A/N: sorry I haven't updated in a while... I was in florida for 2 weeks ^_^
so yeah hopefullie I'll be able to write the characters the same as I did
before ^^; I hate taking breaks from writing cuz.. heh heh I'm rambling
aren't I? Okay I'll shut up now ^_^ But yeah this chapter is gonna be more
comedic and light hearted seeing as the last was really dark
Chapter 7
Stray articles of clothing were being thrown through the air carelessly as a voice muttered incoherent curses through a closet door. Evoku was kneeled in front of the trunk that was inside her closet as she searched for the right thing to wear.
"No. no. no!" she shouted as all she could find were the long uniform skirts she was used to wearing. Ever since the day before when she had had her encounter with Kyou, she couldn't help but think of what he had said to her.
"Don't come to school tomorrow dressed like you usually are." he said. She was about to open her mouth to ask him what he meant when he interrupted her. "You look better like this," he uncharacteristically gave her a small smile and turned back around and headed home. Evoku felt the heat rushing to her cheeks and realized she was blushing from his compliment.
Just thinking about his smile made her blush again. She suddenly shook her head and continued to search through her trunk of clothes. "Snap out of it! You've finally found a friend, do NOT mess this up!" she muttered to herself. "Yes!" she cried triumphantly as she found the short skirt that most of the girls wore. She frowned as she examined herself in the mirror. Personally she thought it exposed too much of her legs and was way too revealing.
She sighed as she again thought about Kyou's advice. She couldn't exactly ignore what he said, he was the first person in her entire life, other than her Ojiisan, to not turn away and judge her immediately. All because of that damned curse.
She glanced at her mud-clad sweatshirt that was on her bed. After a slight hesitation she reached for it and threw it in the trash.
I never want to see that ugly thing ever again. She thought bitterly and turned back to the mirror. She was wearing the typical, blue uniform and wore her knee high army boots that she would remove once she got to her shoebox at school. She'd pulled strands of hair from the sides back and clipped them, flipping up, with a simple black clamp.
She sighed as she opened the legs of her glasses and set them on her face. "Here we go."
//*\\
Students, male and female, turned their heads and stared at Hikari Evoku as she made her way into the school. Several of them either made catcalls, whistled or made comments.
"She's trying too hard."
"Look who's trying to fit in!"
"Note, she said 'trying',"
"Nice legs!"
Evoku could feel her face flushed at all the sudden attention she was receiving. Whether it was good or bad, it was certainly too much for her to handle. "This was such a huge mistake." she breathed into her books that she was holding up to her face as she clutched them, her hands shaking. Just as she turned around to flee from the school, she nearly crashed into someone had they not caught her shoulders with their hands. She glanced up to see a male with gorgeous gray hair and violet eyes.
"S-Souma-kun." she whispered.
"Are you alright?" he chuckled lightly. He noted the panicked look she had plastered on her face and immediately assumed that it was because of her sudden change in appearance.
"I. I." she stammered.
"You look great," he interrupted. He thought she could use a boost of self- confidence,
"Your hair looks really nice."
Evoku stared at him for a few moments; the red of embarrassment from her face disappeared and was replaced with a slight blush across her cheeks. "Eto. Arigatou. gozaimasu." she said slowly.
"I'll see you in class," he smiled and walked past her. She shook her head and walked to her locker to switch her books. Just as she pulled out the books she needed, the door to her locker slammed shut with force. Luckily she was able to dodge quickly, but her long hair got caught in the door.
She let out a small cry and winced as she grasped her hair to stop the pain in case it was pulled. She glanced up to see the blonde, pig-tailed girl and her two goonies. Now what did I do? She thought as she waited for them to verbally attack her.
"Just what were you and Yuki-kun talking about?!" the redhead demanded.
"It was nothing. he was just complimenting me," she said exasperatedly as she reached to open the locker to remove her hair from inside. Luckily she hadn't put the lock on yet and it was still inside as well. By this time several students had accumulated around them and began to watch.
Just as she opened the locker and began to slide her hair out, the girls slammed it shut again on her long blue strands causing her to cry out again. She managed to open an eye and glance up at them to see that their faces were filled with disbelief and jealousy.
"You're lying!" they said in unison.
"Iie! I swear!" Evoku attempted to reason with them.
"Why would Yuki-kun want to compliment you?!" the blonde shouted. "You're nothing special!" All three girls stood back and laughed at her as she held tightly onto her hair.
"So you girls like to pick on others?" a stray voice made its way through the crowd. The girls immediately stopped and turned back to see who the person was. A tall male walked forward as the crowd moved back out of his way.
