Cuxie: NEW STORY!!! I've been threatening to write this forever so here it is!
Kazune: Um, what's with the intense typing? You're gonna break the keyboard.
Cuxie: Am not! I know what I'm doing! I just gotta get this story out NOW!!
Kazune:...Riiight. Well, then by all means.
Cuxie:Thank--wait! SOMEONE!! HELP!!
Suzune: MewCuxie12 does NOT own Kamichama Karin or Shino from Pita-Ten.
Cuxie: God, he's even cuter than I thought he'd be! X3 Rolling!
"Onii-chan! Hurry up!" A young girl stood at the bottom of the stairs, her long dirty-blond hair clipped back from her face. She wore the expensive black and white ruffled dress that was the Sakura Private Academy uniform. Her bright blue eyes closed and she sighed. "Mom...he's not listening. Again." Turning around, she stepped into the kitchen, grabbed a muffin off the counter, and sat down. "Onii-chan's still upstairs. At this rate we're going to be late."
A tall woman with light brown hair smiled graciously at her and set a glass of orange juice on the table. "I'm sure he'll be down any minute, Kazuka-chan." She a coffee mug down on the table, across from her daughter and in front of her husband.
"But it's the first day! He promised to walk me to my class," Kazuka said, pouting slightly. "It's the first day of school. We can't be late for the first day."
Across from her, Kazuka's father looked up. "She has a point, Karin. He gets his sense of punctuality from you, you know."
Karin looked over her shoulder at him. "And just what is that supposed to mean?" He chuckled. "I'm punctual. Usually." He smirked at her and opened his mouth, as if to say something, when the back door flew open.
"Ohayo, minna-san." In stepped a girl, older than Kazuka but sporting the same uniform. She had soft, golden eyes and purple hair that brushed her shoulders. Two small silver crosses were clipped on either side of her hair. Closing the door gently behind her, she stepped forward clutching her school bag in one hand. "Ready, Kazuka-chan? Where's Suzune-kun?"
"He'll be down in a second!" Kazuka announced grandly, marching back out of the room and towards the stairs, muffin in hand.
"Ohayo Shino-chan," Karin said. "Have a seat. Suzune-kun's running a bit late." She handed her a glass of juice and pushed the plate of muffins towards her. "Help yourself."
"Thank you," Shino replied, super polite. She grabbed the smallest muffin and took a teensy bite and then a sip of her juice. From the kitchen, they could all hear Kazuka yelling:
"ONII-CHAN!! ONEE-CHAN'S HERE!!"
From upstairs, they heard a muffled response: "I'm coming!"
Kazuka strolled back in, looking satisfied. "Nowhe's coming." She took her seat, glancing over at Shino and gasping. "Onee-chan! What happened to your crown?"
Shino touched her head, still getting used to not feeling the small silver crown hair accessories she had worn for years. That morning after brushing her hair out and staring into her mirror, she'd decided that she had outgrown it. Still, the empty space on her head that it had occupied felt terribly obvious. "Oh, I took it off. I thought it was a little too...pretentious."
"Pretentious?"
"Flashy."
Kazuka shook her head. "No way. It was soo cute."
"I'm here!" Suzune blew into the kitchen, clutching his school bag in one hand. He ran past the table, grabbing a muffin with his free hand and heading towards the door. He flung it open. "C'mon, we're gonna be late!" Kazuka shook her head, smiling despite herself. She stood and Shino followed suit. Suzune held the door open for them as they all filed out, calling back to their parents. "Itekimasu!"
As they started towards the school Suzune took the girls' bags. "You're still walking me to class, right Onii-chan?" Kazuka asked.
He nodded, then turned to Shino. "Are you--" He paused, really looking at her for the first time all morning. "What happened to your crown?"
She blushed and touched her hair self-consciously. "I-Is it that noticeable?"
He cocked his head at her. "Well, not really, I guess. Maybe I'm just used to it. Did you lose it?"
"No. I just took it off." She looked down at her feet, purposely avoiding his eyes. There was something about them, wide, crystal clear, and green, and the curious way he looked at her that made her feel...funny. "Does it look okay though? I mean, I don't look weird without it, right?"
He shook his head. "No, of course not. Just...different. Why don't you want to wear it anymore?"
"She said it's too flashy," Kazuka said. "But it looked so cute on her, didn't it Onii-chan? Tell her it looked cute."
"It did look cute."
Again she ducked her head. Her face felt like it was on fire. What's wrong with me?In the nine years that they'd known each other, she had always worn her crown. She'd been wearing it when they'd met just like he'd been wearing that adorable bunny cap of his. But she'd continued to wear hers long after he'd outgrown his hat. (Which wasn't long after they'd met.) So it was understandable that he and Kazuka would be the first to notice. But now she wasn't sure if she regretted taking it off, or was glad he did because he'd complimented her. And did that mean she wasn't cute anymore now that she'd decided to lose it?
Suzune seemed oblivious. "So are you coming with me to walk Kazuka-chan to her class?"
"I guess so. Where is it?"
"Um, the elementary division?"
Shino giggled. "I thought so. So you don't know where exactly? How are you supposed to help her find it?"
"I can find," Kazuka answered. "I just wanted--Hey, there's Yori-kun!" She dashed ahead of them, running towards a dark-haired boy, calling his name. He looked back at her and smiled, waiting for her to catch up.
"Hey!" Suzune called after her. "I thought you wanted us to walk you!"
She looked over her shoulder. "I'm a big girl, Onii-chan. I can find it myself."
Suzune shook his head at her. "Really. I don't get her sometimes."
"She's so fickle," Shino added thoughtfully.
"Guess we're on our own."
They could already see the school gates ahead. Students were milling in from all directions. The entrance was clustered by group of kids, some eagerly awaiting the opening ceremony, others just loitering to avoid going inside. A sense of spring was in the air, obvious despite the slight chill.
"Kujyou-kun~!" Four sing-song voices harmonized. Shino froze, sensing more than seeing the approach of Suzune's, erm, friends. He turned just as they were swarmed, surrounded on all sides by girlish shrieks and squeals. "We caught you early!" "You should totally walk with us!"
"Um...okay?" More squeals erupted and Shino looked around desperately for a means of escape. The girls had converged to one side, her side, in an effort to keep her as far away from Suzune as possible. He shot Shino a desperate look and she forced her best fake smile.
"I think I see Tama-tan up ahead. I'll see you at the ceremony, okay?" She said. None of the girls so much as batted an eyelash at her, all too busy talking above each other in an effort to capture Suzune's attention. Her voice was lost to her own ears, but somehow he had picked it up above all the noise. He caught her eye again and nodded.
She sped ahead of them, walking fast but forcing herself not to run. She was surprised when she actually noticed Tama waiting for her up ahead. She'd said the words before she had even realized she'd seen her. Looks like it's going to be another one of those years, she thought to herself as she raced to catch up with her friend.
Cuxie: Teehee! It's done!
Suzune: Cool.
Cuxie: I know! And if you'll all notice, I didn't use any of the names from my poll. I looked/made one up. And I'm about 75% sure Kazuka means "peaceful flower". Correct me if I'm wrong.
Kazuka: Well, I think it's great.
Cuxie: Of course you do. Now please tell the people to review to get me to update.
Kazuka:...Review to get her to update.
Cuxie: Good job!