A/N: Go ahead, shoot me now. I know this is WAYYYYY over do, like WAYYYYYY overdue. I'm so sorry. I have just lost interest in writing these past couple months. I would open this up and start typing and I just could not finish it. I don't know why, I just couldn't. And the way this chapter goes, I wasn't too happy. I don't know. I'm just not happy with the way it came out. But it's not fair to you guys if I don't upload so here it is.
No character introduction today. We're going straight to the story. I don't own Kodocha, any of the music, or any references to the real world. I only own the story idea.
Warning: There might be a little over use of language in this chapter. So watch out for that.
Me: Before we get to the story, I would like for you to read this quote because this is the theme for this chapter. But I give this quote credit to Vanilla Coated Love, author of the story Disneyland Romance. You should check out her story. It is GREAT Gakuen Alice story.
"Pushing people away from you doesn't make you strong; it makes you weaker, because you're doing it out of fear. Fear of losing that person." – Sarah Dessen (This Lullaby)
'Thought'
"Speech"
*Flashback*
Book 1: A New World: Chapter 12: Mixed Feelings
Panting, running aimlessly throughout the field filled with corpses. Mind spinning, thoughts clouded with wonders of where exactly where here is. Smoke filled the air and rotting corpses mixed in with it. Screams and yells were heard everywhere. The glow emitting from the land signaled close fires.
Witnessing the horror of what looked like a war, watching as people were tearing each other apart. Eyes growing wide with every death happening. Running continuously, wondering eyes looked for an exit; looking for a way out. These eyes couldn't take the horror anymore.
Clasping hands on tiny ears, they ran and ran. They ran as they have never ran before; stumbling through bodies, broken buildings, and the endless fighting. It almost seemed futile.
Almost.
Those eyes wondered off so far, they failed to discover where exactly they ended up. They grew big as they gazed over the building, more like mansion. There was a hole in the wall. That was their only chance for escape.
Climbing through the hole, those pair of frightened eyes and aching legs wondered through the dark. The screams were now endless echoes. Making their way through what seemed like an endless darkness, tiny legs stumbled through all the rubble and explosions.
Suddenly, voices appeared.
Turning the small head towards the direction, it followed the voices. Cautiously and slowly, it made its way to where the voices appeared. The voices were now growing closer and closer. Grunts were heard and a clashing sound along with it. A wall appeared which seemed to be a dead end for the eyes.
"How could you! You traitor!"
A menacing laugh.
"It's quite easy actually." The eyes could feel a smirk.
Trying to see what was occurring, the eyes were looking for a way out or at least a way to see.
"This was your home! You grew up here! All your friends and family! You killed them all!" One voice shouted; sounding as if they were in pain.
The wondering eyes were still looking for a way or at least a hole.
"This place means nothing to me. I was betrayed."
Finally, after searching, the eyes found a small hole, but a hole nonetheless. Going up on the tip of their toes, the eyes looked through the hole and saw two older men. One was clutching their side and the side of his head was dripping with blood. He was grasping a black blade as he shakily stood tall. The other man stood clasping a dark, violet blade. His arm was limp next to him. What looked like armor was broken on both men and their clothes were torn.
"You were betrayed? How could you say that when you're the one who brought an entire army to destroy the very place that built you!"
Eyes watched silently as the man with the black blade shouted back at the man with the violet blade.
"Built me? Ha! It built fools like you! This place, this kingdom, is nothing but a waste land! It's full of incompetent fools like the knights and a sorry excuse for a king!"
'Knights? Kings? Like in fairytales?'
Another explosion and suddenly, the walls began to crumble apart. Losing their footing, the tiny body began to lose balance. The mansion walls began to crack and the roof began to cave in. Eyes grew wide with fear. Suddenly, the eyes finally lost their balance and fell over. Screwing those eyes shut, the body fell back into a dark abyss as the walls came crumbling down.
"Where is she?" a voice seethed through her teeth as she tore open the door to classroom A-1.
Pairs of eyes all turned their gazes towards the owner of the voice. The students of classroom A-1 was mixed with fear, confusion, and ignorance as they looked over at the body.
"Maybe she isn't here yet Ayumi-san." Said a soft voice.
"No. She's here. I know that bitch is here." Ayumi spat back at the owner of the soft voice, Nonoko.
"What do you want Ayumi?" Hisea said as she walked up to the door way with her arms crossed.
Ayumi glared at the brown haired girl. She was not in the mood to deal with her petty little friends. She wanted to talk to the whore herself.
"Where the hell is Kurata? I know you know." She venomously asked. Hisea glared back at the girl.
"What do you want with Sana?" Hisea paused for a second.
"You're just here to cause trouble, so just go away Ayumi. We don't want any drama." Another voice added in, which happened to be Mami. Ayumi rolled her eyes.
"Oh look, the other one is here too." She paused. "Tweedle one and tweedle two."
Both girls looked over at the blonde and glared.
"Just go away Ayumi." Mami said finally.
"Shut up you twit. I will leave when I find it necessary to leave." She replied with a hiss.
Mami and Hisea both glared at the blonde haired, grey eyed girl standing in front of them. They looked about ready to rip each other's heads off. The few students in class all looked at the brewing argument. Most of them recalled this fighting and drama between the girls since their elementary school days, though Ayumi was not as evil and manipulative as she was now.
"GOOD MORNING!"
All eyes, including the eyes or the girls in the heated argument turned their heads towards the back entrance of the classroom. There stood Kurata Sana, in all her glory, smiling at her homeroom class. No one breathed a word. Sana, not noticing the tension in the air, awaited her reply to smiles and greetings back. Not hearing anything, she opened her eyes and let them roam around the room.
A pair of grey eyes narrowed deeply. One could hear the deep growl forming in her throat. Clenching her fist and glaring at the girl on the opposite side of the room, she pushed away Mami and Hisea.
"YOU!" she hissed venomously.
