Chapter two of my challenge!
Disclaimer: This is FANfiction.
Special thanks to: My beta reader, MidnightCherryBlossoms!
Freya stood under a tree, dressed up in a pair of basketball shorts and a baggy Germany football jersey, obviously stolen from the deep recesses from within Loki's closet. Her long hair was tucked up in a red baseball cap and she was holding a football, which had the words 'Loki's!' scrawled across its circumference.
Loki had taken the liberty to drag his sister home as quickly as he could possibly manage, as he was in a rush to get on with playing football with their new friend. Currently, Freya found herself waiting in the community field where most football aficionados could be found playing against each other. But right now, it was empty, free for Freya, Loki and Kukai to use as they wished.
"Fer-e-ya!" Loki called out cheerfully, waving at her. His exuberant ebullience irked Freya to a certain degree; a sole eyebrow twitched in annoyance as Loki entered the field with Kukai at his right side, hand raised up in greeting and mouthing the word, 'Yo'.
Freya scowled at them and pulled her cap down a little further. As she walked towards them, the dark-haired girl was thinking of a hundred and one ways to get back at Loki for being a blabbermouth. She threw the ball with the intention of hitting either boy on his head, but Kukai's goalkeeping reflexes foiled her plan as he expertly caught the ball in his arms.
"No way!" Kukai had a look of incredulity on his face as he properly registered his eyes on Freya's less-than-favourable (According to Freya herself) appearance.
"Excuse me?" was the twins' reaction.
"You both look exactly alike, except your eyes are different! That's so cool!"
Instantly, both siblings glared at Kukai. "No way!"
"I'm different from Loki!" Freya huffed, arms crossed defiantly.
At the same time, Loki as well said, "I do not look like a girl!"
Then the both of them looked away, grumbling. Kukai chuckled as he threw the ball onto the ground and kicked it towards Loki's feet. "Hey, don't be mad," he said, "It's quite… oh never mind,"
"Hey, Freya?"
"Yeah?"
"What club are you joining?"
Freya frowned a little and said, "I'm not sure. Maybe I won't join any. Why does it interest you anyway?"
Loki quirked an eyebrow. "You're asking me why?"
Kukai held up a finger, as if to present a picture of a person with informative knowledge. "It's kind of compulsory in our school,"
"There isn't 'kind of compulsory', there is only 'compulsory'," Loki corrected, before grinning proudly. "Aren't I getting better at this?"
Cue the eye-roll. Freya scuffed the soles of her trainers, dragging them across the flat, rocky ground.
"Yeah, whatever. Save me the grammar lesson. Anyways, there's this new photography club run by an ex-journalist from the journalism club. Why not join it?" the sandy-haired teen caught the ball that Loki kicked to him, balancing it with his knees.
Freya stole the ball away from him. "And what makes you think I like photography?" she asked, circling the ball around her ankles.
"Loki told me that you've been a hardcore hobby photographer way before it became the 'in' thing to have photography as a hobby," Kukai danced around her, trying to get the ball.
Freya paused, and kicked the ball over to Loki, who caught it between his feet. "Wow, Loke. What happened to brother-sister confidentiality?" she aimed daggers at him with her eyes.
"That does not apply to hobbies," was the boy's answer, as he ran towards the goal post, with the intent to score a free goal.
"But you'll try, right?" Kukai asked, looking at Freya with his hazel-green eyes. Despite the fact that it wasn't a serious conversation, Freya could feel the intensity of his eyes boring into her. The intensity made Freya's cheeks colour slightly, and she looked away.
"Yeah. I'll try."
Freya stared at the door before her. After much consideration, as well as a bit of grudge, the ebony-haired girl had opted to take her friend's advice and take a look at the photography club.
"Photography club…" Freya muttered to herself, "Why did I even listen to him?"
"What's wrong?"
The beauty of the person standing in the doorway stunned Freya speechless. Her long, lean form exuded athletic grace, and her shoulder-length hair glowed a vibrant red. The mischievous twinkle in her eyes didn't shroud the curious concern the person had for Freya.
"I-I uh…" Freya wasn't one to stutter, but this was an exception.
"You're a freshman, aren't you? I'm Sakurano Aria from Class 3-A,"
Freya shook her head quickly. "No, I'm not a freshman. I'm in the second year, and I just transferred here. My name's Tsukiko Freya,"
Aria moved aside and motioned Freya to enter. "You're joining my club?"
Freya stopped and looked at her. "You're the president of this club?"
Aria giggled humorously. "Lots of people give me that reaction. They seem to think that I'd be in a sports club or something, which makes me feel so insulted," she said, "I just love photography, so I started one and quit the journalism club,"
Freya let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks. So…" she said, "What do I need to join this club?" Freya surveyed the room and only saw a few pieces of equipment scattered across a table, accompanied by a messy pile of pictures. There were no signs of activity, save for the occasional sputter of the air-conditioner. "Uh…I'd hate to ask, but why are we the only people here?"
