Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the characters.
Claimer: I own the idea of this fiction.
This is my latest story, one that I've been working on for a good few weeks now. This story was fun to plan, and I hope you guys like it as much as I do. I will be using many Japanese names and a few terms, but I will translate them before each chapter as to not confuse you. Enjoy!
Haruka – May
Asuna – Flannery
Hazuki – Harrison
Shuu – Drew
Takeshi – Brock
Tsutsuji – Roxanne
Wataru – Lance
Sakaki – Giovanni
Yuuji – Drake (Orange island)
Kogane – Goldenrod
Ubame no Mori – Ilex forest
Okaa-sasn – Mother
Otou-san – Father
Fuku – school girl uniform
Sugoi – amazing
Gomen nasai – I'm sorry
-Kun – A suffix used for an acquaintance or friend. Mostly used between men.
-Chan – A suffix used for people who are close. Mainly used for and between women.
-San – A formal suffix normally meaning "Mr." or "Ms."
-Sensei – Teacher
Oi – Hey
Arigatou Gozaimasu – Thank you very much
Hai – Yes
Kakusha no Joushou Ryuu – Hotel of Rising Dragon
Kawaii – Cute
Note: In the Japanese language, the names go last name first.
Hello everyone, I'm Honda Haruka. I'm a sophomore attending Sekiyou High School in Kogane City. I would say I'm your average 15 year old girl, but that's not completely true. You see, about 4 months ago, both of my parents died in a really bad accident. A lot of my family members offered to let me stay with them, but I didn't want to trouble them too much. I needed a roof over my head, but I didn't want to burden anyone with my situation. That's when I thought of a plan to build myself a tree house close to my high school in the Ubame no Mori! It was the perfect idea! Living in a tree house is pretty tough, especially when you're tired from school or work, and you have to climb all the way up and stuff. I've actually fallen off a few times, but that's another story. I haven't told anyone about it though, so it's my own little secret base. Right now, I'm getting myself ready for my first day of the new school year! I'm pretty excited! But you know, I can't help but feel like something is going to happen today. I just got that strange feeling. Anyway, it's time to start school! Wish me luck!
Honda Haruka
"I'll just tighten this here…put this there…and that's it! All ready!" The brunette named Haruka said to herself proudly. Her sapphire eyes scanned around her roughly hand-crafted tree house. There wasn't much to look at except for a few cardboard boxes being used as a stand for several small items, including a picture of two adults, one male and one female. After straightening out her blue school uniform, a fuku consisting of a skirt and T-shirt, she turned and knelt in front of the picture sitting on top of a cardboard box. She flashed the two people in the picture a soft smile. "Okaa-san, Otou-san, I'm about to go to school today, so watch the house for me, okay?" Slugging her small, baby blue backpack over her shoulder, Haruka stepped out of the doorway and carefully climbed down the 10 foot tall tree.
Trekking from the forest was sometimes pleasant, given the weather condition. The forest was big, making it easy to get lost. Haruka was well used to the forest, so she knew her way around. Looking up, Haruka smiled at the weather. It was a clear and sunny day, making the early morning sunlight filtering through the trees give the forest a radiant glow. Truly an awe-inspiring sight.
Along the path to Sekiyou High, Haruka spotted a two-story house. It wasn't too big or too small. The perfect size in her opinion. She could only wish she lived in house like that. What struck her as odd was the fact she always passed the house, but never thought to actually approach it. Curiosity pulled her towards the front of the house, which made it look even more fantastic. She already felt comfortable just looking at it.
"Sugoi…! Such a lovely looking home." Haruka thought aloud, staring in wonder.
"I take it you like this house?" A voice said out of the blue.
"AH!" Haruka nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise, not expecting the sudden voice. She glanced towards the front door to notice a tanned man with short, spiky brown hair, clad in a brown yukata. His eyes were closed in slits, making it impossible to tell the eye color. "Gomen nasai. I shouldn't have approached the house so boldly without your permission." She bowed apologetically.
"No, no, you're fine. Actually, I take great pleasure that someone as lovely as you would take the time to look at my house." The man responded.
"It's a very nice house. Do you own it?"
"Why yes I do. I'm Takeshi, nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine. I'm Honda Haruka."
"Nice name." Takeshi complimented. "Now if you would like, I can give you a tour of the house."
"Takeshi-san, are you harassing someone again?" A voice interrogated from behind Takeshi. The boy who appeared was around the same age as Haruka, possibly a year older. He had boyish, neatly trimmed teal hair and blue eyes. His clothes consisted of a boy's high school uniform, which was a pair of long black pants and black long sleeve shirt.
