Chapter 7
Hearts Reconnect
Hibari returns to school the next day. However, she's greeted by many girls giggling and whispering nasty comments about her and so on. She tried to ignore them again, but they were getting to her quick. All of a sudden, she feels something splash right in front of her, making her jump.
"WAH!" she opens her eyes after the impact and sees three girls giggling with one of them holding a bucket.
"Have a nice wash!" one of them says.
"Yeah, walk around in that gym uniform again~!" another says. "We'd love to see that!"
Hibari sighs as she drags herself to the bathroom, despite being dripping wet. She looks in the mirror. I can't let this go on like this! she thinks. I have to do something! Fast! But how!? She takes off her uniform and puts on her spare gym uniform in her bag, just in case the girls splash water on her uniform again. She'll have to excuse herself from first period to dry off her clothes in the hot sun.
She exits the bathroom and takes her wet uniform outside near the pool area to hang up and dry. From there, she notices someone familiar with another girl.
"Aw, you're so sweet~!" Haruka says as she takes a box of brownies. "Thank you so much!"
"I hope you enjoy them, Haruka-sama!" the girl says, bowing. "I worked very hard on making them!"
"I will, I will~!" She pets the girl's head. "Hey, maybe we can hang out sometime, too."
"Y-you think so!?"
"Sure thing, sweetie. Tell me the time and I'll be there~!"
"Oh, thank you, Haruka-sama!"
While the honey-blonde takes out her notebook, her main three fangirls stomp towards her.
"What do you think you're doing?" one girl asks.
"What's this about hanging out exactly?" another says.
"Not to worry," Haruka says as she jots something down in her notebook. "I'm just putting in my summer schedule."
She notices another girl walking by and quickly runs up to her.
"Oh, here you are, darling~!" she says as she puts her hand on the girl's shoulder. "So, about that phone call we had earlier, are you free?"
"Yes," the girl answers. "I'd love to go out with you!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH, HARUKA-SAMA!" the three main fangirls shout at her.
Hibari sighs. I can't believe Haruka-san is out looking for girls, she thinks. Well, she IS pretty popular, but does she really need to do this? She glances over at her uniform and touches it to make sure it's dry. It's still a little wet. I'll have to wait for the whole period, which sucks because I never miss class! It's only the beginning of the school day and it's already getting worse! She sighs again.
However, she doesn't notice one of the girls tip toeing behind her and quickly grabs her uniform. Hibari hears the girls laughing.
"Hey! I got Hibari-san's uniform!"
"We're going to have lots of fun with that!"
The flower eyed girl turns and cries, "Heeeey! That's mine! Give it back!"
"Don't wanna!" another girl says.
Unbeknownst to Hibari, a girl with medium length brown hair tied in a small pony tail is watching her. And her expression is filled with worry.
**Meanwhile**
"Hey, I know where we can hang out this summer," Haruka says. "Let me take you somewhere special. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes, I would love to," the girl says.
"Great~!" Haruka looks in her notebook. "Let's see now: I'll be willing to hang out with at this time. What do you thi-" Before she can finish, a gust of wind blows, making the girl's hat blow away, right in front of a person's feet.
"Oh, can you get that for me please?" the girl says.
"Yeah, thanks!" Haruka looks up and her eyes widen at the sight of a familiar girl standing before her. "Yagyuu-san?" She runs up to the silver haired girl. "Wow! I'm so glad to see you back from the hospital! Do you mind if I-"
SMACK!
"Don't even touch me," Yagyuu says coldly.
Haruka holds her cheek with a surprised expression, but just smiles. "Before you go and beat me or whatever you're going to do, there's something that you should see." She leads her towards the pool area where Hibari is. "See? Hibari's having a tough time. All the girls are bullying her non-stop. Poor girl."
"Huh!?" Yagyuu turns toward the honey-blonde. "So that's what happened while I was away!?"
