First SR fiction…Just something which I thought I would try out and see how it goes. Criticisms and meaningful flames are most welcomed, of course. Just to make sure, though…This is a sample chapter, and might be subjected to minor changes.
Due to the fact that Ni Gakki has ended only after I was halfway through my fiction, there might be a few discrepancies, but I'll gladly correct them in a second chapter if this one seems satisfactory.
Oh, one more thing: This is one of my first attempts at writing a piece with humor as a main theme, so don't expect so much out of that department...Yet.
On with the story.
Seasonal Feeling
Chapter 1
The wind gently caressed her cheek, teasing the few locks of hair that hung loosely by the side of her face's profile.
Spring... It was a season for the new to be ushered in, for trees and flowers to bloom after the blanket of white cold returned to where it originated, for-
'Yakumo-kunnnn!'
For love…Which was, of course, the last thing Tsukamoto Yakumo wanted on her mind, especially ever since the day she could listen to the inner throes of those who had those kind of feelings for her. It did not seem as useful as she thought it to be, considering how the thoughts of the boys fill her mind whenever they make an indirect pass at her or simply just as much throw a glance in her direction.
Hanai Haruki, of course, was an exception. He would simply state whatever was in his mind most of the time. It was strange, different in a sense, but that made her feel no more comfortable than with those who professed to like her.
She panicked as the thought seem to come closer, and looked around. Her best friend Sara Adiemus was nowhere in sight, unfortunately. She looked to the left and made her way there as quickly as she could; hiding behind one of the school walls, silently praying that somehow Hanai would be unable to 'sniff' her out this time round.
Somehow or the other, either Hanai Haruki was simply engulfed by his professed love for the younger of the Tsukamoto sisters, or her prayer worked. A sound very much like a herd of elephants trampling by was heard, and soon faded into the distance. She heaved a tiny sigh of relief. It was tiring enough to be able to hear the thoughts of all other boys, and Hanai-senpai's was a little too much to bear sometimes.
All but one.
Somehow, she felt drawn to him, thanks to the fact that he seemed like a silent Buddha statue, revealing nothing of his inner world to her. It was as though he had literally no feelings towards her at all. There had been a few interesting experiences with him-Like when they had to protect the animals from the media. It did not turn out as expected, but she did get to see a softer, a more compassionate side of him-
"Yo, Imouto-san."
She almost jumped at the sound of his voice. There was only one person who would call her in that manner. She turned around to greet him. "Harima-san. Good morning."
"Ah, good morning to you too. By the way, what are you doing? The front entrance's just there." Harima Kenji, seventeen years of age with an attitude and a pair of shades to boot gestured simply to the entrance. He had been infamous for his antics on the streets and his ways of communicating with other people using his fists and could be considered the most famous delinquent in all of Yagami, yet here he was, talking to a girl as though it was an everyday occurrence despite his lack of experience with them.
"Ah…Ano…" She hesitated, knowing that telling him would not really make that much of a difference, anyway.
But the puzzled yet slightly impatient face was not helping her to keep mum.
"…I-I don't feel like going in there yet…"
"Is there something or someone troubling you?"
Yakumo merely nodded, deciding that further explanations would serve little purpose, anyway.
'Hmm…If I help to escort Imouto-san past those bastards who make her feel uncomfortable, she's sure to tell Tenma-chan, and that would make her impression of me even better!' Harima grinned, a dreamy expression overcoming the stern one earlier on.
"Ano…Harima-senpai?"
"Ah! Sorry about that. Well, leave it up to me! I'll escort you to your classroom. That way, there won't be anyone trying to bother you. I'll kill anyone who does so!" He clenched his fist in righteous determination, his spirit burning with anticipation of how Tsukamoto Tenma would look at him once she knew about it: A gentleman, or perhaps a knight, riding to the rescue of a damsel in distress? It seemed so perfect.
The current year two high school girl, however, felt an ever so slight pause in her heartbeat, though it passed quickly. Despite what he had said, she still felt no answers forming in his head. Was it really just her imagination at that time where they acted out one of those scenes together in the dark approximately a year ago?