"I wasn't doing any such thing, Shuu-kun. I was only making conversation."
Shuu gave his hair a flick and glanced at Haruka, who had a surprised look on her face. "I apologize for my friend if he did anything foolish."
"I…I know you!" Haruka gasped in surprised. "You're Soma Shuu from my school! I didn't know you lived here!" It was certainly a shock for Haruka to know where he lived. A lot of the girls in Sekiyou high liked Shuu. Most of them would kill to know where he lived, yet Haruka found him by sheer chance!
"You look familiar…" Shuu pondered, tossing Haruka an inquisitive look.
"I'm Haruka. We're in the same class together."
"Haruka…Haruka…ah yes, I remember now. It certainly is a coincidence that we met here. But I wonder, this house is pretty far away from the city. Where do you live?"
"Oh, ah…where I live?" Haruka repeated timidly. She couldn't possibly tell THE Soma Shuu that she lived in a tent. That would make her the ultimate laughing stock of the school! "Err…well…it's around here, but kinda far."
"Huh. You don't say…" Shuu and Takeshi tossed each other a look. It was hard to believe there was another house somewhere nearby. The only thing nearby were trees. Shrugging it off, Shuu decided to change the subject. "Anyway, since you're here, would you like to walk with me to school?"
"Hai, I would love to!" Haruka agreed happily. The two started walking together to school, but they were barely 10 feet away when Takeshi made a comment.
"Oi, Shuu-kun! Wait until the third date to pull any moves!"
SMACK!
A bump formed on Takeshi's forehead thanks to the rock Shuu found on the ground. "Baka." Shuu huffed, continuing his escorting a slightly flushed Haruka to class.
Once Haruka arrived at school, she and Shuu immediately went to their first class. The school was built just like most high schools, scaling 4 stories high and complete with many fields for their ever growing athletics division. Class hadn't started yet, so everyone was able to relax before the teacher arrived. Haruka sat in her seat and stretched her arms. She was about to get relaxed when a pair of hands slammed on her table, causing her to jerk back in surprise.
"Ah ha! So you're the one I've been hearing about!" A girl with crimson eyes and brown hair hovered threateningly over Haruka.
"…Huh?" Haruka blinked in confusion.
"Don't you "huh" me! Don't think no one caught on to your scheme with Shuu-kun! We know you walked to school with him today!" This caught the attention of every girl in the classroom.
Haruka could feel all of the eyes staring at her. It was quite unnerving. "It was just that, walking to school. It was nothing else out of the ordinary, honest!"
"Nothing out of the ordinary? The fact that a nobody like you got such an honor is inconceivable! I want answers Haruka-san!" The woman leaned forward, glaring at Haruka. Suddenly, a hand gripped the badgering woman's shoulder. She turned around to shoot a dark glare at the owner of the hand. "Who on earth do you think…it's you!" She gasped.
"Tsutsuji-san, why don't you leave my friend alone? We wouldn't want to have any problems now…do we?" The woman questioned hauntingly. She had bright ruby eyes and hair. Her hair was styled in a large ponytail going in four separate directions and a thick bang of her hair was covering part of her face. The scary look in her eyes clearly told Tsutsuji to back off or else.
"Hmph, unhand me this instant, tomboy!" Tsutsuji demanded, shrugging off the grip. She turned to face the said girl and placed her hands on her hips. "Class is starting soon, so I was about to leave anyway. Be sure to tell your friend to watch out, because I won't let anyone get near my Shuu-kun." Shuu shivered at the sound of his name mentioned by Tsutsuji. Tsutsuji tossed Haruka a warning glare before striding back to her seat, which was close to Shuu's.
Haruka took the moment to release a sigh of relief. "Arigatou Asuna-chan."
With the mood back to normal, Asuna smiled and ruffled Haruka's hair. "Hey, don't mention it. There's nothing I wouldn't do for ya. If you need me to take anyone down for you, let me know, okay?"
Haruka sweat-dropped. "I hope that doesn't happen anytime soon, but I'll keep that in mind." When she heard someone come through the front door, she turned to wave at the newcomer she recognized. "Hazu-kun!" She called.
Asuna blushed at the name. "Ha…Hazu-kun's in this class too?"
"Hey you guys! Long time no see!" A brown haired boy called. His blue eyes beamed with glee at the sight of his two friends.
Haruka smiled as Hazuki arrived at her desk. She, Hazuki and Asuna had been childhood friends longer than she could remember and always stuck together. Asuna was a born fighter with a passion for dancing and singing while Hazuki was a martial artist in training with a gentle heart. Haruka always enjoyed their company for two reasons: One of them was because they were always great support and friends to her.
