Me: ...
Kashino: ...So what do you have to say for yourself, you liar?
Me: Gomen, GOMEN! DX
Kashino: I'm not even going to ask what you were doing during the time you were supposed to be writing...
Me: I was busy, desu! My parents made me do endless amounts of chores, and I had to critter-sit for my neighbor's pets, and da garage sale, and-
Kashino: Whatever, that's enough. Now, get on with what everyone's been waiting for ages now!
Hanabusa: Yeah, Hana. You've kept us all anticipating. :P Finally, my story!
Me: Right... Okay, y'all! I'll explain more in the end because I'm writing too much at the top... But Hanabusa might seem a bit OOC, just so ya know. Well, it depends on how you look at it.
Acne
"La, la, la..." Hanabusa Satsuki sang softly to himself as he walked into the bathroom. "Ah, it's such a beautiful morning! A perfect start to today for a perfect me..."
He went to the sink and splashed water on his face. After drying off with a towel and hanging it on the rack, he grabbed his comb and deliberately walked over to the tall mirror on the wall.
"Time to tease my wonderful hair and make it shine~! I must look absolutely stunning for my princesses today." Hanabusa smiled as he stood in front of his reflection.
He reached up to start styling his hair...
Wait. Something was occupying his flawless face!
Hanabusa leaned closer to the mirror and gaped in horror at the image he faced...
A huge, red bump on the bridge of his nose.
"O-Oh... my... Kami-sama..." Hanabusa slowly whispered, barely audible. The comb that he'd been holding involuntarily dropped onto the ground. He continued to stare at his reflection in shock, not able to believe what he saw.
The huge zit sat smack-dab on the middle of his nose. It flared with pure redness, making it entirely noticeable.
The green-haired guy still stood, facing the mirror and cringing in disbelief. He didn't even realize where he was, until Café flew in the bathroom.
"Your coffee is ready," the Sweets Spirit announced. When Hanabusa didn't reply, he went over to his partner with a look of concern.
"Satsuki? What's wrong? Are you okay? Hey, speak to me!"
Suddenly, reality hit the teen - hard.
"AIEEE!" Hanabusa screeched at a deafening volume.
The narcissist's scream managed to linger in the air for a good whole minute. When Hanabusa finally stopped, he gasped and took deep breaths. "Why... What is the meaning of THIS?"
Café was frozen in shock from seeing his partner act in such an unexpected way. "Sa-"
Abruptly, the bathroom door flew open. A blond-haired male in a t-shirt and boxers came darting into the lavatory. Not far behind him, a tiny flash of red dashed in also. The guy wore a panicked expression on his face and looked distraught. "What on earth is going on here?"
"Café!" Chocolat called to her friend, flying towards him. "Was that just Hanabusa?"
"Y-yeah..." Café blinked, still in a state of disbelief.
"Hanabusa, what was that scream for?" Kashino hissed. "You gave me a heart attack!"
No response.
"Hey, what's up with you? Speak!" Kashino walked over to Hanabusa and nudged him on the shoulder.
After a long pause of silence, The narcissist finally spoke. "...Th-this... c-can't be... happening to me..."
"What? What is happening?" Kashino questioned as Café and Chocolat flew closer to him and Hanabusa.
"THIS!" Hanabusa whirled around to face his friends, pointing at the single bump. His eyes were as large as saucers.
Café, Chocolat, and Kashino were silent for a few seconds. Then suddenly, Kashino started to howl with laughter.
"You... screamed... just because... of that...? Most... ridiculous thing... ever!" Kashino gasped for air in between words as he clutched his stomach and bent over in chortles.
The mortified Hanabusa stared at his friend. "H-how is this FUNNY!" He stomped towards Kashino, raging with anger. Hanabusa leaned his face closely to Kashino's while indicating the zit with his finger. "You call this funny?"
"It's just acne," the chocolatier calmly stated. "See, I have it too." Kashino lifted up his bangs to reveal a few red blemishes.
"EEW!" Hanabusa and Café recoiled in utter disgust.
"Don't tell me you guys have never seen acne before..." Kashino rolled his eyes.
"Of course not! With my faultless appearance-"
"Until now," Chocolat pointed out.
"Shut up! Don't rub it in any further!" Hanabusa dropped to his knees and buried his face into his hands. In that dramatic position, he started sobbing uncontrollably. "M-my life of perfect b-beauty... It's all over!"