"I believe so," Haruka leans against the fence, crosses her arms and close her eyes. "Look, let's forget about our feud for now. All Hibari needs is some comfort. She's been struggling for 3 days straight and I don't know if she can hold on any longer."
Yagyuu grits her teeth and clenches her fists. This all happened…because I was gone? she thinks.
"Meet me by the by the courtyard at 3," Haruka says. "I've got something that I need to tell you." She winks at her. "And don't let anyone see you, whatever it takes."
Yagyuu turns to her. Haruka may be going somewhere about this, but Yagyuu just wasn't so sure. However, if she wants to help Hibari, she'll have to go with Haruka. She gives her a nod and then leaves.
**Later**
Hibari hugs herself while leaning against the fence. Luckily, there's no one out her to bother her…for now. But because of all the bullying going around, plus being without her girlfriend, she's been in a complete mess. She even got her uniform stolen. I don't think I can do this, she thinks. Everyone's out to get me wherever I go. No matter how much I try to avoid them, there's always another person trying to attack me. Why am I even here? I might as well run away from everyone and be on my own. She buries her head in her knees. Yagyuu-chan…
She hears some footsteps coming toward her, making her look up and see a girl with brown hair tied up in a small pony-tail.
"Yes?" she asks.
The girl smiles and hands her a school uniform. "Here. A spare uniform," she says. "You've been having a hard time coping with those girls, so I thought I'd step in and give you this."
Hibari gently takes it. "Th-thank you."
"No problem~!" the girl turns and leaves. "I'll see you later!"
As she runs off, Hibari looks at the uniform. Tears spill from her eyes, but quickly wipes them. She can't believe there's finally a girl who's willing to help her out, even though she doesn't know her. She quickly takes her wet clothes, puts them inside her bag and rushes towards her bathroom to go change.
However, after she's changed, she opens the door, only to find Haruka standing there, making her jump back.
"AAAHHHH!" she screams. "H-Haruka-san!? What are you doing here!?"
"Oh, I just wanted to ask you a favor," the honey-blonde says as she steps in and closes the door behind her. She secretly locks the door, too.
"What sort of favor?" Hibari asks.
Haruka smiles and holds out her arms. "Hug me~!"
"EEEEEHHHH!?" the small screams again. "N-no! I don't have time for that!" She backs away a few steps, but Haruka keeps on walking closer. "Please, stay back! Or I will scream! Please, Haruka-san, I'm serious…"
Haruka ignores her and keeps on closing the gap. And then…arms wrap around the small girl, making Hibari blush furiously and not move a muscle. Somehow, she feels so relaxed and soothed by the gentle hug Haruka is giving her, even though she doesn't know why she's not resisting.
"Hibari-chan…" Haruka says, softly. "You don't need to cry anymore."
The flower eyed girl blushes even more. "E-eh?"
"The other day you cried on my shoulder," the honey blonde continues. "I was really touched." She pulls away and smiles a gentle smile. "And you know what? Whenever I see you with Yagyuu-san, you smile like a flower fully grown. I love that cute smile of yours."
Hibari just stares at her while still having a blush on her face.
"I only wish I can summon that smile myself." Haruka pets the small girl's head. "I want you to be happy. For the rest of your life. I don't want you to be sad anymore."
"Th-thanks, Haruka-san…" Hibari says.
The honey blonde gives her a small nod and turns to leave. "See you around, darling."
With that, she leaves the bathroom. Hibari just drops to her knees and puts her fist on her chest. Why is my heart pounding…for her? she thinks.
**At the School Hallways**
Mirai is walking, minding her own business when she hears some girls whispering gossips to each other.
"Can you believe it?" one girl with red curls says. "Hibari-san's totally getting pummeled!"
"Yeah!" another says. "Ever since Yagyuu-san isn't around, they've been getting more vicious at her. Just for revenge."
"She really is a weakling," the first one says.
The petite girl clenches her fists. She couldn't take of hearing the girls say the same thing. "Hey!" she shouts at them. "I'll have you know that Hibari is a sweet girl! You have no right to pick on her like this!"
