Alright, the second chapter to Free Knight. I hope you all enjoy it. Also, sorry for the long wait. This chapter was made with the help of my good friend, KarouUchiha, who is the coolest. Please read her stories. Disclaimer: I don't own Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club nor Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry.
Chapter Two: Shadows of the Past
Early in the morning, at Hagun Academy
Rei yawned slightly as he leaned over and hit the snooze button on the alarm clock, turning it off.
"Nagisa-chan, it's time to wake up." he said as he grabbed his glasses and put them on.
"Okay..." the blonde girl replied, laying next to him with her arms around his waist.
Wait. Laying next to him with her arms around his waist?
"Eh?!" Rei exclaimed as he looked down at his roommate in shock. "Why are you in my bed, Nagisa-chan?!" he yelled, his face entirely red.
"Hmm?" Nagisa opened her eyes and pushed herself up. "Oh, good morning, Rei-chan." she said sleepily, rubbing one of her eyes.
"Don't avoid the question!" the blue haired young man shouted, trying to ignore how cute she looked at the moment. "Why are you in my bed?" he repeated the question he had asked just a few seconds ago.
"Oh, that?" the petite blonde questioned. "Well, I sometimes sleep much better if I'm cuddling a stuffed animal or something." she told him.
'Stuffed animal...' Rei repeated mentally, staring at his roommate with a slight look of disbelief.
Meanwhile
Makoto opened her eyes and sat up on her bed, which was the top bunk. Then the sound of water running from the bathroom reached her ears. Climbing down to the floor, Makoto looked at the time on the alarm clock and saw that she was going to be late for school.
Next, wearing nothing but a long, white shirt with a pair of shorts, the young woman groggily made her way to the bathroom door. Then she knocked on the door.
"Haru..." Makoto yawned. "We gotta get to school." she said as she absentmindedly opened the door.
After she opened the door, the olive green haired girl's eyes widened at what, or rather who, she saw. Standing a few feet in front of her was Sousuke in nothing but a towel around his waist, his face holding a look of slight surprise.
The two just stood where they were and stared at each other, not knowing what to say.
"I figured this day would come, but not so soon." Sousuke suddenly said, breaking the silence. Then he spread is arms out. "Come. You can do whatever you want to me, Makoto." he told her, his face completely serious.
Makoto's face turned entirely red. "You pervert!" she yelled, throwing a shoe, which was conveniently laying nearby, at his face.
"Ow..."
Meanwhile
"Oi, Haru! What are you doing?" Rin asked his roommate.
"Grilling mackerel." the ravenette replied in monotone.
"Well hurry up." the redheaded young man ordered. "Or else we're going to be late for..." he trailed off at the sight in front of him.
Haru was wearing an apron, and it looked like that was the only thing she had on. Rin took a step back to try and process this.
"Haru..." he started to as he stared at the beauty in the apron. "What are you wearing?" he asked.
"An apron." the young woman replied as if it was the most simplest thing ever. "I'm also wearing a swimsuit." she added, turning around and showing the back of said swimsuit.
"That's just weird!" the male knight exclaimed.
"Are you disappointed that I wasn't naked under the apron?" Haru asked in monotone, her face expressionless.
"N-No!" Rin lied.
"If you say so." the ravenette replied, knowing he was lying.
Later
"Mako-chan, you're face is really red." Nagisa remarked, walking to class with the taller girls, the guys walking behind them. "Did something happen between you and Sou-chan?" she asked.
"Nothing happened!" Makoto immediately replied.
'Something totally happened.' Haru thought to herself.
"What happened to you?" Rin asked his childhood friend, who had a red shoe-print on his face.
"Makoto threw a shoe at me." Sousuke answered.
'What exactly happened between those two?' the redheaded thought.
"By the way..." the black haired young man started to say. "What was it like rooming with Haru, Rin?" he asked.
"Apparently, she likes to wear a swimsuit under an apron." Rin replied, sighing a bit.
"So you two are already doing that kind of stuff, huh?"
"What do you mean by that?!"
"Hey, Ryugazaki, was it?" Sousuke questioned, ignoring the other knight and turning his attention to Rei. "Tell me, how was being roommates with Nagisa?"
"Nagisa-chan used me has a stuffed animal." the blue haired first year replied, looking the most tired.
'Stuffed animal?' the other two male knights thought at the same time.
"Hey!" Nagisa called from up ahead. "Hurry up, slow-pokes! We're going to be late for class."
"Yeah, yeah." Rin said.
Makoto looked over her shoulder and gazed at Sousuke, turning her head away the second their eyes meet.
"How long are you going to be mad at me?" the young man asked. "In my defense, you walked in on me."
"And I was going to apologize until you went ahead and said something completely stupid." the olive green haired girl retorted. "Listen..." she started to say, turning around to face him. "If we're going to be roommates, we need to set up some ground rules." she stated firmly.
"What kind of rules?" Sousuke questioned.
"Three simple rules." Makoto told him. Then she held up three fingers. "Rule one: don't talk to me. Rule two: don't open your eyes. And rule three: don't breathe."
"I would probably die." the black haired young man remarked. "At least let me breathe."
"No way!" the young woman shouted. "You're probably thinking about smelling me, aren't you, pervert?!"
"Then I'll breathe through my mouth."
"You're thinking about tasting the air I exhale, aren't you, pervert?!"
"I didn't think about that."
"If you don't like it, then just quit the school!"
"You're not making sense anymore!"
"I think this will go on for a while." Haru remarked, watching the two roommates bicker back-and-forth. "Let's go on ahead before we're late to class." she said in monotone, turning around and began to walk away.
"Kay!" Nagisa replied, following the ravenette.
"Are we really going to leave them like this?" Rei asked, gesturing to Makoto and Sousuke.
"Let'em have their lover's quarrel." Rin told him. "I've got better things to do than listen to them fight." he said, turning around and following the two other girls.
"I suppose..." was all the blue haired young man said before he hesitantly followed the others, leaving the two roommates by themselves as they continued to yell at one another.
Later, in class
"Haru, you jerk!" Makoto shouted as she sat down at the desk she and the ravenette shared. "Leaving me behind with Sousuke like that! We were almost late for class."
"You guys shouldn't have been fighting on the way, then." Haru retorted in monotone, drawing on a sketchpad. "By the way, what did you walk in him doing?" she asked.
"N-N-Nothing at all!" the olive green haired girl yelled, her face going dark red.
"Mmmhmm." the young woman said, giving her childhood friend a blank, dubious look. She turned her attention back to the image she was drawing. 'Since every person has one match every three days during the Seven Star Fight Festival, it'll be safe for me to use Ittou Shura.' she thought to herself.
"Is that you're thinking, right?" Makoto questioned.
"Shut up." Haru said as she turned her head away, causing the other girl to giggle slightly.
After class, it's lunchtime
"Haru-chan! Mako-chan!" Nagisa called when she saw the taller girls in the hallway, dragging Rei with her.
