I BET YOU ALL FORGOT ABOUT ME! Well, I'm back with more angst and I haven't once forgotten about this story. I've been really busy lately with school starting and crap, so... yeah.
Thanks bunches to lumenite88 for the review, and this is for you for asking me to continue! I'm so grateful that someone still cares. -insert dramatic smile here-
Enjoy!
Word travels so quickly in this school, and I'm having a hard time deciding if that's a good thing or a bad thing. By the next day, someone had found out what exactly I had done, told their friend, and long story short, I'm the next big time charity activist. I know what they say; no publicity is bad publicity. But I may have made a wrong move somewhere in there.
It's suddenly as if I'm more popular than the actual host club! Students talk to me in the halls, walk with me and chat at me, never let me eat my lunch in peace, always babbling on and on about how their neighbor's dog is sick and could I do something about the pesky woodpecker in their attic. I always turn them away with the same deflated, angry statement that I'm an illusionist, not an exterminator. Then they go and tell their friends about how rude I am, and suddenly there is a nice mixture of students who love me and those who think I'm a jerk.
And the worst part is, she's always there. Always at the back of the group of followers, even though she said she hated me. Within a week, everyone is in two distinct categories, except for this girl! But I suppose she likes to be the exception. Leiko Rin, the fiery, arrogant, regal, sarcastic attitude, her know-it-all gaze. The world follows rules, except for Leiko Rin, and it's infuriating.
And on a whole different note is Kyoya Ootori. He seems to hate me even more, his slate gray eyes watching with that cold, calculating stare, daring me. I always smile at him sweetly, tilting my head and waving, and he occasionally smiles back, but it never reaches his eyes. I realize quickly in this week that tensions between us are rising rapidly, and soon, it will be my wit against his.
And oh, have I gotten the best idea! The crown jewel of all of my grands, the shining star of royal screw overs! When I perform, I deliver a good show.
X-***-X
The host club has decided to take a trip to a small amusement park. I'm not sure who's idea it was, but I got a text at about nine this morning telling me to meet a car outside in fifteen minutes. Curious, I got dressed and at nine fifteen was riding away in the Souh's limousine on an impromptu trip to a little commoners' amusement park.
"Oh, this will be fun!" Tamaki glows, bouncing around Haruhi in his usual manner. "I can't wait to experience a day of true commoner fun and relaxation!"
"Calm down senpai," Haruhi rolls her eyes. "It's just an amusement park."
"Look, Takashi, cotton candy!" Honey-senpai squeals from atop the taller boy's shoulders, and Mori obediently starts off toward the booth in question.
"Hey, Kaoru, check it out," Hikaru says, pointing to something off in the distance. "Wouldn't that look good on Haruhi?"
"How dare you, evil twins!" Tamaki demands, running after them as they trot off to whatever it is they were looking at. Now, it's only Haruhi, Kyoya, and me. There is an awkward bout of silence before Haruhi announces that she's going to the bathroom and I follow, saying I have to go too, even though I don't. It's not like I want to be alone here with Kyoya.
"Who's idea was this anyway?" I ask, gesturing to the general controlled chaos around us, brimming with the last of the summer heat, an undertone of autumn air whipping our hair around.
"I'm not sure," she says. "If I had to guess, Tamaki-senpai or the twins." She swings open the door to the ladies' restroom and I follow her inside, leanin casually against the wall as she enters a stall.
For a few seconds, I watch the women going in and out, smiles on the children's faces while I am personally too busy scowling, brooding, and generally being miserable to bother with such an expression.
"Excuse me," a voice breaks me from my thoughts. "Could you help me for a moment?"
"Sure," I look up from the tile. "What do you- oh."
"Hello, Mizuki Aihana," the girl says. "Remember me?"
"Leiko Rin," I scowl. "Nice to see you."
"I have this strange feeling you don't like me," Leiko pouts, crossing her arms and flicking her bangs out of her eyes, her leather charm bracelet flashing on her wrist. I can't help but notice a shining silver and sapphire pendant displayed along with the others. "Why's that?"
"If you really want to know, it's because of these things called rules. Everyone follows them, except for you!" I say sternly.
