RAIN
by: LegnaThgin
Chapter2 #Chance#
"Hey, Chris, you go on ahead to the quad." Keira said as the two friends walked down the stairs that dismissal.
"Okay, so where will you be?" the blue-eyed girl probed teasingly, hugging her folder to her chest.
"Baka." her taller friend chided. "I have to go to the library to check out this new fiction book and xerox this investigatory report for our oral examination next Friday." she gave her a mild quelling look. "What are you implying, hm?"
She looked at her with what she hoped was her most innocent expression. "What? I wasn't implying a~nything!" she grinned as Keira rolled her eyes in incredulity.
"Whatever, you little imp. Right, I'll join you later. Wait for me, jya." she called out as she started to head for the library.
Christine burst out laughing, and turned around make her way outside, through the big glass doors. Smiling to herself she stepped out to an afternoon of sunshine and nary a few clouds in the sky. It was a perfect day.
'Hm, I never dreamed that Mondays can be so likeable after all.' she thought happily to herself. Like any other student, she also suffered from the so-called Monday-blues, but today was an exception.
There was no volleyball practice that day, as they only had them TThF, and she wanted to enjoy her free afternoons as much as she can. She headed towards the quad, passing several trees, sunshine streaming out in between the branches and leaves. She stopped beside an unoccupied table, dropped her books and bag on top of it and sat down on its adjoining bench.
She grinned to herself, thinking about how nice it was to have come from such a prestigious junior high school as Sacred Heart. Their lessons had been a whole year level in advance, which gave her a huge advantage concerning her current lessons. It had already been a routine for her and for Keira to do their homework during the class itself, thereby granting them the freedom to do whatever they wished on their free time, unlike the other students.
She stretched languorously, while simultaneously taking a look around. The usual crowd was already about. A couple she had seen once or twice in the cafeteria were walking hand in hand through the sakura trees, a few juniors were hanging out at one table, a few fellow freshmen in a huddle, probably doing their Algebra homework, and the rest milling about lazily.
Christine bent down to rummage in her bag for the book she had borrowed from her friend Gavin, called the AFTERLIFE. "Aha," she said in triumph when she found it. It was a fascinating book on the latest scientific evidence pertaining to the paranormal and the supernatural. She opened it to her bookmarked page and began to read, changing her position so that she was leaning against the table's edge with one leg brought up and the other left swinging.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The basketball team had decided to practice outside for a change, and they were using the outside court as of the moment. Sakuragi was being his usual spunky self, and yelling at his teammates to pass him the ball so that he may dunk.
"C'mon, Ryo-chin! Pass! Pass!" he shouted, motioning to Miyagi Ryota, a junior a year older than him but who came up to only his shoulders.
"You're bossing me now, eh, Sakuragi?" he teased, dribbling the ball while at the same time thwarting the opposing team's efforts to steal it from him.
"Ryo~chin!! PASS!!" the much-taller redhead screamed in desperation.
Kogore, on the other team shook his head at the exchange of words between Miyagi and Sakuragi. To think these two were at each other's throats when they first met and now...
"Sakuragi-kun! Go for it!" a high-pitched voice cheered. It was Haruko Akagi, the captain's younger sister.
Hanamichi's face swivelled towards her at the sound of her voice. "Haruko-chan!"
"Sakuragi!" Ryota called out, passing the ball to him.
Turning around, he was barely able to say anything but "-Eh?" when the basketball hit his face. It bounced and rolled between two trees, away from the court.
"Ow~!" he said falteringly, before slumping to the ground.
Haruko rushed up to him, "Are you all right, Hana-kun?" followed by a sputtering mad Miyagi, yelling, "I thought you said I should pass it to you? What were you thinking facing the other direction? Baka yarou!!!"
Kogore went over to them, "Now, now, it was just an accident. Sakuragi-kun will surely survive a small scratch such as this. Settle down, now," he placated Ryota.
"Baka!" was the first thing Akagi said when he came up to inspect the commotion. To Kogore, he snapped, "Find somebody to retrieve that ball."
"It's okay. I'll do it myself. You just handle things here." he smiled, used to Akagi's short temper. They have but been friends since their freshman days. Then he ran off to the direction where the basketball rolling to.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was a while later when her reading was interrupted by something that nudged her. Glancing up, she saw an orange ball that had coasted itself to a stop beside her foot.
A confused frown furrowed her delicate brow as she bent to pick it up from the ground. Looking around, she saw a familiar form jogging towards her.
"Hey, Chris." an out of breath Kogure stopped in front of her. "You found our ball."