Sana turned her attention towards a rather angry Hitorashi Ayumi. Mami and Hisea seemed rather frustrated and now the she really looked around, she could feel the tension in the air. She stood looking rather perplexed about the occurring situation.
"YOU WHORE!"
Sana frowned. Great. Just what she needed to complete her morning; an angry Ayumi.
She was not having an easy morning. First, she woke up extremely early because she could not sleep the night before. Second, she had a lot playing on her mind. These past few days had been stressful and her party was two days from now. Thirdly, Mother Nature had just paid her a lovely visit. She was not supposed to start till another week. This was just not her morning, but she was trying her best to cover her foul mood up. She put on her fake smile and walked the hallways, greeting everyone happily. She was planning on bursting through her homeroom door and greeting everyone with much joy, but instead, she found a room full of tension and a certain girl on a rampage.
"What now Ayumi?" she answered back, with more force than concern.
Her piercing glare was not phased as she walked up to Sana's face. She was tomato red and Sana could read the anger emitting from her body. But what Sana didn't understand was why she was so upset?
"Cut the bullshit Kurata! You know perfectly well what your slutty self-did." She replied with malice.
The auburn haired girl, at first shocked, glared back at the girl. Usually, she wouldn't pick fights, usually she'd let it go by and let Ayumi win, but today, no today, she was going to fight fire with fire. She wasn't going to let the blonde haired princess run the show from here on out. She was going to present to her what Kurata Sana was made of.
"Excuse me? Slutty self? Who do you think you are to call me that?" she fired back.
The class gasped. Hisea and Mami were in utter shock. Sana was not the type of person t retort. She was more of someone who would do the smart thing and let Ayumi ramble on about whatever she wanted. To say Ayumi wasn't surprised would be a great understatement. She did not see this coming from the auburn haired girl.
But Ayumi got over things pretty quickly and focused back on what she really wanted to tell the hazel eyed girl.
"I can call you whatever I want. Especially when it's the truth!" she accused while pointing a finger at her. All eyes on the room locked onto the auburn haired girl, awaiting her reply.
"Truth? I don't even know what you're talking about Ayumi." Sana defended.
Ayumi rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her body. "Oh please. I know you know. But since you want all the attention, you want me to explain."
The petite girl in front of the grey eyed girl glared. "I want you to explain because I have NO idea what nonsense you're spitting."
"Ohhhhhhh."
The class said in unison as Sana countered. Ayumi swiftly turned to throw the class a vicious glare. The class immediately silenced. Ayumi turned her attention back to her 'mortal' enemy.
"Nonsense? Me spitting nonsense? Ha! As if! You must be losing your mind because I make perfect sense." She paused. "If anyone's spitting nonsense, it's you!"
A perplexed look crossed her face as she stood there, dumbfounded. The blonde haired girl glared.
"You think your Hayama's girlfriend? Ha. Please! What kind of nonsense is that!" She then gave a dramatic laugh; a confident smirk soon followed after. "You. A flat chested, below average looking, no sense of style, immature girl going out with a god like him? You make me laugh."
The whole class gasped. Mami and Hisea's eyes turned to the size of saucers. Sana went wide eyed and suddenly, the events of yesterday came rushing back to her. In the bottom pit of her stomach, a small burning began to erupt and her anger was growing. She clenched her fist. She suppressed her growl and controlled her shaking.
"Oh? You're shaking?" Ayumi smirked. "Are you angry?"
Sana remained silent, letting the harsh words soak into her. To think gossip would spread this quickly amazed her. She wasn't aware of how to respond to the blonde's cruel words.
"Nothing to say? Ha. Silence suits you better anyhow." Ayumi proclaimed.
"First of all…" Sana began with a rough voice. The notorious blonde gazed at her in acknowledgement.
"You should not believe the rumors going around campus. It's like a game of telephone and you're just the last person to hear it. One person tells another, then that person goes and tells another, then that person goes and tells another. The story has been told so many times, its completely different from the original."
Stumped, the blonde glared at the girl standing in front of her.
"I know that my source of information is a valuable source. She heard him say it himself." She retorted
"Has it ever occurred to you that he might have been lying?" Sana pressed.
Ayumi stood quiet for a second. "Hayama is not a liar. Matter of fact, I think you're lying. " Sana groaned. How much more in denial could this girl get?
"Please Ayumi, you know nothing about him! And I am not a liar."
"And I suppose you do? More lies." She counteracted.
"I know more about him then you do! And again, I am NOT a liar." Sana said with force.
So caught up in the moment, the class didn't notice the shuffling of feet coming through the door by where Mami and Hisea were standing. The two figures were not as dense as the hazel eyed girl and noticed immediately that something was wrong. Their conversation ceased and their eyes traced over to the heated argument.
"What in the world is going on?" a brown haired boy asked.
Only two sets of eyes turned back to the voice. Mami and Hisea rushed over to the two teenagers standing at the doors entrance: Aya and Tsuyoshi. Baffled by the scene unfolding in front of them, they watched closely as Ayumi responded to Sana's statement.
"Sana, Sana, Sana. There you go again seeking for attention. Always putting yourself in the spotlight. Can't you understand that you are NOTHING. Sure, your mother might be an award-winning author, but you? You're a nobody. You're an amateur of a singer with false hopes and dreams. And we ALL know that you don't belong in an elite school like this. You're a pathetic, talentless, weak, loser."
The classroom was engulfed in silence as not a word was spoken. The tension was thick and the silence was deafening. The group of four along with the entire class watched as Sana slowly consumed the harsh words. Ayumi was always belligerent with Sana, but this time Ayumi crossed that line and stepped too far onto the other side.
Sana was silent as she registered every word Ayumi spoke. It seemed as if time had stopped and everyone was frozen in the moment. Sana felt her world slowly moving around her. She knew she would have to face Ayumi, but how? How would she do that without breaking herself?
