Tokiya
Every day it had always been the same conversation. Why did we always have to pretend? I was sick and darn right tired of pretending. It was hard not to crack a tiny grin around her since she was always grinning. Plus, I hated having to be rude to her all the time.
"Alright, Freezer Boy, I sure hope your notes are jam-packed today, 'cause I sure am ready for some full-speed copying!" she beamed. "Oh, and yeah, did I mention that my fingers are really fatigued over playing video games last night that I can't write a single letter today?" she punched me lightly on the shoulder.
Did I mention that I was also darn right tired of her trying her best to look like she's annoying me?
I tried to give her my nastiest glare out of the corner of my eye, but somehow, it didn't turn out as nasty as I thought.
She grinned widely. "Yatta! I knew you'd help me out, Freezer Boy!!!" she squealed, placing her hands behind her head again.
And did I also mention that I hated the nickname 'Freezer Boy'? I had thought that once we had gotten together, the stupid pseudonym would disappear. I hadn't thought that we'd need to pretend to be enemies whenever we were at school.
And you've got no idea how hard it was to pretend to completely hate her when all I could feel for her was the exact opposite of it.
I frowned.
"I know it's hard, Mi-chan, but we have to do this. You've got to understand that this is necessary if we want to keep our relationship a secret," she whispered, giving me her sweetest smile.
I sighed and edged away.
Thank goodness, the ice was broken.
No sooner did Hanabishi's loud and irritating voice echo through the whole campus, calling out my name for another round of his senseless senselessness.
I sighed in exasperation as I sensed him coming near, expecting his traditional, annoyingly huge slap on my back, trying to shake my soul out of me, and his traditional 'what's-up-Freezer Boy' with a big and absurd grin on his clueless face. I was prepared for the worst.
But surprisingly, all I got was, "Oi, Mikagami!"
I stopped dead in my tracks, turning around to face him. I paused and gave him my iciest stare, demanding an explanation. But he just stood there, grinning like an idiot. It was then that I realized: Yanagi-san was behind him. No wonder the huge hunk of a pest-vermin was actually behaving rationally today. I smirked at him. "How pathetic, Hanabishi. Do you actually think that Yanagi-san doesn't know your true attitude?"
"Well," he took Yanagi's hand, wiggling his brows at me. "I know I wouldn't act like a jerk if my koishi was standing right next to me," he smiled slyly, jerking his head towards Fuuko, who was just watching the conversation beside me.
I rolled my eyes, suddenly remembering that Recca knew about Fuuko and me.
Just my luck.
I cleared my throat, sneaking a glance at Fuuko. She was grinning, too, as usual. She put her hands to her hips and sneered challengingly at him. "You know, Hanabishi, your sense of humor is so sickeningly funny," she said sarcastically, shrugging. "You know, I think you're just trying to change the subject," she tilted her head, faking a pitiful look on her face. "Tsk tsk, reversing the topic to the one who started the conversation is really very womanly for a womanly bickering," she shook her head at him. "But then again, I guess it fits a very womanly guy like you," she finished.
"What was that???" Recca's eyes widened. "Who're you calling a woman?!?"
Fuuko burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" she said between gasps. "You're so sensitive sometimes, you know that?"
Yanagi-san was smiling as well. "You know, Fuuko-chan," she turned to her then back at me, "Mikagami-san, you both make a really cute pair. Maybe you both should go out together a little more," she commented. "Unless you're planning to keep your relationship 'just-between-the-four-of-us."
Fuuko blinked. "Well---"
"It's a good thing Domon is in another university. If he was here with us, he'd practically die if he saw you two," Hanabishi remarked.
"Hn, I guess his brains got too small that he didn't get accepted here," I smirked.
"Aw, c'mon, Mi-chan, don't be so harsh on him, alright?" she grinned at me. I sighed and began to smile back.
"Oh, drat, I should have brought my camera," Recca said. "This is the Kodak moment of the millennium! Man, Tokiya, you actually smiled!"
I narrowed my eyes at him, swearing that if it was possible, I could've melted him on the spot.
But something else caught my eye.
A red-haired girl was observing our little crowd of four, leaning against a tree and twirling the pendant on her necklace.
