Okay, so here is the "new and improved" chapter three! I focused a bit (a lot) more on Hiei and Shizuru so I do apologize for the lemon-ish (I guess, lime-ish maybe?:P) nature and the perverted big girl loving out of character-ness of Hiei in this chapter. And hopefully, (if you read Uh, Oh! 2: Electric Boogaloo), you'll remember Sumi and Haru's substitute teacher at the end of this one. If not, you might wanna go back and read Electric Boogaloo or, if you're too lazy or just don't want to, just sit tight and read this and be surprised when the next chapters come. So, like always - Enjoy!:D
Hiei worked diligently as if he were an elf in a fairytale as he made breakfast that morning. He wiped the sweat from his forehead then his position at the stove to open a window and let the ice-cold morning air from outside into the warm kitchen. He shivered slightly, watching goose bumps appear on his bare upper body, and hiked up his black pajamas pants then went back to the pancakes at the stove. He had gotten up early that morning to make breakfast. He just felt like doing something nice for his family – or at least that was what he was going to tell them when they were woken up by the smell of breakfast and wandered into the kitchen with confused looks on their faces. He made a cup of coffee, adding extra sugar to it with a devilish and secretive smile on his face.
Shizuru rolled over in the large bed she shared with Hiei, draping an arm over his side of the bed. She opened her eyes, feeling the cool fabric of the sheet. She sat up, not knowing where Hiei was. She tossed the blankets back then swung her legs over the side of the bed, sliding her feet into her slippers and standing up. She left the room, halfheartedly grabbing her lavender bathrobe off of the back of her desk chair and putting it on as she made her way to the kitchen. She pushed some loose strands of hair out of her eyes as she watched Hiei flip four large pancakes onto a plate.
"Hey," She said drowsily, her eyes half-lidded. "What're you doing?"
Hiei flashed a smile at her then gestured to the plate of pancakes in his hands.
"I made you breakfast, my love." He said, trying to sound as sweet and innocent as Yukina.
"I didn't even know you knew how to cook." She said through a yawn as she sat down at the table. "That's surprising."
"It's not that hard." Hiei said, his smile becoming more mischievous. "Would you like some butter on your pancakes, my love?"
"Just a little, butter is fattening."
"Oh, of course." Hiei turned around and set the pancakes down on the counter with his back to Shizuru, his mischievous smile widening as he cut big pieces of butter and slathered them in between the pancakes.
"Would you like syrup?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder.
"Just a little, I think syrup's fattening too."
"Oh, of course." He repeated, dousing the stack of pancakes with maple syrup.
He turned back to her, his smile attempting to be sweet and innocent once more as he brought the plate over to her and set it down in front of her. She gave the pancakes a look, watching at the syrup drip. Hiei tilted his head to the side, trying to make a sad face. He knew what to do to make her feel guilty for nothing – he had learned it from his children when they were younger.
"What's wrong, Shizuru?" He asked, sounding slightly upset. "Don't you like your breakfast?"
"No, no!" Shizuru smiled at him, letting it disappear when she looked back down at the pancakes again. "It's . . . it's fine, honey. Really."
"I made you some coffee!" Hiei said, changing the subject and picking the cup of coffee up from the counter. "Do you want it?"
"Sure." She shrugged as he handed it to her.
"Try it."
Hiei kept his eyes on her as she cautiously took a sip of the coffee. He held back an evil laugh when he saw her make a face at her sugary sweet coffee. She faked a smile and gave him a thumbs up as she swallowed the hot beverage.
"Good, honey." She said, nodding in approval. "It's really good."
"Thank you."
Hiei slid into the empty seat next to her, a loving smile never leaving his face as he watched her eat, his eyes flitting over her body and lustful thoughts running through his mind.
"What're you looking at?" She asked, setting her cup down.
"Nothing." He said, his voice slightly dreamy. "You're so beautiful."
"For a fat ass." She mumbled before taking a bit of her breakfast.
"Oh, shut up. Don't say that. You're not a fat ass."
"Hiei, look at me! Look at my thighs, they're huge!"
Hiei looked her up and down, his eyes slowly wandering her body. Shizuru slapped him, putting her whole arm into it. He glared at her as he put a hand to his reddening cheek. She glared back.
"What?" He said in his normal bored tone. "You told me to look at you."