"Courage is found in those who do not back down, even when all odds are stacked against them."
Suddenly, Sana found her world moving faster. Time seemed to be moving faster and her world was suddenly building itself again.
'Where have I heard that before?'
A confident smile emerged on Sana's lips. Baffled by the sudden action, Ayumi and the rest of the class watched silently because they would have never guessed Sana would say something so powerful.
"You will never be able to break me Ayumi. You only make me stronger. With everything you've put me through, I've learned to stand up for myself and not let people like you walk over me. You can say I look for attention and that I'm childish, but your words mean nothing to me. If anything, they make me more determined than before to prove you wrong."
She paused for a second. "Your words are my strength. I gather my strength to prove to you that I am better than what you think I am. They might hurt for a little, but then I remember that I am not here to please you, I'm here to live for me."
The class gasped and Ayumi was thrown back by Sana's sudden words.
"Believe it or not, I still believe there is some good in you. I still think you are just evil on the outside but on the inside, there's more. I believe some day we can actually be friends."
Her last statement surprised everyone. Hisea and Mami gaped in disbelief. Tsuyoshi and Aya's eyes bulged. Even Ayumi couldn't believe it.
Ayumi scoffed. "You're ridiculous. How can you possibly think you and me will ever be friends? Now I know you're an idiot. You are a bigger idiot then I thought you were. You're so naïve Kurata."
"You might think so. Even I think so sometimes." A genuine smile lay on her lips.
Ayumi rolled her eyes. "This is just your way of getting out of this situation. Don't think I don't know that Kurata. Don't think I don't know that you know you lost. You know you're wrong about Hayama and I'm right. Don't think I don't know you're just pretending and looking for attention. I know Kurata. I've known for a while now."
Sana simply smiled. "Whatever you think Ayumi." With that, Sana pushed passed her and walked to her seat. Every living soul in the room followed her to her seat and watched as she prepared for class. Ayumi stood, flabbergasted. Furious with Sana's action, she sauntered towards the exit. Did she admit defeat? It sure seemed that way.
"Haha Kurata. Admitting defeat. I knew it. I knew you were weak." The blonde flipped her blonde hair. "Looks like I won yet again. Shame, I actually thought you put up somewhat of a fight this time. But in the end, all you really did was cower away like usual. Doesn't matter now does it?"
Suddenly, a loud, abrupt ring rang through the school. Homeroom was about to start. Ayumi walked over to the back door as she was about to leave but before, she had one final thing to say.
''Stay away from Hayama. He's mine." She threatened. Sana bit her lip anxiously, but then shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't want him." Sana replied.
Ayumi went wide eyed. She then glared and turned away. The blonde walked out of the classroom and suddenly, the tension was gone. The classroom held quiet for a second. Tsuyoshi and Aya walked over cautiously to Sana.
"Are you okay?" Tsuyoshi asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder. He could have sworn her shoulders tensed. But she slowly turned towards him and looked up at him. She beamed at him and stood up.
"I'm great!" Suddenly, the whole class let out a sigh. All the tension in the class was starting to disperse and whispers began to travel across the classroom. This was surely going to travel around school within the hour.
Tsuyoshi watched in doubt. He might not have known her for so long, but he could presume she was not okay. He had a feeling that she put up the same act as his captain; both sacrificed their feelings so others wouldn't worry. He bit his lip in frustration.
But all grew silent as the door opened. The class silenced any lingering whispers and conversations. Standing there was the infamous Hayama Akito. His wild blonde hair gleamed with the morning sun while his dull, golden eyes were cold, and his face was stoic as usual.
Sana froze. She could have sworn herself she stopped breathing. Her heart quickly paced itself and she grew stiff. She could remember the way his hand felt in hers, entwined together, but she could also remember the pain of the words he said to her. She could remember the jabs in her heart.
The class shifted their wondering eyes between both students, feeling the tension rise once again. He looked over at the auburn haired girl and their eyes met. Her hazel eyes were soft, but hard. He could see the shield she's putting forth. The shield she's hiding behind. And he knows that behind that shield are all her buried emotions.
She felt vulnerable under his gaze. Was it possible to make someone feel so insignificant? It was amazing how intimidating he was. One sharp look was all it took. How had he done it? She really wanted to know. But any chance of that was thrown out of the window.
Her throat was dry and her chest tightened. The words would not escape her mouth. What did she want to say to him? Did she even want to speak with him?
He broke the staring contest and walked over to his desk, which was right next to hers.
Why did he make her feel this way? She had the right to be upset with him right? He deserved everything she said to him. There was no excuse for his actions. But the question was why did it hurt so much?
"Good morning class." The silence shattered as their homeroom teacher walked in. To say he wasn't astonished by the lack of noise in his classroom was an understatement. He was especially surprised by the lack of energy in a certain individual: Kurata Sana.
Silence was met and he was certainly surprised, but he wouldn't complain. It was soothing to have a still class for once.
"Alright, open your books to page 189 and let's get started."
Homeroom went by rather slow and the students of class A-1 could not be any happier to get out. But the news of what occurred earlier this morning was already around school. Students gathered in whispers as they watched Sana walk by. To think Kurata Sana would fight back to the Queen of the school was a shock. Even the queen herself could not understand it.
"Sana?" Sana stopped walking and turned slightly to come face to face with her timid best friend.
"Yeah?" she answered.
"Are you okay?" Aya asked as she entwined her hands together in anxiety. The brown haired girl bit her lip and gazed over Sana with concern.
Sana smiled through her teeth. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine."
Aya creased her brows slightly. "Are you sure?"
The lingering students watched the conversation from afar, waiting, listening, to see what she would say or do.
Sana grinned and placed both arms on each side of her hip. She nodded her head up and down. "Of course I'm fine! If anything, I'm fired up!" she replied with much excitement.