She shook her head and nodded slightly, accepting his suggestion, secretly glad that there was at least someone who could accompany her across the hallways, which had somehow become a strange place without her really noticing when the change took place.
They entered, side by side, like a pair of comrades-in-arms entering a rowdy bar in an old Western movie (or at least, Harima made it feel that way, what with his stature and his bag held over one shoulder). Dozens of eyes were upon them as soon as they stepped in as the chattering ceased. Harima strode in without a care in the world, while Yakumo followed his lead hesitantly.
It did not come off as a surprise that everyone tried to avoid the infamous delinquent as much as they could, as he strode towards his own shoe locker and quietly put them on, sending an occasional glare to those who dared to send as much as a sideward glance at them.
It was strange, but Yakumo felt comfortable by his side. It might have been the sudden disappearance of a few stray thoughts from the boys, or simply the fact that he was the first boy she had ever interacted with well. No matter what it is, there was no denying that he was one of the very few male friends she had.
"Are you ready?" His voice came into her thoughts like a bolt of thunder, jolting her back from her mental world. She nodded and quickly closed her shoe locker, indicating that she was.
"Let's go then." Without as much a backward glance to her or to anyone else, Harima slung his bag over his shoulder and continued walking towards 2-C. There was no absence of curious onlookers, but either he cared less or simply did not know. He had just one thing in mind: To escort Imouto-san as much as he could so that he could make a good impression to his Tenma-chan.
Little did he realize that he would be running headlong into trouble...
Trouble, also known as Sawachika Eri, commonly known as Ojou to him.
Harima Kenji had to admit, though, that the past two terms did not exactly had him seeing eye to eye with her, but at the very least, he felt that Ojou was not all that bad as she first appeared to him.
But still, he felt an impulse to hide from or avoid her as soon as he saw the two blonde pigtails. Even if she had not been as bad as he thought her to be, he knew the scent of trouble swimming around her well enough to stay away.
"Ne, Imouto-san…"
"Yes?"
He scratched his head. There was no way he wanted to look like a weakling to the sister of Tenma-chan, but neither did he want Ojou to meet up-
'Oh, crap! Why didn't I think of it? Ojou's always with Tenma-chan, and if she sees me walking together with Imouto-san, she might misinterpret it and tell Tenma-chan about it! To hell with my pride, I'll just hide.'
"Imouto-san, can we take the left turn instead?"
"Eh?" She looked at him in surprise. "But the classroom's just down the hallway…A-Ano, if you need to leave, its okay with me…"
"Ahh…That's not what I mean, Imouto-san. It's just that-"
"Hige? What the heck are you doing?"
Too late.
"O-Ojou." He turned to give her a nervous smile. "This isn't what you think it is…"
"Isn't what I think it is…?" She looked at Harima, her eyes trailing from his face, following an automatic path down his body and to his outstretched arms and where he placed his hands on Tsukamoto Yakumo's shoulders.
She slowly raised her eyebrow.
Harima followed her gaze and immediately jumped up, keeping his hands behind his back. "Geh! I-It's not what you think, O-Ojou! I'm just asking Imouto-san for a favour, that's all!"
"…And what might that be?" Her hands were now on her hips now, and there were more than a few people staring.
'Crap! I can't have my reputation as a man go down in the drain! If I just give up to Ojou right now, I might as well shrivel and die!' The image in his mind brought a few shivers up his spine, and he quickly composed himself in the blink of an eye.
"Ah, you see, Ojou, I was simply asking her on how to cook well for…for the girl I like, isn't that right, Imouto-san?"
"Eh? Ah…That's right…"
"S-See? So whatever you do…" He pulled the blonde girl to one side and whispered in her ear. "Don't tell any of our classmates. I don't want them or the girl I like to misunderstand this."
Eri's cheeks darkened at how close her classmate was to her, so she could only nod mutely in reply and only when Harima removed his grasp from her arm did she feel her heartbeat slow down a little and back away from him slightly.