I also noticed that the very same girl was the one who'd been watching us for the past few days.
I kept my gaze on her at the corner of my eye. What was her problem? What did she want, anyway? Why was she---
"Mi-chan? Is there anything wrong…?" Fuuko's voice broke through my thoughts. I shook my head and looked back at her. "Nothing," I replied simply. She looked at me worriedly, and then turned to the direction I was looking at. She cocked her brow, confused.
"Who was that girl?" she pointed to the lady, who had turned around and sped into the university building, her long hair bouncing off her shoulders.
"That's what I want to know," I muttered, shoving my hands deeper into my pockets.
"Oh, that?" Recca jerked his thumb at the girl. "That's Hinageshi Akira, class top scorer," he grinned. "She's a beauty, isn't she?" he beamed, until Yanagi started to turn red. "Ah…I mean…she's a beauty to some guys, but not to me!!!" he pleaded, trying to avoid another step-on-your-foot-and-scream-like-Godzilla incident that happened back in the tournament.
Fuuko shook her head. "Recca no baka…"
I frowned in suspicion, still staring at the direction Akira disappeared to. Somehow…she didn't seem like just the class top scorer to me…
Fuuko
I jabbed my finger at my cheek, my forehead creasing in confusion at all the notes listed on the notebook in my hand. I narrowed my eyes at my illegible handwriting, completely forgetting that I was reading while walking down the hallway. Which, in other words, was The Chamber of Hazardous Doom. Reading a book down the hall would be the perfect key for someone who was longing to undergo a tragic fate.
And as if right on cue, someone bumped right into me, scaring the living daylights out of my soul and causing my inside stars to shoot right up to heaven.
I scowled as I stumbled down the ground, my notebook flying out of my hand. "Darn it, hey, why don't you watch--" I was cut short as soon as I saw whom I bumped into.
"Oh my gosh, I am so, so sorry, are you alright, darling?" she batted her incredibly long lashes and extended her long, slender fingers at me, helping me up.
"Um…" I dusted off my denim shorts and lifted my eyebrow at her, eyeing her from head to foot and back. She was wearing a really, really huge, long-sleeved and almost see-through polo that reached down somewhere near her knees, and inside, she wore black shorts and a black, sleeve-less midriff blouse (which made her look like she was on her way to gym or the beach or something, considering it was fit), making the huge pendant on her necklace, her long dangling earrings, and her incredibly showy, hundred-layer-chain-bracelet (Or so it looked that way to me; it must be a hundred or so since it reached up to her elbow--boy was she weird...and suspicious, too--) really evident. And…
And…
That was it…?
That was all she wore? I shuddered at the thought of anyone ever being too showy, exposing that much skin. Repulsive. So much for class top scorer; she sure looked like one of those completely annoying hey-guys-look-I'm-sexy lifeguard babes in Baywatch, if you asked me.
You know, those flashy, gaudy, glitzy, jazzy, brassy, ritzy, swanky (oh what the heck), and totally obnoxious model wannabes.
Since she was still looking at me "worriedly", I realized that I still hadn't answered her question.
"Oh, yeah…yeah, I'm alright, yup, no problem here," I said, picking up my notebook.
"Oh, thank goodness, dear," she flipped her long, crimson hair behind her shoulders and eyed me. "You're Kirisawa Fuuko-san, are you not, darling?" she asked in her little accent.
"Uh huh," Dah-ling, I imitated inwardly. Where the heck did she pick up that stupid intonation? Hel-lo! Weirdo alert! I cleared my throat. "Akira, right?"
A tight smile spread over her thin, lipstick-invaded lips. "Ah, yes, right."
I gave a small, reluctant nod. "Naruhodo. Hajime mashite," I blurted out involuntarily. Sometimes, I'm just way too nice for my own good.
But she didn't even return the greeting. Hey, what did I expect from her, anyway?
"Err…Fuuko dear, do you happen to know this tall, cute, and handsome guy in the classroom down the hall? He's got, like, the most amazing blue eyes and this really long, silvery hair? Plus he wears this totally cool silver chain necklace all the time?" she looked at me expectantly.