"Hey, Nagisa." Makoto greeted when the younger girl reached them.
"Yo." Haru greeted in monotone.
"Let's all have lunch together." the blonde girl said.
"Fine with me. I have penalty of mackerel to share." the ravenette informed.
"You like mackerel way too much." Rin remarked.
"That's impossible." Haru retorted with a surprising serious face.
"Hey!"
"Oh, Gou-chan." Nagisa said when she saw the redheaded first year coming in their direction.
"Have any of you seen the video?" Gou asked when she reached the group.
"What video?" Sousuke questioned.
"The video of this." the first year said has she took out her student handbook (it serves as personal identification, a wallet, a mobile phone, and even internet terminal).
"Isn't that..." Rei started to say when a video started to play on the device.
"The duel Haru and I had against each other?" Rin finished.
"It's gotten a lot of views online." Gou informed. "There are comments that are saying how cool Haru-senpai was. Speaking of which, did you know that you're super popular in school, Haru-senpai?" she asked the older girl.
"Me?" Haru questioned, pointing at herself.
"Yeah, you're really well-known." the redheaded girl commented. "A lot of guys have given you the name of 'The Cool, Mysterious Beauty'.
"I can see that." Makoto said. "But, if you got to know Haru really well, then she's isn't that mysterious."
"Where's the 'Beauty' part coming from?" the ravenette questioned, totally oblivious.
"How unaware are you?" everyone asked in unison.
"Haru-chan, you've never really understood how pretty you are." Nagisa remarked, sighing a bit. "Even when we were kids, you were totally naive about your looks." then she turned her attention to the redheaded knight. "Ne, Rin-chan, don't you think Haru-chan is pretty?" she asked him bluntly.
"Eh?!" Rin exclaimed, completely taken aback from the sudden question.
"You think I'm pretty?" Haru asked in monotone.
"W-W-Well..." the young man stammered, his face turning as red as his hair.
"Go ahead, Rin." Sousuke encouraged, a small smirk on his face. "Go and tell Haru how pretty you think she is."
'You traitorous bastard!' Rin mentally yelled as the blush on his face turned a darker shade of red. He looked at his roommate, who was staring at him with her usual blank stare, waiting for his response. "I-I-I do think you are p-pretty, Haru..." he admitted softly, his face ten different shades of red.
"I see..." was all Haru said in monotone. "Thank you, Rin." she said before she turned her body around, her back facing the others.
Then, much to the other's surprise, two, black cat ears popped on the young woman's head, twitching slightly.
'What's up with the ears?' everyone, except Makoto, thought in unison.
"Whenever Haru is surprised, a bit angry, or happy, cat ears appear on her head and express how she's feeling at that moment." Makoto explained. "And, from the way they're twitching, she's happy that Rin-kun thinks she's pretty." she said, winking at the redheaded knight, causing him to blush a little.
"You're wrong." Haru denied, placing her hands on her cat ears. "I was just feeling happy about the mackerel I'll get to eat at lunch."
"Uh huh, whatever you say, Haru." the olive green haired girl said.
The ravenette just 'hmped' as she removed her hands from her head, showing that her cat ears were gone.
Skip to after school
"You sure you want to come with us?" Haru, wearing a purple tracksuit with black stripes, asked her roommate, sitting on the ground as she stretched her legs out. "Makoto and I run twenty km every day. You don't have to come if it's too much for you."
"If I'm going to beat you, then I should start training like you." Rin retorted.
"What an interesting logic." Makoto, who was wearing the same thing as her childhood friend except her's was green, remarked. "You're coming along, too, Sousuke?"
"Yup." the black haired young man replied.
"Alright, let's get going." the ravenette said, standing up.
"Hey, Haru." the redheaded young man spoke up. "How about we see which one of us is faster?" he suggested.
"No thanks." Haru replied in monotone, tying her hair into a high ponytail.
"What? Afraid you'll lose?" Rin questioned, smirking.
The female knight felt her eyebrow twitch slightly from tone in his voice. "Alright, fine." she said. "But don't cry if you lose." she told him.
"I won't!" the male knight yelled.
"Good grief." Makoto sighed. "Those two are just so..."
"Makoto, wanna do the same as them and see if I'm faster than you?" Sousuke asked.
"I suppose." the olive green haired girl said. "But I won't go easy on you." she added, smiling.
"Okay..." Haru said, in the running position with the others. "On your mark, get set..." she paused for a moment. "Go!"
The two male knights barely blinked as the two girls shot up and were already running ahead of them.
"Hope you boys like the taste of dust." Makoto called from over her shoulder.
"Try to keep up." Haru told them.
Rin and Sousuke both gaped as they stared at the retreating figures of the female knights.
"Oi, wait!" the redheaded young man shouted, finally snapping out of his shock as he ran after them, his childhood friend soon following.
One long run later
"Not bad for your first try." Haru said to a panting Rin and Sousuke, who had finally caught up with her and Makoto after they stopped at the picnic table their bags were. "You kept a pretty good pace with us." she remarked, taking a sip of her bottled water.
"T-That was nothing." the redheaded knight remarked, trying to catch his breath. "I-I could do this in my sleep."
Then he saw a bottle of water being held in front of his face.
"Here." the ravenette said in monotone. "It's best to get hydrated after a run like that." she told him.
"Isn't that..." Rin started to say, his face heating up slightly.
"It's water." Haru stated the obvious.
"I-I mean, since you already took a sip from it, wouldn't that be an indirect kiss?" the male knight questioned, his face turning as red as his hair.
"Oh, I guess you're right." the tall young woman agreed. "Sorry." she apologized.
"I didn't say that I minded." Rin retorted. "It's the opposite, actually." he mumbled to himself.
"What was that?" Haru asked.
"N-Nothing! Gimme that!" the redheaded young man yelled, snatching the water out of his roommate's hand.
The ravenette blinked as she watched the male knight gulp down the liquid refreshment with a questionable look.
"He should learn to be more honest with his feelings." Makoto remarked after taking a sip of of her own water.
"He's a tsundere, so it's hard for him to." Sousuke commented, taking the water from her.
The olive green haired girl froze as she watched her roommate take a sip from the bottle of water she had just a drink from.
"Thanks." the black haired young man said, placing the bottle back in the female knight's hand.
"I..." Makoto started to say, blushing brightly. "I never said you could have some of mine!" she yelled, kicking him in the leg.
"Ow..."
'Looks like Rin's not the only tsundere.' Haru mentally remarked after witnessing the scene that just took place.
Sometime later
"So tired..." Rin said, slumping against the table of the cafeteria. "They had us run another twenty km. Are they really girls?"
"You're the one who wanted to do this." Sousuke pointed out, sitting across from him. "You have no right to complain."
"Oh, have you been training with Haru-chan and Mako-chan?" a feminine voice asked.
Turning their heads, the two young men saw a very short woman standing by their table.
