Chapter 7
Hey there! I have nothing to say here so I'll go on with the story!
An old man behind a big desk grunted. You can tell that from the wrinkles forming his face, he has been over-working. "This is bad…" He mumbled. "That Tsukasa…What is he planning now…"
"You called for me, Director?" The voice of a woman called from behind. The old man grinned then turned around, only to meet the gaze of a blonde teen. Her usual striking eyes were furrowed by her brows and her slim body was covered in a black Lolita.
"Yes I did, Utau" The director said. "You see, your brother has escaped from the cells again…" He continued. The blonde's (Utau's) eyes widened.
"Utau, I want you to find him and bring him back" He said simply. "No!" Utau yelled. "This probably means that he's free! Remind me again why I should agree with you? He's happier outside the cell!" "And that happiness will not last, Utau, because the bodyguards of Easter can easily find him and forcefully take him here"
"So why do I have to be the one to take Ikuto here?" She asked. The director smirked. "I'm doing you a kindness. If it were the guards that would catch him, they would tie him up, scar him, bruise him…they'll harm him if he refuses to follow in which I'm sure he'll refuse"
Utau let her head hang, her bangs covering her mauve eyes. She headed towards the door, her foot-steps echoing and her head still hanging. "And also…" The director stopped her before she managed to touch the door.
"Once you've taken Ikuto back, I want you to tear those kids with guardian characters apart. It's getting dangerous. Four out of the seven kids know each other already…"
Utau took a deep breath then said finally, "Yes, Director"
~~~~~~~~Rima's POV~~~~~~~~
"Mmf…" I mumbled in my sleep.
The sun was blinding me and I just couldn't seem to sleep any longer. I sat up, silently cursing myself for forgetting to close the windows last night. I dragged myself to the mirror then groaned once I saw my messed-up blonde mane. It was like this every morning. I always had to spend who-knows-how-long just to get one strand fixed.
"Where's the bathroom…" I silently mumbled. I walked over to where the curtain of clothes was but tripped on a dress causing the entire curtain itself to fall to the ground, burying me deep under. There goes the curtain I worked so hard to make; broken.
I dug my way from under the mountain of clothes then sighed.
Nadeshiko and I have to go fix it up again. What a hassle.
"~Nee, Nadeshiko…" I turned my head to where she slept but…I immediately blushed.
Nadeshiko was still sleeping on the ground, his long, indigo hair falling softly unto his smooth face and pooled over one side of the pillow he lay on. He took long, soft breaths that caused his body to rise and fall. His expression was so peaceful, his lips were slightly parted, and it was an expression he never wore when he was awake (Or maybe I just didn't notice). What had caused my heart to beat faster, though, is that his light-blue polo was unbuttoned showing his toned and concrete chest.
I stared at him with wide eyes and a red face as he went on sleeping, totally oblivious that he was being watched.
There was only one thing on my mind: 'Who would've thought that Nadeshiko Fujisaki was such a hot guy?'
"Rima-chan…" I gasped when his eyes slowly parted. "H-hai?" I shrieked. He sat up; totally unaware of his unbuttoned polo then rubbed his eyes with his palm. "What are you staring at…?" He wondered. Other that his surprisingly toned chest and cute features, I noticed something else. His voice had dropped by several octaves, giving him a more boyish voice. "Y-your voice is deeper…" I managed to squeak out. He looked at me (Of course I blushed) then sighed. "Of course! Don't tell me that you actually thought my voice was that high-pitched and girly. The 'Nadeshiko voice' just takes away my manliness" He stretched out then yawned.
"Your…manliness?" I repeated.
He just looked at me unbelievingly. "Of course. I'm a boy and manliness matters"
I thoroughly shook my head. "You care about your manliness? So you're not gay? That's good. Wait- it's not good. That means that you're still perfect!" I screeched. "So I guess I can't nickname you gay-lord anymore…" I let my shoulders sag and Nadeshiko sweat-dropped.
An awkward silence followed after that. "By the way…" He started. I looked at him, a tint of pink hopefully wasn't visible on my cheeks. He placed his fingers on his chest as he said, "My name is not really Nadeshiko. It's Nagihiko" He emphasized the name.