Chocolat and Kashino sweat-dropped as Café flew over to his partner to comfort him. "This is insane," Kashino muttered as he shook his head, "Hanabusa, you're overreacting-"
"My precious future of flawless appearance is ruined! All because of this hideous, despicable DOT!" Hanabusa continued to wail, ignoring Kashino's comment.
Kashino face-palmed himself. "Seriously, Hanabusa... It's just a zit. Get over it, sheesh..."
"Kashino... Please tell me... Why did this have to happen to ME?" Hanabusa stared at his roommate with sad, bewildered eyes.
"It's normal to get acne at this age. You seriously don't know that?" Kashino groaned and sighed wistfully. "C'mon, forget about the zit. We have to get ready for class."
"But..." Hanabusa turned back towards the mirror and continued to stare at his sorry reflection.
"Gosh, Hanabusa. It's just one zit, okay? ONE zit! For crying out loud! Quit that act and start preparing for the day!" Kashino threw his hands up in frustration. This guy...
"I-I can't go to class like this! People will see this horrible beast!" Hanabusa exclaimed in terror. "My reputation... I must be beautiful and flawless for my pretty little ladies-"
"Stop worrying about that kind of stuff! Argh, how many times...!" Kashino clenched his teeth tightly as he stormed out of the bathroom.
Hanabusa hesitated before calling after him. "Do you have any makeup, Kashino?"
The blond poked his head through the doorway, glaring at his roommate with raised eyebrows. "For real? Seriously, dude? No." He immediately disappeared after.
"Well, I'll see if there's any..." Hanabusa rummaged through the medicine cabinet, trying to find some sort of covering for his flare-up. He sighed after searching for five minutes. "It's no use; there's nothing that can help..."
Café and Chocolat watched the narcissist poke at the pimple despairingly in front of the mirror. They glanced at each other wearily before heading over to Hanabusa together.
"Satsuki... You don't have to act so depressed..."
"But I just don't understand... I take good care of my appearance every single day! How is this possible?" He gazed at the Spirits' reflections.
"You're a growing boy; there's no accurate prediction of what will happen the next minute," Chocolat stated.
Hanabusa scowled deeply at her claim. "I am absolutely perfect in the department of beauty. So how do you explain this flaw of mine?"
"Puberty," Chocolate answered immediately.
The male clenched his fists. "Puberty... I despise that word... So far, it's ruining my life..."
"Hanabusa, change into your uniform already!" Kashino appeared at the doorway. "We're gonna be late if you keep this nonsense up!"
"Kashino, help me find some cream to cover this ugly thing up!" Hanabusa began to scavenge once again.
"No, that's your problem! Besides, there's no point in wasting time for such a small problem! Now come on!"
"Please! I'm desperate, Kashino!" Hanabusa whined.
Kashino pursed his lips into a thin line, trying to keep his patience. Eventually, his soft side overtook him and he sighed. "Fine, I'll do it. But if we're late, you're so going to get it."
"Thank you!" Hanabusa exclaimed. He dug through stuff on the shelf.
Kashino went to his desk and opened the drawer. From inside, he grabbed a tube of acne cream and handed it to Hanabusa. "Here."
The narcissist blinked at the sight of the medication in Kashino's hand. After a few seconds of silence, he shouted, "Why didn't you give it to me earlier?"
Kashino shrugged. "You never asked."
Chocolat snickered from the bathroom doorway. Café couldn't help but smile too.
Hanabusa frowned at them all. "Whatever, as long as this works!" He snatched the tube from Kashino and hurriedly rushed back into the lavatory.
He thoroughly cleaned his face before heading over to the mirror. Twisting the cap open, he applied a huge blob of cream onto the zit.
"Hanabusa, that's too much." Kashino sweat-dropped.
"But I need lots to make sure it disappears!" Hanabusa retorted.
"Amount doesn't matter, baka."
"Who are you calling an idiot?"
"Now, now. Settle down..." Café coaxed.
"Fine, Kashino! I'll wash it off and start over!" Hanabusa removed all the excess cream and put an appropriate quantity in its place.
"Good. Now you should just leave it alone until it's gone," Kashino remarked.
"Wait, what?" Hanabusa stared at his reflection in the mirror. "I-it's still there!"
"Of course, man! What did you expect?" Kashino cried, exasperated. "It can't just disappear that quickly."