"Stay out of this you white-haired freak!" the redhead pointed at him.
"You're all so judgmental. how about you come a little closer and insult me," he crossed his arms. When they didn't budge he chuckled under his breath, "what's the matter? Afraid I might get a little too rough for you? Come on. I dare you!"
"You're lucky you're Yuki-kun's dear cousin!" the blonde made up an excuse as sweat visibly rolled down her cheek.
"You girls talk too much." he clicked his tongue.
"This isn't over, Souma!" they yelled and quickly retreated. He quickly glanced around at the spectators and glared at them.
"Stand around any longer and you'll get a personal beating," he threatened quietly. They all immediately dashed towards their classes.
Evoku gazed up at the tall, white-haired male as he slowly approached her. She suddenly felt a pang of panic explode within her. She was tempted to run away right then had it not been for her hair being stuck in the locker. She closed her eyes tightly as he took his last steps towards her and lifted his hand.
She suddenly felt the pressure on her scalp disappear and she opened her eyes to see that he had opened the locker and now stood in front of her, holding strands of her hair in his hand. She looked up at him in shock, somehow now his eyes seemed to have softened. No way. I've just been literally saved by the second Souma this week. huh. and both had something to do with Souma Yuki. she thought.
"Are you alright?" he asked, breaking her from her thoughts.
"Eh?" she blinked and looked down at his hand, which still held her hair. "Oh. arigatou gozaimasu." she said as she slid her hair back down and combed it through with her fingers. He seems so different now. he was acting so cruel just a few moments ago.
"It's alright. if they ever give you any more trouble. let me know," he said and began to walk away.
"Matte!" she called after him. He stopped and turned around to face her. "What's your name?"
He gave her a small smile, "Hatsuharu." He turned back around and walked off.
"Hatsuharu." she whispered, ". arigatou."
//*\\
Honda Tohru sat at her desk next to Hikari Evoku, both girls diligently writing notes about whatever the teacher was lecturing about today. Tohru rested her hand, which was beginning to cramp, when the teacher decided to take a breather. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed that Kyou still hadn't come into class.
She sighed and allowed her thoughts to wander. She was worried about him, more than usual. When he had come home the day before he seemed different somehow. Almost as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders only to have another slam back down.
She understood that the current weather was making him excessively lethargic, but this was worse. He'd come home in shambles, almost as if he had recently gotten into a battle. But she couldn't think of whom he might have fought with. She was tending to Yuki who had nearly suffered from a cold when he'd forgotten his jacket at home.
Tohru was suddenly snapped from her thoughts when Evoku's hand shot up into the air and asked for permission to go to the restroom. It was when she had gotten up and began walking towards the door that she had finally noticed her new appearance.
She looks like she's been through a horrible roller coaster a million times, Tohru thought worriedly, I hope she's okay. maybe I should talk with her later.
//*\\ Evoku sighed with relief as she shut the door to the classroom meticulously. She walked into the farthest restroom she could find, wanting to be as far away from her classroom as possible. She was not in the mood to sit still where everyone could watch her. If that meant she had to miss a few lessons that was all right. She was positive that someone would lend her the notes she'd missed.
She walked into the washroom and turned on the faucet, splashing her face with cool, crisp water. She looked up into the mirror and sighed again.
"Why can't I concentrate today." she hung her head and began to walk out of the washroom. It's all because of. "Kyou." she whispered his name as she saw him standing with his back to her in the hallway ahead of her.
After a small pause of hesitation, she started to walk towards him. She was about to call out his name again when she realized there was a girl standing in front of him. She slowed her stride and soon came to a complete halt, not ten feet away from them.
"Demo. Ky-" she started, a look of dread on her face.
"You just don't understand do you? Why would I wa-" he began, obviously becoming irritable with the girl.
"Iie! I don't want to hear it!" she unexpectedly lunged forward.
*pyon!*
Evoku's eyes widened in shock as she witnessed Kyou transform into 'the cute little kitty,' she sarcastically dubbed. Luckily, the other girl still had her eyes closed and hadn't seen him yet. It was only thanks to her trained eye that she was able to see through the orange smoke.
She acted almost instantaneously and shot her body forward to grab onto the girl's shoulders. As soon as she made contact she spun them both around, forcing her to give her back to the now transformed Kyou.
"Ano. who are y-"
"Oh my gosh. where have you been?" she quickly began to form a string of lies in her mind.
"Eh?"
"Everyone's been looking for you! Well. especially one guy specifically," she emphasized.
"I don't care about any other guy. I only want Ky-" She began to turn back around to face him when Evoku forced her to look at her.