"I didn't mean like that, you pervert!"
"So, you're sexy – get over it."
"I am not!"
"Oh, shut up and eat your pancakes."
"I don't want to anymore."
"But I made them especially for you, my love."
Hiei pretended to pout, which made Shizuru feel guilty again. She hung her head and sadly ate her breakfast. Hiei leaned over and put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the temple.
"I love you." He whispered in her hair.
Shizuru mumbled the three words back to him through a mouthful of food. He turned her face towards him and he kissed her. She pulled away, a small smile on her face.
"Stop, I have food in my mouth."
He covered the side of her face with kisses as he scooted his chair closer to her, keeping his arm around her. She giggled, swallowed her food, and then turned to him. She put her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and kissing him deeply. His hands automatically went to her sides, squeezing her fleshy thighs through her pajama pants.
"Who made – oh, ew!"
Shizuru jerked away from Hiei and the two looked at the entryway of the kitchen to see Kuya standing there, rubbing his eye sleepily with a fist and holding the kitten in the other arm.
"Good morning, sweetheart." Shizuru said, breaking free from Hiei. "Your father made breakfast."
"Dad can cook?" Kuya asked, putting the kitten down and watching it scamper around the kitchen.
"It's not that hard." Hiei repeated his words from earlier. "Why is it so surprising to know that I can cook?"
"Because you're you." Shizuru said, moving his hair out of his face and kissing him on the cheek.
"Thanks a lot."
"Whatdya make, dad?" Kuya asked, sitting down at the end of the table. "Ooh, pancakes!"
"Here," Shizuru said, sliding her plate over to her youngest son. "You can have mine."
"No!" Hiei snapped, shocking the other two. "Those are yours, Shizuru. I made them for you. I'll make some for you, son."
Hiei got up and went to make more pancakes. Kuya and Shizuru looked at each other, exchanging confused looks and shrugging. Sumi sauntered into the kitchen, already dressed in her uniform with a perky smile on her face.
"Good morning, everybody!" She chirped as she spun around in a circle in the middle of the kitchen.
Hiei stopped what he was doing and closed his eyes, his back to Sumi.
"Good morning, put a sweater on." He said flatly.
"But daddy!" She whined, coming up behind him and throwing her arms around him in a hug. "It's gonna be really hot outside today!"
"I don't care, put it on."
"But daddy!" She whined again, a smile in her voice as she hugged him from behind.
"Stop it, go put your sweater on. It's not going to work on me this time."
Sumi sighed deeply through her nose, that playful smile of hers still dancing on her face.
"Okay, daddy." She said softly. "Whatever you say!"
She kissed him on the cheek then pranced out of the kitchen. Hiei tensed and squared his shoulders. He sighed, relaxing as he went back to making breakfast. He flipped two pancakes onto a plate and handed them to Kuya.
"Thanks, dad. Can you hand me the syrup?"
Hiei handed his youngest son the bottle of syrup just as Sumi pranced back into the kitchen, her wide smile still plastered on her face. Hiei glanced at her and he stopped what he was doing. She was wearing a bright orange sweater – one that belonged to Kuya. It stretched at the chest and hugged her upper body. Hiei slammed the bottle of syrup onto the table then pointed to his daughter.
"Go back and change, now!" He snapped.
"But daddy, you said to put on a sweater."
"I meant one of yours and one that covered you up – not make your situation worse."
Hiei always referred to Sumi's large bust as her situation. Sumi huffed, putting her hands on her hips as her eyebrows bunch in frustration. She stamped her foot like a four year old about to throw a temper tantrum.
"Daddy, stop being such a jerk!"
"I'm not being a 'jerk', Sumi Kuwabara. Take your brother's sweater off, go to your room and get one of your own sweaters."
"Mommy!" She turned to Shizuru, who was holding her head in her hands and rubbing her temples as if she were trying to get rid of a headache that was starting to form behind her eyes.
She sighed then looked up at her daughter.
"Sumi, honey, it is still way too early for this. Just humor your father and do what he says, please?"
Sumi made her little huffing noise again then took the sweater off and tossed at her brother. She turned on her heel then stomped back to her room. Haru walked in, throwing a confused look back at his sister as he flipped the collar of his uniform up.
"Morning." He mumbled, going to the refrigerator.