"Oh, yeah?" the first girl steps toward her, and leans forward. "And what are you going to do about it, shortie? Oh, right. You can't!" She shoves the small girl, making her topple over.
The other girls laugh at her. However, their laughing is cut off when Haruka speaks up.
"Now that's not very nice," she says. She walks over and helps Mirai up. "You girls better think about what you're saying. Because you're going to regret it later." She looks down at the petite girl. "Come on, Mirai. We don't need to face them anymore."
"Okay. Thanks," Mirai gently takes Haruka's hand and the two leave.
**Lunchtime**
Hibari eats by herself in the cafeteria, but she has barely touched her food. For the past 10 minutes, all she's doing is wrapping her arms around herself. I can still feel Haruka-san's arms around me, she thinks. The way she hugged me…made me feel all warm inside. I actually feel relieved. For once, someone really cared about my feelings. I actually liked the fact that Haruka-san came to comfort me. With all the drama going on, I came to depend on her being by my side. Maybe that's why I didn't resist when she put her arms around me. She really cared.
Just then, she realizes something.
Oh, no! she thinks. Why am I acting like I'm in love with Haruka-san!? Mou~!
She starts to eat her lunch immediately, still having a blush on her face.
**Courtyard**
Yagyuu sits by the bench, waiting for Haruka to arrive. However, something in her mind flashes back to the last time they talked.
"I…I…I HATE YOU, YAGYUU-CHAN!" Hibari shouted in tears.
The silver haired girl pounds her fist on the arm rest. She can never forget those words and she still regrets what she had said to her. Plus that, she vowed to herself that she'll protect Hibari again once she's out of the hospital. However, since Haruka wanted to talk with her, she'll just have to wait.
She hears some footsteps coming toward her. As the silver haired girl looks up, Haruka proceeds to sit next to her.
"So…what is it that you want to tell me?" Yagyuu asks.
"Hibari-chan is in deep trouble," Haruka says. "And if we don't stop it soon, we might never see her again."
"So what do we do?"
Haruka winks and holds out a notebook. "I just happened to do a little homework. Here."
Yagyuu takes the notebook and opens it. There is a photo of a girl with red curls and slanted emerald eyes. Note were jotted down next to it.
"The girl: Saaya Yamabuki-san," Haruka explains. "She's very good at picking on the weak and spreading nasty rumors. The fact that she was the one who spread the rumors about Hibari being a weakling to the entire school back then was just horrible. I can't believe she would be here in this school."
"H-how were you able to find her?" Yagyuu asks.
"I've asked Mirai-chan for help," Haruka says. "She's been picked on by Yamabuki-san the most this past year and knows where Saaya likes to hang out most of the time, just to make evil plans about what gossips to spread next. Oh, yeah. And the rumors about me and Hibari-chan kissing: I lied when I said I did it."
"Huh!?" Yagyuu is totally confused.
"I was happy about it, so I decided to tell the girls the news," Haruka explains. "However, it was a big mistake on my part. My three fangirls were furious about it. And then, I told Hibari-chan that I spread the rumors."
Yagyuu glares at her. "You little…"
"But…the thing we need to focus on is to stop Yamabuki-san from doing any more damage."
"How?"
Haruka winks at her. "Lunch is already going on and Hibari-chan might be alone. So, Saaya may have spotted her target by now."
"Then lets get going!" Yagyuu immediately stands up and makes a run for it.
"Hey! Wait for me!" the honey blonde quickly follows her.
**Cafeteria**
Hibari finishes her lunch and is about to put them away until she hears footsteps come toward her.
"Well, well," she says. "If it isn't the weakling from middle school. How are you holding up?"
Hibari sees the girl with red girls standing in front of her with her arms crossed. "Is that you…Saaya?"
"That's correct," the red head says. "The girl from your middle school days. You didn't think I'd show up here at this school, right? Well, you're wrong. I'm here to continue to make your life miserable~!"