The grin reduced itself to a small smile and the auburn haired girl placed a hand on her best friend's shoulder. Aya watched in confusion.
"Enough was enough. I wasn't going to let Ayumi walk all over me anymore Aya. It was time I said something. "
Aya's eyes widened in amazement.
"Now she knows I will fight back. I won't stand down anymore." A determined smile now engulfed her lips and a new spark fueled her eyes
"What about Hayama?" she asked in a whisper.
She pursed her lips together and a troubled look had now appeared on her face. Had she brought him up and at the wrong time?
"I-" she paused, "I won't worry so much about him anymore. He's said all he's need to say."
Aya watched in shocked as Sana put on a clumsy, but confident smile once more. She then grabbed her by the hand and said "Now let's go, we have a chemistry class to get to!"
Chemistry flew by along with history and soon lunch was just around the corner. Aya knew gossip would spread quickly around the school, but to think it spread this quickly amazed her. Everywhere she walked there would be groups of students whispering to each other or staring at Sana and her as if Sana was the most interesting thing on the earth.
"Ahh Sana…" Aya silently whispered as she stood closer to the girl walking next to her.
"Hmm?" Sana questioned, oblivious to the fact that so many eyes were pointed at their direction.
"Don't you feel a tad bit uncomfortable with the fact that so many people are staring at us?" she questioned.
Sana smiled that trademark smile of hers. "Nope! Not at all!"
"Sana!" Both girls looked over their shoulders to see Naozumi running over to them.
"Heyy Nao!" Sana greeted happily.
"Hello Naozumi." Aya also welcomed.
"Hey Aya." He greeted quickly and then turned towards Sana.
"Sana. Can I talk to you?" Sana arched her brow.
"About what?" she responded. Naozumi frowned and pursed his lips. His face became stern and the movie star smile was replaced with a grim line. The auburn haired girl was taken back a bit and looked at the blue eyed boy in fear.
"It's not true that you're going out with Hayama right? You told me yourself that you didn't like him. Remember?" he paused. "Please tell me you're not with him and there all stupid rumors."
Her eyes went wide. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Naozumi actually believed the rumors? Her best friend believed the lies being spread throughout the school?
"You believed it?" she asked in a whisper.
Naozumi parted his mouth to defend himself, but was cut short by Sana's words.
"You actually believed I was going out with him?" she shook her head in denial. She stepped away from him.
"Wait Sana." He called out.
"How could you? You know that I would have told you. Was my word when we hung out not enough?" Tears were forming at the edges of her eyes and Naozumi went wide eyed.
"Sana wait." He reached out for her, but it was too late as she ran off. Naozumi was about to chase after her until a soft hand held onto his wrist. He turned around and was about to shout at the person who held him back, but he was shocked to see Aya holding him back.
"Aya? Wha-"
"It would be best if you left her alone." She softly claimed. "Don't worry, I'll go after her."
The upcoming actor stood dumbfounded as Aya ran after Sana. He couldn't believe what just happened. He betrayed her by believing some stupid rumor. He just hurt the girl he was completely in love with. What kind of person was he?
Sana ran down the hall with tears streaming from her face. She didn't know where she was going or where she was heading, but she knew she needed to get away.
This was all she needed. She thought it was enough with the upcoming party and the Hayama situation, but now with the Ayumi drama and Naozumi not believing her, she was at her reaching point. She had never recalled feeling so stressed, so hurt. And it all started with the blonde haired mystery of a boy.
Her curiosity always led her to trouble. It was evident that she was bound to mingle with troublesome dilemmas in the future when it was concerning the boy. Everything about him spelled trouble: his sudden transfer, his bad boy attitude, his ever-stoic façade, his piercing eyes, his background, just everything! And she was the idiot who mixed herself in with everything.
Now with Ayumi on the hunt for her because of the stupid incident at the café and Naozumi believing the rumor of Hayama and her actually being together, she felt the pressure of high school for the first time. She kept running and running. Well, she kept running until-
"Opfh!" she crashed into something hard, yet soft.
"Oww…" she muttered under her breath as she rubbed her head.
"Sor- Tsuyoshi?" she questioned as she looked up to see the brown haired boy standing in front of her, chuckling.
"Hey Sa-" but stopped talking as he noticed the puffiness around her eyes. His face was filled with concern in the next minute.
"Sana? What's wrong? Are you okay? Did Akito say something to you? Was it Ayumi? Don't listen to any of them!"
Suddenly, Sana started to laugh. Seeing Tsuyoshi worry and ask countless of questions just made her day. Tsuyoshi stopped asking questions once he noticed a laughing Sana.
"Uhh did I say something funny?" he asked.
She wiped the tears away from her eyes with her right hand and clutched onto her stomach to suppress the giggles escaping her throat.
"Haha yo-your such haha a wo-worry haha wart." She finally said. Tsuyoshi began to chuckle a bit. Seeing Sana laugh was a whole lot better than seeing her crying.
"I can't help myself sometimes haha. Especially when you have to experience all the things I've been through." He unconsciously said. But Sana didn't seem to notice as she was too engulfed in her own laughter.
After much laughter, they both sat against the wall in the hallway and enjoyed the peace surrounding them.
"So… what happened?" he asked cautiously.
She grew stiff and bit her bottom lip. She brought her knees up to her face and wrapped her arms around her legs.
"What happened the other day at the café got around school." She started. Tsuyoshi nodded his head in agreement as he crossed his legs and grabbed at his feet.
"Figured that when I saw Ayumi yelling at you this morning." He chuckled a bit. Sana gave him a weak smile.
"Well... Naozumi heard the rumor and he actually believed it." She confessed. Tsuyoshi arched his brow, but surprisingly, he wasn't too surprised. Naozumi loved Sana; there was no doubt in that. If he heard anything that involved 'Hayama', 'Sana', and 'dating' his best bet would be the blue eyed boy would stir with jealousy and confusion.