"WHA-? Outrageous! This is junk, then! If it doesn't make this pimple go away or cover it up, it's useless!"
"This really IS your first time going through this..." Chocolat murmured.
"No, it's all a nightmare," Hanabusa insisted. "It's not happening, and I'm still flawless as ever." He pinched himself hard on the arm. "Ow!"
"That pimple exists, all right," the blond crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe. "Hurry up and change like I said earlier! Class starts soon and we've already missed breakfast!"
Hanabusa seemed to hear nothing. He searched all around the room and found a tube of hydrocortisone cream. Rushing back to the mirror, he dabbed some on the zit.
"What are you doing? That's not supposed to be..." Kashino's eye twitched.
"Whatever, I just need to hide that bump! That's all I'm asking for!" Hanabusa said as he replaced the cream with Vaseline, and then lotion.
Kashino watched the whole process in irritation. "You're really pulling at me today..."
Hanabusa didn't answer; instead, he started to apply sunblock.
His seething roommate scurried to the medicine cabinet and pulled out a cone mask. Flinging it to Hanabusa, he commanded, "Wear it."
The narcissist examined the mask carefully before putting it over his head.
"Now let's go! We're really late!" Kashino started for the door.
"Wait, I wear this all day?" Hanabusa inquired.
"What else?"
"But..."
"Come ON! You've already done enough dilly-dallying for today!" Kashino seized the other male by the arm and hauled him out of the bathroom. Their Spirits followed. As they passed by the beds on the way to the main door, Kashino grabbed Hanabusa's uniform and bag.
The blond tossed the stuff to Hanabusa outside the dorm room and while they trampled down the stairs. "Hurry!"
The green-haired teen obeyed and slid the uniform over his sleepwear as he went. A minute later, he and Kashino were outside, racing towards the kitchen for first period. Not a second did they waste, running like their lives depended on it.
They eventually reached their destination. Bursting through the doors, the two immediately joined Ichigo and Andou at their cooking station.
"Where were you two? We missed you at breakfast," Ichigo piped up.
"Yeah!" Vanilla and Caramel added.
Andou looked up from his work. "Why are you so out of breath too?"
Kashino and Hanabusa were clutching the cooking station counter, trying to even their breaths and ease the huffing. "It's... a long story," Kashino wheezed.
"Ditto that," Chocolat exhaled. Café shrugged.
Hanabusa fidgeted uneasily.
"Hanabusa-kun! Are you sick?" Ichigo frantically remarked, catching a first glimpse of his face.
The male lowered his eyes. "No..."
"Then why are you wearing that cone mask? Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly.
"Nothing's wrong! I just need-"
"Kashino-kun, Hanabusa-kun." A familiar voice rang.
All the members of Group A turned toward the source...
Ayame-sensei.
"I suppose you two have a good explanation for being tardy to class, yes?" She looked skeptically at them. "You know that this sort of behavior is unacceptable."
"Sensei, let me explain," Kashino began. "Hanabusa here had a problem that he was stubborn about, so I had to help him find a solution. Therefore, our situation interfered with class time."
"And what problem was it, may I ask?" The teacher crossed her arms as she set her gaze directly onto Hanabusa.
The narcissist calmly spoke, "It was a matter of health, Sensei. I can assure you that it won't happen again."
"Yeah, right..." Kashino muttered softly under his breath.
"Well, then. If it was regarding your health, then I'll let it slide for now. Let me know in the future if this problem comes up again." With that, the instructor headed over to another cooking station.
"What do you mean, 'matter if health'?" Ichigo wondered. "You ARE sick, then!"
"No, he's not!" Café declared for his partner.
"Then what is he?" Vanilla challenged.
"He's..." Café looked at Hanabusa tentatively.
The Rose Prince was shaking his head furiously back and forth.
"Um... Never mind."
"What is it?" Ichigo asked eagerly, wanting to know. Even Andou and Caramel looked curious.
"It's nothing!" Hanabusa insisted.
"Want me to tell them?" Kashino grinned ominously, obviously enjoying the moment.
"NO!" Hanabusa spoke forcefully.
"Quiet over there, Group A!" Ayame-sensei called from across the kitchen. "If I have anymore problems from you today, I'll split you up!"
"Yes, Sensei!" The four answered. They immediately lowered their voices afterwards.
"Please tell us, Hanabusa-kun!" Ichigo pleaded.
"We won't tell anyone else, desu!" Caramel assured him.