"Really? Not even. Souma Yuki?" she said the first name that popped into her head. The girl smiled brightly.
"Honto ni?"
"Hai! He's waiting for you in. the library!" she quickly lied. "Quickly, go!"
"Hai!" the girl immediately raced down the hall, not looking once back . Evoku sighed in relief as she dropped to her knees.
Without thinking about what she was doing, she reached over and pulled Kyou into her lap. She only came to her senses moments before she was about to scratch behind his ear.
"Eto." she forced herself not to blush as she slowly glanced down towards him only to be met with an angered glare. It wasn't one of his usual annoyed and irritated glares, this was much worse, almost. hate. Her heart nearly stopped beating that instant.
"Just what the hell do you think you were doing?" he breathed slowly. She began to panic.
"Kyou, I-"
"You just had to compare me to that damn Yuki, didn't you?!" he growled.
Evoku raised an eyebrow in confusion and suddenly remembered the lie she had told the girl just moments earlier. She sighed in relief, her body relaxing. She'd thought he was mad about her picking him up.
"Thank god. I thought it was something important," she said absentmindedly. Kyou hissed and immediately clawed at her arm. "Itai!" she recoiled her arm from around him and held onto it.
Five crystals turned blue.
"This is important! I refuse to lose to that rodent in any aspect!" he shouted. Rodent? Evoku felt anger boiling up within her and she squeezed her stinging arm tighter as she tried to keep it in check, but to no avail.
"Don't yell at me, Nekozuki," She hissed through her teeth. "I just saved your ass back th-"
*pyon!*
Evoku cried out in surprise as a naked Kyou sat crouched in front of her. Before all the smoke cleared and he wouldn't be covered by anything, she threw her hands up in her face and immediately stood, turning her back to him. He quickly picked up his uniform and began to dress himself.
"When I'm hugged by the opposite sex or get nervous. or weak," he started while still dressing, "I transform into the cat."
"So. your beads have nothing to do with it?" she asked in a whisper. He walked up behind her and spoke quietly into her ear.
"No." he said slowly. There was no way he was going to let her know about his true form. not yet. She jumped slightly as she heard his voice so near suddenly.
"Gomen nasai." she said quietly. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. please don't hate me." she said instinctively.
"I don't."
//*\\ Ojiisan - grandfather
Eto -um
Arigatou [gozaimasu] -thank you [very much]
Hai -yes
Honto ni -really?
Itai -ouch
Nekozuki -cat lover, cat's friend
Gomen [nasai] -sorry [very]
Chapter 7
Stray articles of clothing were being thrown through the air carelessly as a voice muttered incoherent curses through a closet door. Evoku was kneeled in front of the trunk that was inside her closet as she searched for the right thing to wear.
"No. no. no!" she shouted as all she could find were the long uniform skirts she was used to wearing. Ever since the day before when she had had her encounter with Kyou, she couldn't help but think of what he had said to her.
"Don't come to school tomorrow dressed like you usually are." he said. She was about to open her mouth to ask him what he meant when he interrupted her. "You look better like this," he uncharacteristically gave her a small smile and turned back around and headed home. Evoku felt the heat rushing to her cheeks and realized she was blushing from his compliment.
Just thinking about his smile made her blush again. She suddenly shook her head and continued to search through her trunk of clothes. "Snap out of it! You've finally found a friend, do NOT mess this up!" she muttered to herself. "Yes!" she cried triumphantly as she found the short skirt that most of the girls wore. She frowned as she examined herself in the mirror. Personally she thought it exposed too much of her legs and was way too revealing.
She sighed as she again thought about Kyou's advice. She couldn't exactly ignore what he said, he was the first person in her entire life, other than her Ojiisan, to not turn away and judge her immediately. All because of that damned curse.
She glanced at her mud-clad sweatshirt that was on her bed. After a slight hesitation she reached for it and threw it in the trash.
I never want to see that ugly thing ever again. She thought bitterly and turned back to the mirror. She was wearing the typical, blue uniform and wore her knee high army boots that she would remove once she got to her shoebox at school. She'd pulled strands of hair from the sides back and clipped them, flipping up, with a simple black clamp.
She sighed as she opened the legs of her glasses and set them on her face. "Here we go."
//*\\
Students, male and female, turned their heads and stared at Hikari Evoku as she made her way into the school. Several of them either made catcalls, whistled or made comments.
"She's trying too hard."
"Look who's trying to fit in!"
"Note, she said 'trying',"
"Nice legs!"