"So, Asuna-chan, how was your summer vacation?" Hazuki asked with slight timidity, scratching the back of his head.
Asuna wringed her hands while smiling nervously. "I-it was good. Yours?"
"Same."
…The other reason Haruka liked hanging around them was because how nervous Hazuki and Asuna were around each other was just too priceless to miss. "It's been awhile since we've all met. I'm glad I got to see you two again after so long." Haruka told them.
"Tell me about it. I wish I didn't have to go on that trip to Hoenn with my mom. If I didn't go, I've could've been hanging out with you two more." Hazuki informed irritably.
"Oh, that's right; your mom is the manager of that famous resort, right? I think it was called Kakusha no Joushou Ryuu." Asuna mentioned.
"Yeah. It's pretty cool, though when you're the son of the manager it's a killer to be there. Do you have any idea how many beds I have to make? You two have it easy when it comes to those things."
"I couldn't imagine." Haruka said. 'It's easy to make a bed when you don't have one.'
"So anyway, Haruka-chan, how goes your living arrangements after…" Hazuki leaned closer to whisper so it wouldn't catch too much attention. "After what happened to your parents?"
"Oh, that? I-it's fine! No problem! Everything under control!" Haruka laughed off.
"Are you sure? I mean, I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind lending you a room for awhile. There are plenty of rooms that are rarely used."
"Yeah, and if that doesn't work, you could always stay with me and my dad at the flower shop we own." Asuna joined, also worried about Haruka's well-being.
"No, no, I'm fine, really! It was tough at first, but there are no problems. I'm fine. Thanks for worrying about me." Haruka thanked.
"Hey, we've always been there for each other. You were always there for us when we needed it. We just want to do the same, right Asuna-chan?" Hazuki asked.
"Yeah, no problem!" Asuna agreed.
Just then, the front door opened, revealing a teacher with pink/orange hair and brown eyes stepping inside. Already, the female crowd started squealing with delight.
"Kyaa! It's Wataru-kun!"
"Wataru-kun, we love you so!"
"Oh my god! He's going to be our teacher for the semester!"
"This is so awesome!"
Wataru ushered the class to quiet down. "Ladies, ladies, please settle down and have a seat." The female students who were cheering for him did as instructed. "Alright, now that everyone's settled, allow me to introduce myself." Grabbing a piece of chalk, Wataru began scribbling on the blackboard. "My name is Wataru Soma, and I will be your first period teacher for this term. As most of you hopefully remembered, this class will be studying English. To start, we'll go over nouns and verbs, and how they relate to Japanese…"
'Wait…Soma? Could it be…?' Haruka directed her attention to Shuu, who had a stoic expression. She made a silent gasp at the realization. 'I get it! So Shuu-san and Wataru-sensei are related!' During class, Haruka noticed Shuu taking small glances at her on the side. It was a wonder why he was looking at her. Unfortunately, she also noticed the fact that Tsutsuji saw Shuu looking at her.
If looks could kill, Haruka would've been burned to a crisp by Tsutsuji's glare.
Speaking of burning, why did she feel so hot all of the sudden?
Many hours later, it was the end of classes for that day. After bidding farewell to Hazuki and Asuna, Haruka started off for her treehouse. While she was walking, she noticed the clouds growing dark and rapidly spreading across the sky. It was about to rain.
"Awww…I was hoping to have an easy night…" Haruka pouted. It also didn't help that her body had been gradually getting hotter as the hours in class passed by. She also started feeling a little light headed. Her legs began to feel like wet noodles, causing her to walk in an uncoordinated path, staggering. "Everything is getting so…spinny and swirly…" It was clear to tell she was feeling woozy due to the dizzy look in her eyes. Unable to keep up her pace, she tripped over her own feet and started falling.
Fortunately, her trip to the ground was halted by a hand grabbing her arm.
"Haruka-san!" The owner of the hand called out with great urgency. Haruka managed to steal a small glimpse of her savoir just before she passed out.
"…Shuu-san…?"
Sometime later, Haruka's eyes fluttered open to the sound of heavy rain. Noting the unfamiliar ceiling, she shot up from what she now realized was a futon bed. She felt something fall from her forehead onto her lap. It was a damp cloth. Once her eyes regained complete focus, she was able to confirm that she was now inside someone's house.
"Glad to see you awake." A familiar voice said.
Haruka turned to face the man who spoke to her. It was Takeshi. That's when she realized that she was in Takeshi's home. "Oh no! I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble! I'm grateful you took the time to take care of me!"