"Na…gi…hi…ko…" I mumbled. He raised his brows. "Why? Is there something wrong?" He asked. I shook my head. "No. I was only trying to get it rolling through my tongue since it is a pretty difficult name" I admitted.
"You must be pretty bad with tongue-twister" He chuckled. "Actually, you're pretty bad at everything!" He shrugged. I felt fire on my eyes as I exclaimed, "Fujisaki! Don't forget I have information about you and unless you want everyone to know it, you must follow me and stop teasing me. Got that, Nade-Nagihiko?"
He flinched and I smiled with satisfaction.
"You're being so mean to me. Why?" He pouted.
"Because I simply don't like you" I replied nonchallantly.
The morning had been chaotic with me and Nagihiko's constant fighting over the bathroom and our argument over what I should wear. In the end, I ended up wearing a sky-blue dress with puffed sleeves and a white slip-on.
Nagihiko, as Nadeshiko, had his hair at its usual high-pony; he wore a loose, orange blouse, violet shorts and plain rubber shoes. I remember back then, wondering why none of Nadeshiko's clothes had cleavages. If I didn't know that she was actually a boy, I would've asked and I would've treated it as an insult.
Now I know why he wasn't affected by my flat-chested insults. He was a guy and a guy doesn't need mountains. I also noticed how he would slightly wince whenever I call him purple-head, so I would stick to that nickname whenever I would feel merciful. However, I just discovered an insult that would obviously get on his nerves.
"Hey, cross-dresser, what would you do if Amu caught you in Nagihiko mode?" I asked. I saw his left eye twitch at the nickname and I let a smug smile creep up my face. "Cross-dresser, you there? I just asked you a question" I said with a satisfied smile. He groaned. "Stop calling me that"
"Why? I just discovered a nickname that really suits (not to mention annoys) you" I tilted my head innocently.
"Just shut up, Rima-tan. I'm going to the basketball court" He muttered. "Yeah. I would love to have you go away and leave m-…wait. Where did you say you're going?" I raised a brow. "The basketball court." He repeated.
I laughed at that and he frowned. "Why are you laughing?" He asked.
"Because you SUCK at that game and you want to watch it!" I said in between laughter. "I know the rules." He said. "You shoot the ball, blah blah blah. That simple"
"Why don't we just watch the surfers?" I asked and he raised a brow. "You want me to come with you?" he made sure she heard right. I flinched.
After a few seconds, I said, "Oh. I forgot that I hate you. I'm going to look for Amu and Yaya"
"Yaya?" He called out. "She's me and Amu's new friend!" I said, sticking my tongue out at him"
"And I still hate you!" I called out.
~~~~~~~~Amu's POV~~~~~~~~
I stared at Yaya, my jaws dropping and my eyes wide with shock. "A-are you sure you can finish all that candy, Yaya?" I asked. She got another handful of the free candy from the basket while chanting some song. She was starting to make people stare and she was so oblivious to it. "What do you mean, Amu-chi? Yaya's going to collect as many candies as she can!" She giggled.
"M…mm but…are you trying to give yourself diabetes?"
"No! Yaya-chan doesn't want to get sick. Then that would limit her candy!" She squealed as she got three more handfuls. "O-oh…" I trailed of.
"Amu! Yaya!"
Yaya and I turned in response to our names. I smiled when I saw Rima headed towards us. "Rima-tan!" Yaya called out ahead of me. "Hi, Rima!" I waved then ran towards her. "I'm going to go watch the surf. Want to come with me?" She asked. I chuckled nervously as I twirled a strand of my hair. "Y-yeah but…as long as I don't surf because…I'm not really what you could call a swimmer…"
Rima chuckled too. "Me too…"
"Amu-chi! Rima-tan! Yaya wants to surf! Let's surf!" Yaya pouted. We both glared at her then snapped, "No".
The baby of the group stubbornly crossed her arms then mumbled something we couldn't understand. I turned to Rima, totally ignoring Yaya's little tantrum. "So, Rima, where's Nadeshiko? Why can I hardly see you both together? You're room-mates after-all" I said. "You mean cross dre-…I mean Nadeshiko? Oh. She went to the basketball game" She replied.