Evoku could feel her face flushed at all the sudden attention she was receiving. Whether it was good or bad, it was certainly too much for her to handle. "This was such a huge mistake." she breathed into her books that she was holding up to her face as she clutched them, her hands shaking. Just as she turned around to flee from the school, she nearly crashed into someone had they not caught her shoulders with their hands. She glanced up to see a male with gorgeous gray hair and violet eyes.
"S-Souma-kun." she whispered.
"Are you alright?" he chuckled lightly. He noted the panicked look she had plastered on her face and immediately assumed that it was because of her sudden change in appearance.
"I. I." she stammered.
"You look great," he interrupted. He thought she could use a boost of self- confidence,
"Your hair looks really nice."
Evoku stared at him for a few moments; the red of embarrassment from her face disappeared and was replaced with a slight blush across her cheeks. "Eto. Arigatou. gozaimasu." she said slowly.
"I'll see you in class," he smiled and walked past her. She shook her head and walked to her locker to switch her books. Just as she pulled out the books she needed, the door to her locker slammed shut with force. Luckily she was able to dodge quickly, but her long hair got caught in the door.
She let out a small cry and winced as she grasped her hair to stop the pain in case it was pulled. She glanced up to see the blonde, pig-tailed girl and her two goonies. Now what did I do? She thought as she waited for them to verbally attack her.
"Just what were you and Yuki-kun talking about?!" the redhead demanded.
"It was nothing. he was just complimenting me," she said exasperatedly as she reached to open the locker to remove her hair from inside. Luckily she hadn't put the lock on yet and it was still inside as well. By this time several students had accumulated around them and began to watch.
Just as she opened the locker and began to slide her hair out, the girls slammed it shut again on her long blue strands causing her to cry out again. She managed to open an eye and glance up at them to see that their faces were filled with disbelief and jealousy.
"You're lying!" they said in unison.
"Iie! I swear!" Evoku attempted to reason with them.
"Why would Yuki-kun want to compliment you?!" the blonde shouted. "You're nothing special!" All three girls stood back and laughed at her as she held tightly onto her hair.
"So you girls like to pick on others?" a stray voice made its way through the crowd. The girls immediately stopped and turned back to see who the person was. A tall male walked forward as the crowd moved back out of his way.
"Stay out of this you white-haired freak!" the redhead pointed at him.
"You're all so judgmental. how about you come a little closer and insult me," he crossed his arms. When they didn't budge he chuckled under his breath, "what's the matter? Afraid I might get a little too rough for you? Come on. I dare you!"
"You're lucky you're Yuki-kun's dear cousin!" the blonde made up an excuse as sweat visibly rolled down her cheek.
"You girls talk too much." he clicked his tongue.
"This isn't over, Souma!" they yelled and quickly retreated. He quickly glanced around at the spectators and glared at them.
"Stand around any longer and you'll get a personal beating," he threatened quietly. They all immediately dashed towards their classes.
Evoku gazed up at the tall, white-haired male as he slowly approached her. She suddenly felt a pang of panic explode within her. She was tempted to run away right then had it not been for her hair being stuck in the locker. She closed her eyes tightly as he took his last steps towards her and lifted his hand.
She suddenly felt the pressure on her scalp disappear and she opened her eyes to see that he had opened the locker and now stood in front of her, holding strands of her hair in his hand. She looked up at him in shock, somehow now his eyes seemed to have softened. No way. I've just been literally saved by the second Souma this week. huh. and both had something to do with Souma Yuki. she thought.
"Are you alright?" he asked, breaking her from her thoughts.
"Eh?" she blinked and looked down at his hand, which still held her hair. "Oh. arigatou gozaimasu." she said as she slid her hair back down and combed it through with her fingers. He seems so different now. he was acting so cruel just a few moments ago.
"It's alright. if they ever give you any more trouble. let me know," he said and began to walk away.
"Matte!" she called after him. He stopped and turned around to face her. "What's your name?"
He gave her a small smile, "Hatsuharu." He turned back around and walked off.
"Hatsuharu." she whispered, ". arigatou."
//*\\
Honda Tohru sat at her desk next to Hikari Evoku, both girls diligently writing notes about whatever the teacher was lecturing about today. Tohru rested her hand, which was beginning to cramp, when the teacher decided to take a breather. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed that Kyou still hadn't come into class.
She sighed and allowed her thoughts to wander. She was worried about him, more than usual. When he had come home the day before he seemed different somehow. Almost as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders only to have another slam back down.
She understood that the current weather was making him excessively lethargic, but this was worse. He'd come home in shambles, almost as if he had recently gotten into a battle. But she couldn't think of whom he might have fought with. She was tending to Yuki who had nearly suffered from a cold when he'd forgotten his jacket at home.