"Hey, hey, relax! You're not feeling well, and it's not best to leave someone to get wet in the rain if they are sick. Besides, it's not me who you should be thanking." Takeshi turned his head. Haruka glanced at the direction Takeshi faced to see Shuu leaning against the wall, staring directly at her.
Haruka paled in shock. Shuu was the one who caught her as she collapsed. Talk about embarrassing. "I-I'm so sorry for causing you so much trouble! I really should've been more careful where I was walking, and…and…and—"
"Calm down. I just happened to be following you to confirm my suspicions, and I called it right. You have a bad fever."
Haruka's jaw dropped. "You…followed me?"
Shuu sighed. "Don't take it too seriously. When I first saw you today, I noticed you were a little hot. You seemed kind of off the entire day, and I wanted to make sure you got home safely. It was no trouble for me. Besides, had you fainted and I wasn't there to catch you, things would've gotten ugly." He pointed out the window. It was a huge torrent of rain pouring down. Haruka would've been in a much worse condition if she fainted in the storm.
"W-wow…I didn't realize you went through so much just to make sure I was alright." Haruka smiled gratefully at Shuu. "Arigatou gozaimasu."
"Don't mention it. Just take better care of yourself next time. When the rain stops, I'll escort you back to the treehouse."
"EH?" Haruka panicked. "Y-y-y-y-you know about that?"
Shuu's eyes narrowed. "So you're the one who lives in that tree house. I've been wondering about that ever since the first time I saw it. Thanks for confirming my second suspicion."
"Ah…!" Color drained from Haruka's face as she continued to stare at Shuu in shock, speechless. Shuu deliberately said that statement on purpose! He now knew she lived in a tree house. The color that left her face returned in double the force, along with her lightheadedness. Noticing this, Shuu gently laid her back on the bed.
"You mustn't push yourself. You're still unwell. Your health is the most important right now. We will talk more after you recover, but for now, please rest." Shuu replaced Haruka's cloth with a newly cooled and damp one.
Haruka blushed. Shuu seemed so caring and charming. There was no way she could refuse. Besides, exhaustion was starting to take over. "H…Hai…Shuu-san. I will be alright with just a little rest…" Within moments, she was sound asleep.
Takeshi smiled at the sound of Haruka's soft snores of slumber, relieved. "Looks like she's finally asleep." He tossed Shuu an inquisitive look. "I must say, I'm not sure which I'm more surprised about: The fact she lived in such a tree house for so long, or the fact you were this worried about her to bring her here. I still remember the look of urgency on your face when you brought her here."
"It's nothing special. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. Also, I wanted to see for myself if she really lived in that tree house. With the way she acts in class, you could never tell she was going through such strife. Even though I haven't noticed her much, whenever I saw her, she was always smiling. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence. Maybe she was just having a good day or something wonderful happened. But now…I'm unsure of whether her smiles are all happy smiles. It could be that she smiles just for show so people wouldn't worry about her…"
"Hmm. Sounds like you're worried about her alright."
"…"
"I don't blame you though. Now that I know about the situation and her character a little bit, I can't help but also worry about her."
BOOM!
Takeshi and Shuu jumped at the sound of a powerful thunderbolt. It was very loud, meaning it was close. Too close. Takeshi's eyes slid to the direction of the thunderbolt. "Something was hit. A tree."
Shuu had a concerned look on his face. "Could it be…?"
"It just happened to be around that area. I wouldn't doubt it. Her tree house might've been hit."
"…" Shuu glanced at Haruka, a hint of sadness in her expression. Chances were that was Haruka's only home.
"Okaa-san…Otou-san…please be alright…zzzzzzz…" Haruka whispered in her sleep.
There was a moment of silence between Shuu and Takeshi. Shuu's gaze never left Haruka. "…Takeshi-san…"
"Yes?"
"Which direction was her tree house?"
Takeshi smiled knowingly. "It's in the south direction nearby the shrine. You remember where the rain jacket was, right?"
"Of course. I'll be right back." Shuu stood up and grabbed a light teal rain coat before heading out into the raging storm.
Many hours later, it was the morning time, and Haruka woke up groggily. Thankfully, the pounding headache she had last night was gone, leaving her feeling refreshed. That rest was exactly what she needed. "I feel great!" Haruka grunted as she stretched. Her momentary happiness went into a halt as she remembered something some last night:
Haruka had half-consciously awoken to the sound of a deafening thunderbolt. She couldn't move her body, but her hearing senses were fully functional due to the loud crack of thunder. It was then she heard Takeshi speaking to Shuu.
"Something was hit. A tree."