"S-so the way the girls treated me," Hibari says. "It was all your idea?"
"Right again," Saaya says. "Once I found out your Yagyuu-san is gone, I figured I'd step up to the plate and have my girls torture you. It had been a good 3 days since that happened. Did you enjoy it?"
The flower eyed girl stands up. "Why would you do such a thing!?"
Saaya just chuckles. "Ho, ho, ho! Like I said, I want to make your life miserable, just like I did in middle school. You haven't changed a bit. You're still the same poor little thing with no friends." She steps forward and leans close to Hibari. "Oh, yeah. And Yagyuu-san. She's not here to protect you anymore. She's just nothing but garbage."
Hibari grits her teeth and clenches her fists.
"Oh, and I heard about your relationship with Haruka-sama," Saaya says. "But the truth is: I was the one who spread the rumors. It's obvious that you two are a perfect match. And those other fangirls should get a life. Those three are so annoying. But you should know: Haruka-sama never had a real relationship in her life. She just goes around looking for girls and then tosses them like a towel. I'll bet she'll do the same to you." She crosses her arms and smiles. "What a pity. I think you'd be better off on your own, after all. Haruka-sama and Yagyuu-san are just a zero."
That hit the last straw. Hibari stomps over and immediately raises her hand.
SMACK!
Saaya stumbles back and holds her cheek while turning towards the pink haired girl.
"You…you don't know anything," Hibari says, angrily. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THOSE TWO! SO SHUT UP!"
Saaya looks at the small girl surprised.
**School Halls**
"So, it was Saaya all along?" Yagyuu asks.
"Correct," Haruka says. "Mirai-chan had to deal with her when she was in school. But thanks to me, she was able to smile more. Although, I found out that she picked on Hibari-chan before Mirai-chan. That's just sad."
It is then that Yagyuu stops abruptly, blushing. Haruka turns toward her with her eyebrow raised.
"Is something the matter?" she asks.
"I…I don't know if I can do this…" Yagyuu says. "I can't face her."
"Aw, come on, Yagyuu-san! You HAVE to do something!"
Just then, Haruka and Yagyuu hear crying coming from the cafeteria. They run over towards some open doors and find Saaya on her knees, crying while holding her cheek. Her friends help her up.
"How dare you hurt Saaya like that!?" one girl shouts at her.
"What's your problem, Hibari-san?" another says.
"It's Saaya," Hibari replies. "She's the one who's picking on me. And if you didn't notice, yes, Haruka-san may not be the perfect girl, but at least she's honest."
"WAAAAHHHH! Hibari-san's so mean to meeeee!" Saaya wails. "Please do something, quick!"
Another girl stands up. "Hey, Hibari-san. You better apologize to Saaya right now!"
"Yeah! Apologize!" a fourth girl says.
Hibari looks over at Saaya, who is smirking. She knows very well that Saaya is trying to be manipulative so that everyone is on her side, just like she did in middle school. But she won't let that happen.
Just then, Haruka and Yagyuu push their way through the crowd and gasp at the sight of Hibari facing Saaya.
"If anything, she should apologize," Hibari says as she points her finger at her.
"You're the one who hit her!" the first girl says.
"Oh, man. Her cheek's starting to swell."
Haruka cups her hand to her mouth. "Oh, dear. This is getting really bad."
"We have to help her now!" Yagyuu says.
Haruka holds her hand up. "Hold on. I've got the perfect plan~!" She winks at her and beckons her to follow her.
"Hey, where are we going?" Yagyuu asks. "If we don't hurry, they'll eat Hibari alive!"
"Ah, here we go~!" Haruka walks over to a locker filled with cleaning items and grabs a piece of rope. An evil smirk is on her face.
"Hey…how is a piece of rope supposed to help?" Yagyuu asks.
