.
"That's why I should have ignored you from the start." He told his companion, eyes narrowing in annoyance.
Miwa noticed the commotion and gave his friend a sheepish grin, then proceeded to converse about the usual things.
"Did you do your assignment? That was so boring!"
"Yeah."
The blond's eyebrows furrowed as he realised that something, rather, someone was missing. He stopped in his tracks, and turned to Kai, who was walking ahead. "Hey Kai, did you see Misaki today?"
"No."
"Do you think she's ill? She hasn't called me yet."
"Maybe."
Miwa jogged to catch up to him and nudged Kai's shoulder with his bag teasingly. "Why are you being laconic all of a sudden?"
"Hm."
Miwa sighed at the answer he received and ran a hand through his hair. "There we go again with the one-word answers."
They shared a moment of glaring at each other, until Miwa broke it with a laugh and a light punch to Kai's shoulder, who merely smirked.
As they were about to continue walking, a shy voice called out to them, causing them to turn around, "U-um, please w-wait!"
Miwa was the first one to grin at the girl, being the friendliest of the pair, and politely asked if there was anything they could help with. Kai rolled his eyes, because- politeness just didn't suit Miwa- and the blond pouted when he caught on, slightly offended.
The girl fidgeted with a letter in her hands, her golden locks of hair covering part of her bright blue eyes as she moved to face the pair. "U-Um, Kai-san... I've really, really liked you for a long time... so, can you accept this?" Kai, being addressed, stopped glaring at Miwa and looked to the fidgeting girl stoically. Miwa gave him a look- Don't repeat the same mistake you did yesterday when you made a girl cry by walking away- to which Kai responded by walking away, ignoring both the girl and Miwa like they didn't exist.
"O-Oi, Kai!" Miwa called out, but his friend ignored him. He turned back to the younger girl, panicked by the heartbroken face she carried, and tried to comfort her. He never liked it when he saw a girl sad. He had seen way too many rejections from Kai everyday repeating in the same way that this one had occurred. "He is just uh... in a bad mood today... because... because of the w-weather!" He exclaimed, waving his hands around animatedly with a nervous chuckle.
The slightly younger girl tilted her head, blue eyes wide. "Weather?"
"Yeah, something like that!" Miwa gave her a sheepish smile, and took the letter out of her hands. "I'll make sure to give him your letter, so don't worry. See ya!"
Miwa ran off to catch up to him, where Kai leaned on the wall, waiting. When he spotted the Miwa, he started walking again after slinging his school bag over his shoulder.
"Shut up," he spoke, predicting a lecture from the blond.
"I didn't say anything yet!" Miwa defended, bending over to catch his breath. "That girl was pretty cute. Why don't you just go for her? There are like, what, six girls who confessed already. Is it really this hard just to accept one of them?"
"Twelve," Kai corrected calmly.
Miwa sweat-dropped. "Wow, you even counted them."
Kai shrugged, "Out of boredom." He answered bluntly, moving his gaze to the windows lined up against walls of the wide corridor.
"Yeah, I can see that," Miwa speaks, his tone turning serious. Kai, not used to 'Miwa' and the word 'serious' being put together, looked over his shoulder and paid attention to the blond's words.
"But, you know, you should at least provide them with an answer. It takes a lot of courage for them to do this, you know."
"It's not like it's my problem."
"I know that you still like her, but this can't go on forever-"
Kai tensed, his eyes narrowing. "Don't speak of her."
He reached and grabbed Miwa harshly by the collar of his shirt threateningly, slamming him against the wall. Gasps erupted around the corridor and before someone could interfere, Kai let go of Miwa's shirt, clenching his own fists tightly.
"Kai..."
Kai's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then he looked away silently, eyes carrying an emotion similar to guilt.
There was a moment of silence as the two friends shared unspoken words and glances.
Sorry.
It's okay. It was partly my fault, too.
Miwa snickered when Kai shot him a glare. The students around them continued passing by, confused by the sudden change of behaviour.
Miwa had known Kai for nearly his entire life, and one of the things he found the most surprising was that he could never bring himself to confront his friend's problems, no matter how much he tried. It was hard to get angry at him, too.
"Let's get to class. I heard there would be a new student joining us. Curious?"
Kai sighed and gave the typical response, "Not really."
Kai blocked out the teacher's voice as he sat at the end of the classroom, in a corner that seemed to isolate him from the rest of the class. In front of him, Miwa looked as if he was writing down notes from the board, but he knew the idiot was probably doodling all over his textbook. He turned his gaze to the window next to him, watching the clouds roam in the sky. It was hot, and he stopped caring about his studies a long time ago. So he sat, simply bored.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed a crumple of paper land on his desk. He reached to pick it up, forcing the edges of it to open.
I'm bored.
Kai recognised the sender immediately. Who else would send him notes in the middle of the class? In terrible handwriting, too.
Kai's eyes twitched in annoyance. He wrote an answer down, and threw the crumpled paper back to the desk in front of him, hitting Miwa straight on the back of the head. Miwa let out a yelp of surprise, making Kai smirk. Miraculously, the teacher did not notice them, or perhaps he did but paid them no attention.
Do something about it then.
Miwa grinned as he read the grumpy response and scribbled down his answer.
Let's skip class after this one. Deal?
The response followed quickly after.
Yeah.
The door slid open, interrupting the teacher's explanation in the middle of his sentence.
"I-I'm sorry for being late!" A quiet voice spoke, but it was clearly audible in the silence. A girl, with blue hair wearing her school uniform in an hurried, informal way blushed when the students around her started to laugh. Part of her hair was clumsily sticking out, probably from running, he observed. His eyes caught hers, and the girl stiffened, instantly averted them. She seemed familiar, somehow.
The teacher recovered from his shock of being interrupted and smiled. Anyone could see that the smile was forced. "It's fine. This is your first day to this school, right?"
The girl nodded her head quickly, keeping her eyes glued to the ground.
"Please introduce yourself."
She seemed to hesitate, before obeying. "U-Um... I am Sendou Aichi. N-Nice to meet you." The class instantly fell into chaos, with whispers and murmurs. The girl looked like she would melt from embarrassment.
"Very well," the teacher spoke, "Miwa Taishi, raise your hand."
Miwa eagerly raised his hand, and he introduced himself excitedly as soon as she walked over to him.
"Yo, new transfer student! I'm Miwa and this is Kai."
The girls eyes widened slightly, lips pursed together. No one had spoken to her this openly before. She guessed high school was a place where she could start anew, so she smiled nervously, hoping it would look friendly enough. "Um... nice to meet you."
Aichi blinked when Miwa grinned, and turned to a boy behind him, "Say something, Kai! It's rude not to reply to a girl."
Kai knew his friend wouldn't stop bugging him until he got what he wanted. He opened one eye to look at the girl, before turning his attention to the most interesting object ever; the window. He was conflicting whether he should answer the girl or kill his best friend because of his annoying behaviour. He shrugged, unconsciously speaking the first thing he had in mind. "I like your hair. It's blue"
Ten years ago, we parted at the start of summer. We met again, ten years after, at the end of the summer.