"Could it be…?"
"It just happened to be around that area. I wouldn't doubt it. Her tree house might've been hit."
And that was all she remembered from the conversation before losing consciousness again.
"Okaa-san! Otou-san!" Haruka cried. She shot out of the bed and dashed towards the front door. She was almost out the front door when a hand held onto her shoulder.
"Looking for this?" Shuu asked, holding a two-part folding picture frame. Haruka's eyes widened with surprise. It was a picture of her parents!
"But…how did you…when…?" Haruka was at a loss for words.
"I apologize to inform you that your house was decimated during the storm last night. I've managed to recover most of your possessions undamaged. The ones that weren't destroyed are already placed in your room."
"Arigatou gozai…wait, huh?" Haruka blinked as soon as she caught on to what Shuu said. "My room? What do you mean?"
"Oi, Shuu-kun! I finished Haruka-kun's room!" Takeshi called from upstairs.
"Hai, I'll bring up her stuff right away." Shuu started walking away with Haruka's belongings in a bag. "You might want to come upstairs with me to help setup your room. I don't know what your preferences are."
Haruka was now even more loss for words. It took her a minute before she could find her voice. "You don't have to do this. I mean, this is way too much trouble! I've already imposed on you earlier, and to actually impose further by—"
Shuu whipped around and gave her a reassured glance. His blue, tranquil eyes zoned in on hers. "Haruka-san, had you really imposed on us, we wouldn't be doing this. Feel free to stay in this house as long as you need to."
Those words stole Haruka's breath away. In under a day, she had moved from a hand-built tree house to a very nice house…with Soma Shuu! He and Takeshi were doing this all for her, without a hint of wanting anything in return. Haruka didn't think it was possible to feel more touched by their kindness. "H-hai! But I can assure you, I won't stay without contributing to something! I'll be sure to do whatever needs to be done in return!"
A small smile appeared on Shuu's lips. "I'll keep that in mind."
"I've got a better idea!" Takeshi grinned, standing next to them.
"How long have you been standing there?" Shuu asked.
Takeshi ignored the question and continued with his suggestion. "Haruka-kun, how about we make a deal! If you feel you need to contribute to staying here, how about you become our new housekeeper!"
Haruka blinked. "Housekeeper?"
"Yeah, it'll be great! I've even prepared a uniform for you to wear!" Takeshi started fumbling through one of the bags in his hand.
Both Shuu and Haruka sweat-dropped. "Takeshi…just how long have you been planning this?"
"Let's see…ah ha! Ta-da!" What Takeshi revealed was what had to be the skimpiest maid uniform in the world, made mainly with revealing black and white silk straps. Shuu promptly face-faulted. "Now if you don't mind Haruka, how about we get started? First off, be sure to say "Yes master" whenever we call on you. Also—"
POW!
"That wasn't funny!" Shuu chastised angrily, punching Takeshi in the back of the head.
"You didn't have to hit that hard…sheesh! Can't you take a joke?"
Haruka sweat-dropped. It looked like this was going to be a very interesting stay.
After fixing up the room, Haruka and Shuu had just enough time to be prepared and go to school. Besides Tsutsuji's Shuu-obsessed banter, the day went by smoothly. It was after class Shuu told Haruka he was going to go shopping for house supplies. Haruka split ways with Shuu to head to the house. It was a strange feeling to her. Normally, she would feel exhausted to think of heading back to her tree house to rest up. But now, she had a real place to stay, and with two very nice guys who provided a roof over her head. She felt lucky.
"Alright, time to head back to the house and do a little cleaning up!" Haruka cheered, making her way home.
Inside the Soma house, Haruka saw a note on top of the night table. It was written by Takeshi, stating he was going to be out for awhile. It looked like she was going to be alone for awhile. However, she wasn't saddened by this news, but motivated to do the best job as housekeeper she could. Besides, didn't everyone like coming home to a clean house? Determined, she was about to start with the living room when she heard noises coming from the kitchen.
'What's that noise? It couldn't be Shuu-san since he's out shopping, and Takeshi-san said he was going out. Does that mean there was a third person…?' Haruka hesitantly snuck towards the kitchen, being careful not to make a sound. When she peaked around the corner, she spotted someone digging into the refrigerator. She quickly whipped around and placed her back on the wall. Haruka started breathing rapidly, beads of sweat forming in her head. 'There's…a burglar in the house! I'm sure if there was a third person, I would've been informed. I should call the police…' She turned around and tippy-toed her way to the phone, which was on a small stand. Her hand was about to touch the phone when her foot stepped on a part of the wooden floor, creating a loud squeak.