"Who's the elementary schooler?" Sousuke questioned.
"I'll have you know I'm thirty-three, you brat!" Nene yelled, smacking him on the head with her fan.
"Wait, aren't you..." Rin started to say. "Nanase Nene?"
"Oh, you remember me, Rin-chan." the dark haired woman said.
"You know her?" the black haired knight asked.
"Yeah, she's Haru's aunt." the redheaded young man replied.
"From her father's side." Nene added.
"She's also known as the Demon Princess of the KOK Top League." Rin informed.
"I thought her name sounded familiar." Sousuke said more to himself.
"By the way, Rin-chan, I watched your match with Haru-chan the other day." the short woman remarked. "I quite enjoyed watching her kick your ass." she snickered.
"Did you come here just to make fun of me?" the redheaded knight asked, a vein of annoyance throbbing on his head.
"Oh, of course not." Nene replied. "It just so happens that I've become a part-time instructor this year." she informed, turning her back to the young men. "So..." she paused for a moment, looking at the redhead from over her shoulder.
Then, much to the two knight's surprise, the dark haired woman was suddenly right beside Rin, her arms around his shoulders.
"That's why sensei can give you a private lesson tonight." Nene whispered in his ear seductively.
"Damn you." another feminine voice spoke up. "What do you think you're doing with my student?"
"Woah!" the short woman exclaimed, getting behind Rin. "You scared me, Chisato-chan. I was just about to kill you by accident."
"As if I'll be killed by someone like you." the director remarked coolly. "By the way, what happened to that staff meeting you were suppose to come to?" she questioned, staring at her sister-in-law blankly.
"Oh, well..." Nene started to say, smiling sheepishly. "I didn't feel like going to something so boring..." she trailed off, closing one of her eyes.
A second later, Chisato was dragging the short woman by the back of her kimono.
"Come on, you walking public indecency." she said monotonously.
"You don't have to pull me!" Nene shouted.
The two male knights just blinked and watched the two woman walk off.
Early the next morning, on a train
'It was one day that I had realized...' Nanase Kokoro (Age: 10, Height: 133 cm) thought to herself as she watched the scenery pass by from her seat on the train, her face expressionless with an unreadable emotion in her ocean blue eye. 'No matter how peaceful the world looks, it's just really hiding a cruel reality. And how the person I love the most was carrying great pain inside of her for a very long time. My late father, my uncle, my aunts, my grandfather from my uncle's side, are the only people in our family besides me who love her, too. More hurtfully, the rest of the family are willing to cause her more pain than they already have.' she twirled a strand of her shoulder-length, violet hair, which had two strands of hair tied up in beads, between her thumb and index finger. 'If that's the case, then I will...
Meanwhile, at Hagun Academy
"Geez, my legs are killing me." Rin groaned.
"It's probably because you aren't use to running twenty km." Haru remarked.
"Shut up." the redheaded man retorted.
"I'm sure you'll get use to it." Makoto said, handing him a bottle of water.
"Thanks." Rin said, taking the bottle from her.
"Why does he get one and not me?" Sousuke asked.
"So he and Haru don't get into a big argument." the olive green haired girl told him.
"How is that going to keep them from arguing?" the male knight asked.
"You've never seen Haru in an argument before, have you?" Makoto sighed.
"No." Sousuke replied. "Is it bad?" he questioned.
"You have no idea."
"Haru-chan! Mako-chan!"
"Oh, Nagisa, Rei." Makoto said when she saw the petite blonde and her roommate walk over to them. "Who are they?" she asked when she saw two first year boys with them.
"Well, these guys wanted to talk to Haru-chan." Nagisa informed.
"Me?" Haru questioned.
"Yup, they wanted to wanted to be trained by you." the first year girl explained.
"I refuse." the ravenette replied immediately in monotone.
'A split second decision.' everyone thought at the same time.
"Please!" one of them begged.
"No." Haru said.
"Pretty please!" the other one pleaded.
"We're really interested in learning from you, Nanase-san!" the first years boys declared in unison as they stepped closer to her, one of them pushing Rin out of the way.
The redheaded knight growled in annoyance.
"Well, aren't you the popular one, Nanase-san." he remarked, smiling in a somewhat scary way while crossing his arms over his chest.
'He's definitely pissed.' Haru thought when she swore she saw fire blazing around the young man, causing the first years to shake in fear. "Rin, calm down." she told him. "It's not nice to scare underclassmen."
"Who asked you?" Rin snapped.
"What suddenly crawled up your ass and died?" the ravenette asked.
"Oh dear." Makoto sighed when she saw her friends arguing. "I was afraid this would happen."
"It doesn't seem so bad." Sousuke commented.
"Screw you!" Rin yelled.
"Right back at you." Haru retorted.
"Then again, I've been wrong before." the black haired young man said.
"Rin doesn't know what he's in for." the olive green haired girl remarked, hiding behind Sousuke.
"Just what the hell is your problem?" the ravenette asked her roommate.
"I don't have a problem." the redheaded young man denied.
"You must have one if you're acting like an asshole." Haru stated, crossing her arms under her chest.
"Even if I did have one, it's none of your business." Rin said.
"It is if you're going to bitch and moan about it." the female knight retorted.
The two roommates glared at each other, the atmosphere around them becoming intense.
"If we don't do something now, someone's going to die." Makoto said fearfully. "And that someone will likely be Rin."
"I don't know if we can stop them." Sousuke remarked.
"Should we start planning Rin-chan's funeral?" Nagisa questioned.
"Nagisa-chan, don't say things like that!" Rei exclaimed.
Seeing that the two blazers were getting close to an actual fight, Sousuke decided to step in.
"Hey, you two..." he started to say. "Why don't you both just ca-"
"Shut up and stay out of this!" Rin and Haru yelled in unison.
"Okay." the black haired young man said, backing off.
Earlier, the two first years had run off in fear.
"How are we going to stop them?!" Makoto exclaimed.
"How should I know?" Sousuke questioned.
"Maybe we should get the Director." Rei suggested.
"She's busy dealing with Nene-chan-sensei." Nagisa informed.
"The Director must have it rough." the black haired knight remarked, thinking how the woman had to deal with her eccentric sister-in-law.
"You don't know the half of it." Makoto sighed.
"Why don't you mind your own freaking business?" Rin asked.
"I would, but I have to live with you and I don't need you to be all pissy." Haru stated.
"Pissy?" the redheaded young man repeated, gritting his teeth together.
"Yeah, and you call yourself a man." the ravenette said, crossing her arms under her chest.
Rin growled lowly through his teeth, clenching his fists tightly. Then this light, red glow surrounded his body as pieces of fire gathered around his feet and started flying in different directions. At that point, students started to panic and get worried.
"Woah..." Haru said as she dodged a piece of fire that flew in her direction.
"Oh, this is so not good." Nagisa remarked.