"Is that stupid? To get upset at him for believing something so ridiculous when I already told him I didn't like Hayama?" she questioned.
"Nope. Not at all." Silence met his sentence. She sighed and rested her forehead on her knees. The brown haired boy sighed and put an arm around Sana, catching her off guard. She looked up at him in confusion and he gave her a goofy smile.
"He's your best friend Sana. He should believe your word. For him to believe a petty rumor is ridiculous. He should know you better right?" she gave a small nod.
"You have the right to be upset," he paused, "I would be too if my best friend did the same."
Sana smiled. She leaned into Tsuyoshi's half hug and took a deep breath. She felt A LOT better than she did before. Her head was much clearer and the tugging in her chest was gone. Talking to Tsuyoshi made her feel less stressed and more relieved. He had a pure soul and was nothing but kind. He was nothing like his jerk of a best friend. Ever since he arrived, she'd always felt comfortable with the boy. He became someone very dear to her and would hate to lose him.
"Thank you Tsuyoshi. I really needed someone to talk to." She thanked him and smiled as he kept his arm around her. He squeezed her shoulder in assurance.
"I'm always here Sana." He replied with a smile.
"Umm…" Both teenagers looked up to see Aya looking at them with a sorrowful look plastered on her face and playing with her fingers nervously.
"Aya!" the both shouted in unison.
Tsuyoshi quickly let go of Sana's shoulder and used the wall to help himself up. After standing on his own two feet, he offered the auburn haired girl a hand. She kindly accepted and he pulled her up.
"Nothing happened." Sana blurted with a faint blush on her cheeks.
"Yeah! I was just comforting Sana. She looked like she was having a rough day so I decided to lend her a hand. That's all!" he added.
"It's fi-fine." She answered with a weak smile.
"Aya! I swear!" Sana said as she went up to her best friend.
"I believe you." The timid girl answered with a smile. Tsuyoshi let out a relieved sigh and leaned back against the wall with a grin plastered on his face.
"That's one of the best things I heard all day Aya! Thank you!" Sana eagerly expressed as she consumed Aya in a tight hug.
After their short reunion, Tsuyoshi suggested they returned to the cafeteria. Sana gladly accepted knowing her stomach needed some food. They both laughed at Sana's chipper attitude. Both teenagers watched happily as the hazel eyed girl returned to her normal, merriment self. Her disposition hasn't been as bright as it usually was, so to see Sana running around with the corky grin on her face was heartwarming.
When they entered the cafeteria, all eyes locked onto Sana. Hush whispers spread throughout the room while some girls glared at her. Ayumi sat high and proud in her corner table. She smirked as the wannabe singer made her way over to the lunch line.
"You were so right about her! Look at her! She thinks she's so high and mighty since she talked back to you this morning Ayumi-san!" A black haired girl commented.
Ayumi rolled her eyes at the girl's statement. "I will admit, caught me by surprise."
The whole table gasped, including the shy, dark blue haired girl Nonoko: Ayumi's best friend.
"What?" she asked forcefully as she noticed the sudden change in mood.
"No-nothing!" Ayumi rolled her eyes once more. These girls were all cowards. They could never tell her to her face what they thought. They ranted about useless things, but when she really needed an opinion or for them to speak up, they just hush up. Pathetic was the first word in her mind.
"Whatever."
"Ayumi-san." The 'queen' of the school gazed over at the timid girl in front of her.
"Yes Nonoko?" she impatiently called out.
"Do you think you're still invited to Kurata-san's party?" she asked meekly. All girls leaned in to hear Ayumi's answer. Out of all the girls sitting at this table, Nonoko was the only one she respected. Though Nonoko was extremely quiet, she was the only one who wasn't afraid to speak up. She was the only one who stuck around. She was the only one who liked her for her, not for the money, the looks, and the fame.
"Hmph. If there is one thing I know about Kurata is that she won't not invite me."
"Of course! She would be stupid to take you off! It wouldn't be a party without you there Ayumi-san!" the grey eyed teenager was tempted to roll her eyes again, but stopped herself. Instead, she smirked.
"Of course. Why, I have a little present for our dearest friend." she said with menacing laugh.
Nonoko grew concerned. "Ayumi… what are you up to now?"
The girls all giggled with excitement and began to discuss several of ways to ruin the party. Ayumi shifted her eyes to the auburn haired girl and glared. She was laughing and smiling, not giving a care in the world. How can someone be so optimistic? It was disgusting.
"Do you have an idea of what you want to do?" one of the girls asked.
"Somewhat." She replied.
"Oh! Can we know!" they all eagerly asked. Ayumi smirked. These girls were much too gullible. She looked over at Nonoko. The midnight blue eyed girl shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She did not want to be involved in this sabotage they were planning. She liked the cheerful girl sitting on the other side of the cafeteria. But, she could never say it because Ayumi would feel betrayed.
"Now now ladies. Patience. A gift so extravagant shall not be ruined." A smirked followed.
"Ohhhhhh." The girls chorused.
Nonoko watched silently in concern. The atmosphere was sinister. She did not want to take part of this. She knew Ayumi would go all the way with the idea circling in her head. She wished she could be wrong and that the blonde was only joking, but she was not. Nonoko did not know what it was, but Ayumi had this hate towards Sana that she did not understand.
On the other side of the cafeteria, Sana sat with her friends, talking over random topics. Venting to Tsuyoshi helped relieved her tension, but it didn't erase the betrayal she felt in her heart from her best friend.
The day continued on and Sana steered clear of the prince of Jinbou high school along with the infamous Hayama. She wore a smile all day long and acted as if nothing had happened. She felt proud of herself though. She finally stood up to Ayumi and that felt exhilarating to her, considering that Ayumi always walked over Sana.
As the school day ended, the students slowly grew empty as students left for the day. The auburn haired girl resumed behind for her clean up duties, but inside, she was happy. She didn't want to face Naozumi just yet. She walked over to her locker and changed to her regular shoes.