'Oh no…! What if…what if the burglar heard me?' Hoping beyond hope, Haruka carefully slipped back to the stop by the kitchen to glance around the corner. When she did so, there was no longer anyone in the kitchen. With that knowledge, she sighed in relief. Maybe the squeak scared off the intruder. "Phew…that was scary…"
"Oi, who are you?" A threatening voice demanded.
"EEK…!" Haruka looked like a deer caught in headlights as she slowly turned to face the intruder. He was surprisingly young, most likely around Shuu's age. His T-shirt and shorts were a matching set, a mixture of green and black. The boy had a green and white bandanna tied on his forehead, green sneakers and fingerless gloves. Haruka didn't have long to admire the boy's fine snow white hair because his narrowed ruby eyes were homed in on her. The stranger didn't look too happy to see her.
"I said who are you?" He interrogated again.
"I…I-I'm the h-h-housekeeper for S-Shuu-san and T-Takeshi-san!" Haruka stuttered, spooked.
The boy took a step forward, causing Haruka to take a step back. "There's no way. I'm positive they wouldn't let a girl stay here! You're obviously lying you little thief!"
'I'M the thief?' Haruka thought incredulously. "N-n-no, I'm not a thief, honest! I'm really a housekeeper!" She waved her hands defensively, afraid of the ever closing gap between them.
"Hmph, prove it! If you're really a housekeeper, then you should have some sort of license. Let me see it!"
"Err….l-license?" Haruka paled. Sweat was running down her face faster as she slowly grew into a panic. It also didn't help that the boy caught on and started cracking his knuckles.
"I'm going to enjoy disposing of you. Prepare yourself!"
"Ah…ah….ah…" This was looking bad for Haruka. Not even a full day past that she lived in Shuu's house and she was about to get pummeled by some stranger. There was only one thing she could think of to do in this situation. "P-p-please don't hurt me!" She cried, bracing herself feebly and shutting her eyes.
The boy sweat-dropped. If this was supposed to be a thief, she sure was poor at defending herself. He blinked for a moment. "…Are you really a—"
POW!
His sentence was cut short by a swift and sharp kick to the face, sending him tumbling on the floor. Haruka cracked open an eye and gasped when she saw her hero. "Shuu-san!"
"Haruka-san, are you alright? Did he do anything to you?" Shuu asked. Haruka answered by shaking her head. Shuu then turned his attention to the teen getting off the floor. "I knew you were a barbarian, but attacking innocent girls is a new low for you."
"Tch, I wasn't really going to attack her, but if anyone here is low, it's you. What's a girl doing here, and since when did you hire housekeepers?"
"That is none of your concern. Haruka-san is a guest here. That's all you need to know."
"Dammit, you are seriously starting to piss me off with your high and mighty attitude!" The white haired boy growled. He stepped up to Shuu's face, whose face was calm, yet showed signs of being annoyed.
As the two started arguing back and forth, Haruka remained confused. She didn't even know where to start with her questions. It was then she heard a sigh from behind her. She turned around to see Takeshi standing behind her with a disappointed look on his face. "Oh boy, looks like Yuuki-kun's back and as feisty as ever."
"Yuuki…-kun?" Haruka asked.
"Yeah. He and Shuu had been rivals many years back. Unfortunately for him, he's very hotheaded and competitive. The fact that Shuu always had the upper hand against him only added fuel to the fire. A few months ago, he left to travel for a bit. Now that he's back, it looks like things are going to get a bit livelier here. I just hope things don't get too bloody…"
Haruka really didn't like the last part of Takeshi's sentence. That meant someone would get hurt. By the looks of Shuu and Yuuki, they were about to start fighting at any moment. "Shuu-san, Yuuki-san, please don't fight each other!" She made a break to stop them from fighting, only to trip over an object on the floor.
'Haruka-kun's going to fall on Shuu-kun and Yuuki-kun! If she lands on them, this isn't going to end well. I have to stop her!' Takeshi lunged and extended his hand to grab her. Unfortunately, he missed and crashed into Haruka, creating a domino effect which caused Haruka to land on Shuu and Yuuki.
POOF!
Shuu, Yuuki and Takeshi were suddenly engulfed in light blue, dark blue and grey smoke respectively. Haruka was immediately tossed into a world of confusion…that is, until the smoke dissipated moments later. Thankfully, Haruka caught herself and landed on her knees, but also caught something in her arms. What she saw made her eyes widen to the max. She couldn't believe it.
Somehow, the three boys were all turned into Pokémon!