With a smile, she handed it to him. "No," she corrected. "It found me."
"I'm sorry, but the game went out of hand. It bounced off Sakuragi's head to roll where it is now." he gave her a lopsided grin. "Lucky it was you it found." he teased.
She blinked and stared. Even though he was obviously panting, her addled mind still saw him as... good-looking. She noted the slight flush in his cheeks, and blushed. 'My god, what's happening to me?' She forced herself to say a noncommital, "No problem."
He tossed the ball back and forth with his hands. "So... we meet again. I wasn't expecting it to be so soon."
"Well, we don't have practice today. I decided to... you know, enjoy the outside and read."
"Read?" he asked, curious.
She showed him the cover of the book. "The 'Afterlife'. On the paranormal."
"Oh, I've read that. It's a good book." he told her. "Well, I've... got to get back. I have the ball." he raised it slightly as if to emphasize his point.
"I can see that," she replied, though already feeling a bit awkward.
"Maybe I'll... see you around some time? Maybe I can invite you to watch some of our games." he continued almost shyly.
"I'll be glad to."
"Great! I'll just tell you when. Jya." he waved as he sprinted back to the basketball court.
"Ciao."
'Ohmigodohmigodohmigod.' her mind was saying over and over again. She clutched a hand to her chest. Her heart was beating erratically. "What's wrong with me?" she groaned to herself. 'Why is his presence starting to affect me-?'
"Hey Chris! Oi, who was THAT?!"
Startled, she turned around to face Keira, a hand on her hip and a smirk on her face.
"W-who?" she stammered.
Her friend cocked herb head and raised her eyebrow, her long black ponytail swishing with the movement. "Don't play dumb with me, now. I saw him."
"That was Kogore." she answered. Her heart was slowing down to its normal pace.
"Oh?" Kei pressed, smirking. "And?"
"He's... a friend."
"I see." THe taller Keira sat down beside her. She knew that Christine won't say anything else. "So what have you been doing?"
"Reading." she flicked a blue-eyed gaze towards the basketball court, a slight blush remaining from her previous encounter.
The black haired girl said nothing. She followed her friend's gaze.
Then she understood.
tbc......
~*~*~*~*~*~
Note: Comments? Suggestions? Email me at LegnaThgin@hotmail.com =)
by: LegnaThgin
Chapter2 #Chance#
"Hey, Chris, you go on ahead to the quad." Keira said as the two friends walked down the stairs that dismissal.
"Okay, so where will you be?" the blue-eyed girl probed teasingly, hugging her folder to her chest.
"Baka." her taller friend chided. "I have to go to the library to check out this new fiction book and xerox this investigatory report for our oral examination next Friday." she gave her a mild quelling look. "What are you implying, hm?"
She looked at her with what she hoped was her most innocent expression. "What? I wasn't implying a~nything!" she grinned as Keira rolled her eyes in incredulity.
"Whatever, you little imp. Right, I'll join you later. Wait for me, jya." she called out as she started to head for the library.
Christine burst out laughing, and turned around make her way outside, through the big glass doors. Smiling to herself she stepped out to an afternoon of sunshine and nary a few clouds in the sky. It was a perfect day.
'Hm, I never dreamed that Mondays can be so likeable after all.' she thought happily to herself. Like any other student, she also suffered from the so-called Monday-blues, but today was an exception.
There was no volleyball practice that day, as they only had them TThF, and she wanted to enjoy her free afternoons as much as she can. She headed towards the quad, passing several trees, sunshine streaming out in between the branches and leaves. She stopped beside an unoccupied table, dropped her books and bag on top of it and sat down on its adjoining bench.
She grinned to herself, thinking about how nice it was to have come from such a prestigious junior high school as Sacred Heart. Their lessons had been a whole year level in advance, which gave her a huge advantage concerning her current lessons. It had already been a routine for her and for Keira to do their homework during the class itself, thereby granting them the freedom to do whatever they wished on their free time, unlike the other students.
She stretched languorously, while simultaneously taking a look around. The usual crowd was already about. A couple she had seen once or twice in the cafeteria were walking hand in hand through the sakura trees, a few juniors were hanging out at one table, a few fellow freshmen in a huddle, probably doing their Algebra homework, and the rest milling about lazily.
Christine bent down to rummage in her bag for the book she had borrowed from her friend Gavin, called the AFTERLIFE. "Aha," she said in triumph when she found it. It was a fascinating book on the latest scientific evidence pertaining to the paranormal and the supernatural. She opened it to her bookmarked page and began to read, changing her position so that she was leaning against the table's edge with one leg brought up and the other left swinging.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The basketball team had decided to practice outside for a change, and they were using the outside court as of the moment. Sakuragi was being his usual spunky self, and yelling at his teammates to pass him the ball so that he may dunk.