"That's a promise," Andou nodded.
Hanabusa gazed at his friends wearily before sighing. "Fine. You guys had better keep that promise..." He slowly removed the mask to reveal his pimple.
A moment of silence followed. "Th-that's all...?" Vanilla raised an eyebrow.
"What do ya mean?" A vein popped out of Hanabusa's head.
"Wait, you two were late because of that?" Ichigo pointed to the zit.
"I'm afraid so..." Kashino nodded grimly.
Andou tried to stifle laughs. "Okay, that's just..."
"Ridiculous, right?" Chocolat giggled along with him.
"Oi, you all!" Hanabusa cried. "Don't laugh at me like that!"
"You don't understand how hilarious you are, Hanabusa..." Vanilla wiped a tear from her eye.
The victim scowled at everyone as he snapped the mask back on. Silently, he started to work on his coffee cream cheese soufflé.
"Satsuki, don't stress over it..." Café comforted.
Hanabusa ignored him and stared daggers at the mixture in his bowl.
"If you keep that attitude up, your result will taste horrible, you know," Kashino taunted.
"Shut. Up." Hanabusa growled through clenched teeth. "I know what I'm doing."
The group avoided him for the rest of the period after that reaction.
When all the soufflés were done, Ayame-sensei came to test them out. She complimented at Andou, Ichigo, and Kashino's creations. But when she tried Hanabusa's...
"It's... really bitter... I can't taste anything but the coffee!" She cringed as she wrote something on the clipboard. "Group A, minus five points."
Everyone else in the kitchen gasped in response to the announcement.
"Hanabusa-kun caused it?"
"Really? I thought Amano-san was the reason."
"Wait, look! He's wearing a mask!"
"What? Why?"
Whispers chorused throughout the room. The members and Spirits of Group A glanced at Hanabusa worriedly.
All the while, the male stared at the floor and didn't utter a single word.
~x~
"What should we do about Hanabusa-kun? He's been acting glum since cooking class," Ichigo whispered to her friends within the small circle.
"I know! We need some way to cheer my poor partner up!" Café sniffled.
"There's nothing we can do about the zit," Kashino remarked. "It'll take time before it completely fades."
They all observed Hanabusa in the distance, sitting at his desk with his head in his hands, a sad expression adorning his face.
"So what is he upset about really?" Chocolat brought up. "About how his perfection streak is ruined, how he has to face the girls with the zit, or that we teased him about it?"
"Good question," Vanilla nodded thoughtfully. "I'm pretty sure all of that is the reason why he's in this mood."
"Desu!" Caramel agreed.
"Wait, look over there." Andou pointed to a group of girls across the room, who were watching Hanabusa. The others obeyed and studied the cluster of female classmates.
"What's wrong with Hanabusa-kun today? He looks kind of down..." One girl spoke while keeping her gaze on the said person.
Another girl replied, "I don't know. He's wearing a mask, so he might be sick..."
"What? Hanabusa-kun's sick?" Several more girls frolicked over at the news.
"We think so... See how he's not acting the same? I'm really concerned for him..." Worry laced a different person's words.
"Aw, our poor Hanabusa-kun~!" All the girls cooed at once.
"Let's go console him right now!" one girl suggested. The rest of the group agreed, and they headed towards the male.
"Hanabusa-kun, is something wrong? Are you ill?"
The narcissist looked up at the girls. He tried his best to act normally and smiled. "Ah, not really."
"Then why are you wearing that mask? Take it off, it's covering your beautiful face!"
"No, it's hiding-"
Before Hanabusa could stop her, one classmate had reached out and pulled down the mask, causing his pimple to become in clear view.
The girls' faces turned blank as they stared at the highly-noticeable zit. It took them a while to recover from the shock that came with the sight.
"H-Hanabusa-kun has a p-pimple..." A girl whispered before tears started to collect in her eyes and flow down her cheeks.
"Oh, my feels for you, Hanabusa-kun!" Another girl sobbed.
"Poor you, having to deal with this!"
"I thought you were absolutely flawless, but even you can end up with acne!"
"Do you need any of my cosmetics to cover up that hideous thing? You must be suffering in that mask!" One girl dug into her purse and pulled out a travel makeup kit. The other fangirls eagerly helped her fix him up in a flash.
"There! Now you look perfect as always." A female held up a compact mirror for Hanabusa to see.