There was a long period of silence. Haruka was staring at Shuu, Yuuki and Takeshi, who had respectively transformed into a Dratini, an Azumarill, and a Mightyena. It was reasonable why she was suddenly speechless.
Shuu, who was now a Dratini, sighed in aggravation. "You see what you did now you stupid rabbit?"
Yuuki, the Azumarill who was in Haruka's arms, was instantly incensed. "What I'VE done? Why you little—"
"Enough with your squabbling!" Takeshi, the Mightyena, chastised.
Haruka was even more surprised. The Pokémon could even talk! This was starting to get too much. "Uh…ah…huh?" Was all she could think of to say. It wasn't everyday someone met people who can turn into Pokémon that talked.
"Oh well, this was bound to happen sooner or later. Might as well explain." Takeshi sighed. "Haruka-kun, as you can see, I'm a Mightyena, Shuu-kun's a Dratini, and Yuuki-kun's an Azumarill. Us three and some other Soma family members are inflicted with a curse where we transform into Pokémon of the zodiac whenever we get weak or is hugged by people of opposite gender. It was normally a well kept secret…that is until now."
"Huh…I see. I guess that makes some sense…" Now that she recalled, Haruka never once saw Shuu get close to a girl. Whenever one would try to get close to him, he backed away from them. She could definitely understand why now. "I mean, wow…this is a little overwhelming. I'm very surprised."
"It's reasonable that you're so surprised. I doubt you've encountered something as strange as this before. Speaking of surprises, I should probably warn you that we turn back to normal after awhile, but when we do…"
POOF!
Smoke exploded from the three Somas again. This time, when the smoke disappeared, they returned to their human forms…but not with their clothes.
"EEK!" Haruka panicked and closed her eyes, turning bright red. She really didn't need to see that!
After the Somas calmed down and got themselves dressed, everyone was seated in the living room. Yuuki proceeded to sit in the corner of the room while everyone else was at the table. Haruka felt confused with what was going on. From Yuuki's hatred against Shuu to people turning into Pokémon of the zodiac, there was so much to understand. "Now that I've gotten time to grasp the situation, I can see why you all prefer to stay away from public places. It could be tragic if this secret went public." Haruka said.
"And that's exactly why we need you to keep it secret. I'm hoping we can trust you with that, Haruka-kun." Takeshi requested.
"Of course! My Otou-san always told me to respect people's secrets for what they are. Besides, you've been so kind to me earlier. I couldn't possibly betray your wishes."
Takeshi nodded at Haruka. "I'm glad to hear it. Enough of that though, how about we enjoy ourselves for the time being! I say we give our little housekeeper a tour of the house! After all, we've never probably shown her around. Shuu-kun, would you do the honors?"
Shuu nodded. "I don't see why not. Haruka-san, would you accompany me?"
"Hai." Haruka stood up and followed Shuu outside the living room
Once the two were gone, Taekshi faced Yuuki. "So tell me Yuuki-kun, how was your trip with Yuuji-san?"
"It went better than I expected, but that's not the topic we should be discussing right now. What's this about that girl staying here? Now that she knows our secret, things could get bad quick. Do you remember the last time someone learned of our secret?"
"Yes. The situation did turn out bad that time. We had to erase their memories."
Yuuki narrowed his eyes. "That's your plan, isn't it? You're going to erase that girl's memories."
"Not quite. If anything, she seems earnest enough. Also, it looks like she made a good impression on Shuu-kun. Even you understand how distant he makes himself from everyone else."
Yuuki didn't bother to answer Takeshi. He knew Shuu long enough to understand that much. Shuu always distanced himself from others, especially girls. It made Yuuki unconsciously curious about Shuu. If anyone understood the chances of Haruka's memories being wiped, it was Shuu. "So tell me, what's so special about that girl? There's no way that bastard would take just any girl in. She looks as ditzy as they come."
"Hmm…it's hard to say. You might have to see for yourself, though I'm sure you'll be surprised. To me, she seems like the kind of girl with limitless kindness in her."
"Limitless kindness? Yeah right. I doubt there really is someone like that these days."
"Why don't you befriend her and see for yourself? You won't be disappointed."
Yuuki huffed in response as he stood up. "We'll see about that. Is my old room still there?"
"Yep, not an inch of furniture moved. You can rest there for the time being."
"This whole day is giving me a headache. I'm going to get some rest." Yuuki left for the second floor of the house, where his bedroom was located.
Takeshi released a tired sigh. Life within the Soma house had grown a little more complicated.
