A/N: Thanks everyone for all your kind reviews ^^;;. I won't be responding to them all invidiually because that bumps up the word count dishonestly, but I seriously appreciate them! If you have any questions, of course, I'll answer them here too. I didn't mean for it to take this long, but I'm bad at being consistent. Sorry =w=;;. Well, I hope you enjoy. Writing dialogue that fits into the flow of the story naturally is...hard.
Eli winced as the breeze brushed against her cheek – it was still raw and red, much like a sunburn, and if she changed expression too quickly, it stung. Still, Honoka had insisted the blonde show her immediately after her plastic wrap was removed, so how could she say no? Nozomi, on the other hand, hadn't shown any interest at all, keeping that scarily calm and even expression even when Eli had first come home with her face wrapped. The blonde shivered at the thought.
It wasn't unpleasant, though, the blonde mused, even as she had to pull her jacket tighter to huddle herself against the wind. Leather was a wind-breaker, but it did nothing to fight the chill. Still, the enticing aroma of freshly-baked bread was well enough to draw her past the rows of dreary houses and towards the back of the bakery. There was something about it – perhaps it was the sakura trees – that made it seem so nostalgic. Then again, she'd spent a lot of time here in the past, so maybe it was that.
Behind the bakery was a small courtyard paved in concrete where the unsold bread would be disposed of, as well as other trash. Today, like most days, Honoka Kousaka stood out the back, distributing the unsold bread between the two clusters of people gathered there. Closer to Eli stood those allied with the Minami, whilst to their left stood a bunch of Sonodas. There was always a tension in the air when both groups showed up for free food in the air, but any sign of aggression was quickly snuffed out by a superior. There was a time and place for a fight, and that place was anywhere near the Homura Bakery.
Eli didn't quite know what she'd have done without the generous givings of the Kousakas, and she knew there were many – Minami and Sonoda alike – who felt the same. It was probably the only no-man's land in all of Otonokizaka.
The blonde wondered if it were because of this that Honoka could smile so brightly at each of them as she passed out even portions, or if it really was just the girl's natural persona. Either way, it was practically impossible to be anywhere near the bakery without feeling just a little uplifted. It was the shiny ray of hope in the lives of tens of hungry youths who'd been born to families they didn't deserve.
"You're being generous again today, Honoka," Eli said as the baker's girl waltzed over to the Minami side. Honoka's face lit up as she realised who'd shown up – and, well, Eli mused, it'd been too long since she'd visited.
"Eli!" Honoka chirped, bounding over as she finished handing out that day's leftovers. "You haven't been here in sooooo long? Oh, and is that –"
Eli nodded, and Honoka gaped.
"It's super pretty! A lily was a really good choice – Kotori has amazing taste, I swear," Honoka started, babbling at the speed of light, almost too fast for the older girl to keep up with. "Didn't it hurt though? Nozomi told me the face was a really sensitive area to get tattooed…"
Eli chuckled at Honoka's uninhibited excitement – true, they were only a year apart in age, but there was something childlike and untarnished about the girl that made Eli feel like they were worlds apart sometimes. If anything, she was glad someone like Honoka hadn't been born into the life she had.
"It – it really, really hurt," Eli admitted, scratching at her neck in an attempt not to itch her tattoo. "It hurt so much that even though it's only a small tattoo, I had to have it split up into two sessions. Nozomi was really mad, too."
"Ooh," Honoka said, her lips twisting into a pout as she crossed her arms. "Didn't she want you to get it done?"
"Well," Eli rubbed the back of her neck, "she found out I was getting a tattoo on my face because of her through Kotori, so she definitely wasn't pleased. She almost kicked me out of the apartment, actually."
Honoka bit her lip. She'd seen an angry Nozomi, and in all honesty Eli had felt a little ashamed. Of all people, Honoka didn't deserve to witness an angry Nozomi. The girl was one of the most kind-hearted Eli had ever met, giving up her time at any point to help the hungry kids of Otonoki, if a little headstrong and daft.
"Kotori put me up for the night, which was good of her, but mm," she continued, wincing. "I haven't shown her yet, so she'll probably be mad I came here first, but she's on the outskirts today for some loser who's trying to do a runner on us. I had nothing to do, so…"
Honoka nodded, a gentle sympathy in the way she smiled back.
"Would you like me to get some of those pastries she likes for you? I can give you a discount, even," Honoka asked, grimacing. Once again, Eli felt the burn of shame rise in her chest.
"I'd appreciate that – but no discounts. You've already done enough for me," she said, ruffling the younger girl's hair as she smiled. Honoka nodded, vanishing back into the bakery and re-emerging a moment later, paper bag in hand with a warm and sweet aroma.
Eli took it gratefully, and said, "You should visit Kotori sometime, it's been a while. She misses you."
Honoka nodded, before grinning, "Ooh, maybe she could design a tattoo for me t– "
The blonde swatted the younger girl with the back of her hand. "Don't even think about it."
Eli giggled as the girl pouted, ruffling her hair again. "As if I'd ever let you get a tattoo."
"Whatever, grandpa," Honoka huffed, folding her arms. Eli put a hand over her heart, feigning offense.