He peered at himself and nodded in approval. "Thank you very much, sweet ladies. Your hospitality brings me such joy that I cannot explain. My day has just gotten better, thanks to you all~!" The male winked at the fawning girls and blew them a kiss, causing them devastating nosebleeds.
"KYAAAA! Hanabusa-kun~!"
"Looks like he's back to normal..." Andou laughed nervously as he turned back to the other two and the Spirits.
"Is that a good thing?" Kashino sighed. "And the problem is just simply solved like that? Unbelievable." Especially after going through all that before...
"Well, as long as Hanabusa-kun is happy again, it's all fine!" Ichigo chirped.
"Yay!" Café cheered. "Satsuki's himself again!"
"Hooray!" Caramel exclaimed.
"Um... I don't know about the rest of you, but I have a bad feeling about this..." Chocolat whistled.
"What do you mean?" Café inquired.
"...Never mind. Forget that I said anything."
~x~
"My, it sure is beautiful today... Right, Ichigo-chan?" Hanabusa flipped his bangs. "Just like me."
Ichigo beamed. "I'm happy that you're acting cheerful again, Hanabusa-kun."
"Of course! With that pimple now gone-"
"It's still there; just that the makeup is covering it," Kashino reminded him.
"Whatever, as long as it's invisible." Hanabusa grinned, staring at the sunset and lake scenery before them.
Andou sighed at his statement, but he couldn't help but smile himself. "I see..."
"Yep, I've finally found the perfect solution to hide this zit!" The narcissist hooted. "I'll be completely flawless in appearance from this day on!"
~x~
"EEEK!"
Kashino jolted upright with a start and shot out of bed. Frantically he sprinted towards the source of the scream - the bathroom. The blond threw the door open and darted in, panting.
Inside, in front of the wall mirror, stood the narcissist, ghastly pale. He turned to face his roommate, a wail escaping from his lips. "K-Kashino..."
The chocolatier's eyes widened at the sight of Hanabusa's face. The pimple on his nose had managed to grow even larger and redder overnight. There were also more tiny flare-ups scattered around the base of his forehead so that even his bangs couldn't hide them.
"Wah! What am I going to do with all of this?" Hanabusa clamped his hands on his cheeks in horror. "This is so mortifying!"
"What the... Did you wash the makeup off last night?" Kashino asked slowly.
"No..." Was Hanabusa's reply.
"You dummy! Why didn't you clean it off? The acne just got even worse!" Kashino yelled.
"How would I know that? I've never used makeup before! Do I look like a female to you?" Hanabusa snapped.
"Judging by what you say and do, one would think that you'd be an expert with cosmetics by now," Kashino muttered.
"Hey!"
"My prediction exactly," Chocolat flew into the bathroom, suppressing a yawn. "Boy, they sure are lively this morning."
Café appeared beside her, gaping disappointingly at Hanabusa's condition. "N-not again..."
"And you proclaimed that you'd be completely flawless in appearance from yesterday on," Kashino snorted.
Hanabusa glared at him. "Shush."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it," the blond shrugged. "Now let's get going or we'll be late again-"
"Kashino, please give me some of that acne cream from yesterday!" Hanabusa cut in.
"You used all of it," Kashino replied.
"WHAT?"
"Huh, serves you right for putting on so much and wasting it in the end..."
"...Then help me find something else to use! Please!"
"No way, I've already helped you plenty."
"Come on!" Hanabusa begged.
Kashino turned and walked out of the bathroom. "Just go the whole day as your natural self, sheesh."
"PLEASE?"
"NO."
Kashino: That was hilarious! Let's read it again! :D
Hanabusa: Hana, you cruel writer!
Me: Heh, heh... Sorry. I think I had too much fun writing this one. ^^" So exaggerated... But I may have made you seem a little... wimpy. But that was how I pictured you acting as in this situation. Forgive me, everyone, if Hanabusa was very OOC in this story! orz
Kashino: So... What's next?
Me: Well, I plan on writing lots of one-shots and a new multi-chap, "The Kissing Disease"!
Kashino: I have a bad feeling about that one... =.=
Me: And I might write a summer special multi-chap, where the gang goes camping! How does that sound? Tell me what you all think. ;)
As for my update speed... I promise that I'll try my BEST to update one to two times a week. There will be a number of days where I'll be gone during the summer... But other than that, I intend to post as much as possible!
Okay, I've said plenty. Gotta go, peeps! And please leave a review! :3