"He isn't thinking about summoning his device in a place like this, is he?!" Rei exclaimed.
"You don't know Rin when he's anger." Sousuke told him.
"Or Haru for that matter." Makoto added. "She would fight Rin without a second thought. She would probably even kill him if push comes to shove."
Meanwhile
"Where could Onee-chan be?" Kokoro thought aloud as she walked through Hagun Academy's hallway.
"Hey, check it out." she heard a male student say. "It looks like Matsuoka and Nanase are going to duel it out."
The violet haired girl looked in the direction the student was talking about.
'Onee-chan?!' Kokoro mentally exclaimed when she saw her cousin.
Rushing forward, the ten year old heading to where the ravenette was.
"Onee-chan!" she called.
"Kokoro?" Haru questioned, turning her head, when she heard the familiar voice call her
Kokoro got in-between the two knights and hugged her cousin around her waist.
"What are you doing here?" the tall young woman asked, forgetting about the angry young man in front of her.
"I came to see you." the violet haired girl replied, nuzzling her head into her cousin's large chest. "I missed you so much!" she said, her two strands of hair twitching happily.
"Who's that?" Rei asked.
"That's Haru's younger cousin, Kokoro-chan." Makoto explained.
"She's really cute, isn't she?" Nagisa remarked.
Rin was caught off guard by the young girl's sudden appearance, the fire around him disappearing.
"What are you doing?" Kokoro, now standing with her back to the ravenette, asked Haru, who now had her arms around the little girl. "Were you about to fight someone and kick their butt?"
"You little..." the redheaded young man growled through his teeth, glaring at the ten year old.
"Exactly." Haru said, rubbing her head.
"Excuse me?!" Rin exclaimed, a vein throbbing on his head. "It was me about to kick your ass!"
"Don't you mean to die?" Kokoro questioned.
"Children should stay out of adult business!" the male knight yelled.
"And the last time I checked, I kicked your ass the last time we dueled." the female knight pointed out.
"Shut up!" Rin shouted.
"You're pretty mean." the violet haired girl commented.
"Keep your mouth shut!" the redheaded young man ordered.
"Don't yell at her." Haru told him.
"Ne, Onee-chan, who is this shark?" Kokoro asked, looking up at her cousin.
"What did you just call me?!" Rin yelled.
'She's not exactly far from the truth.' Sousuke thought.
"He's an old friend and my roommate." the ravenette told the young girl.
"Oh..." Kokoro said. Then something came to her mind. "Is he your boyfriend, too?" she asked.
"Eh?!" the redheaded knight exclaimed, his face going as red as his hair.
"No, just a friend and roommate." Haru replied in monotone, her face expressionless.
"That's no fun." the violet haired girl remarked. "But, in my own opinion, he doesn't look strong enough to be with you, anyway." she added.
'I'm going to kill this brat.' Rin thought in anger.
"What a scary expression you have there, Onii-chan." Kokoro commented, smiling sweetly.
"I'm not your Onii-chan." the young man said.
"Then what should I call you?" the ten year old asked. "Shark man?" she questioned.
"No!" Rin yelled. "You two are definitely related! You both piss me off!"
"Aw, Onii-chan isn't really nice." Kokoro remarked. "I feel sorry for you, Onee-chan. Having to live with such a rude guy."
"I'm used to it." Haru told her.
"Shut up!" the redheaded young man ordered. "Don't act so high and mighty because you're a Nanase!"
The ravenette felt her body stiffen. "What do you mean by that?" she asked in monotone.
"What I mean is that you think you're so great because of who your family is." Rin said. "I bet that's the main reason you're here at Hagun Academy. Your mother being the director here must be a bonus."
Haru didn't say anything as she bowed her head down, her bangs covering her eyes.
"Rin, shut up!" Makoto yelled.
"Don't say things like that." Nagisa told him.
"Why?" the redheaded young man questioned. "I'm just saying what I think is tru-" he was cut off when he felt something rushed past his face. "W-What the..." he looked behind him and saw that the wall had a spot of ice on it.
"Shut up." Kokoro said in monotone, her face emotionless, as she stepped forward "You shouldn't be saying things you don't know the facts to." she told him, a dark blue aura surrounding her.
"You trying to pick a fight with me?" Rin asked, a vein throbbing on his cheek.
"If it will stop you from saying such stupid things, then yes." the violet haired girl replied. She held up her hand. "Splash forth, Yoi Shigure." she said. A second later, a short-bladed katana materialized in her hand.
"Kokoro, what are you doing?" Haru asked. "You're not allowed to use your device unless you have permission from the director or a teacher."
"Don't worry, Onee-chan." Kokoro reassured her cousin. "My element is water, the natural enemy of fire, I can win. But I'm really happy you're worrying about me, Onee-chan. I love you." she said with a smile on her face.
"Are you listening to anything I saw?" the ravenette questioned.
"Serve me, Laevatein!"
"Rin-chan, too?!" Nagisa exclaimed.
"This is not going well." Rei remarked.
"Are you seriously going to fight a ten year old girl, man?" Sousuke asked.
Rin ignored him and pointed his sword at Kokoro.
"You're device is nothing but size without a hint of grace." the violet haired girl remarked, in monotone, staring at the male knight blankly. "It suits you, Onii-chan." she added, closing her eyes.
"Heh." the redheaded young man smirked as he closed his eyes, as well. "And your's is a very modest device. Just like you, little girl."
"Fat."
"Ugly."
Kokoro and and Rin simultaneously opened their eyes and glared at one another.
"Prepare yourself!" the violet haired girl yelled as she charged at the male knight.
Kokoro slashed her katana at him, but Rin dodged her attack. Then he lifted up his sword and hit the ten year old on the head, knocking her unconscious.
"Unfair attack!" Nagisa shouted.
"Rin is going to die." Makoto said more to herself, placing her hands on her face.
"She came at me first!" Rin yelled defensively.
"That's not what I meant..." the olive green haired girl told him.
"Excuse me, Rin." a monotonous voice up.
Then the redheaded young man felt a very sinister aura behind him.
'W-What is this scary aura?' he mentally questioned, becoming a bit nervous.
Slowly, Rin turned around and came face-to-face with something terrifying. A completely pissed off Haru.
"Why did you hit Kokoro?" the ravenette asked in a tone of voice that made shivers go down the spines of anyone who heard her, staring at her roommate coldly.
The male knight didn't make a reply right away, he was too busy being scared of the young woman.
"Your mistress asked you a question." Haru said.
"Mistress?!" Rin exclaimed.
"You're my servant now, remember?" the female knight told him. "That means you have to do whatever I say, and that includes answering my questions. Now, again, why did you hit Kokoro?"
"Haru, calm down Don't kill Rin!" Makoto yelled, seeing that the redheaded young man was about to through a type of hell no one should go through.
"How would you feel if this ass hit Ren or Ran?" Haru questioned.
"Well, I would be pissed..." the olive green haired girl admitted.
