Chapter 21
"KAWAII!!!!"
Three boys flinched, one rolled his eyes.
"What is she looking at?" muttered Tala "Kia has never squealed in her life!"
"She doesn't tell me and I can't bother to find out. I think she's just reading or watching a video, but whatever it is I don't like it. It can't be healthy" Ryushi answered.
"Do you think she's turning into a girl?" Ray asked hesitantly.
Hiwatari immediately snorted in reply and that topic wasn't approached again.
They were all in the Tilwaree household, seated in the living room watching some videos. Kia was in the adjacent dining room sitting, predictably, on the computer. After a few minutes Tala stood up and the boys looked at him.
"Kia and I are going for a movie" he explained. They usually did this, but Hiwatari's eyes narrowed. Ryushi and Ray nodded.
Tala went into the dining room and moments later appeared with an obliging and laughing Kia. As they reached the door she suddenly stopped.
"Do any of you want to come?" she offered. This time Ryushi and Ray looked surprised but Hiwatari stood.
"Why not? I probably do need to get out more" she didn't comment, but almost looked relieved. However Tala stiffened beside her, that guy had been glaring at him too often.
"I'll call and see if any one else wants to go" she grinned and moved to the phone, Tala loomed protectively over her.
She called Aurin and when the girl agreed to come he immediately knew something was suspicious. He looked between the pair that was now grinning at each other. When they were younger Kia and Tala always managed to unnecessarily complicate things when they could have been spoken straightforwardly.
They were up to something similar now and he knew he would have to sort that out.
Aurin was waiting for them at the cinema when they arrived. She smiled at them as they approached and greetings were exchanged. The tickets were bought and they moved towards the cinema, stopping briefly for the girls to pick up some popcorn.
They entered the hall, which they found to be packed and the search for four seats took place. But they knew it was almost certain that they wouldn't find them, they all turned to decide what to do.
"We can go in pairs" Aurin suggested.
"I'll take Twee" Hiwatari knew what he was doing, but the other's surprise told him that they obviously didn't.
"What?" the girls said in unison, Aurin's voice faint, Kia's very uncertain.
"Fine, we'll meet outside after the film" Tala matched his gaze, at least one person was quick.
Wordlessly Hiwatari grabbed Kia's arm and steered her weak form away from the other two. They found empty seats just as the hall went dark.
"What are you doing?" rage seemed to have finally hit her. He put a hand on her arm to calm her.
"I'm not sure yet, but it's not all that bad" he was working with instinct.
"You didn't even ask me" she reprimanded.
"I'm sorry" he was feeling bitter "I'm sure you won't die if you stay away from Valkov for a while"
"Excuse me-!" a loud 'shush' interrupted her
"What has this got to do with Tala?" she continued in a whisper and he smirked at her persistence.
"Well you're together, aren't you?"
There was silence for a while, then:
"We do act well then, if we convinced you. Actually it's for Aurin's benefit, though I'm not sure how it'll work" she sounded reluctant to say more.
He'd suspected this, but her confession made him feel strangely relieved as well. They stayed quiet as the credits appeared on the screen. From the corner of his eye he saw her lean back into her seat and settle down comfortably. She didn't mind him, he realised. She had no problem with being with him.
He was surprised for sometime.
The movie was good but he didn't know that, he hadn't seen most of it. They got up as the lights came on and walked out of the hall following the large crowds. He was close behind her and often she would stop and he would bump into her, her hair brushing on his lips and nose.
Aurin and Tala hadn't appeared so they stood waiting. Kia looked up at him.
"What does Aurin think of Tala?" she asked, as if questioning him about a maths problem. He wasn't prepared for it.
"I don't know" he said carefully. She still stared at him. He looked back with equal intensity trying to remind himself he wasn't glaring at her.
"What does she think of you?" her voice a gentle whisper.
He was immediately unbalanced as the implication of the sentence sank in and he saw that she wanted to know if he knew. She nodded, he hadn't known. Suddenly the confusion and Tala's glares made sense to him. He felt a bit uncomfortable.
"What do you think of her?" she asked slowly now watching him with the same flickering gaze that was like a candle he could put out so easily.
He couldn't have answered because at that moment the other two appeared and Kia looked away from him, he glanced at Aurin. She was good at hiding it.
Kia grabbed Tala purposely by the arm and for a moment three people were slightly relieved to see a look of surprise and discomfort on Aurin's face. She hadn't had a wonderful time, for some reason Tala hadn't been nice and persistent like always – she felt strange.
Hiwatari was the only one who noticed that she hadn't even glanced at him but had stared all the way, mystified, at Tala's back.
She was a bit worried really. She wasn't at all prepared and she still hadn't decided who she wanted to read it. She shivered.
Her brother was not a choice, nor Calica. Tala could be exempt as well and she didn't think Tyson or Max would take it seriously enough. The rest of the girls were considerable, apart from Aurin – she was not too comfortable about approaching her yet. However Kia decided upon Ray, he would explain it to her gently.
But Hiwatari….she knew he would be critical but she was scared he would be harsh. Or maybe he would just laugh.
The next day she asked if she could speak to Ray alone and Salima had glanced at her but she didn't look worried. Kia felt jealous of their sure trust. He followed her into the empty room and she handed him the notebook. He looked at her, she turned the other way, and he read.
She thought the air in the room contracted and trapped her and she stood stiffly for many long seconds. Then she heard a sigh and turned, gulping. He was regarding her strangely, as if he wasn't sure what to think.
"Show it to Kai" he said and she took a step back in surprise.
