Shrimpy: Can I confide in you people a secret I have yet to tell my family and friends? O_O When I'm bored, I like to search for pictures of wolves. I don't know why. Wolves are badass, but for some reason my fascination with them unnerves me. It's almost like the reason I like them is because of how organized yet simple they have life...
Enough about a moron, though. You guys are here for the story. Oh, and by the way, nothing happened at the store. Rin and Len purchased their honey. Naturally, Rin had a fit when she wasn't allowed to purchase more than a basket of oranges. The time kinda skipped. I'm sorry I was too lazy to put that in.
Miku's POV
I liked to be alone. But when I looked around and saw people talking and laughing in their little groups, I felt lonely.
Growing up as a child, there were very few people who had ever wished to talk to me, at least talk to me casually. But I sigh at the thought. No one spoke to me casually. Haku was always speaking in fear. She was afraid of everyone.
I ignored the people who stared at me. Some are pity, some are disgust; no matter what they feel about me, the way they looked at me is built upon those two concerns. Then I noticed Bruno, the Mondaiji Gang's notorious member. He was leaning against lockers in his usual spot, with his friends. Gakupo, of course, had a sword with him. Something had gotten the bdunch amused. Even them, half as the biggest of the Mondaiji Gang, could laugh normally and rest easy.
It was that reason exactly that I wondered as to why I wasn't jealous. I walked past. Everything seemed fine, really. Nothing was out of place. Everyone was calm. Bruno, especially, didn't seem to be particularly in a bad mood. But trying to keep calm never was his goal. "Hatsune," he said.
I froze. Did I want to turn around? Of course not. "Hatsune," he repeated, more gruff this time. I turned around. "What do you want, Bruno?" "Don't think that you can slip away, bitch," he snapped. "Don't think you're safe." "It's that a coward's way of saying 'you'll pay for something you had no control over'?" I retorted. "I think you have a strong control over where you're foot lands, you little-" Gakupo grabbed his shoulder. "Calm down, Bruno," he said. "She pushed Luka down the stairs, too," Bruno sneered.
Instantly Gakupo let go of Bruno. He said nothing. "We'll see where things end up once I'm done with you," Bruno said. His eyes flamed with hatred. Then he walked away. What was his posse of idiotic jocks supposed to do now that he was leaving? One by one they peeled their backs from the lockers and walked after him. Gakupo shot me a glance.
Was that of sympathy?
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Len's POV
"Are you okay? You're totally zoning out on me, Len. I want attention and this is hurting me." I looked up. "I've been failing hardcore. Meiko Sensei totally hated me," I muttered. "Geez, Len. Maybe you should try doing something no one else will bother with?" Luka suggested. Gakupo was staring down at his tray. There was an eggplant in front of him, but he didn't touch it. I turned away before Rin scoffed me for not paying attention.
"But anyways, Ritsu wanted to apologize for the mix-up. She's not happy about it either." I groaned. "Rin, are you telling me that she-" "Eh? Interrupting the story teller? No class, Len-kun. No wonder Meiko Sensei is failing you," Rin said. As usual she tore away the skin of her orange. "She was a he, but she decided who she wanted to be." Her correction seemed to make my mind react as though it was playing out. "Can I come over?" "Go away. I'm thinking."
I was still kind of distracted. In the back of my mind I remembered vaguely what had happened last week. Feelings were mixing with opinions and I felt like I hadn't slept in weeks, even though yesterday I had fallen asleep pretty early.
Rin sighed, "desperate times call for desperate measures." She snatched the banana from my tray and tossed it to the far end of the cafeteria. "Rin! That was the last banana!" I snapped, looking up. "What did I just say? Desperate times call for desperate-" I grabbed the peeled Orange from its peaceful resting place on Rin's tray. Then I tossed it. In the distance, I heard someone cry "ouch!" Rin shot me a glare meant to kill. "You two need to cool down. You've been fighting for a while already," Kaito said. He transferred his orangenge to Rin's relatively bare tray and sat next to Gakupo. My eyes snapped to the purple-haired junior. He wouldn't move. He simply stared down at his tray, eyes seeming to scan the back of the milk carton for something missing.
I still didn't say anything. It could have been my paranoia, but his silence was disturbing. He noticed I was looking and glanced up. "What?" He said the word simply. And that just made it more clear. Luka and Rin began to notice. Kaito was humming softly while digging a spoon into his tub of chocolate ice cream. "You okay, Samurai Jack? You haven't said three words to us," Luka said. She seemed more confident with her words then I was. I was satisfied that someone else was talking so I didn't have to. "Is it required?" He responded. "Well, if there's a problem, you can tell us. We're your friends," Rin volunteered. She popped an orange slice in her mouth.
"Bruno had a problem. He wants my help, but I don't think I should. But we were friends for a long time, so..." he shifted uncomfortably. "Well, telling him how you feel won't work," Rin deadpanned. "You're guys. That doesn't even work in the world of women." "Maybe you can tell him that you're seeing a sick relative. He'll understand, what with Clara still recovering from breast cancer." Gakupo nodded. "Maybe you girls are right. I-" "I hate to be the guy to ruin the friendship moment between you, but has anyone noticed the change of temperature in the room?" We all turned to Kaito, who even in his scarf was shivering more then anyone else.