"Morning!" Kuya said, smiling down at the kitten as it tried to attack his feet. "The kitten seems a lot better and it's only been one day! That's so cool."
"You are to come home straight after school, boy." Hiei said, directing his attention to Haru as he rummaged around in the fridge. "Don't go to Ryo's, don't go to Yusuke's. You come right home and do your homework."
"Yeah, yeah, okay." Haru mumbled.
"I'm serious."
"I get it, dad!" Haru snapped, whipping around to look at Hiei.
The two glared at each other then Haru backed down, slumping down into the empty chair across from Kuya. Hiei sighed then put a hand on Haru's shoulders, making his son look up at him.
"Do you want some pancakes?" Hiei asked, giving his son a small smile.
The corners of Haru's mouth twitched and pulled back into a wide smile as he sat up straight.
"Yes, sir."
Shizuru got up just as Hiei put a plate of pancakes in front Haru. He looked at her as she was leaving the kitchen.
"Where are you going?"
"Bedroom." She said flatly. "I think I'm gonna lie down for a bit until I have to get ready for work and take them to school."
Hiei watched her leave then turned to his sons, who were staring at him as they ate their breakfast.
"One of you make your sister something to eat when she comes back in here."
They nodded then shoveled more food into their mouths. Hiei turned to Kuya, watching the kitten play with one of his shoelaces.
"Don't forget to feed your cat."
Kuya smiled at the sound of the cat being his. Hiei left the kitchen, making his way quickly to the bedroom. He silently crept into the room, slowly closing the door and locking it behind him. Shizuru sat on her side of the bed, taking her slippers off. She pulled the blankets back, sighing. Hiei looked at her, watching as the fabric of her pajamas grew tight and hugged her body. He growled softly in his throat then jumped at her, kissing her all over. She pushed him off and got into bed, rolling her eyes and sighing exasperatedly.
"Knock it off, Hiei. I'm not in the mood." She said flatly, laying down and pulling the blankets up to her chin.
"Oh, come on." He said, smiling lustfully down at her as he crawled into bed next to her and moved the hair away from her face. "It'll make you feel better."
"No, it'll make you feel better." She retorted.
"Sex helps you lose weight." He whispered.
"Yeah, yeah, and it makes you smarter and all that other junk." She mumbled.
"But it does, I swear."
"Last time you swore something, we ended up with Kuya."
"Oh, hush." He whispered, kissing and biting at her neck.
He smiled to himself when he retrieved a small sigh and a giggle from her. She rolled over and put her arms around him and kissed him. He growled in his throat again, quickly taking her clothes off. He didn't even stop when there was a knock at the door.
"Mom, dad, we're ready to go!" Kuya's muffled voice said through the door.
"Can you guys walk yourselves to school today?" Hiei shouted back, before sinking his teeth into Shizuru's collarbone.
Haru kicked his feet up onto his desk, resting his arms behind his head as he leaned back in his chair. Ryo slid into the desk next to him, keeping an eye out for the teacher.
"Hey, so what happened last night?" He asked, looking at Haru. "Your parents flip out on you?"
"They were ticked off that I left without telling them." He shrugged. "I'm grounded."
"For how long?"
"I dunno . . . a week or two?"
"Dude, that sucks."
"Mr. Narita!" Ryo looked up to see Mr. Akashi glaring at him. "I don't believe that I have you for first period."
"Uh, s-sorry." Ryo got up and gave Haru a small wave. "Seeya later, man."
"Yup."
"Mr. Kuwabara, feet off your desk!"
Haru made a face at Akashi when his back was turned, taking his feet from his desk. He flipped open his textbook then grabbed his notebook, turning it to a fresh blank page. Keeping an eye on Akashi, he scribbled something down then ripped the paper from his notebook, crumpled it up into a ball then tossed it at the back of Sumi's head.
She turned around and saw the paper ball on the ground. She picked it up and carefully and quietly opened it and read it, glancing up occasionally at Akashi as he continued with his lecture.
You still mad at me? The note read.
She sighed and wrote underneath her brother's words. She folded the paper neatly then turned around and whispered to the person behind her to pass it to her brother.
No. Are you still mad at me?
Haru replied and passed it back.
No. Sorry I called you a vindictive bitch.
A minute later, it returned to his desk.