"Oh, you'll see~!" As quick as a flash, she ties up Yagyuu. "HAHA! I got you, Yagyuu-san! Now, get in there~!" She kicks her into the locker and leans close to her. "Did you really expect to get in there and rescue your princess at the last minute?" She shrugs. "Well, sorry to say, darling, but you're not getting your chance. This time, Hibari-chan's mine. And I mean it." She stands up and clasps her hands together. "I've been by her side the entire time and comforted her. So, if I save her, maybe she'll really fall in love with me! Oh, how fun it will be~!" She turns toward the silver haired girl. "You blew your chance, Yagyuu-san. So, I'm going to have Hibari-chan all to myself." She slams the locker closed.
"Hey! You tricked me!" Yagyuu bangs on the locker. "Come on, Haruka! Let me out! I mean it!"
The honey blonde ignores her as she casually walks toward the cafeteria. But she looks back and smirks. "This is for making Hibari-chan cry."
**Cafeteria**
At that moment, two of Saaya's friends grab hold of Hibari.
"Hey! Let go of me!" the flower eyed girl cries. "This is between me and Saaya!"
The red-head continues her sobbing act. "Oh, please! Please don't let this girl hurt me again!"
Oh, no! Hibari thinks. This is bad! She's getting more and more girls to be on her side! I'm totally outnumbered! She can see the red-head smirking again.
"I know a way to settle this!" one girl says. "Hibari-san, get on your knees and beg for forgiveness!"
"ON YOUR KNEES! ON YOUR KNEES!" all the girls chant. "ON YOUR KNEES!"
Saaya keeps her smirk in place. She is proud of herself for doing this to Hibari.
"Listen," Hibari says. "I know you're trying to be on top. But when the truth comes out, no one in this school will have ANYTHING to do with you!"
"You got it all turned around," the girl holding Hibari says. "Now, get down!"
The two girls forced her on her knees.
"Apologize, Hibari-san!"
"Right now!"
The flower eyed girl tries her hardest to resist, but the girls were too strong. They push her so hard that they get her laying on the ground. I'll never apologize! she thinks. I can't give…up!
All of a sudden, they hear the door slam open. Every girl looks up and stare at the girl panting with the rope untied. Hibari's flower eyes widen at the sight of her beloved Yagyuu. Haruka, who happened to be shoved away by Yagyuu, gasps, wondering how in the world she got out of the locker.
Yagyuu stomps over towards the girls who immediately let go of Hibari and back away.
Yagyuu-chan… Hibari thinks.
"Oh, Yagyuu-san!" one girl says. "You're back!"
"I thought you were still in the hospital!"
Yagyuu ignores them and looks down at the small girl on the floor. Hibari blushes heavily.
This is so embarrassing! she thinks. Yagyuu-chan can't see me like this! She shuts her eyes tightly. However, she notices Yagyuu reaching her hand out. Hibari immediately takes it.
"Let go of her," Yagyuu says.
"Huh?"
"LET GO OF HER NOW!" Yagyuu shouts, causing the girl to step back. The silver haired girl then gently pulls her close. She then turns towards the crowd. "Every one of you girls….APOLOGIZE NOW!"
One of the girls shake their head. "No way! Look what she's done to Yamabuki-san! Hibari-san should apologize."
"SHUT UP!" Yagyuu shoots back. "Just so you know, Hibari's the one I love! I love her! Saaya's a liar!"
"HUUUUHHHH!?" The red-head's body shakes as she looks around. "Y-y-y-you've got it all wrong! I mean, uhhhh…" She can't find any excuse.
"Last I heard, Saaya's been doing nothing but manipulate other girls to her will and then try to use it against the weak," Yagyuu says. "She even did it to Mirai."
"WHAT!?" Saaya cries. "How could you know this!? You weren't there!"
"No…but Mirai was," Yagyuu says. "I can see why she got every girl turned against Hibari and Mirai. Saaya's just jealous because she doesn't get the popularity and love she wanted."
"Really?" one girl says.
"I did not know that," another says.
Saaya waves her arms back and forth frantically. "W-w-wait a minute! What about Haruka-sama and Hibari? They were dating, right? So why are you dating her?"