"Exactly." the ravenette said.
Not wanting to see someone die today, Makoto did the only thing she thought she could do. Which was to hook her arms under her childhood friend's and drag her away from Rin.
"Hey, let me go." Haru demanded.
"I'm sorry, but I don't want to someone I like die." the olive green haired girl said. "Plus, I don't want to see you go to jail."
"At least let me break something." the female knight requested.
"No!" Makoto yelled. "You are not allowed to break anything." she said firmly.
"Can't I at least punch him?" Haru questioned.
"No." the olive green haired replied, she's not a big fan of violence.
The ravenette pouted. "Makoto is a buzz kill." she remarked.
"Excuse me?!" Makoto shouted. Then she sighed. "Whatever, I don't care. Since you're my best friend, I don't want you to get trialed for murder."
"I wasn't going to kill him." Haru told her. "I was just going to beat him with every ounce of his life."
Before the other girl could saw anything, a certain director appeared.
"What the hell is going on her?" Chisato demanded, her arms crossed under her chest. "Why is my niece laying unconscious on the floor? And why is Haru being held back by Mako-chan?"
"W-Well..." Makoto started to say, trying to think of the right thing to say. "There was a... disagreement."
"Oh? And did this disagreement involved Rin-kun summoning his device?" the dark brown haired director questioned, pointing at the male knight.
Rin laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, as his sword disappeared.
"Everyone in my office." Chisato ordered. "And no hitting Rin-kun, Haru." she said to her daughter.
"Yes, ma'am." Haru replied as her childhood friend let go of her.
"And will someone please bring Kokoro-chan along?" the woman requested.
"I got it." the ravenette said, picking up her cousin.
Later, in the director's office
"Now, someone please tell me what exactly happened." Chisato demanded, sitting behind her desk and staring at the teenagers and ten year old, who had finally woken up.
"Well, some freshmen were hitting on Haru-chan and Rin-chan got angry." Nagisa started.
"So this all started with Rin-kun getting jealous." the director stated.
"I wasn't jealous!" Rin yelled.
"They were hitting on me?" Haru questioned.
"Haru, I've seen a lot of guys hit on you." Chisato told her.
"When?" the ravenette asked.
"Oh, my dear daughter, it's adorable how oblivious you are." the dark brown haired woman remarked, pushing up her glasses. "It's a good thing you're strong in combat."
"Hm?" was all Haru said, tilting her head.
"Anyway, back to the subject at hand, what happened after Rin-kun got jealous?" Chisato asked.
"I said I wasn't jealous, dammit!" Rin shouted.
The director just rolled her eyes from his denial.
"Haruka-senpai and Rin-san got into an argument." Rei told her.
"And then Koko-chan came out of a nowhere." Nagisa added.
"Then she and Haru said some more things that pissed of Rin even more." Sousuke said.
"And then he said somethings to Haru." Makoto informed.
"What kind of things?" Chisato asked.
"C-Can we discuss that later, ma'am?" the olive green haired girl requested, rubbing her arm, not wanting to repeat what the redheaded knight had said to her childhood friend.
"Very well." the director said, sensing the female knight's discomfort. "What happened after that?" she asked.
"Kokoro-chan got angry and both she and Rin summoned their devices." Makoto explained.
The dark brown haired woman sighed and motioned for them to continue.
"Then she charged at him, and he hit her on the head." the olive green haired girl said. "Next, I tried to stop Haru from trying to kill him."
"I kinda want to kill him, too." Chisato admitted. "Hitting my dear niece."
"She came at me first!" Rin declared.
"Not the point." the director stated. "Are you okay, Kokoro-chan?" she asked the little girl.
"Yes, Auntie." Kokoro replied. "Just a slight bump on the head."
"That's good." Chisato said, smiling at her. Then she looked at the redheaded young man. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Rin-kun, for hitting a little girl." she told him.
"Oh, come on!" Rin shouted.
The violet haired girl looked down at the floor, starting to feel guilty that the older boy was taking all the blame.
"It's true that I came at Onii-chan first." Kokoro admitted. "So I should take the blame, not him." she declared.
Rin was slightly taken aback that she was sticking up for him. He sighed. "No, it was my fault." he said.
"No, it's my fault." the ten year old stated.
"Just let me say it was my fault, pipsqueak." the redheaded knight told her.
"But it was my fault, hothead." Kokoro retorted.
"Wet bucket."
"Small fireworks."
"Zero feet above sea level."
"Mt. Everest."
"Broken water pillow!"
"Overheated magma!"
Chisato slammed her hand on the desk, stopping the bickering duo. "Let's just say it was both your fault." she said. "Will that make you two feel better?" she asked.
"Yes, Auntie/Yes, Director." Kokoro and Rin replied in unison, feeling her frustration.
"Good." the dark brown haired woman said, leaning back in her chair. "Now I need to think of a suitable punishment for both of you. Use of your device, whether inside or outside of school, is forbidden unless you're in a permitted area. In a normal situation, you would be suspended. However, taking into consideration that it's only Rin-kun's third day here, and Kokoro-chan isn't even a student, I don't think I can do that."
"So they both get off with a warning?" Rei questioned.
"Nope." Nagisa said.
"Kokoro-chan, for your punishment, you shall have no mackerel for three weeks." Chisato told her niece.
"What?!" the violet haired girl exclaimed in shock. "That long with no mackerel?!"
"I'm afraid so." the director said coolly.
A second later, Kokoro was sitting in a corner of woe, mourning for her three week lost of mackerel, sobbing quietly to herself.
"Getting this upset over mackerel." Sousuke commented.
"She's Haru's cousin, so it's expected." Makoto remarked.
"Now, as for Rin-kun..." Chisato started to say, looking at the redheaded knight. "I've going to let your mistress punish you."
"Say what?!" Rin yelled.
"Well, it makes sense since you're her servant now." the dark brown haired woman told him.
"Mistress and servant?" Kokoro questioned, getting out of her corner, as she wiped the last of her tears of sadness away.
"We'll explain it to you later." Sousuke told her.
"Alright, everyone back to class." Chisato said. "Except for Mako-chan and Rin-kun, both of you please stay behind, I wish to talk to you privately. Kokoro-chan, you wait outside, please."
Everyone walked out of the office and left the director and two knights alone.
"Now then, what exactly did Rin-kun say to Haru that made Kokoro-chan so angry that she attacked him?" the dark brown haired woman asked.
Makoto and Rin shuddered a bit from the woman's slightly intense stare.
"I-I kinda said somethings that were about her family." the redheaded young man admitted.
"What exactly did you say?" Chisato asked.
"I had said that the main reason she was in the academy was because she was a Nanase. And having you as the director was a plus." Rin explained.
"I see..." was all the woman said as she stood up from her chair.
Then she walked calmly over to the students. When she was in front of the male knight, she raised her hand and hit him over the head as hard as she could.
"You dumbass!" Chisato yelled.