It's all right . . . Hey, what's vindictive mean?
"Passing notes, Mr. Kuwabara?"
Haru jumped when he heard Akashi's voice behind him. He turned around and gave him a look.
"Please, see me after class, Mr. Kuwabara."
Haru groaned as Akashi walked off. He could hear other students snickering and whispering about him.
Shizuru and Hiei stayed in bed, their legs entwined and their arms around each other.
"Jesus Christ, Hiei." She said breathlessly. "What in the hell got into you?"
"I don't know." He said sleepily, yawning as he snuggled up against her.
"Jesus Christ, Hiei." She repeated, breaking away from him to sit up. "For the first time in fourteen freaking years, I need a damn cigarette."
"You are welcome." He said before yawning again.
Shizuru sighed then glanced at the clock on her bedside table to check the time. She jumped out of bed, throwing the blankets back.
"Shit! I'm late for work!" She exclaimed, throwing open her closet.
"Again, you're welcome!" Hiei mumbled, stretching out and taking up most of the bed.
"Yeah, thanks a bunch, honey." She muttered, rummaging through the closet for her clothes for the day. "It was a bad idea, now I'm late for work."
"You weren't complaining earlier!" Hiei said in a singsong voice.
"How could I possibly get a word in edgewise during the six –"
"Seven." He corrected, interrupting her.
"Okay, seven. How could I have possibly got a word in edgewise the seven times we made love this morning?"
Hiei shrugged drowsily, a large smile on his face as he closed his eyes and began to fall asleep. Shizuru rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly before snatching her clothes off their hangers and slowly, painfully making her way to the bathroom to take a shower.
"Ow, ow, ow." She said softly with each step she took.
"Again, you're welcome!" Hiei called to her as she left the room.
Haru flopped down under the tree in the school's courtyard, opening his lunch. Ryo sat down next to him, punching him in the arm.
"What's up, man?"
"Nothing much, just bored shitless."
"Ew, dude."
"Sorry." Haru shrugged then flipped his collar up. "So, how were your classes so far?"
"Boring as hell – you?"
"Same here."
"Man, I love lunch." Ryo smiled widely, opening up his lunch. "I love food."
"It's a surprise that you're not morbidly obese or anything with all the food you eat."
"I'm a growin' boy!" Ryo said with a mouthful of food.
Haru grimaced and wiped his face.
"Say it, don't spray it, dude. Didn't your mom ever tell you not to talk with your mouth full, you Minotaur?"
"Minotaur? What the hell? You sound like your dad, with his big insulting words."
"That's just my dad's way of sayin' he likes you." Haru shrugged.
Ryo shrugged and went back to devouring his lunch.
"Y'know what, man?" He asked a minute later, his mouth full again. He looked at Haru to see him staring at something off in the distance. "Haru?"
Haru stared unblinking, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. He stood suddenly, knocking his food from his lap.
"Haru? Man, are you okay?"
Haru was silent and he kept his eyes fixed on that far off something.
"Hey! Haru!"
Ryo looked from his friend then in the direction Haru was staring.
"Haru, what're you lookin' at?"
"I . . . I . . ." Haru stuttered. "I gotta go!"
Haru took off running into the school, forgetting his lunch and his friend. Ryo sighed and shook his head.
Hiei walked out of the kitchen just as the front door opened and the twins walked in. Sumi smiled at him then bounced over to him to kiss him on the cheek.
"Hi, daddy!" She chirped, throwing her arms around him in a hug.
"Hello, princess." He answered, hugging her back. "Haru."
Haru stared off at something and didn't hearing his father or his sister or his little brother calling his name. Hiei sighed and waved a hand in front of his son's face. Haru blinked, jerking back to reality.
"Huh?"
"How was school, boy?"
"G – good." Haru blushed slightly. "I'm just . . . just gonna go to my room now."
Haru cleared his throat then walked briskly to his room, slamming the door behind him. Hiei looked from his son's bedroom door to his daughter, who just shrugged and tilted her head to the side.
"Don't look at me, daddy. I don't know what's wrong with him."
"Was he acting this way at school?"
"I dunno." Sumi went to the refrigerator to grab something to eat. "He's been acting weird since lunch, that's what Ryo said. Maybe, he's sick or something."
"Hn."