"What?" I exclaimed. "Nadeshiko? Basketball? No way!" I laughed and Rima joined in the laughter. "I know!"
"Let's join her. That way, she won't be lonely" I suggested. Rima opened her mouth to say something but the immediately shut it then frowned. "Y-yeah…okay…"
Is it just me or does Rima and Nadeshiko seem to…not be getting along? I shrugged the thought off then lead Rima and Yaya towards the basketball-court. Almost instantly, I saw Nadeshiko sitting by the grass, cross-legged and looking hopefully at the guys that were playing. I knew she was deep in thought because she was biting her bottom lip- this was a habit she had come up with whenever she was thinking. I stopped in my tracks, grabbed Rima and Yaya then hid behind the tree where Nadeshiko couldn't see us.
"What are you doing?" Rima hissed. "Yeah, Amu-chi?" Yaya asked. I shushed them then peered through the tree trunk so I could get a clear view of Nadeshiko. She was looking at he basketball players with this…strange…expression.
"Omigod, Rima, Yaya. I think Nadeshiko's in-love…" I whispered. "To who?" Rima asked. "Who's Nadeshiko?" Yaya wondered. "She's the other friend I was telling you about" I said.
When I said that, it seemed to have an impact on Rima. She always has this tendency to look offended whenever Nadeshiko's mentioned so I'm more careful with my words although I have no idea what it was in my sentence that has caused her to flinch. "You okay, Rima?" I asked worriedly. "Y-yeah…" She muttered.
"HEY! WATCH OUT!"
I automatically looked up at the yell. My eyes widened in fear when I saw the basketball hurling directly at Nadeshiko's head. "Nadeshiko!" I screeched.
Nadeshiko's milky hands automatically reached up then she grabbed the ball before it could have any impact on her. I breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close…" I heard Yaya, who seemed to also hold her breath sigh.
A tanned boy with mahogany hair and emerald eyes came up to her. "Nice reflex" He said. He extended his hands for a shake. Nadeshiko shook it.
"My name is Kukai Souma. You're Nadeshiko Fujisaki, right?" He asked. Nadeshiko slowly nodded. "Yup"
This could get interesting. I leaned in to Rima and Yaya then whispered, "Hey. Nadeshiko hasn't been dating guys nor has she crushed on one. You want to pair them up?" "What?" Rima exclaimed. She stifled laughter while Yaya and I looked at her as if she just lost her mind.
"Is she always this crazy, Amu-chi?" Yaya asked. I shook my head sideways. "Nope. Only now..." I muttered. I looked back at the two (Nadeshiko and this so-called Kukai) then smirked. "Operation Kukade is now in progress" I said. Yaya looked amused while Rima gave me the 'you're-serious-aren't-you-look'. "Kukade?" She asked. "The pairing name of Kukai and Nadeshiko" I whispered.
"Yaoi! Yaoi! Yaoi!" Rima silently hummed in a somehow teasing manner. I raised a brow then asked, "Why are you saying that?"
Rima shrugged innocently. "Betsuni! I somehow remembered this yaoi show from a long time ago, that's all" She giggled. "So what do we do?" Rima said, looking amused. I leaned in to the two. "First, we make Nadeshiko trip" "What does that have to do with pairing them up, Amu-chi?" Yaya asked. "Yeah"
I sighed. It was simple to analyze. How can they not get it?
"The will result to either a kiss, Nadeshiko on top or Kukai helping her up!" I smiled. Rima shook her head vigorously. "That's impossible. I tried to trip him a million times but he would just glide across" She said. I raised a brow. "Why would you want to trip her?" I asked. "I was testing her perfection. Trust me. She's a Mary-sue with absolutely no problems in this world…"She replied with a deep sigh.
Well it was pretty true. I've never really seen Nadeshiko commit any mistakes. Even at home she's the perfect girl. Her dance steps are always right and she's so light on her feet. If I was a guy and I saw her dancing, I bet that I would've immediately fallen in-love with her.