"C'mon, Ryo-chin! Pass! Pass!" he shouted, motioning to Miyagi Ryota, a junior a year older than him but who came up to only his shoulders.
"You're bossing me now, eh, Sakuragi?" he teased, dribbling the ball while at the same time thwarting the opposing team's efforts to steal it from him.
"Ryo~chin!! PASS!!" the much-taller redhead screamed in desperation.
Kogore, on the other team shook his head at the exchange of words between Miyagi and Sakuragi. To think these two were at each other's throats when they first met and now...
"Sakuragi-kun! Go for it!" a high-pitched voice cheered. It was Haruko Akagi, the captain's younger sister.
Hanamichi's face swivelled towards her at the sound of her voice. "Haruko-chan!"
"Sakuragi!" Ryota called out, passing the ball to him.
Turning around, he was barely able to say anything but "-Eh?" when the basketball hit his face. It bounced and rolled between two trees, away from the court.
"Ow~!" he said falteringly, before slumping to the ground.
Haruko rushed up to him, "Are you all right, Hana-kun?" followed by a sputtering mad Miyagi, yelling, "I thought you said I should pass it to you? What were you thinking facing the other direction? Baka yarou!!!"
Kogore went over to them, "Now, now, it was just an accident. Sakuragi-kun will surely survive a small scratch such as this. Settle down, now," he placated Ryota.
"Baka!" was the first thing Akagi said when he came up to inspect the commotion. To Kogore, he snapped, "Find somebody to retrieve that ball."
"It's okay. I'll do it myself. You just handle things here." he smiled, used to Akagi's short temper. They have but been friends since their freshman days. Then he ran off to the direction where the basketball rolling to.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was a while later when her reading was interrupted by something that nudged her. Glancing up, she saw an orange ball that had coasted itself to a stop beside her foot.
A confused frown furrowed her delicate brow as she bent to pick it up from the ground. Looking around, she saw a familiar form jogging towards her.
"Hey, Chris." an out of breath Kogure stopped in front of her. "You found our ball."
With a smile, she handed it to him. "No," she corrected. "It found me."
"I'm sorry, but the game went out of hand. It bounced off Sakuragi's head to roll where it is now." he gave her a lopsided grin. "Lucky it was you it found." he teased.
She blinked and stared. Even though he was obviously panting, her addled mind still saw him as... good-looking. She noted the slight flush in his cheeks, and blushed. 'My god, what's happening to me?' She forced herself to say a noncommital, "No problem."
He tossed the ball back and forth with his hands. "So... we meet again. I wasn't expecting it to be so soon."
"Well, we don't have practice today. I decided to... you know, enjoy the outside and read."
"Read?" he asked, curious.
She showed him the cover of the book. "The 'Afterlife'. On the paranormal."
"Oh, I've read that. It's a good book." he told her. "Well, I've... got to get back. I have the ball." he raised it slightly as if to emphasize his point.
"I can see that," she replied, though already feeling a bit awkward.
"Maybe I'll... see you around some time? Maybe I can invite you to watch some of our games." he continued almost shyly.
"I'll be glad to."
"Great! I'll just tell you when. Jya." he waved as he sprinted back to the basketball court.
"Ciao."
'Ohmigodohmigodohmigod.' her mind was saying over and over again. She clutched a hand to her chest. Her heart was beating erratically. "What's wrong with me?" she groaned to herself. 'Why is his presence starting to affect me-?'
"Hey Chris! Oi, who was THAT?!"
Startled, she turned around to face Keira, a hand on her hip and a smirk on her face.
"W-who?" she stammered.
Her friend cocked herb head and raised her eyebrow, her long black ponytail swishing with the movement. "Don't play dumb with me, now. I saw him."
"That was Kogore." she answered. Her heart was slowing down to its normal pace.
"Oh?" Kei pressed, smirking. "And?"
"He's... a friend."
"I see." THe taller Keira sat down beside her. She knew that Christine won't say anything else. "So what have you been doing?"
"Reading." she flicked a blue-eyed gaze towards the basketball court, a slight blush remaining from her previous encounter.
The black haired girl said nothing. She followed her friend's gaze.
Then she understood.
tbc......
~*~*~*~*~*~
Note: Comments? Suggestions? Email me at LegnaThgin@hotmail.com =)