Lights

Scene One: Spark

"I'm bored."

It was more a demand than a statement, and Himawari raised an eyebrow at Sakurako, who was sprawled across the floor of her bedroom. "And what do you expect me to do about it?" she replied, though she already knew the answer to that question.

"Entertain me!" the shorter girl exclaimed, punctuating the words by throwing a pillow at Himawari. The bluenette easily caught the pillow, a vein popping on her head, before hurling it back at the shorter girl, smacking her right in the face. "Booby monster!" Sakurako cried, sitting up and glaring (menacingly?) at Himawari.

Another vein popped. "You threw it in the first place," the bluenette replied, logical as ever, despite her obvious annoyance. "You should treat people the way you want them to treat you."

Sakurako huffed, flopping back down on the floor. "Himawari's no fun," she mumbled under her breath.

The taller girl bristled. "If I'm no fun, why do you keep showing up at my house whenever you're bored?" she shot back.

"I don't knowww~," Sakurako whined, kicking her feet against the floor like a child. Then, suddenly, she sat up, her eyes immediately brightening, and Himawari marveled at the girl's ability to shift moods entirely over one single thought. It was…almost… "I'll go hang out with Toshino-senpai, she's way more fun than you! Nyeeh!"

Infuriating!

As Himawari silently fumed, Sakurako punctuated her statement by sticking her tongue out at the bluenette like a kindergartener before attempting to jump from the floor to her feet in one move. She failed. Whimpering and rubbing her sore backside, she staggered to her feet, her face a sickly shade of blue, and stumbled across the room to pick up her things.

The bluenette watched her, letting her get all the way to the door before absentmindedly commenting, "Didn't you get assigned extra homework again this week?"

"So?" Sakurako replied, obviously still in pain, due to the stubborn tear threatening to fall down her cheek.

Himawari raised one eyebrow. "So…you're going to spend the day at Toshino-senpai's house, when this is the last day you have to complete your homework?" She paused—Sakurako still looked confused. She rolled her eyes-she'd have to spell it out for her stubborn frienemy. "And you have witnessed Toshino-senpai's methods of studying, correct?"

The walnut-haired girl nodded, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, before she caught the smug look Himawari was wearing and wilted on the spot, slowly sliding down the door face-first until she hit the floor, her head pressed against the wood. "I'm sure Kyouko-senpai will be an excellent tutor," she replied lifelessly. Himawari rolled her eyes—the girl was still too stubborn to admit she needed the bluenette's help to get her homework done on time.

"Get up already," Himawari huffed once she reached the door, giving the shorter girl a swift kick to her side. Sakurako instantly jumped to her feet, aiming to kick the taller girl right back, but the bluenette easily evaded the predictable retaliation. The shorter girl settled for stomping on the textbook that lay on the floor.

"Take that, you booby monster!"

"That was your textbook, Sakurako."

Three Hours (two and a half of which were spent pulling at each other's faces and arguing over Sakurako's laziness and Himawari's chest) Later…

Himawari heaved a spectacular sigh, allowing herself to fall into a sitting position on her bed, only to be hurled off balance when Sakurako literally threw herself, face-first, onto the bed.

"Belly-flop!"

Himawari dealt her a swift pop to the head, which caused Sakurako to cry out in pain, but both girls were too exhausted to start another fight. They lay side by side, Himawari trying to let the stress roll off of her while Sakurako lay spread-eagled on the bed, one arm thrust shamelessly over the bluenette's chest. The shorter girl's eyes were closed out of the exhaustion of studying, but Himawari could tell the girl was awake.

"Hey, Himawari."

The girl in question turned her head slightly in the direction of the smaller girl. "What?"

"I'm sleeping over tonight."

A vein popped in Himawari's head. "Don't invite yourself to stay the night at other people's houses," she chastised. "And for that matter, don't just show up whenever you feel like it."

"Yeah, yeah," Sakurako replied with a feeble wave of her hand. "So I'm gonna need something to sleep in." Suddenly she sat up, staring directly at Himawari's chest, making the taller girl blush and fold her arms around herself protectively. The light brunette made a face, falling back down onto her back. "All of your stuff is going to be way too big for me," she stated bluntly.

Himawari growled. "Then why don't you go over to Toshino-senpai's house? I'm sure her clothes would fit you fine."

It was meant to be an insult, but Sakurako shot up once again. "You're right!" she exclaimed. "I only needed you for my homework anyway—now that's done, I can go hang out with someone fun!" The worst part of it all was the tone in her voice—it wasn't as if she were trying to insult Himawari at all—she was simply spouting out the first thing that came to mind.

"Don't talk about people like that!" the bluenette snapped, a sick ache that she couldn't place swirling around in her chest all of the sudden. "I don't exist just to tutor you because you're too lazy to pay attention in class!"

Sakurako huffed. "Then why do you?"

"What?" Himawari furrowed her eyebrows, confused.

"I mean, why do you hang out with me if that's all you think you are to me?" the shorter girl replied in a very uncharacteristic tone—it was as if Sakurako were actually taking an argument (or anything) seriously for once. Himawari was instantly thrown off-guard.

"Well, I- Because…" The taller girl stuttered for a moment, her face heating up as Sakurako stared up at her defiantly. "Because if I didn't, you'd be completely hopeless," she finally stated, rather lamely. "You would have been held back by now if I didn't."

"That's not what I asked," Sakurako grumbled, and Himawari was once again taken aback. It wasn't like Sakurako at all to be so focused and perceptive.

"I…" Himawari cursed herself for blathering like a boyfriend stuck in the doghouse—wait, what? "Why do you hang out with me when I'm not helping you with your homework?" she deflected, praying Sakurako would take the bait.

All at once, it was as if the walnut-haired girl had never changed. "Because if I didn't keep you around all the time, someone else would steal you to tutor them, and I'd fail all my classes," she stated bluntly, with a firm nod of the head. Himawari was just readying up to hit the girl again, when she added, "Like that time with Chinatsu-chan," here, she made a face, her mood suddenly shifting, "wanting your help to make that scarf, and you didn't have any time for me at all." She punctuated her statement by folding her arms over her chest, pouting, and suddenly it was as if the incident were fresh again, like nothing had been mended.

Himawari blinked several times—it was just like that day in the classroom, only back then, she had an excuse not to give a proper reply, due to class starting. "Sakurako…"

"I'm leaving," the shorter girl mumbled, as if all the energy had been drained from her seemingly endless supply. She turned away from a dumbfounded Himawari and walked over to the door, letting herself out of the house. The bluenette was still in a state of shock when she heard her mother asking Sakurako if she was okay, before the front door shut.

Finally, she turned back to her room, and suddenly realized that Sakurako had left all her things behind.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, and please keep continuing to do, or, if you haven't, please do! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know it's a bit short but I felt like this particular chapter should stop as it is.