"Because you were the one who spread the rumors," Yagyuu replies. "Just to get Hibari to be the victim of those fangirls. I love Hibari." She turns toward the flower eyed girl who is in tears. "I'm so sorry you had to go through this. But I'm here now. So, everything will be okay."
Hibari starts crying and buries her head in her hands. Yagyuu-chan…
The silver haired girl wraps her arms around the small girl and pulls her close.
Saaya glares at the two. How dare they!? she thinks. How dare they steal my show!? Well, I may still have some tricks left.
"WAAAAHHHH~!" Saaya wails. "Now both Hibari-san and Yagyuu-san are hurting me! THEY are the liars! Can't you see!?"
"Alright, sweetie~!" a familiar voice says. "That's enough from you."
Saaya gasps as she sees Haruka gesture her hand towards 5 girls beside her. And they look very angry.
The red-head backs away a few steps. "Uhhh…what's going on?"
"Still up to your dirty tricks, huh?" one girl says.
"Yeah!" another says. "Don't say you've forgotten all about us!"
And all the girls point their fingers at Saaya.
"EVERY ONE OF US HAD OUR GIRLFRIENDS STOLEN BY THIS BACKSTABBING WITCH!" they shout in unison.
Saaya turns towards her group of friends, who are glaring at her. "It's…it's a lie…right? You're my friends, right? I would never do anything like this to you…"
Her "friends" turn away from her in disgust. They couldn't believe that they've been manipulated this whole time.
A brunette girl stands in front of her with her hands on her hips. "So, all those lies, all those rumors you spread, they came from you, didn't it?"
"Um…yes….?" the red-head couldn't make any other excuse.
"I thought so," the brunette turns towards Hibari. "I think every one of us should apologize, Hibari-chan. Oh, I'm Asuka, by the way." And with that, she walks away with a smile.
Saaya's "friends" approached her as well and bows in shame. "We acted like jerks," one of them says.
"So, we're very sorry," another says.
As all the girls leave the cafeteria, Saaya drops to her knees, reaching her hand out.
"No, wait!" she begs. "Please don't go! I didn't do anything wrong! Honest, I didn't!"
But the girls ignore her. Every one of them exit the cafeteria until the last one slams the door. Saaya felt that she couldn't breathe and looks at Yagyuu and Hibari one last time. Then, she runs out of the cafeteria.
Clapping is heard shortly after.
"Atta girl, Hibari-chan~!" she cheers. "Finally a victory from the good people." She turns to Yagyuu. "I didn't think you would rescue her in time. Were you tied up with something else~?"
Yagyuu glares at her. "Very funny!"
Haruka giggles and skips off toward the door. "Have fun making up you two. Toodles~!"
Yagyuu and Hibari blush as they look at each other.
"I'm sorry, Hibari," she says. "I just announced to everyone that you and I are dating without talking to you first."
Hibari just blushes and glances at the floor. And then, the silver haired girl breaks the silence once again.
"Hibari?" she says. "I know I'm asking a lot, but…let's give it another shot. You and me."
Tears sting the flower eyed girl's eyes. She is so happy that she could cry right now. She plunges herself on Yagyuu's chest.
"Okay," she whispers.
The silver haired girl gently wraps her arms around her. "I'm so sorry. About what I said to you. I was such a jerk to you."
"I'm…also sorry about what I said," Hibari replies.
Yagyuu pulls her away, looking directly at her flower eyes. "Then, let's start over. Right now."
Hibari wipes the last of her tears and nods. "Yeah…"
Outside of the school, Haruka looks up at the window, probably where Hibari and Yagyuu are. There is a smile on her face.
A/N: So sorry for the late update! I was busy with other stories. But here it is and I hope this is enjoyable because I tried super hard on it. And Saaya is from Shugo Chara because she's the perfect nasty character in this. She'll no longer appear in any more chapters, though. That's the only chapter she'll appear in.
Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review~! ;)