Makoto gaped in shock that the normally calm and cool director had snapped in such a violent manner.
"D-Director, don't you think that was a bit much?" she asked meekly.
"Why did you say that to her?!" the dark brown haired woman demanded, ignoring the question.
"Mostly because I was pissed!" Rin replied, holding his hands to his head. "Is it that big of a deal?"
"You shouldn't say things you don't know the whole facts to." Chisato told him, going to sit behind her desk again. "Do you want to know the reason why what you said was so terrible?"
"If it lets me know why the Nanase women want to kill me, then yes." the redheaded young man said.
The director leaned forward and placed her elbows on the desk, staring at the two students.
"Being apart of the Nanase family isn't all it's cracked up to be." she began. "Each member expects a lot out of the other. If you can't live up to the expectations of any of them, especially the head of the family, they consider you a disgrace. Some of them have a certain way of dueling that Hau doesn't agree with. Because of this, and the fact she wasn't born as a boy..." she paused for a moment, clenching her fist tightly. "Nearly all of the Nanase family treats her like she doesn't exist. And the ones who don't treat her like she's nothing but a piece of garbage."
Rin's eyes widened.
"It's been that why since we were younger." Makoto spoke up, a crestfallen expression of her face. "When they heard she was attending Hagun Academy, the Nanase family persuaded the old director and teachers to make sure she couldn't graduate. They didn't someone, who they considered a disgrace and carrying their last name, to graduate from a high ranking school."
"That's why I became the director and got rid of all the teachers that were involved." Chisato informed.
'Haru's...' Rin thought to himself. 'Been dealing with this ever she was a kid?' he mentally questioned, immediately feeling guilty about all the things he had said to her earlier in the hallway.
"I even asked a war crazy monster to help me." the director said, bringing the male student out of his thoughts.
"War crazy monster?" Rin repeated.
"You might know her as Esdeath." Chisato told him.
"You mean the same Esdeath who came from Europe and soon became known as the strongest knight in Japan?" Makoto questioned. "As well as earned the name of 'Ice Queen'?"
"Yup, the very same." the dark brown haired woman confirmed. "She became somewhat fond of Haru."
"Fond of her?" the olive green haired girl repeated.
"Unfortunately." Chisato sighed, placing one of her hands over her face. "She claims Haru is the one destined to be her partner in love."
"Eh?!" the two students exclaimed.
"I know." the director said. "I had a similar reaction. To make matters worse, she said she would help me under one condition."
"And what was that condition?" Makoto asked.
"That, when Haru was older, Esdeath would have a duel with her. And, if she won, she would date her." the director told them.
"What?!" the two knights yelled in disbelief.
"I made a deal with Satan's daughter." Chisato said more to herself, not looking happy at all about it.
"Why did you agree to something like that?!" Rin asked.
"I thought I didn't have any other choice." the dark brown haired woman retorted. "My husband and I couldn't take on the Nanase family by ourselves, they're too powerful to take on our own. But, for some reason, they seem to fear Esdeath greatly. I decided to use that to my advantage. I did what I thought was best for my daughter."
"We understand, Director." Makoto told her. "Because of what you did, Haru was able to graduate last year."
"Yes, that's true." Chisato said. Then she sighed. "Alright, you two, back to class." she ordered. "And Rin-kun..." she started to say, looking at the male knight. "You better beg Haru for forgiveness, because if I ever hear you talk to her like that again, I will kill you." she threatened, her tone of voice and facial expression completely serious.
"Y-Yes, ma'am." Rin replied fearfully.
Skip to after school
"Oh, welcome back." Haru said when she saw her roommate walk into their dorm room. "What did Mother talk to you and Makoto about?"
"Ah, actually..." Rin trailed off.
"Something wrong?" the ravenette asked.
"Well..." the male knight started to say. "Haru."
"Yes?"
"Were you..." Rin paused for a moment. "Ever treated like you never existed?" he asked.
"Huh?" was all Haru said, blinking in surprise.
"I-I'm sorry." the redheaded young man apologized. "I didn't want to ask you so bluntly, but I didn't know how else to..." he trailed off.
"I'm guessing Mother and Makoto told you about it." the female knight remarked.
"Yeah." Rin said.
"And now you want to hear my side of the story."
The young man nodded his head.
"Alright, I suppose it's better to let you know sooner rather than later." Haru stated. "It's a bit of a depressing story. Please listen to it."
"Sure."
Sometime later
"I'm sure you're aware of who my father is." Haru said, sitting on a bench with his roommate and looking at the sun that was being to set.
"Yeah, Nanase Joichiro." Rin replied. "The man who became the second strongest knight in Japan and gained the title of 'Poseidon'."
"Well, as it turns out, he and my mother were originally arranged to be married." the ravenette informed.
"People still do arrange marriages in this day and age?" the redheaded young man questioned, slightly surprised.
"Yep." Haru nodded her head. "They both disagreed about the entire thing. However, after spending some time together, they came to like each other. Eventually, they fell in love, got married, and had me."
"But I'm guessing that story doesn't end with happily ever after." Rin commented.
"No, it doesn't." the young woman stated. "A few years ago, my mother told me that one of the reasons why my grandfather, from my father's side, hates me is because I was born a girl."
The male knight eye's widened slightly.
"The Nanase family have been giving birth to excellent Blazers for generations." Haru started to explain. "They're what you would call a distinguished family. Also, it's seems to be a tradition that every first born child of the family is a boy. But, apparently, I was the only the girl to be a first born in many, many years. My grandfather and everyone else thought that since I was the child of the strongest member of the Nanase family, they thought I would be some kind of prodigy. However, once they learned I was a girl, they immediately labeled me as a disgrace. Since then, all of my relatives, except for my mother, father, Kokoro, aunt from my father's side, my late uncle, who's Kokoro's father, and grandfather from my mother's side, treated me like I didn't exist. At family events, there was almost no place for me. I could..." she paused for a moment. "Hear their voices and how much fun they were having. One New Year's party, when I was younger, I just couldn't take it anymore..."
"Haru..."
Flashback, eleven years ago
I had no where to go. I just didn't want to be there.
The six year old ravenette trudged through the harsh blowing snow that blurred her vision. The knee-length, white dress she was wearing barely did anything to shield her from the terrible coldness that spreaded throughout her entire body, her short, chin-length hair blowing in different directions. After taking a few more steps, she fell to her hands and knees, sinking into the snow. Panting heavily, all Haru saw was white, nothing but white flying everywhere.
By the time I noticed how bad the weather had gotten, I was lost. I was actually waiting for myself to die, since I thought no one would care. But, on the other hand, I had begun to think... It would be vexing to die like this.
The young girl tightened her fist, clenching the snow beneath her. The corners of her eyes stung when tears began to build up in them.
That's when he appeared in front of me.
Upon hearing the crunching of the snow, Haru looked up and saw a pair of legs. Looking up further, she saw the familiar face of her father.