I realized that most of the lunchroom had gotten quiet. "Ah, even the building reacts to Hatsune's presence," Luka said. Her skin pricked. I saw the big gap in the crowd and realized Miku silently walking through. Suddenly there was an eruption of whispers as though no one could be heard. To top one another, the whispers got louder.
"She's totally creepy. I'm so glad she knows to stay away from the normal people."
This is the kind of insult that I didn't know would be at an art school. God DAMMIT. What about Vincent van Gogh? That guy was insane, and people herald him as an artistic genius. I had no right to be mad, though. I wasn't doing anything to help.
Then get off your lazy, weak ass and do something about it! My mind screamed at me. And while you're at it, get us a banana or something! I'm so damn hungry right now!
Okay, okay, I surrendered to the banana part a little grudgingly, because I wasn't actually hungry and there were no bananas in sight.
I gulped and walked through the tight wall students made by clearing a path in the center. I could see her now. Her bangs shadowed her eyes and her fists were clenched. She was...walking, but trying to take normal time in doing so. In my mind I tried to set that fact away. "Hatsune-san!" I called over the multitude of whispers. Miku turned to me. Unfortunately so did the rest of the students around at the time. "Would you mind...accompanying me to get some files to Akita Sensei?" Everyone always claimed she had some passion for science that couldn't be changed. And for that her sanity frankly didn't matter to Akita Sensei.
Well, in that point no one is certain that Akita Sensei himself is sane.
Miku gaped at me. I waited a minute or two for her to nod, then I gestured to the door of the cafeteria. So she stepped through the immediate hole in the wall of students and followed me out the door. As soon as she was out of the room, I felt a twinge of anger that everyone started chatting and going about comfortably as she was no longer here.
"I'm not stupid." "Hmm?" Came my reply. I looked up from the closed door. Her eyes were still inquiring, still brightly colored despite her depressed expression. "I didn't see anyone talk to you about any files and I most certainly don't see any files in your hands." I raised an eyebrow. "It didn't seem like you would have noticed," I responded. "It didn't seem like a was carrying a knife either, and yet-" she revealed a red and blue handle in her palm. With the flick of a switch, a silvery blade popped out. I admit, it startled me. But I wasn't scared, startled.
"Please put that away," I sighed. Obediently but silently she pocketed the knife. "I just don't like how people treat you. It bothers me," I admitted. She looked at me with her emotionless gaze. "You really are an idiot," she said bitterly, which was a change from her calm looking exterior. "I suppose there's all kinds of ways to say 'thank you'," I replied. "I don't want your help," she said. Her voice was calm, but it still stung as though it was laced with venom. "No, you don't," I conceded. "Doesn't mean I don't want to help." "You're adding insult to injury." She laughed. It was obviously faked, forced to prove a point. "If you had any idea how many people have 'helped' me..."
"You think that I'm doing this to hurt you." "Yes," she said. She was watching the curious glances we received from some people who were busy outside of lunch. "If I can prove to you that I'm just being kind, will you smile for me?" Her gaze snapped to me. I could see it in her expression. "Come on. I think you'd look cuter if you smiled!" At that I couldn't help but grin. "I wouldn't agree to that if my life depended on it! I'd rather just return to lunch, which I couldn't have because of you." There was a deepening scowl on her face. I could see a hint of pink on her pale face. "You never had to agree." Oh, sometimes I can be such a gentleman.
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Miku's POV
Closing the door gently behind. I'm wondering.
Idiot. Jerk. I hate you already. Go away. I HATE YOU ALREADY.
I'm infuriated. I don't understand why he gets me more angry than Bruno, or someone else. So angry. I open the door and this time slam it shut. Doesn't matter if the door was already closed. I still got the satisfaction I was looking for.
"Someone's mad." I turned to see Ruko sitting comfortably on the couch, a mug of black coffee in her hands. The steam drifted in front of her face, then evaporated. "We could talk about it, you know? There's an empty seat right next to me and some coffee left in the pot and-" "Drink it yourself. I'm not in much of a mood to talk," I interrupted. She took it as a chance to sip some of the dark, bitter coffee. Then she sighed. "Can I at least have my pocket knife back? Is obvious you took it," Ruko said. I produced the rather heavy knife from my pocket and walked over to her. Gingerly I hand it over.
"Did I ever tell you why I have this knife?" She asked. I shook my head. She flipped it over expertly in her hands. Then she sighed. "You're father and I would fight a lot, back when I was pregnant with you"-she paused, knowing I wouldn't believe her when she mentioned her pregnancy-"and one day we were fighting really bad. Your dad mentioned abortion and I said, 'over my dead body, teal boy.' So just to make sure he didn't try anything, I bought myself some protection." Still flipping the knife over, she looked up at me with her sharp blue eye and blazing red eye. "If I'm really your child, I think you should have listened to father," I said bluntly.
"I wouldn't sacrifice my baby for the world," she said stubbornly. "That's alright. I'll regret it for you, Ruko." "Stop playing the victim, Miku. I just tried to work things out. Give me a break," she said. Genuine exasperation. I don't believe it for a second.
"Maybe I'm tired of thinking I'm not the victim," I said in response. With that I walk to the stairs. "Miku." "Forget it," I stated. Headed up the steps, I'm still wondering.
Haku, wherever you are, I bet you're happier than me. I bet you're stronger.