"That's it!" I immediately shot up. Rima and Yaya seemed taken aback by my sudden outburst but I went on, anyway, "Let's make Nadeshiko dance. That will make Kukai go head-over-heels for her!" I exclaimed.
"What kind of dance?" Rima questioned. "Her specialty is Japanese dance so…yeah…"
I sprang to my feet then raced towards Nadeshiko. "Nadeshiko! Do a dance for us!" I pleaded. Nadeshiko paled. "What? Now? Why?". I looked over Nadeshiko's shoulder where I found the tan boy looking at us with an amused expression. Instinctively, I went to him. "Souma-kun! Make Nadeshiko do a dance for us! Please!" I pleaded, putting on my sparkly face. Kukai blushed slightly then nodded. "S-sure…"
"Arigatou!" I cried.
"Amu! You're not pairing them up! You're flirting!" I heard Rima scream from the bushes.
At her voice, Nadeshiko stiffened. "P-pairing who and who up?" She stuttered. Kukai looked from Rima to me repeatedly- with each glance, he seemed to be getting what we were trying to achieve. "You're trying to pair me and Queen up, aren't you" He simply said.
"Amu-chan!" Nadeshiko exclaimed.
"But Kukade is such a cute pairing name!" I whined. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Rima smirk then she gave Nadeshiko a knowing looking. Nadeshiko turned solid. I wonder what Rima meant when she gave Nade that look…
"I-I can't, Amu-chan! I'm busy!" Nadeshiko stuttered. "Busy doing what?" "Studying!" "You mean to tell me that you're not satisfied with an average grade of A+++ in the report card?" I yelled, mortified. Nadeshiko shook her head vigorously. "I'm aiming for A to the tenth power" "But there's no such thing as that in the card" I exclaimed. Nadeshiko, being the perfect girl that she is, flipped her hair then gave me a genuine smile. "If I bribe enough, the teachers will give me"
"You're taking the teacher's pet thing for granted!" I said. Nadeshiko narrowed her brown eyes. "Am not. I'm just using it to my advantage"
"It's the same thing, Nadeshiko-chan" I clarified.
Yaya, Kukai and Rima sweat-dropped as Nadeshiko and I went on with our useless and suddenly-of-of-topic blabbering.
"Amu-chi! Yaya finds Naddy and Rima very funny!" Yaya giggled as we headed back to our cottage. I smiled at her. "That's why they're my friends. You're pretty interesting too, Yaya!" I said.
"Yaya also finds Kukai interesting. Can he join us?" She pleaded. "I doubt that he'll join. He's a soccer super-star and just as popular as Tadase-kun. That means that he's REALLY popular" I replied with a sigh. Yaya gave me a suspicious glance and I stiffened at her expression. She leaned near me then cooed, "So does Amu-chi like Kukai? She teased. My face heated up then I retorted with a sharp, "NO!"
I was about to reason out but something fell on my head. "Ow!" I yelled, rubbing my head. I looked down at what hit me, only to gasp in shock when I saw a black decorated…
"…chara egg…?" Yaya peered at the egg that hit me on the head. My eyes widened. "Yaya, you can see charas?" I asked. Yaya glanced at me, her expression just as shocked. "I have a chara named Pepe-chan! She's at home! Amu-chi, DO YO HAVE CHARAS?" She nearly screamed the last part and she was literally rubbing her cheek against mine. "Y-yes!" I said. "Wah! Amu-chi, that's so cool! Yaya's glad she found someone that has a chara too!" She cried.
I chuckled. "Rima and Nadeshiko have charas too; Nadeshiko's chara still hasn't hatched, though…" I said, placing my index finger under my chin. Yaya's eyes were now literally sparkling. "Whoa! AMU-CHI, SUGOI-DESU!"
"Hey! You there!"
Yaya and my head snapped up when we heard a small voice above us. There, we saw a chara with a mop of purple hair. He had golden eyes and a pair of huge kitty ears.
"A chara!" Yaya and I said in unison.