I remember ever word he said to me then.
"Are you frustrated, Haru?" Joichiro asked his daughter. "To the fact that everyone treats you like you're a disgrace? If that's the case, hold on to that feeling. That there is proof that you haven't given up on yourself yet."
Haru said nothing as she stared up at her father, thinking about what he just told her.
"Listen, Haru." the dark haired man said as he carried his daughter on his back through the snowfall. "Don't give up saying that you're living within your means. You'll end up becoming a boring person that way. If you have the courage to not give up, you can be anything you want to be. We're living beings who went to the moon, even though we don't have wings. And, I just want you to know, even if you don't become a strong Blazer, I'll always love you and feel proud of you."
End flashback
Present Day
"Even though they were just words..." Haru started to say. "They really saved me." she stated, standing up. "At that moment, I decided that I wanted to become like my father. But, in order to do that, I had to become strong myself." she looked at her roommate. "Strong like him."
"And that's why you wanted to become a knight." Rin said.
"The only ones who would teach me where my mother, father, aunt, and grandfather." the ravenette told him. "Then I was accepted into Hagun Academy. But the people of the Nanase family weren't fond of the idea of a disgrace like me becoming a knight, and they pressured the school. They tried to keep me from graduating."
"Haru..." was all the redheaded young man said.
"Then, before the second semester started, Mother became the director." Haru continued. "However, I think that this type of harassment will still go on. But even if it does..." she trailed off.
"You're not going to give up." Rin stated, now standing up beside her. "Even though you end up getting severe burns." he looked at her. "Right?"
"Yeah, exactly." the female knight replied.
"You know, I had a similar feeling when I was a kid."
"Really? I can tell."
"Yeah. When I first started training to become a knight, I barely had any control over my powers." Rin explained, looking down at his hand. "I would burn myself pretty badly. Plus, I worried my mom and sister constantly. They tried to convince me to stop, but I didn't listen and continued to push myself. Because I..." he paused for a moment, clenching his hand into a fist.
"You wanted to become as strong as your father, right?" Haru questioned. "Maybe even stronger."
"Yeah." the male knight confirmed. "His goal was to become one of the most strongest knights in Japan. But that all changed when he met my mom and had me. When he died, I felt it was my job as the eldest son to pick up where he left off and complete his goal for him."
"That's something you and I have in common, Rin." the ravenette told him. "We both want to be strong like our fathers, and we aren't going to giving up on that anytime soon."
"Yeah." Rin agreed. "We're too stubborn and competitive to do that." he added, laughing slightly.
"That's true." Haru said.
"Haru..."
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry!" Rin apologized, bowing in front of his roommate.
"Huh?" was Haru's response, blinking in surprise.
"I'm sorry for the things I said earlier today." the redheaded young man told her. "I wouldn't have said them if I had know about what you've been going through. I understand if you won't, but please forgive me!"
The ravenette didn't say anything as she stared at her roommate, her eyes slightly wide. Then a small smile made it's way onto her face.
"Stand up straight." she told him. "You look like an idiot like that."
"I'm apologizing from the bottom of my heart, and you're insulting me?!" Rin yelled, straightening himself and glaring at her.
"You don't have to apologize." Haru said, surprising him slightly. "You didn't know."
"But, still..." the male knight trailed off.
"Well, if you really want to make it up to me, you have to buy me mackerel everyday for a month."
"Say what?"
"Think of this as your punishment, too." the young woman told him.
"Oh, yeah, that thing." Rin said more to himself. Then he sighed. "Well, I guess it's not that bad of a punishment."
"That's the spirit." Haru remarked in monotone. "It's getting late, let's go back now."
"Wait, Haru."
"What is it?"
"I just want to let you know..." the redheaded young man started to say. "That you're not alone." he declared.
"Eh?" the female knight questioned, slightly taken aback.
"I don't know what it feels like to have nearly all your family pretend like you don't exist." Rin said. "But you don't have to feel that way anymore. Because I'll be right here, by your side."
Haru didn't say anything as she just stared at him, her usually black face holding a mixed expression of shock and surprise.
"O-Of course, I'm don't mean just me!" the male knight quickly told her, his face as red as his hair. "T-There's also Makoto, Kokoro, your mother, and everyone else. I-I mostly said what I said because I'm your servant now." he told her, turning his back to her.
"I see..." was all the ravenette said.
A second later, Rin felt something warm and soft pressed against his cheek.
"Even so, I'm happy you're here with me." Haru whispered in his ear after she pulled her lips away from his cheek.
The redheaded young man's eyes widened as his face turned a bright red, placing his hand on his cheek. Quickly turning around, he saw his roommate already heading back to their dorm room.
"W-Wait a sec, Haru!" Rin called out as he went after her.
The female knight ignored him and continued to walk ahead. Raising her fist to her mouth, she brushed her lips against her knuckles.
'His cheek was warm...' Haru thought to herself, a small smile gracing her lips as a light red hue appeared on her cheeks.
Later that night, after dinner
"Hey, Rin." the ravenette said as she walked out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel.
"Yeah?" the male knight questioned as he turned his head to look at her.
He froze at what he saw. Haru was wearing one of his white, button-up shirts.
"Why the hell are you wearing my shirt?!" Rin yelled.
"All of my pajamas are unusable at the moment." the young woman told him in monotone, her face expression. "So I decided to borrow one of your shirts. You don't mind, do you?"
The young man took a moment to get a good look at his roommate. The shirt ended at her thighs and some of the buttons on it where broken so one could get a great view of her large breasts. And her long, damp hair was sticking to her exposed skin, In other words, she looked very sexy.
"N-Not at all." Rin told her, blushing heavily, as he turned his head away from her.
"That's good." Haru said as she walked over and sat next to him on the couch that was in the room and sat next to him, the towel now around her neck. "Thanks."
'What the hell?! Is she trying to seduce me?!' the male knight mentally exclaimed, blushing even harder from their close proximity, as he tried not to look at her. 'No, that can't be it. This is Haru we're talking about."
Against his will, Rin's eyes traveled down to the ravenette's exposed cleavage, which had some drops of leftover water on it. Then his gaze went down to her well-toned thighs, catching a glimpse of her black and red lacy panties.
'Am I dead?' the redheaded young man mentally questioned. 'Because this is the only way I could think of that would make Haru act this way."
"Rin..." Haru spoke up.
"I wasn't staring!" Rin denied.
"What are you talking about?" the female knight asked. 'Staring?' she thought.
"N-Nothing, nevermind." the male knight told her.
"Well, anyway, I need you to do something for me." Haru said.
"W-What is it?" Rin asked as casually as he could.
"Just stay there for a moment, please." the ravenette requested.
Before he could questioned the request, the young man soon found his roommate's head laying face up on his lap.
"What are you doing?!" Rin yelled.
"Resting my head." Haru replied as if it was the most obvious thing ever.