"Half the things here just flew over me" he smiled, impressed "And he'll appreciate it better"
He waited her to say something but she merely stood still in shock. Then he handed her the notebook and left the room. She fell back onto one of the desks and stared at the book.
Show it to Hiwatari. His words confused her. Why? Was it so difficult for someone else to smile and say, yes, it was all very nice and flowery?
She scowled and rolled the flimsy notebook up. She would not show it to him! A few minutes later she was standing in front of the staff room waiting patiently and some more minutes later she joined her friends again with a contented and enlightened smile.
Hiwatari walked into the changing rooms and stopped at the door. Instead of the nine boys that usually occupied the space on this day, there were more from both the years above. He stared a few moments and then dropped his things and hurried through the door opposite. And then walked back out again.
He had just caught the person he had intended to murder, all alone without her shirt on.
Hiwatari contemplated on this for a second and then walked back in again. She was still staring shocked at the door, shirt still off.
He coughed, but didn't move away and she let out a small scream, turned, pulled on a shirt and turned back and pointed accusingly at him.
"What are you doing here?!!" her cheeks were a pretty pink.
"What are an extra eighteen boys doing in the other changing room?"
"That could have waited!" she went redder and he fought down a smirk.
"Did your talk with Valkov-senpai help?"
"How was I to know there were no more girls on the senior teams!" she was still red.
He walked towards her, more predatory with every step. She whimpered, he growled.
"You do know we won't be able to retain our positions"
"I just wanted to play in the tournaments" he was leaning into her now, teeth showing.
"Don't do this kind of thing again" he kept the threat in his voice "I don't like losing power"
"I'll do more of the committee's work tonight!" she tried to offer compensation but he turned away. She sighed, he whirled back, only closer.
"You look very cute in pink" she blinked and he was gone.
For a few seconds she had no idea what he was talking about, then she went beet red. She folded her arms over her chest and collapsed to the ground, cursing her mother's colour choice.
He would never let her live that down.
Pink, however, did not cease to taunt her. Soon came about the popular day that does not fail to be mentioned, or retold as is the case now. Though to avoid convention its mention will be as brief as possible.
She hated it. (As they always do)
He was indifferent to it. (As they would like to think)
Somehow amongst the many others, one of her packets of chocolate mingled in his pile. What became of this unfortunate package will probably forever remain a mystery.
That's all.
He even made her stay extra late to complete a few documents, and the entire time her read a book out of her bag and then commented on her bad taste.
The pink was soon diluted to white and as every year she did not receive any ribbons. There was no acceptance from Hiwatari, but she was too distracted to be sad.
There was an improvement in her mood that he noticed and Ray only nodded at knowingly. It made him suspicious how the friendly boy always knew things about her. Now it was time to question.
"You went to see the language teacher" it was a statement; one she didn't waste energy confirming. "What about?"
"You wouldn't be satisfied with 'none of your business'" she grinned. He merely watched.
"None of your business"
Predictably enough he just nodded and she felt a bit exasperated that he wasn't pursuing the topic, but then again, it was probably best left alone.
"Do we need to get involved in the cultural festival activities?" she questioned
He shook his head "Just make sure everything goes smoothly"
"Good" he glanced at her "I just can't wait till the holidays start"
He nodded understanding and continued to watch over the discarded book as she worked. It was strange that they were being civil. Maybe they were never good to each other because they had never tried. Maybe this working together thing was actually of some benefit.
He didn't mind being with her. No, Hiwatari thought, he didn't mind in the least. She totally missed the smile that he directed.
He liked being with her.
They thought was alien and the moment it passed his eyes, still on her, lost focus and widened. But he composed himself quickly and realised there wasn't too much harm in that.
Yes, he thought as she lifted her face and gave him a smile, there was no harm at all.
The first year of high school was gone, but not all jobs were done. Kia stepped in through the side door of the Hiwatari mansion and silently made her way to her destination. She was determined to do this and she would only leave after it was done.
Kia knocked on his door and then pushed it open. His room was well lit and small and he was sitting on the floor in the corner. He glanced up sharply and she found herself staring at shielded eyes.
"You wear glasses?"
"What do you want?"
The question was so accurately phrased that she went a little pink with nervousness and stared at him stupidly.
"Well, hurry up, don't just stand there like a fool"
She scowled. "what's the hurry?"
"Tomorrow I believe my family and I leave for Moscow, thus I want you out of the room as soon as possible so I can cherish the peace that is still remaining"
This was the point where Kia realised that giggling and scowling at the same time were impossible.
"I only needed to borrow your language notes"
His eyes glinted behind his glasses and she decided he looked nice in them. She had never known he wore any.
Hiwatari got up and walked towards her, as he moved past her to a bookshelf behind her heart did the things it was supposed to do to make sure she once again became determined to do what she had originally come to do.
Before he could turn around she was standing behind him lightly grabbing his shirt and telling him not to turn. She was red now.
"What are you up to Twee?"
She blushed darker and gripper his shirt tightly trying to form words.
"Right. I wanted to tell you something" there was a gulp in her throat.
"Get on with it then!"
"Well, I wanted you to know that I like you" he stiffened, she continued "I really like you"
An awkward silence passed and he almost turned when she stopped him.
"I just wanted you to know and I hope you don't have a problem with it" she sighed "That's all"
He turned, but so did she and she walked quickly out of his room and then broke into a run. He did not follow. The next day he was gone.
That was a bit strange. I'm a bit excited now because I like my idea for the next chapter.
I hope that was okay!
Review
Kia