Elsewhere, Shuu had shown Haruka most of the rooms of the house. This included the kitchen, bathrooms, closets, and bedrooms. It was a simple design, but Haruka enjoyed the tour immensely. Shuu was currently about to show Haruka the last part of the house, her room. "And last, this is your room. I hope it is to your liking."
Haruka gasped when she saw her room. It was very roomy and clean. Her bed was a queen size and looked very comfortable. "This room…I love it! Arigatou gozaimasu!" She thanked, bowing politely.
"No, no, there's no need for thanks. You being comfortable is more than enough." Shuu waved off modestly. Haruka walked to her bed and fell on it with a flop. "You must be exhausted. Why don't you go ahead and sleep in for the day?"
Haruka sat up. "But what about the house? Shouldn't I—"
"That's not important right now. You can work on that as much as you want tomorrow, but for now, go ahead and sleep."
"Okay. Oyasumi Shuu-san…" Haruka had barely finished the sentence before falling into a deep slumber.
"Oyasumi." Shuu whispered, stepping back slowly and gently closing the door.
"You know that girl is going to have her memories wiped clean, right?" Yuuki said from behind Shuu.
"That may not be certain. That's for Sakaki-sama to decide." Shuu answered with a low tone.
"What do you see in that chick anyway? It isn't like you to bring a girl here, even less to have one stay."
"When did you ever care about what I do? Why should it matter if a girl stays here or not?"
"Tch, fine." Yuuki said no more as he walked off with his hands in his pocket. Shuu was about to head for his own room when Takeshi called him.
"Shuu-kun, I'm going to be out for the night. I'll see you later."
"Hai." Shuu answered back. He stretched his arms and yawned, feeling tired after today's mess. He went to his room for the rest of the night.
An hour later at another location, Takeshi entered through the gates of a large and luxurious mansion. Even though it was very well established, the place was void of people and happiness. Takeshi, however, was well used to the place everyone in the Soma family recognized as the main house where the Soma family's main events took place…as well as where the head of the family resided. After entering the house, Takeshi immediately went to the room where the family head stayed. He knocked several times on the sliding door, awaiting his invitation.
"Come in." A dark, bone-chilling called from inside. Takeshi opened the door and stepped into a room void of furniture, ornaments, and emotion. The only light filtering the room was from the window. Shadows veiled the identity of the man sitting in the back of the room. The only thing that could be seen was the long, purple male yukata he wore. "Have a seat."
"Hai." Takeshi sat on the floor in front of the shadowed man.
"What business do you have with me, Takeshi-kun?"
"There are some new surprises in my home. For one thing, Shuu-kun managed to find us a kawaii little housekeeper for us."
"Is that so? Does this girl know about the zodiac curse?"
"Hai. She found out today. However, she doesn't look like the type to start another commotion. I feel she's trustworthy."
"Hmm…and when you say housekeeper, you're saying Shuu-kun doesn't mind her staying?"
"For the moment, that seems to be the case. I was hoping to check with you to see if it was alright. After all, you are the one who calls the shots, Sakaki-sama."
A small grin appeared on Sakaki's face. "Very interesting. Any other news?"
"Yuuki-kun's back."
"Ah, the runaway. I'm surprised he came back so soon, if at all."
"So you feel that way as well. Yeah, even though he says he went to travel with Yuuji-san, I think he lost his nerve with Shuu-kun."
"Heh, I still remember the look of utter defeat and shame on Yuuki-kun's face when Shuu-kun crushed him in front of me."
Takeshi sighed. "That's what he gets for trying to show off in front of everyone. Poor, poor Yuuki. And he tried so hard too…"
"Enough of the good times Takeshi. I can guess why you are here. It's about that girl, isn't it?"
"Hai. Shuu-kun seems to be trying to open up to people a bit more. Also, with that girl's situation, I would recommend her staying with us. That would mean she keeps her memories."
"…I'll think about it. For now, we should make sure Yuuki-kun stays in your household a little longer."
"I'm guessing you have a plan, Sakaki-sama?"
"Hmhmhm, of course. My plan may give me all of the results I hope for."
Takeshi raised an eyebrow. Whenever Sakaki had a plan in mind, it was almost never good for anyone else except for Sakaki's amusement. "And what would that plan be?"
"It's simple. Make Yuuki-kun attend Sekiyou high school."
And that's the end of the first chapter. The beginning may seem almost a carbon copy of Fruits Basket's beginning, but it'll turn out much different. Don't worry if things look slow now, because things will pick up later on. Also, this is only one of the three girls that will have a big part in the fic. I have a feeling you will enjoy the next two characters, so stay tune and review. Lemme know what you think so far.
FYI – "Bachiatari Megumi" means "Cursed Blessing".