"Well then, Imouto-san. This is as far as I'll escort you. Sorry about that…See you then."
"S-See you." Yakumo waved back staring at his receding back as he made his way down the corridor without a care in the world. Eri looked at her suspiciously.
"You wouldn't be trying to hide something from me, would you?" Yakumo turned at the sound of her upperclassman's voice tentatively. She was looking at her in a way one would describe as suspicious, not forgetting the fact that there seemed to be an underlying tone to her voice, coupled with her narrowed eyes and her folded arms across her chest.
"N-No, senpai…"
"Oh?"
"I-It's true…"
The blonde girl stared hard at her for several seconds, and then she unfolded her arms. "All right then. I'll hold you true to your word as I did before." With that, she swiftly turned and hurried after Harima, who was about to stare a second year into submission after the latter had bumped into him. Eri eventually caught up, and Yakumo watched as the two of them bickered their way up the stairs as always.
"What's the matter, Yakumo?" Sara Adiemus' voice broke her out of her gazing and she turned to address her friend.
"It's nothing…Shall we head in?"
"Yup. Classes are going to begin soon. Have you done your homework already?"
"Yeah…I finished it two days ago…"
Class was always hell for Tani.
At least, when it came to his students of the famed 2-C., now mostly gathered in the room marked by a sign '3-C' instead.
One way or the other, chaos always seem to find its way into the classroom, be it through the windows or the doors, or by whatever means necessary. It had come to the point that if there had been no mayhem seen in the class at all for one day, it would seem extremely strange to him.
Not that such a thing would reduce his love of teaching, of course, as tempting as it might be to quit, he decided that as their homeroom teacher, it would be best for him to see through it with his students like any dedicated mentor should.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to blot out the din coming from within the classroom, opened the door and stepped into the minefield. "Class, please settle down. Homeroom's about to star-"
A book flew into his face, scoring a bull's-eye on his nose and effectively denting his spectacles slightly. He removed the book from his face and dodged just in time before a somehow sharpened broom could impale him.
"You bastard! How dare you kidnap Yakumo-kun and make her walk with you to her classroom! I'll never forgive you!"
"Hah? What the hell are you talking about? I was merely escorting her there because she said she was having a little bit of trouble, Four-Eyes!"
"Only an idiot would believe the word of a delinquent like you, Harima Kenji!"
"Well then, be that idiot!"
"Would you two stop fighting, damn it! Homeroom's about to start!"
"Oi, Nara, how much would you like to bet on Harima? Bets start at 1000 yen apiece for both Hanai and him."
"Ano…"
"Oi, Hanai! Get your ass back here and sit down, idiot!"
"But he has done something unforgivable! There's no way I'm backing out of this!"
"Heh, since you put it that way, it doesn't look like there's any other way around this. I've wanted to put you in your place too, Four-Eyes."
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
"Will someone listen to me and stop them, damn it!"
A hand slammed down on the teacher's desk, effectively silencing all the students in the room and they turned to look at the person who had done so. Harima's fist landed squarely on Hanai's cheek even as they stopped while the dustpan effectively dealt a blow to the delinquent's midriff.
All they saw were a pair of spectacles, reflecting the blinding sunlight that had so cheekily peeked into their classroom through the windows.
It was a god, or at the very least, it seemed like one. What else could give off such a heavenly aura save for Nishimoto?
"Good morning, class…I hope you're ready for Homeroom."
….Or not.
Almost automatically, the students returned to their seats quietly as though it was their second nature to do so. There was no noise save for the sound of shifting chairs and tables as they took their seats. Imadori, who was still sleeping, miraculously woke up and sat up straight. Harima Kenji and Hanai Haruki, though, were still locked in a fierce staring contest and jabbing of one's fist (or dustpan, in Hanai's case) into the body part which it rested upon.
"Harima-kun, Hanai-kun, please return to your seats."
"But sensei! I have to settle the issue about Yakumo-kun with this…this delinquent!"