"Daddy, don't do that." Sumi said exasperatedly. "It's so annoying."
"Hn."
"Daddy!" Sumi left the kitchen, pushing Hiei lightly. "You're such a weirdo."
Hiei watched his daughter prance to her room, humming softly. He shook his head then looked at Kuya, who was sitting on the couch with the black kitten on his lap. He smiled up at Hiei and waved.
"I'm not a weirdo, am I?" Hiei asked, putting his hands on his hips.
"I don't think so, dad." Kuya shook his head.
Hiei stared at his youngest son for a moment, sighing. He nodded to himself.
"You're my good child." He said before making his way to Haru's room.
Haru lay on his bed in the fetal position, his arms wrapped around his stomach as he faced the wall. He groaned and tried to curl up into a tinier ball. He jerked slightly when he heard someone knock at his bedroom door.
"Go away!" He mumbled weakly.
He squeezed his eyes shut as the door opened and he heard his father walk in, closing the door behind him.
"Haru."
"Dad . . . please, go away." He whined. "I don't wanna talk right now."
"What's wrong?" Hiei sat down at his son's desk chair, looking at him. "Are you sick?"
"You wouldn't understand . . ." Haru covered his head with his arms, his voice coming out muffled. "You're not human."
"Try me."
"You're not gonna get it. I don't wanna talk about it."
The room was silent for a moment; Hiei just stared at his son.
"What happened at school today?"
"Nothing!" Haru sat up, propping himself up with his hands as he looked at Hiei. "Nothing happened, dad, really! You have two other kids you could bother, y'know!"
"Yes, but they aren't acting strange like you are."
"Dad, please?" Haru whined, running a hand through his hair. "I don't wanna talk right now."
"All right." Hiei got up, not breaking eye contact with Haru. "Whenever you feel like talking, you know I'm here."
"Thanks, dad." Haru flashed him a smile that reminded Hiei of a younger Yusuke.
Hiei left the room to see Shizuru walking in, looking exhausted. His stomach flip-flopped and his heart skipped a beat as it always did when he saw her. He smiled at her and went to her, putting his arms around her waist.
"Hi, honey." He said, mocking those cheesy 1950's housewives. "How was work?"
Shizuru laughed and kissed him on the nose.
"Same as always." She said, throwing her stuff down by the couch. She smiled at Kuya on the couch. "Hey, kid. How was school?"
"Good, I guess." Kuya shrugged, petting the kitten. "I was worried about the kitten all day, though. I'm glad he's okay."
"Where are the other two?" Shizuru asked, turning back to Hiei and changing the subject.
"Their rooms. Haru's not feeling well and –"
Shizuru rushed to Haru's room and flung the door open, startling the teenaged boy inside.
"My baby!"
"Mom?" Haru blinked. "Are you drunk?"
"You're not feeling well?" Shizuru put her hand on Haru's forehead, a worried look on her face. "Are you sick?"
"Mom, cut it out!" Haru pushed her hand away, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm not sick, I'm fine."
"Your father said you were sick. Are you okay? Did you throw up at school?"
"Mom!" Haru whined, flopping back down onto his bed and covering his face with his pillow. "I'm fine, I just don't wanna talk about it!"
"What's going on?" Sumi stuck her head into the room. "Why's everybody shouting?"
"Damn it, get the hell outta my room!" Haru whined, punching his bed. "I just wanna be alone, okay?"
"I'm just worried that you're sick." Shizuru felt his forehead again. "You're a little warm – did you eat anything that didn't agree with you today? Like strawberries? Because you're allergic to –"
"Mom, listen to me." Haru said softly. "I'm not sick, I didn't eat any strawberries. I just wanna be alone."
"Maybe, he swallowed a bug or something!" Kuya piped up, appearing out of nowhere. "Kurama once told me about this poisonous beetle that can –"
"All right, everybody out." Hiei shoved the rest of his family out of his son's room and left him in peace. "Leave the boy alone."
Haru sighed and looked up at the ceiling. When he allowed his mind to drift off to a certain thought, he suddenly felt nervous and sick and a deep blush would appear on his face.
"God . . ." He said softly to his ceiling. "What am I gonna do?"
The next day at school, Haru walked slowly through the crowded sea of students as they pushed past one another to get to their next classes. He jerked when he felt hands on his shoulders and he turned to punch whoever it was in the face. He stopped when he saw it was Ryo.