"No, you've got me wrong," the redhead laughs. "I make my own rules."
"What does that mean?"
"You should get that."
"Get what?" As if responding, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I hold a single finger up to Leiko Rin, and she smirks at me as I step outside to answer my phone, not thinking twice about how Leiko Rin knew the phone call was coming through before it did. I do magic tricks too, it's nothing special.
"Hello?"
"H- Hey, Mizuki?"
"Kagami, hi," I answer, recognizing my sister's timid but usually steady voice shaking and tiny. "What's wrong? You sound upset."
"The... The hospital in Karuizawa called me," Kagami says, hissing a breath that sounds like static over the phone. "He died, Mizuki, he died at ten o' three." She doesn't need to tell me any more. I know what she means. Oboro, our little brother, diagnosed a few years ago finally at peace.
"You should go home," I suggest. "Back to Karuizawa."
"You're not coming?" She asks softly.
"No," I say with finality, pressing the button to hang up before she can ask me why. On a whim, I check the time. The clock says it's five minutes past ten.
X-***-X
"Hey, Mizuki, you're home early," Takumi says from behind his book when I slam the door to the library shut. "How did your trip go?"
"Awful," I say dejectedly, cracking my knuckles and pulling nervously on my fingers, trying to calm myself before I burst into a fit of rage. "Stop acting so happy for my sake. I don't care, I really don't care at all. We barely knew him, didn't we, Takumi?"
"What in the world are you talking about Mizuki?" Takumi asks gently, folding down a page and placing the book on a table to give me his full attention.
"Kagami didn't call you?"
"No," he shakes his head. "You two always seem to forget about doing stuff like calling me. What's wrong?"
"Oboro's dead," I say, my wide technicolor eyes meeting his electric blue. "He died this morning. Kagami's on her way back to Karuizawa last time I heard."
"Wow, Mizu," he says, his eyes narrowing. "You're so cold. You took us out of Karuizawa, left Oboro and Kagami, and now he's dead and we didn't even get to say goodbye!" I watch as a tear rolls down his usually smiling, upbeat face. "It's all your fault, Mizuki!"
"I know, Takumi," I shout back, slamming my hand hard into the stuffed leather armchair. "I know it's my fault, but no one asked you too come here with me!"
"Who else is going to make sure you don't et arrested?"
"I can look after myself," I shout, letting my voice take on a steel edge. "I don't need you to baby me, and I don't need you for my illusions!" Turning away, I storm into my bedroom and lock the door stubbornly behind me.
I slam open my closet door, and snatch up an empty gray duffle bag. I shove some clothes into it, a jacket, a toothbrush and hairbrush. That done, I snatch up a picture frame, turn it around, and unlatch the back. About thirty dollars in cash flutters into my hand. Not bothering to replace the frame, I shove the money into a pocket of my bag.
The picture comes off crumpled in my hand. I smooth it out and turn it over. It's a photograph of me, Kagami, Takumi and Oboro from a family reunion. We're all sitting at a picnic table, poised over hotdogs, smiling at the camera on one side of the table. A young Takumi, maybe sixteen, gives an eight year old Oboro bunny ears while a thirteen or so Kagami, wearing an indigo flower crown, hugs me from behind.
I crumple the photo back up and it lands perfectly in my bedside trashcan.
That done, I unlock my second floor window and step out on to the ledge below.
X-***-X
I spend most of the afternoon watching people from the corner booth in a greasy fast food restaurant. I came here at noon when I got hungry and had nowhere else to go, so I just stuck around. The employees started looking at me strangely about two hours ago. What kind of normal fifteen year old hangs around in a baseball cap and black hoodie at an unsavory fast food place for hours on a Saturday afternoon? Either way, the sun is setting and all of the customers have cleared out. I expect they're about to ask me to leave so they can close soon.
When night finally comes and the wind and cold drizzle is enough to make me uncomfortable but not enough to make me regret, I find myself sitting under a bakery awning, leaning on my duffle bag, I still have no idea where I'm going to go.
Oooohhh... Where should I send her? I have an idea in mind, but I want to know what you guys think. Review, and I'll update faster when I can!