"I can't just back down from a fight here, sensei!"
His glasses shone again, hiding any emotional changes reflected in his eyes, though his tone was unmistakable. "Sit. Down. Now…please."
"Hai" Harima hopped back to his seat as though he was a preschool student aiming to please his teacher while Hanai simply slumped into his.
He was no god, but probably the only other teacher aside from Osakabe Itoko who was able to stop the delinquent in his tracks whenever he turned a blind eye to all else except for fighting.
Smiling as though the fight did not occur in the first place (as well as the fact that a sharpened end of a broomstick nearly impaled him), he stood up. "Well then…First of all, welcome back to school. I'm pretty sure all of you have had a good time during your break?"
A few murmurs greeted him.
Tani smiled mildly. "It's the start of a new semester, and I'm…glad to have the fortune to be your Homeroom teacher again. Let's hope we have a good year ahead of us."
A disembodied answer followed, mixed with some cheers and some more intense murmuring. Tani almost felt at home again; chaotic they may be, he was still the most familiar with them…Well, at least most of them. Imadori Kyousuke was noticeably missing, together with Hiroyoshi Asou and his best friend, Ryuuhei Suga (at least he assumed so, seeing as both of them seemed to be close). Nara Kentarou was in the neighbouring class, and probably having a field day together with Yoshidayama, considering the fact that their rivalry with the then 2-D class came close to being legendary in the school. Not that he minded, of course. He was always up for a challenge from 2-D, though the departure of Kouriyama might see a little less of that.
'Still, a little less excitement won't hurt…' He looked down on the opened book and began calling out names as though it was his second nature to do so. 'Besides, some of those new students might seem a little less…vibrant than Harima or Hanai.'
Speaking of Harima, he was rather surprised that he, of all people had managed to pull through. There had been a few times where he had called for him to stay back for some remedial classes for the whole of summer holidays last year, and even considered counseling to see, perhaps, what was wrong. He was busy on both counts doing 'something important', as he had put it over the phone. There was a little excitement on his other side when he mentioned the cruel truth about being retained if he did not pass…Well, it might or might not have been the drive needed for Harima, but Tani was still happy to see another familiar face in the class.
Though there was still the fact that he was still someone who has been making the classroom a more…'exciting' place…
"Ne, Hige…"
"Yeah?" A new school year heralded changes, and it so happened that the Fates had determined that the new change that was to happen was to have a certain half-English, half-Japanese teenage girl sit behind a gruff and seemingly uncaring teenage male with a unusual penchant for beards and mustaches.
"What was it that Hanai was shouting about?" Her eyes narrowed. "Could it be that you-"
Harima froze and looked to his right. Yes, as the Fates had dictated for him, Tenma-chan was next to him again. It was well worth the torture he had to endure with books and with two certain girls named Takano Akira as well as Sawachika Eri-otherwise known as Ojou to him-and a certain physics teacher. The only downside then was the fact that he suffered several bruises and perhaps a broken rib or two when he requested for an extension of the deadline for his manga.
'Then again, what's a broken body compared to being able to be with Tenma-chan again?"
"-ge? Hige!" Harima snapped out of his daydream and looked at the girl behind him in confusion. What was she asking about now? Or rather, did she ask anything at all in the first place?
"What is it that happened this morning…?"
"Ah! It's nothing…All a silly misunderstanding, Ojou. Nothing to be worried about!" He nervously replied as soon as he saw Tenma's pigtails perk- a sign that she was interested in something.
'Darn you, Ojou! Don't say it until Tenma-chan can hear it…'
"Oh." The blonde sat back, seemingly casual and remained silent. Harima Kenji was behaving awfully suspicious…Not that she had not seen that side of him before. Still, the notion of him and another girl together, most of all Tenma's little sister…
"What is it? Worried about competition for a man who has pretended to be your fiancé, only to have you kick him in the face when you realized his true identity?"
"Geh!" She almost leapt out of her seat when Takano Akira's voice seemingly came out from nowhere. She looked at her, irritated, before composing herself. "W-What the heck are you talking about?"