"Kurata-san." Sana looked over her shoulder to see the beautiful but timid Nonoko Unemoia. She was slightly surprised to see her standing there because she was Ayumi's best friend. Then again, Sana had always known that Nonoko was nothing like the blonde haired girl.
"Oh hey there Nonoko! What's up!" she greeted with a smile. The girl with midnight blue hair smiled.
"I just finished my after school tutoring. Why are you still here?" she asked as she nervously clutched her book.
"Hehe I had after school cleaning duties."
Sana shut her locker shut and turned towards the shy teenager. She was very kind and thoughtful. She was considerate of others and loyal.
"Kurata-san." Nonoko pressed.
"Yes?" The auburn smiled.
"I'm sorry about Ayumi-san's behavior this morning. I know that you and Hayama-san are not involved but Ayumi-san sometimes believes rumor that are false. So I apologize for her since I know that she won't apologize." Nonoko was sincere and earnest with her apology. She did not believe that Sana deserved Ayumi's reaction from this morning.
Sana giggled slightly and unexpectedly hugged Nonoko; causing her to blush.
"Kurata-san?"
"You're so sweet Nonoko! You don't have to apologize for Ayumi! She's always been like that so why bother getting so upset over it you know!" Nonoko released a sigh that she had been holding.
"And thank you for not believing the rumors around school. That means so much to me." Nonoko looked up to the hazel eyed girl. She was smiling sincerely.
"Kurata-san…" The timid girl watched in awe. Sana never ceased to amaze her. She didn't care that Ayumi had caused such a ruckus and humiliated her. She played it off with a smile.
"Oh yeah! Did I give you an invitation to my party?" she asked as she quickly changed the topic. Nonoko shook her head.
"Ahhh! I'm sorry! But your absolutely invited!" she threw the blue haired girl an invitation.
"You better come!" Nonoko gazed at the invitation and smiled.
"I will." The auburn smiled.
"Great! Well I gotta run now! See yah later Nonoko-chan!" Sana then sped off and disappeared behind the doors of the school.
'Nonoko-chan?' She couldn't help but smile at the girl's cheery demeanor. She was so bubbly and lively that she felt so boring next to her.
'I want to go to that party. And I don't care what Ayumi-san has to say!'
The city was filled with bustling people and traffic. It was filled with Christmas spirit as decorations crowded the city. The city was a world of color. Lights hung from shops, stencil hang from the rails, reefs hung on doors, and to make the setting just perfect, soft snow escalated from the sky.
A lone figure walked the streets solemnly. Thoughts ravished in his head and he was grumpier than usual. Crowded places like this made his mood worsen with every breathing second. The Christmas spirit was defiantly not on his side.
"Damn." He muttered under his breath. He shoved his way through the endless crowd and searched or a possible escape route.
Luckily he did and walked on a lonesome path and the circled its way into a small park. For the first time in years, he felt sorry for what he had done to the auburn haired girl and for what he had said. If there was one thing he never felt, it was sympathy. He was a cold and heartless to a point. He only held a soft spot in his damaged heart for a number of people. But now, he felt a sudden tug at his heart for the pain he inflicted on her.
Her. The most annoying, intolerable, clumsy, idiotic girl he had ever met.
If there was anything he always had in life was regrets. He had plenty. He had always fell back on what ifs? He had reached a point in his life where he let bygones be bygones. He knew he couldn't change his past, so why bother worrying about the future. There was only one goal in his life. And until that goal was completed, everything else was cast aside.
Until he met her.
She changed him so much and she didn't even know it.
He built walls around his heart, around himself. And she was slowly breaking them. He didn't realize it until he noticed just how fond he grew of her. Until he realized how comfortable he was of her. Until he realized how social he was with her.
That's when he realized that he needed to break away from her and her friendship. He needed to build his walls once again. Not only was he from a different world, he was dangerous to be around. Oshido could find him at any moment and immediately she would be put in danger. Better yet, Oshido could have already found him and been spying on him, then kidnap her and use her against him. He shuttered.
For her safety and his stability, it was smarter to break whatever friendship they had and stay steer clear from each other.
He laughed at his stupidity. When did he become so vulnerable? He had always been stubborn and cold. Now he was weak and soft. What would his king say now? This wise wolf turned out to be a complete idiot.
Now question was why was he so vulnerable around her? That was easy. She reminded him of her. Everything she did was like her. They were so similar, it was frightening. And like he had promised himself before, he would protect her.
That's why he had decided on going to her social gathering. He knew that Hitorashi was planning to humiliate her and he would not stand for it. He would stop the blonde before she could achieve her goal.
He smirked at himself. What an idiot he has become. Once this was over, he would keep distance from her. He promised himself that. He would.
"Mama!" Hayama turned to see a young boy tugging on his mother's sleeve while she held onto bags of what he assumed was presents for the upcoming holiday.
"Yes honey?" she called out to him.
"I love you mama!" She gave him a tired smile and bent to give him a kiss on his forehead.
"Ewwie mommy!" he said as he wiped his forehead.
"Haha I love you too baby." She responded as she stroked his hair.
The young captain watched from afar the scene in front of him. It hit him with a sense of nostalgia. He missed home. For the first time in two months, he's realized that he missed his home and his life back in Alagasean. For a second, he wished that the missing princess could appear at this second.
He walked on ahead on the path lying before him. There was one path there for him; as if destiny had decided which road to take. But he wouldn't let destiny win. He was following his own road.
It was the last day of school before winter vacation and the school was bustling with activity. Everyone was talking about Sana's party the next day. The excitement was in the air and everyone couldn't wait till the day ended.
"Sana!" The auburn girl turned around at the call of her name.
"Oh hey Chiruko!" Chiruko was a petite girl, brown hair at shoulder length, and red eyes.