"I'm not that old, you little terror," she said, but halted as she felt the piercing stares of the Sonodas prickle her neck. She took a step back, distancing herself immediately. Even if they were friends – she couldn't get too close. Honoka – and her family – were neutral territory. They couldn't be seen being friendlier with one family than the other. It wasn't that anything would happen to the Kousakas, but it would only serve to increase the tension until something – or someone – broke. The Head had told her to keep antagonism to a minimum after Yuu's run-in with the Sonodas, and Eli had no intention of going against that.
So, instead of a hug, Eli gave Honoka a simple wave as she left the bakery behind.
There was something about fog that made the world feel so soft, in Kotori's opinion. Hard edges became blurred, sharp points were left out of focus, and details were only apparent if you looked really close. It had a way of making the world looking a different tint – red, blue, yellow, gray – depending on the time of day, the weather, or anything.
The fog, incidentally, also made an excellent cover for sneaking out without being seen.
She'd been to the bridge only earlier today with Takashi, but – she just couldn't focus on drawing whilst someone was watching her. There was something off-putting about having someone silently stare at her while she worked.
No, it was so much easier, so much calmer to press a pencil to her sketchpad when there was nothing but the moisture in the air and the calming grey of the fog around her. The grass was a tad damp as she sat down, but it didn't bother her all that much. She wasn't particularly fond of this dress, anyway. The sunrise gradient was pretty, but she really didn't have the bow to go with it. Having her hair down was irritating to draw with, so she'd settling for simply tying it back.
It wasn't as if anyone she cared about was going to see her anyway – well, aside from the cute duck family she was trying to capture. They were paddling together in the stream passing under the bridge, ducklings trailing behind their mother in a line, yellow and fluffy.
"Quack," Kotori said under her breath, to nobody in particular. A smile crept to her face. They really were adorable.
Suddenly, though, she heard footsteps to her right, and Kotori leapt to her feet – if they'd found out she was missing already, she'd be in massive trouble. On the other hand, the bridge was right on the border of Sonoda territory, so if by chance she encountered one, she'd almost certainly be in danger.
"I didn't mean to scare you," came well-spoken words in a hesitant tone. "I was just coming to feed the ducks."
A girl with long blue hair and strikingly golden eyes emerged from the fog, a bag of bread in her hand. Kotori watched her cautiously, trying to decide if the girl was a threat. After a moment, though, she relaxed. She'd never seen the girl before, but she didn't seem to be hostile. She was probably just a branch member of the Minamis.
"That's okay," Kotori replied, sitting back down. "You just spooked me a little. I didn't expect anyone else to come here."
The girl with the blue hair chuckled, walking down to the water's edge.
"Nor did I expect to find anyone," she said, opening the bag and tearing off a tiny piece of bread. "It's not unpleasant, though."
Kotori watched the girl as she tossed out another piece of breads towards the ducks. They quacked in delight, the little ones frothing up the surface of the water with frenzied legs as they fought for the biggest piece. Then, those golden eyes glanced back in her direction.
"Would you like to feed them too?" she asked, holding out the bag. Kotori paused for a moment, then smiled, moving to crouch down beside the girl with the blue hair.
"My name is Umi, by the way," the girl said, gazing at the ducks with a sort of tenderness in her eyes Kotori had only seen in the way Eli and Nozomi looked at each other.
"Kotori," she murmured, tracing the girl's rather exposed collarbone, and the way her bony shoulders moved as she breathed.
"No wonder you like the ducklings, then," Umi said, and Kotori almost flinched for a moment as the girl's smile trained on her because – well.
"It'd be nice to be as cute as they are," the taupe-haired said, reaching into the bag and tossing another piece of bread towards the ducks.
"What? You're easily just as cute," the blue-haired girl rebutted, looking almost offended, stepping back as if in confusion.
"You think I'm cute?" Kotori tilted her head, wearing a pondering expression. In an instant, Umi's cheeks flushed, and the girl turned her head away, suddenly fixated very strongly on the duck in front of her.
"No – I mean, yes, but , well – mm," she started, but Kotori cut her off with a giggle.
"You're very sweet," she said, her lips curving into a smile. She could have sworn she saw Umi stare for just a moment at her dimples before the girl changed the subject.
"I-ignoring that, why did you come here?" the blue-haired girl asked. "Just to watch the ducks, or?"
Kotori shook her head and said, "I came here to draw. I mainly design things from scratch, but sometimes I do still-life or scenes. I've been waiting to draw this little duck family for a while now."
Umi looked genuinely impressed, and Kotori suddenly had to try very hard to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks.
"That's incredible," she said as she turned to face the other girl, her voice soft and awed. "May I see some of your work, if it's not too trouble?"
Kotori bit her lip, but nodded yes, and scrambled up the bank to reach her bag and abandoned sketchpad, but stopped as she felt a large, wet droplet splatter splatter on her outstretched hand.
"It's going to rain," she said, turning back to the blue-haired girl with a sad expression. "I don't want to get my sketchpad wet, sorry."
Umi shook her head, and said, "Not at all – I understand. I should return home, then."
The girl offered a quick bow, and a pleasant smile. "It was lovely to meet you, Kotori."
Before the girl could turn and walk away, however, Kotori called out to her.
"Could we – " she paused, exhaled, " – exchange phone numbers? I'd like to see you again."
Umi looked surprised for a breath of a second, and then gave that same incredible smile.
"Of course."