"…" Of course I knew whom that tall, kawaii guy with perfect blue eyes and silver hair is. And of course I knew that guy in the classroom down the hall. In fact, I was heading there right now. No one else but my koibito. I just didn't feel like telling Akira anything about him.
Because by the way she'd used such words to describe him, it sure seemed like…well…like…
I gulped. It sure seemed like she was interested in him. Romantically. I mean, sure, who'd be the insane girl who wouldn't be, ne? With his tantalizing eyes and his adorable face…But this…this was different. It seemed like Akira was really, really interested in him. And well…
I didn't want anyone to take him away from me. Sure, talk about totally selfish but…that was just the way it was.
"Well? Do you happen to know him?" Akira pressed on.
I sighed. All right, fine. Besides, she'd seen me with him a couple of times before, so she must not be dense enough to be fooled if I told her I didn't know him.
I shrugged. "Yeah, yeah I do. Mikagami Tokiya is his name. What do you want from him?" It sorta came out sounding like a challenge although I didn't mean it to. But hey, what could I say? I didn't want anyone getting anywhere near my Mi-chan.
"Oh," she cooed, her eyelids half-closed and a sly smile on her face. "So desu ka?" she continued, not waiting for an answer. "Well, Fuuko, darling, thanks a lot," and she spun around, clutching her pendant again, and began to walk away.
Without answering my question yet. I couldn't live with that.
"Akira, chotto matte!" I called. She turned her head a little sideways.
"What is it that you want with him?" I persisted.
She gave a slight, mischievous and annoying titter. "Oh, is that it?" She flipped her hair dramatically again. "It's nothing that may interfere with your affair, darling," she turned completely to face me. "I wouldn't want to get in your way, would I?" And with another giggle, she turned and left, leaving my mouth hanging open.
Get in my way? Our affair??? How in the world did she know that???
Tokiya
I slowly withdrew the Ensui from the university pond, staring at my reflection in the water that had hardened on it. All I saw was a tiny little bastard who didn't deserve anyone in this world.
Slowly, I slid my thumb on the blade, letting the oozing blood cover my reflection, not knowing exactly why I was doing it. I kept sliding my thumb until an extremely big cut was on it.
Oddly enough, I couldn't feel any pain at all.
All of a sudden someone cleared her throat behind me.
I almost jumped up in surprise. I realized I had been in some sort of a trance, and immediately, I let the water dissolve and tucked the Ensui in my pocket, turning around to glare at whomever it was who witnessed my insanity. But my eyes widened as I saw who it was, and I abruptly turned my head back away from her. She was the last person I had wanted to see right now.
"Ah, I've heard that you are Mikagami Tokiya?" she said.
"Whatever," I muttered.
"Is it alright if I called you Tokiya?" she went on.
"No," I snapped.
She chuckled and sat down beside me on the bench beside the pond. My blood boiled at her persistence.
Darn this woman...
"Why were you torturing your finger too much, dear? It never did anything wrong, you know," she continued, and I noticed that she had a foreign accent.
"…"
"We oughta get that checked; you could get an infection."
"…"
"I see you're not much into talking, huh? That's what I've heard too--"
"What do you want from me, Hinageshi?!? Because if you've got nothing better to tell me, then I suggest that you leave right now," I snapped, narrowing my eyes at her.
She just gave me a sly smile as her pendant sparkled, sending a strange feeling within me. I blinked, my eyesight suddenly getting blurred. And then…
There was a flash of blinding light…as I remembered men barging into the house…and I could hear oneechan's pleas…calling out my name…telling me to run…until her last breath…and blood sputtering all over the place…her blood…as I had stood there helplessly…watching her die right before my eyes---
Until another flash of light found me shaking my head as I rubbed my temples, keeping my eyes shut close.
"Are you alright, Tokiya?"
I opened my eyes, still shaking my head a bit. I blinked a couple of times and stood up, looking back at Akira. All of a sudden, her crimson hair started to take on a light shade of brown…
I shook my head again, walking off. "Forget it, " I told her.
Crap, what is happening to me? I mused, staring hard at the path I was walking on.
I had thought that I had tucked away remnants of the past and had completely forgotten about that horrible nightmare.
But now, it seemed like my past was catching up with me one more time…