"I'm really excited for your Christmas party tomorrow!" she exclaimed with joy.
"That's great! I'm glad you're coming!" a smile played on her lips.
"Yo Kurata! You better have some good food at the party tomorrow!" A voice called out.
"We can't wait Sana!"
"Wow Kurata, seems like your awfully famous these days."
Chiruko and Sana turned to see the infamous Hitorashi Ayumi with the timid Nonoko Unemoia at her side. Nonoko cast a sorry smile while Ayumi smugly fixed her uniform. Chiruko slipped away, wanting to avoid any interaction with the notorious blonde.
"Hello Ayumi!" The cheery auburn greeted.
The infamous girl rolled her eyes. "Seems like all this school is talking is your party tomorrow."
"I guess so." The smile never disappeared off her face.
"I hope it won't be as bad as I predict. I hope you will have some decent form of entertainment and quality food." Sana was a little taken back of her nonchalant tone in this conversation.
"Well let's hope it meets your expectations haha." Ayumi smirked at the response.
"Trust me, they aren't very high." She then brushed past her and walked on ahead. Sana chuckled slightly. As expected of the great Ayumi.
The day went onward and Kamura Naozumi could swear that the gods were against him. Sana had succeeded in avoiding him completely this past day and a half. How did he know that? Because every time he had seen her, she slipped away from his grasp. He knew that he was a complete idiot to think that the rumors were true.
Currently, he was sitting in the head office of Toshio Records, one of the biggest labels in the acting world. He had left school early to have this important meeting with the head president Mr. Takumi Toshio. All his hard work and dedication had finally paid off because now his dream was sitting right in front of him.
As important as Sana was to him, he had to put her aside because now he had a meeting with his future that depicted his career as an actor. The door creaked open and the prince like boy turned his head to see the man himself. He was just like the magazines had depicted him: intimidating.
He was tall and lanky, with broad shoulders. He had hard, green eyes and silk, black hair. He wore a fresh, clean cut suit. Naozumi stood up and straightened out his clean, button up shirt that was neatly tucked in his black jeans.
"Good afternoon sir. It's a pleasure meeting you." Naozumi offered a respectful smile and extended his hand for a shake. With a curt nod, the president shook his hand and proceeded to sit down.
Naozumi sighed as he swallowed the knot in his throat. He was beginning to grow clammy and he bit his lip in anticipation as he sat down and the president opened his file.
"Kamura Naozumi. 16 years old. Blood type AB. Height: 5'7. Weight: 156. Relationship status: Single. Attends Jinbou High School. No previous arrest. Record is clean. Good grades and one of the top ten in his class. No athletic participation, but involvement in the Drama and Theater club. Has participated in outside organizations that involve putting together plays and such."
The prince like teenager gritted his teeth and fisted his hands as the president read out his information. His brain was racing and his breath was caught in his throat. He never knew that this moment would be so nerve racking.
"Oh?" Naozumi went wide eyed.
"Yes sir?"
"You're adopted?" he asked as he read through the purple haired boy's personal information. Naozumi let out a sigh of relief. He thought it was much worse than that.
"Yes sir. My birth parents left me at the door step of the Kamura's." He answered with ease. He was always good with interviews and such. He had a natural talent of talking in front of people and big crowds.
"And you currently reside with Shisou and Komoya Kamura?"
Naozumi gave a short nod.
"Interesting…" he said as he closed the blue eyed boy's profile.
"Tell me Mr. Kamura, is this going to be some kind of sob story?" the older man asked as his entwined his fingers together. Naozumi was thrown back. 'What?'
"Excuse me sir?"
"Are you going to use your adoption excuse as a possible advantage to be signed to my company? Because if you are, you can leave my office this instance." Naozumi was flabbergasted.
"Mr. Kamura, I own one, if not the biggest acting label in the nation. I don't sign boys with petty excuses. I sign serious, committed, natural born actors that will show the world their talent."
'Is this guy serious?'
Naozumi couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.
"One of my most talented agents had recommended you to me. Now, he is not easily persuaded by sob stories, but maybe your charm could have gotten to him."
He was lost for words. He didn't even know how to respond to him.
"Guessing by your reaction to all this, it seems like you did use it to your advantage. Well, it will not work here son. So you could gather your belongings and leave this office." Mr. Takumi Toshio then proceeded to return to his other work and threw his profile in the trash.
The blue haired boy felt anger rise from the pit of his stomach. What could he do now? The president basically shut him down without giving him a chance. He stood up and headed towards the door, not sparing the president a second glance.
"How bad do you want it?"
"What?" he asked.
"How bad do you want to be an actor?" she asked once again.
"Is that even a question? You know this is my life Sana." He answered.
"Then fight for it. If you want it so badly, you may even have to sweat blood and tears for it." She advised.
"You're right. Thanks Sana."
She smiled at him. "You're welcome Nao."
'How bad do you want it Naozumi?'
As he reached for the door knob, he stopped. Why should he let one snobby president stop him from pursuing his dream?
"You're wrong."
The president looked up from his work and gave Naozumi a curious glance.
"Excuse me?" He questioned as he sat back against his chair.
"You're wrong about me." He then turned around and faced the intimidating man sitting down. Naozumi stood tall, back straight, chin up and hands at each side.
"My background has no involvement in my acting career. Besides you Mr. Toshio, only 3 others know adoption. And none of those three are anyone involved in the acting world."
He furrowed his brows as Naozumi walked towards him.
"I act because I am a natural at it. I learned in the second grade that I have a talent of speaking in front of people and expressing myself freely without any type of embarrassment. I have been told I'm good at it, but honestly sir, I think I'm great at it." He could feel the adrenaline rush course through his veins. It felt exhilarating though.
"I started acting to prove myself. To prove that I don't need no athletic letter. To prove that I can succeed in the fine arts. To prove that I was better than most."
Takumi Toshio sat back as the prince like boy continued on with his speech. No emotion reflected on his face, but he was listening intently.