Tohru was suddenly snapped from her thoughts when Evoku's hand shot up into the air and asked for permission to go to the restroom. It was when she had gotten up and began walking towards the door that she had finally noticed her new appearance.
She looks like she's been through a horrible roller coaster a million times, Tohru thought worriedly, I hope she's okay. maybe I should talk with her later.
//*\\ Evoku sighed with relief as she shut the door to the classroom meticulously. She walked into the farthest restroom she could find, wanting to be as far away from her classroom as possible. She was not in the mood to sit still where everyone could watch her. If that meant she had to miss a few lessons that was all right. She was positive that someone would lend her the notes she'd missed.
She walked into the washroom and turned on the faucet, splashing her face with cool, crisp water. She looked up into the mirror and sighed again.
"Why can't I concentrate today." she hung her head and began to walk out of the washroom. It's all because of. "Kyou." she whispered his name as she saw him standing with his back to her in the hallway ahead of her.
After a small pause of hesitation, she started to walk towards him. She was about to call out his name again when she realized there was a girl standing in front of him. She slowed her stride and soon came to a complete halt, not ten feet away from them.
"Demo. Ky-" she started, a look of dread on her face.
"You just don't understand do you? Why would I wa-" he began, obviously becoming irritable with the girl.
"Iie! I don't want to hear it!" she unexpectedly lunged forward.
*pyon!*
Evoku's eyes widened in shock as she witnessed Kyou transform into 'the cute little kitty,' she sarcastically dubbed. Luckily, the other girl still had her eyes closed and hadn't seen him yet. It was only thanks to her trained eye that she was able to see through the orange smoke.
She acted almost instantaneously and shot her body forward to grab onto the girl's shoulders. As soon as she made contact she spun them both around, forcing her to give her back to the now transformed Kyou.
"Ano. who are y-"
"Oh my gosh. where have you been?" she quickly began to form a string of lies in her mind.
"Eh?"
"Everyone's been looking for you! Well. especially one guy specifically," she emphasized.
"I don't care about any other guy. I only want Ky-" She began to turn back around to face him when Evoku forced her to look at her.
"Really? Not even. Souma Yuki?" she said the first name that popped into her head. The girl smiled brightly.
"Honto ni?"
"Hai! He's waiting for you in. the library!" she quickly lied. "Quickly, go!"
"Hai!" the girl immediately raced down the hall, not looking once back . Evoku sighed in relief as she dropped to her knees.
Without thinking about what she was doing, she reached over and pulled Kyou into her lap. She only came to her senses moments before she was about to scratch behind his ear.
"Eto." she forced herself not to blush as she slowly glanced down towards him only to be met with an angered glare. It wasn't one of his usual annoyed and irritated glares, this was much worse, almost. hate. Her heart nearly stopped beating that instant.
"Just what the hell do you think you were doing?" he breathed slowly. She began to panic.
"Kyou, I-"
"You just had to compare me to that damn Yuki, didn't you?!" he growled.
Evoku raised an eyebrow in confusion and suddenly remembered the lie she had told the girl just moments earlier. She sighed in relief, her body relaxing. She'd thought he was mad about her picking him up.
"Thank god. I thought it was something important," she said absentmindedly. Kyou hissed and immediately clawed at her arm. "Itai!" she recoiled her arm from around him and held onto it.
Five crystals turned blue.
"This is important! I refuse to lose to that rodent in any aspect!" he shouted. Rodent? Evoku felt anger boiling up within her and she squeezed her stinging arm tighter as she tried to keep it in check, but to no avail.
"Don't yell at me, Nekozuki," She hissed through her teeth. "I just saved your ass back th-"
*pyon!*
Evoku cried out in surprise as a naked Kyou sat crouched in front of her. Before all the smoke cleared and he wouldn't be covered by anything, she threw her hands up in her face and immediately stood, turning her back to him. He quickly picked up his uniform and began to dress himself.
"When I'm hugged by the opposite sex or get nervous. or weak," he started while still dressing, "I transform into the cat."
"So. your beads have nothing to do with it?" she asked in a whisper. He walked up behind her and spoke quietly into her ear.
"No." he said slowly. There was no way he was going to let her know about his true form. not yet. She jumped slightly as she heard his voice so near suddenly.
"Gomen nasai." she said quietly. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. please don't hate me." she said instinctively.
"I don't."
//*\\ Ojiisan - grandfather
Eto -um
Arigatou [gozaimasu] -thank you [very much]
Hai -yes
Honto ni -really?
Itai -ouch
Nekozuki -cat lover, cat's friend
Gomen [nasai] -sorry [very]