"Oh, you know what I'm talking about."
"B-But I don't have those kinds of feelings for Hige!"
"Did I say it was Harima?"
She swore she would have seen a grin on her face had she turned around, but chose to remain silent while her cheeks burned slightly. Had they not been in class, she would have tried to glare a hole through her if she could. It would not have been any use to deny it, anyway, since it WAS the truth and Akira always seemed to have a way of knowing what had happened. A bout of snickering from Suou Mikoto kept her confined to the realm of her textbook throughout the lesson, however, so all she could do was wait until Tani-sensei was finished with the class.
"Hige might have heard you!"
"Ara, but he didn't, did he?" There hadn't really been time to do anything to her enigmatic friend, and by the time lunchtime came knocking, Eri's anger had more or less dissipated, replaced by a seemingly everlasting irritation.
"Putting that aside, when are you going to come clean with your feelings?"
Eri fidgeted uncomfortably. "I-It really isn't like that…"
"What is it? What are you talking about?" Tsukamoto Tenma arrived, and was instantly interested in their little conversation.
"Oh, we were talking about relationships in general…Pertaining to Eri."
The said girl gave Mikoto a glare and laughed nervously at Tenma.
"Wow! Eri-chan has someone she likes? What a surprise!"
"S-Somehow that doesn't really sound right…"
"It's normal to feel surprised, Tenma. Don't worry about it."
Tenma nodded repeatedly. "Yeah, that's right! After all, Eri had rejected countless guys who confessed to her before."
"A-Ano, that's another matter…"
"Who is he? Do I know him well? So when are you going to tell him?"
"Eh?" Faced with the bombardment of questions from the shorter girl, Eri was at a loss for words. There would be a time where she would have easily shrugged everything off, but now…
"Ah, Harima-kun." Eri almost automatically turned to where Tenma was looking. Indeed, it was the one and only guy who wore shades to school. He had just stood up after seemingly busy with some writing. He turned upon hearing Tenma's voice and looked directly at the group, his eyes seemingly fixated on someone.
The girl felt her heart skip a beat.
"Where are you off to, Harima-kun?"
'Tenma-chan is asking about me…It is a sign of concern, definitely!' "Ah…I'm off to the rooftop to do some thinking."
"Oh, is it about the new man-Urff!" Harima's hand came over her mouth quickly, and he took her swiftly to one side.
"Tsukamoto, i-it wouldn't be safe to say that out in front of everyone."
She shrugged out of his grasp. "But why? I think being a mangaka is quite an accomplishment, ever more so when you're still studying. Besides," She smiled. "I like your manga."
Harima blushed, making no attempt to hide it (or rather, her unexpected comment had him reflexively doing so). 'As expected of Tenma-chan…She never fails to cheer me on, even when I'm doing stupid things like this.' "Th-Thank you, Tsukamoto, but I would rather keep this manga as a secret with you and Imouto-san."
She raised an eyebrow, but nodded anyway. "Okay, Harima-kun." She began to turn, but stopped as her pigtails perked again, as though she had just remembered something. "By the way, Harima-kun, you haven't answered my question about who you like," She looked at him suspiciously. "And that reminds me…What exactly is your relationship with Yakumo?"
Harima stiffened. "Ah! I just remembered that I'll be late for something! See you later, Tsukamoto!" He sprinted out of the classroom before she could react, leaving her with a trail of dust and a few unanswered questions.
"Ara? Harima-kun!" She started to go after him, only to have her sights immediately turn to a certain expressionless boy who walked past and like an ant to the scent of sugar. As if on cue, the boy turned around.
"Ohayo, Tsukamoto-san."
"Ohayo Karasuma-kun!"
Akira blinked. "Somehow I feel sorry for him."
"Who?"
"It's nothing, Mikoto."
Author's Note: First chapter's always a sample. Please R&R, though. I would be glad to be able to continue this, despite having little guarantee on how it will all turn out,especially whether the story might take a serious turn or not. Till then, cheers.