"Why are you doing it on my lap?!"
"Because I'm too lazy to go to my bed."
"What if I told you to get off?" the male knight questioned.
"Then, as your mistress, I order you to let me lat here." the ravenette retorted. "Remember, the loser as to be a servant who follows orders like a dog."
'Dammit, that keeps coming back to bite me in the ass.' Rin thought to himself.
"Just be happy that I'm not making you do embarrassing things in public." Haru told him.
"What kind of embarrassing things?" the redheaded questioned, a bit too afraid to ask.
"That's for me to know, and for you to possibly find out." the ravenette replied in monotone.
'Shit, that's scary.' Rin mentally remarked.
"Hey, Rin." Haru said.
"Now what?" the male knight snapped.
Not saying anything, the young woman grabbed his hand and placed it on the top of her head.
"Rub my head." she ordered.
"Uh, why?" Rin asked, quite confused at this point.
"Don't question your mistress's orders." Haru retorted.
The young man sighed. "Fine." he said, beginning to rub her head.
The ravenette 'hmmed' in contentment as she closed her eyes. Then her cat ears came out, twitching slightly.
'She's a lot like a cat.' Rin thought to himself.
As he ran his hand over her raven locks, the male knight heard a strange sound coming from his roommate.
'She is purring?' the young man mentally questioned, taken aback. 'She really is like a cat.'
"Your hand is really warm." Haru remarked, leaning her head further into his hand.
'Dammit, she's too cute.' Rin thought, blushing from her action.
Then he moved his hand from her head down to her face, stopping when it landed on her cheek.
'Her skin is really soft.' the redheaded young man mentally commented.
Haru, with her eyes still closed, nuzzled her cheek closer into his hand.
'She really is something.'
Then Rin's gaze went from her face to her chest. If the shirt were to slip, then her breasts would be completely exposed.
'Holy shit.' the male knight thought, gulping silently, as his face turned a bright shade of red. 'Dammit, I gotta stop thinking about her like this.' he mentally scolded himself.
"Is something wrong, Rin?" Haru asked, opening her eyes and looking up at him.
"No, I'm fine." Rin told her, not sounding convincing.
The ravenette stared at him blankly for a moment before she sat up, dropping the towel and letting it fall to the floor, and turned around to face, her cat ears disappearing.
"Tell me what's wrong." she demanded, leaning closer to him.
"Just forget it, okay?" the redheaded young man said, trying his best to not look at her cleavage.
"You're a bad liar." Haru told him. "You're also bad at trying not to stare at my boobs." she added.
"She noticed?!" Rin mentally exclaimed in shock, his face turning as red as his hair in embarrassment.
"It's fine, don't be embarrassed." the ravenette reassured him, petting his head. "I see guys staring at them all the time, and I honestly don't understand why."
The male knight stared at her incredulously. "Seriously?" he asked in disbelief. 'She's that unaware of her own look?'
"Yeah." Haru replied. "They're just breasts, all women have them."
'Yeah, but they're not as huge as your's.' Rin mentally retorted. "I really don't want to have this conversation with you." he told her.
"Rin..."
"What?"
"Do you like girl's breasts?" the ravenette asked bluntly with a straight face.
"What?!" the redheaded young man exclaimed, blushing heavily from her question.
"Do you like girl's breasts?" Haru repeated.
"You don't need to repeat!" Rin yelled. "Why would you ask me that?"
"Because you've been looking at mine this whole time." the female knight pointed out.
'I wanna die right now. I wanna disappear.' the male knight thought to himself, placing his hands over his face. "I'm sorry." he apologized.
"You don't have to apologize." Haru told him. "Just answer my question."
'To reveal my sexual preference to a girl...' Rin thought to himself, removing his hands form his face. 'What kind of punishment is this?' he mentally questioned. He sighed. "I-I like them..." he admitted, his face as red as his hair. "But, not all of them."
"Oh, so you have a certain type that you like more." the ravenette stated. "Do you prefer small ones or big ones? Or perhaps medium sized ones?" she asked.
"Please stop talking." the young man requested.
"I'm just wanting to know more about you, Rin." Haru retorted. "I said that I wanted to get closer to you."
"Fine." Rin said, sighing in defeat. "I-I prefer..." he paused for a moment. "I prefer the ones of the person who I like."
"You have someone you like?" the tall young woman asked, slightly surprised.
"Y-Yeah." the redheaded knight replied.
"Oh." Haru said softly, her eyes becoming slightly downcast.
'What's with that tone of voice?' Rin mentally questioned. 'And her expression, she looks disappointed. Could it be that she's...'
"So, what's she like?" the ravnette asked.
"Why do you wanna know? Are you jealous?" the young man asked, smirking a bit.
"Hell no." Haru replied in monotone. "Don't get so full of yourself. I'm just wondering who's the pool girl that's caught your interest." she told him.
"That's hurtful." Rin remarked.
"I don't care." the female knight said bluntly.
"You're so cold." the male knight sighed.
"So, who is this girl?" Haru asked, ignoring him.
Rin thought for a moment and decided to mess with his roommate a little bit.
"Well, I've known her for a pretty long time." he began. "Although she's a little aloof, she can be really nice and kind when she wants to be. She's also very smart, incredibly strong, and she's the person I admire the most." And, to me, she's the most beautiful girl in the world."
"Really?" the ravenette questioned quietly. "Do I... know her?" she asked.
"You could say that." Rin replied, moving closer to her.
"I see..." was all Haru said, her bangs covering her eyes. "Well, good for you." she told him, completely unaware on who he was talking about. "I just hope she'll be able to tolerate you and your attitude." she added, standing up. "I'm going to bed." she informed. "Good-night."
'Is she mad?' the redheaded young man mentally questioned as he watched his roommate climb onto the top bunk of the beds. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine." the female knight replied, laying down. "Good night. Make sure you turn off the light before you go to sleep." she told him before she turned her back to him.
Growing up in a house with two women, Rin was able to tell she was lying. Sighing a bit he stood up from the couch, flipped the light switch on the wall off, and sat down on his own bed, which was the bottom bunk.
"Hey, Haru..." the male knight started to say.
"What?" the young woman asked in monotone.
"What's bothering you?" Rin questioned.
"Just drop it already." Haru cut him off.
"But..."
"Good-night."
The young man knew that he wasn't going to get his roommate to open up. Sighing, Rin laid down on his bed and went to sleep.
As the young man slept, Haru was still awake, feeling slightly conflicted.
'Why am I feeling this way?' she mentally questioned. 'Rin has someone he likes, and he thinks she's the most beautiful girl in the world. And after he said I was pretty...' while thinking, she felt an unfamiliar pain in her chest. 'I hope she treats him well.'
With those thoughts in mind, the female knight closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
To be continued...
Finally done with this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Again, I'm sorry for the delay. I'll try working on the next chapter as soon as I can. Please review this chapter to let me know what you think about it. Until next time.