"A little jumpy today, are we?" Ryo joked, falling into step with Haru as they continued to walk on to their P.E. class.
"Sorry, my mind's somewhere else." Haru mumbled.
He stopped suddenly, hearing the sound of a girl giggling. He turned to see a group of girls his age coming out of a classroom. The one who laughed was in the middle of the group, standing a head taller than the rest.
She had light blonde hair that came down to her shoulders and freckles that danced across the bridge of her nose and her cheekbones. She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she and her friends walked passed Haru and Ryo.
Ryo looked at Haru, an eyebrow quirked in confusion. He waved a hand in front of his friend's face.
"Hey, Haru! You okay?"
Haru turned away from his friend and walked quickly over to the nearest trashcan. He gripped the sides of it and dipped his head in, vomiting.
"Hey, man, you all right? Do you need to go see the nurse or somethin'?"
"I'm – I'm okay . . ." Haru stood up and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, staring down the hall.
"Dude, what got into you?" Ryo in the direction Haru was staring, seeing the blonde girl and her friends. "Dude! You have a crush!"
Haru lunged at his friend, covering Ryo's mouth as a deep blush covered his face.
"Shut the hell up, you asshole!" He hissed. "Not so damn loud!"
Ryo broke free from Haru's grip and shook his head, giving him an all-knowing smirk.
"So that's why you're acting weird!" He chuckled as Haru tried to throw a punch. "Which one is it? The short one with red hair or the other one with dark hair?"
Haru blushed and flipped his collar up, trying to hide his face as the two began walking again.
"The blonde one." He said softly. "The one that's always in the middle."
"Who's always in the middle?" Sumi asked, forcing herself in between Haru and Ryo.
"Jeez, where'd you come from?" Haru asked, taking a step away from his sister.
"You know, silly!" Sumi laughed, flipping her hair behind her shoulders. "You came out of the same place five minutes before I did."
"That's not what I meant." He smirked, shoving her playfully.
"So, who's always in the middle?" Sumi asked again, looking from her brother to his friend.
"Your brother has a crush on someone!" Ryo laughed.
Sumi gasped, her eyes and mouth wide with surprise as she looked to her brother.
"No!" She said, her voice coming out breathless. "Who is it?"
"I dunno what her name is." Haru mumbled, his blush deepening as he tried to keep himself hidden in his uniform shirt. "She's tall and blonde and always hangs out with these four other girls."
"Ohmigosh!" Sumi gasped, stopping and grabbing Haru by the shoulder. She spun him around so he faced her. "You don't mean Kaya Iwamoto, do you?"
"What? That's her name?"
"She's related to Iwamoto?" Ryo shrieked, turning to face the twins.
"Keep your voice down!" The twins hushed the bigger teen in unison.
"I can't believe you like her!" Sumi exclaimed as the three continued their way to the gym.
"Why?" Haru asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his new baggy uniform pants. "Is she a bitch or something?"
"No way!" Sumi shook her head. "She's, like, the nicest girl ever! She's just, well . . ."
"Well what?"
"She's outta your league." Ryo finished.
"What? Oh, thanks, guys. You're real sweet."
"We're just being honest, Haru." Sumi shrugged. "She's popular and pretty and sweet and you're . . . well . . ."
"You're Haru Kuwabara." Ryo finished again. "A short, grumpy loner."
"Average! Average! I'm average! I am not short!" Haru shoved Ryo hard. "Five eight is average – just 'cause you're six foot whatever doesn't mean everyone else is extremely short. And I'm not grumpy!"
"God, now you sound like dad." Sumi giggled.
"Dad's four foot ten without the hair." Haru stuck his tongue out at his sister.
"Yeah, thank God that when it came to the height department, we got mom's genes."
Two teenaged boys walked past the three and overheard their conversation, looking Sumi up and down.
"And what sexy genes they are." One of the boys said, undressing Sumi with his eyes.
In a flash, Haru had the kid pinned to the ground. Sumi gasped, her mouth shaped like an "O" and her hands on her face. Ryo looked shocked and tried to pull Haru off of the kid. Haru shoved his friend back, glaring at him. He turned back to the kid he had on the ground.