The small cat chara landed on our feet then went on panting heavily. He looked up at us, his golden eyes shimmering as tears slowly slid down his small, chibi face. He placed his paw-like hand on is eyes then bawled. "I know you could see charas ~nyaa! I bet that you could hear me too ~nyaa! So please! Help my bearer! He suddenly became unconscious and I don't know what to do ~nyaa!" It pleaded while pointing at a specific direction off a distance. Yaya and I looked at each other.
Yaya's expression was scared- as if she's not used to all this action. I bet that my expression, however, was determined to save whoever this bearer was. "Let's go, Yaya." I snapped, springing up to my feet and running of to where the chara's bearer might've been.
I hear Yaya call out, "Amu-chi, wait! Yaya can't keep up!"
I didn't dare look back, though. I know that there is someone hurt there and I am determined to help him.
~~~~~~~~Narrator~~~~~~~~
"Nagihiko, go get me ice-cream" Rima said as she leaned into a bench with arms crossed. "Why would I do that for you?" Nagi questioned. "Oh?" Rima sat up, her blonde curls softly falling unto her shoulders then she called out a random boy. The boy seemed honored to be called by someone as cute as Rima for he was in a hurry to get to her, eager to know what the 'Ice Queen' would want. "~nee, did you know that Nadeshiko Fujisaki is actually a-"
"Okay! Okay, Rima-chan! What flavor?" Nagihiko panicked. Rima smirked, leaned back then shooed the boy away (A few minutes later he was fond huddling in an emo corner).
"I want strawberry. No sprinkles. Not so sweet and really expensive" She said casually. Nagihiko extended his hands and Rima just stared at it. "Where's the money I'll use to pay?" He asked. Rima raised her brow then chuckled. "Have you no manners dear, sweet Nagihiko? It is only proper for a gentleman to treat a lady, you know" Rima crossed her arms again. "Now shoo! Off you go, fly"
Nagihiko seemed taken aback at first. He was NOT used to being ordered around. He mentally cursed himself for being so careless.
That day he told Tadase the secret, he had no other choice though. He had to take his blouse off to prove things because he still remembers very clearly his previous attempts to tell Tadase (Normal attempts that don't involve taking his shirt off. By normal attempts, I mean telling it to him like a normal person) When Nagihiko told Tadase back then, Tadase would laugh and take it as a joke. He wouldn't believe a thing of it. That's basically the reason to why he had to take it at such an extent.
"Well, I'm waiting, Nagihiko…" Rima sighed. Nagihiko clenched his fists in frustration. He'd never imagined himself being ordered around just like this. Of all people, why did it have to be Rima that found out?
Nagihiko's head snapped up. He turned his back on Rima then exhaled. "Yeah, yeah. Sure…" He muttered darkly. A satisfied grin crossed Rima's small face.
"Rima…" Kusukusu cried from beside Rima. Rima looked down then asked, "What is it, Kusukusu?"
The small clown chara sighed. "Don't you think you're over-doing things? Nagi's not used to being ordered around yet…you…"
The blonde chuckled. "That's the point. We'll let him learn that not everyone is as perfect as him. You know, he'll take awhile because the ice-cream parlor is pretty crowded and he'd have to line u-"
"Here you go, Rima-chan"
Rima flinched at the voice. Instinctively she turned around with a startled expression. "Y-you're fast!" She exclaimed. Nagihiko shrugged. "The parlor was crowded with a bunch of girls from outside Seiyo so I dropped the Nadeshiko act. When they saw me, they instinctively let me ahead of them. Also, the cashier lady was around our age so…she made mine fast and special"
Rima looked at the cone with raised brows. "Why is there a contact number here?" She asked. Nagihiko blew a strand of hair off his face then replied, "The cashier-person put her number there. Ignore the heart shaped syrup in the ice-cream too. It's nothing"
Rima gawked while Kusukusu laughed.
'Why can't I see any flaw in him?' Rima's thoughts screamed.
I need to put Easter here more. Also, I forgot who the seven kids with charas are. I know it's Amu, Rima, Nadeshiko, Yaya, Tadase, Kukai and I forgot the next one. Omigod I thik I made a mistake in the numbering!
Anyway, this chappie's finally done! I'm not sure if it's really a chapter, though. Hardly anything happened. I'm fine with it,, though because it's long (LOL)