Aria sighed. "Well, because no one seems to take interest in just taking photos. Others just want to fool around, to make themselves look cool. You know, the kind of people who buy a DSLR and lug it around, as if to say, "HEY LOOK! I'M A PRO!"," Then she added, "So I made this rule. Those who want to join must take a picture of something and show it to me, and if I approve, you can call yourself a member of the club!"
"So all I have to do is take a picture and show it to you?"
"No editing it too. I want to see the raw beauty before editing it,"
"You've got yourself a deal,"
Freya flopped down on her bed, holding a camera in her hands, smiling. Freya moved her fingers all over the piece of equipment, savoring the familiar shape of her long-time buddy. It didn't have a name, but Freya was completely obsessed when it came to maintaining it. As sappy as it may seem, Freya loved taking pictures; immortalizing moments that she cherished. So yes, Tsukiko Freya was guilty for being a sentimental sap.
"Loki!" she sang out her twin's name as she crossed the hall towards the room opposite of hers. The mahogany door swung open, and a grumpy Loki poked his head out through the crack of his door.
"What's up?" His grumpiness evidently came from homework, as the evidence of a pencil clamped between his pearly-whites told Freya everything.
Freya held up her camera and snapped a shot. Then she looked at the viewing screen. "Not really good, I think. It's a bit blurry and you're not photogenic, Loki,"
Loki quickly spat out the pencil into his hand and peered over his sister's shoulder. "Hey! I never said you could take my picture!" he cried, "I look horrible! Let me fix my hair!"
Freya's eyes lowered in derision as she sighed, "Sometimes, I think you're my twin sister in a guy's body,"
Loki's room was spacious and very boyish, a large contrast to Freya's. The walls were alternately painted dark blue and black, littered with band posters and framed family pictures. There was a keyboard with a guitar propped against it, both instruments plugged into amplifiers. Where one expected the room to be completely messy with clothes and other unmentionables scattered across the floor, there was a double-doored walk-in closet built into the wall, and Loki's favorite corner of the room had his gaming systems all arranged in order of precedence. The king of the room himself was standing in front of a full-length mirror, fussing about his sable locks.
"Hey big sister," Freya mocked. Loki turned around and glared at his sister.
"For your information, sister, I'm a guy. You know, complete with the manly assets? I'm just fashion-conscious, that's all. That's what we refer to as metrosexual,"
"Whatever you say," Freya said, rolling her eyes.
"What about you? You wear those princess-y little outfits!" Loki said, pointing an accusing finger at his sister.
"Mom buys them for me and I'm a girl. I'm supposed to wear what you call 'princess-y' outfits," Freya countered, "Skirts and dresses are comfortable, okay?"
Loki grinned awkwardly. "All right, you win this one," Then he ruffled his hair again, "I think I look better with messy hair," Then he combed it back again, "Or maybe combed back…"
"Yes, yes. Mafia-boss look does it for you," Freya rolled her eyes yet again, and something caught her eye. She saw a small pile of envelopes on the shelf that held a vast collection of comics and gamer's magazines. "Loki," Freya said, randomly snapping a photo of the pile, "What are those?"
Loki paused in fixing his hair and looked over his shoulder. "Those? Dunno, I found them in my sports locker when I was putting my stuff back," he said, shrugging, "Open one for me, will you?"
Freya put down her camera and took an envelope and opened it. She read the letter and a corner of her mouth twitched. Then she burst out laughing.
The sudden outburst greatly worried Loki, and he threw the brush onto the shelf, looking over Freya's shoulder to peer at the letter. Freya tried to contain her mirth with muffled giggles, as she watched a look of embarrassment register itself onto Loki's face.
The letter read:
Dear Loki,
Your eyes remind me of the ice in my lemonade when I drink it on the hot summer days. Your lustrous black hair makes me remember of the times when I gaze into the fireplace, looking at black coals, during cold, bitter winter nights. Your wonderful smile simply melts my heart, and makes me have butterflies in my stomach. It may seem too soon to let you know this, but I'm in love with you, Loki.
Love,
Your Admirer
"Don't laugh. This is too embarrassing," Loki crumpled up the paper into a ball, sent it sailing over the air and into the wastepaper basket across the room. "Do something about the others, will you?"
Freya shook her head. "Oh, no, I need it for something, or more specifically, show it to Kukai!" Then she picked up the rest of the letters and her camera.
"Freya!"
Freya grinned gleefully, looking horribly pleased with herself. She placed the envelopes on her table and picked up her phone. Scrolling down her contacts list, her Cheshire grin only grew wider as she found the person she intended to text.
Me: Hey!
Souma Kukai: What's up?
Me: Guess what?