"If you ever so much as look at my sister or speak to my sister or even think about her, I'll sneak into your room in the middle of the night and kill you."
The boy gulped, sweating as he looked up at Haru with wide eyes. He nodded and apologized profusely.
"I'm sorry, man. I'm real sorry."
"Yeah, you better be."
Ryo pulled Haru off of the kid by his arms and dragged him into the gym as the boy and his friend ran off in the opposite direction. Sumi shook her head.
"Another reason why Kaya is way out of your league."
"'Cause I stick up for someone who can't do it herself?"
"I can stick up for myself, Haru." Sumi retorted, walking backwards away from her brother and his friend. "I don't need you to do it for me."
"You are kinda overprotective." Ryo said as they went to change into their P.E. uniforms.
"I'm just being her brother. It's how I was raised, y'know?"
Ryo smirked at Haru. Haru made a face at him, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What?"
"You gotta crush on Kaya!" Ryo taunted in a singsong voice. "You gotta crush on Kaya Iwamoto!"
Ryo fell to the floor as a volleyball collided into his face. He twitched as Haru picked the ball up and held it in his hands as he looked down at his friend.
"Sorry, man." Ryo mumbled as he sat up.
"Yeah, you better be." Haru jerked his head towards the volleyball net. "C'mon, let's go."
With her friends, Kaya pranced by Haru and Ryo as they played an intense (ha, ha, ha) game of volleyball. Haru stopped what he was doing and watched her pass by, his mouth open slightly and all his attention on her.
"Heads up!" Ryo called a little too late.
He watched as the volleyball flew over the net and hit Haru in the head, knocking him down. Sumi dropped what she was doing and ran to her brother, falling into step with Ryo. She sat down and pulled his head onto her lap. She slapped at his cheek lightly, trying to wake him up.
"Haru, are you okay?" She looked at Ryo. "What happened?"
"I dunno, I just spiked the ball and it hit him."
Kaya sat down on Haru's other side, looking down at him as his eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, moving a strand of hair out of her face.
Haru blushed as she smiled down at him, a nervous smile on his own face.
"Yeah, I'm – I'm fine."
"Do you need to go to the nurse?"
"No, I don think –" He jerked in pain as Sumi jabbed at the bump forming on his forehead and sat up. "Sumi! What the hell?"
"You gotta bump." Sumi smiled and stood, helping Haru up. "Let's go to the nurse."
"Are you sure he's okay?" Kaya asked, standing up. "Do you need me to help you walk him to the nurse?"
"Oh, sure. I actually have to go finish doing something," Sumi smiled mischievously. "Could you take him for me?"
"Sumi!" Haru growled under his breath, glaring at her.
"Sure I can!" Kaya chirped, hooking her arm with Haru's and leading him away from the gym.
"Are you okay?" She asked him as they waited outside the nurse's office.
"Yeah, I'm good." He said nervously, he could feel vomit bubbling in his stomach.
"I think you might have a concussion." Kaya said, eyeing the bump on his head. "Follow my finger."
Haru watched her move a manicured finger back and forth, a deep blush never leaving his face.
He jumped when the door to the nurse's office opened. He stood, seeing Kaya do the same in the corner of his eye.
"You want me to go in with you?"
"No, I'm – I'm – I'm good."
"You sure?"
Haru nodded slowly, trying to give her a reassuring smile. His smile faded and he lurched forward, throwing up on her shoes.
"Oh, gross!" She said, taking a step back.
"I am so sorry!" Haru said quickly before turning and running into the nurse's office.
Sumi sat at her desk in the middle of the classroom, surrounded by a group of boys. She sighed and tapped her pencil against her desk; class had started ten minutes ago and neither the teacher or her brother had entered the class. She sighed again and shook her head, letting loose raven curls fall into her face.
The door opened and in walked an unfamiliar man in a burgundy suit with his long wavy brown hair in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck, a briefcase in hand. He went right to the desk and put his briefcase on the desk. He turned around and wrote his name on the board. He turned back to face the classroom, flashing them a handsome smile that made several girls gasp. Sumi felt her heart skip a beat and her stomach flip-flop.
"Hello, everyone." He said. "I'm Mr. Yoshida, I'll be your substitute for the next few weeks."
Sumi felt her face flush as she smiled goofily.
"I'm in love!" She whispered.