"I love acting Mr. Toshio. It allows me to be 5 different people at once. It allows me to e whoever I want to be. I can experience new roles, different personalities, and devote every bit of myself to acting. I have worked to the max to perfect my skills. So I don't appreciate you shooting down me and my dream without listening to me first."
Naozumi didn't realize how hard he was breathing and the sweat forming on the corners of his forehead. His heart was racing and he felt is world growing small.
"Why Toshio Records Mr. Kamura?"
"Because I want the best and only you can offer that Mr. Toshio." His answer was confident and assuring.
Takumi Toshio nodded his head as he pulled a sheet of paper from his drawer. He sat it on his desk and moved it towards the prince.
"You have charm Mr. Kamura. You have the looks and that movie star smile. You are confident and assertive."
Naozumi did his best to hide his smile after the compliments given to him. That boosted his confidence level to a new level and his heart swelled.
"But you are still naïve and you use too much emotion to get what you want." Naozumi could feel his heart being crushed.
"We will help you overcome that." His eye's went wide and his mouth almost dropped.
'What?'
"Welcome to Toshio Records Kamura Naozumi." He firmly stated as he stamped the paper. The blue haired boy could not hold in his excitement anymore. He gave a heart filled smile.
It was his time to shine.
*Vibrate*
Sana felt the vibration from her pocket as she carried the boxes of decoration to the living room. Ms. Shimura and she were currently setting the house up for the party that would be the talk of the school for weeks, maybe months to come.
She wiped the bit of sweat from her brow and placed the box next to the enormous Christmas tree. She grabbed the phone from her pocket.
From: Nao!:D
Sana I know you're mad at me and you have every right to be, but I have amazing news! Meet me out front right now.
At that moment, she didn't know what to do. Sure she was upset with him, but he had some important news. And he was her best friend.
She sighed and raced to the front door. What could be so important that he was coming now? She put on one of her loving smiles and opened the door.
"Sana!" Sana didn't even have the chance to say anything because Naozumi enveloped her in a hug. She couldn't move as Naozumi literally squeezed her to death.
"I'm sorry Sana. I know I shouldn't have believed those rumors and I know I didn't add to any relief, but I want you to know that I believe you and I trust you." He said as he looked at her in sincerity.
"Naozumi…"
"But Sana! I have amazing news! Toshio Records wants me! I have an official meeting to sign the official contract! TOSHIO RECORDS Sana! I cannot believe this!"
Sana's mouth dropped and a smile formed on her lips.
"Oh my god! Nao are you serious! That is amazing!" she yelled in happiness. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
"I'm so happy for you! You finally did it! Everything that you have ever worked for is finally working out for you!" She forgot completely about her anger towards Naozumi and was filled with happiness for him.
"I can't believe I did it Sana. I never thought there would be a day where I would finally achieve fame!" He pulled back and his eyes were filled with small tears.
Sana began to laugh at him. "I always knew you would you big baby!" She punched him softly and Naozumi began to laugh with Sana.
There laughter died down and they stood in silence.
"Do you forgive me Sana?" He asked silently.
She smiled and gave him a hug. Naozumi let out a huge sigh of relief as she hugged him once again. He could not be any happier right now.
"Of course I do!" she giggled. "I can't be mad at you forever. Especially since my party is tomorrow!"
He chuckled after her. "Friends?"
"Best friends!"
After hanging out for a while, Naozumi went home and Sana resumed the decoration process. She was going to have to be up extra early tomorrow so she could get this done. Maybe she could call her friends to help her? She couldn't help but feel excited. This party was going to be so much fun she could feel it.
If only tomorrow could come sooner.
A/N: Done with 22 pages! This chapter was only supposed to be 14-15 pages long but I figured that since I made you wait almost a year till an update, you deserved more. This chapter is kind of a filler chapter. I know I said that this chapter was going to be the Christmas party but I had to change it to keep the flow going.
So I made some changes involving this story and the way this story's going to go. There was supposed to be 3 arcs. I decided that instead of this being a 60-70 chaptered story, I would split the story into 3 'books'. So this arc is now Book 1: A New World. Also, I changed the outline of this story, which is why the Christmas Party was moved back.
Okay, I know that this chapter has a lot of drama in it and a lot of you may be thinking that 'We don't want to see this; we want to see Akito and Sana and more on the royal knight stuff.' But I have to remind you that I like to develop my characters and Ayumi plays an important role in this book. I know Sana hasn't really been focusing on the music thing, but the next few chapters will be focusing immensely on her singing career. This book is focused on SANA'S HIGH SCHOOL LIFE; which involves drama, jealousy, stress, and so much more. The turn of events will come in the last few chapters of this book; actually it should start in 3-4 chapters.
I did some insight on Akito. I hope it wasn't too out there. It was hard writing on his thoughts without revealing too much of his past. His past is to remain a mystery… for now;) But, now you know Naozumi's past. I didn't get to into it, but his past is revealing. Actually now that were getting to the middle of the book, a lot of things will be revealed so look forward to that!
And don't worry; this next chapter will be out in the next two weeks because I already started writing it. I'm about a quarter ways done. Next chapter is going to be probably the best one yet. Well the next two because the Christmas party chapter is going to be broken into 2 chapters. So expect some good things to happen.
So after a VERY long author's note, I will close with a reminder to REVIEW and let me know what you think. You guys have been great about reviewing and letting me know your thoughts. So I hope you enjoyed the chapter and stick around for the next. Here's a small preview into what's coming next!
Next Time on Two Worlds Collide:
The Christmas party has begun! Everyone from school has arrived and the party is in full swing! It turned out to be the party Sana had hoped it would be. Even Ayumi Hitorashi seems to be enjoying herself! But things don't always go as they plan and it's up to a certain knight to fix it.
Book 1: A New World: Chapter 13: Christmas Party Part 1