Souma Kukai: Uh…Loki shaved his hair? There's an alien invasion?
Me: No and no, you do know Loki got a pile of letters, right?
Souma Kukai: Er…now that you mention it, I do remember something like that from the locker rooms...
Me: Well, some girls wrote love letters and I've just opened one.
Souma Kukai: So that's what it was! What did she write?
Me: Something about his eyes being ice, his hair being coal and his smile and 'splendor'. I stole it. Wanna see some?
Souma Kukai: Yes?! when and where can we meet?
Me: Why not now? It's just passing on stuff to you, right? The park?
Souma Kukai: Alright, see ya in a few!
Me: Alright!
Freya panted slightly as she reached the park. She had walked and ran all the way from her house to the park. The girl wasn't much of an athlete, but she tried. At times. Freya sat on a bench, waiting for Kukai. Minutes later, Kukai came, with his usual grin and mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
"Hey Freya! Been waiting long?" Kukai asked, raising his hand in greeting like he always did. Freya shook her head, standing up.
"Nah, I just came a few minutes ago. More importantly…" Freya smirked and pulled out the envelopes from her bag, "These are what we're here for,"
"You make it sound like some sort of black market exchange," Kukai joked as the both of them walked towards the centre of the park.
Kukai sat on top of a tree stump, legs crossed in an indian-style while Freya sat on the edge of a small dock by a lake in the park, swinging her legs as the toes of her shoes barely skirted the surface of the lake. The jock's eyes ran across the sheets of paper in his hands, given to him by Freya. "This is cheesy, but cute. Mostly cheesy," he chuckled as he folded it up neatly and slipped it back inside the envelope from which it came.
Freya grinned as she pushed a stray lock of hair away from her eyes. "I've never seen anything like that in real life," she agreed as she took the envelope back from her friend.
Kukai smirked and said, "Your brother is rather popular, isn't he? I mean, he got these letters only on his first day of school!"
"I object!" Freya said, raising a hand, "Don't you have some yourself?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I see lots of girls screaming for you every time you walk past a group of them," Freya explained factually, "Totally a scene out from a shoujo manga,"
"Oh…well, actually I do have some, but I just leave those alone. Plus, I carry some spare buttons just in case,"
Freya looked at him quizzically. "Just in case for what?"
Kukai chuckled. "Well, this might sound odd but if I sold a button to the fangirl club, I'd be rich, I tell you, rich! But since I'm such a nice guy, I give my buttons away for free. For some reason, it's kinda like a badge of honor for them,"
"That's a bit..."
Kukai nodded. "Weird, but effective. I just give them the buttons and, well, they leave me in peace,"
The leaves rustled above from the trees overhead as a gentle breeze swayed them. A dragonfly skidded gracefully in a solitary dance across the lake, landing on a lily pad. Freya loved picturesque places, and the lake in the park was one of her favorite places. Kukai tilted his head upwards and a strange and somewhat unnaturally gentle smile spread across his face.
"Y'know, I like this place during this time of the day and year," he commented, eyes closed, "It gives you this sense of calm that's hard to obtain in the city's busy streets,"
Freya watched him, awed by the sudden change in Kukai's character. The scene seemed so… surreal. It piqued the dark-haired girl's interest, and her fingers itched uncontrollably as she reached for her camera. She had brought it along with her with the intent of staying behind after Kukai had left to take some pictures of the scenery, but this time seemed as good a time as any.
The dying sunlight that filtered through the trees in beams lit up the boy's features with a soft vermillion glow; night creatures started to wake up as the first of the fireflies began their masquerade across the lake, just like the dragonfly earlier. Kukai's form was relaxed, like he didn't have a care in the world. Entranced by the scene, Freya lifted up the camera, looking at him through the lenses and with a push of the button, the moment was captured.
"Well!" The sudden interruption of the quiet peace startled Freya as the camera nearly fell out of her hands. Kukai stood up and leapt off the stump in one fluid motion. "I've gotta go now - it's my turn to set the table tonight. See you tomorrow!"
Freya stood up, dusting her jeans as she picked up her bag. "All right, see you tomorrow,"
Kukai gave the girl another grin that she was slowly becoming accustomed to, and retreated with a friendly wave of the hand. Freya waved as well, still in a trance. Who knew someone as vibrant and bubbly as Kukai could display such natural beauty? There was just so many things in the world that mystified the teen.
Freya was lying on her back on her bed, viewing all the snapshots she had taken earlier that day. Then, the picture of Kukai appeared. There it was. The twilight gradient of the sky, the glimmering lights emanated from the fireflies. Kukai with that smile on his face. Freya was startled; caught off-guard by the picture. She shook her head at her foolishness and tapped her head to compose herself.
"Why do I feel so strange?"
"What is this weird feeling?"
Once again, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!
Luv,
sakura-pichu16296
Edit: 19th November 2010