A/N: Um...I do have a plot for this now ^_^ and the super natural part will come in quite a bit later, and the title is Japanese that translates roughly too 'Always a New Tomorrow'.
Itsudemo Atarashii Ashita
Chapter 2/10ish (probably more)
Honda slouched over his desk, trying to look like he was busily doing something so that no one could see the furious blush that was spreading over his face. The girls behind him were giggling and whispering to each other, and he just knew they were talking about him and his too big, always dirty, rumpled clothes.
He began to turn even redder as he thought about this, and scribbled harder against the paper with his blue crayon. It's not like it was his fault that seven older siblings had used all his clothes first and that, no matter how hard he tried, they never came clean or looked nice!
Someone dropped into the desk beside him, which had thus far been untouched by anyone, and he looked up in surprise. A large pair of brown eyes that looked overjoyed to see him met his gaze. It was Jounouchi, that boy he'd rescued a week ago!
"Hi, Hiroto!" Jounouchi grinned.
"Honda." He corrected automatically. Where had that bruise on the side of his face come from? He was pretty sure that the bully hadn't hit Jounouchi in the face. Pretty sure, but not entirely, so he let it slide. Jounouchi blushed.
"Gomenasai."
"It's okay." Honda assured him. Jounouchi grinned at him.
"Thanks again for saving me. You were really great!" Honda felt his face getting hot again, and turned away.
"It was no big deal, really." Either Jounouchi wasn't listening to him, or her thought that it really was a big deal, as he kept gushing.
"If I could fight like that, I'd never have to run away from ANYONE again..."
From Jounouchi's expression, Honda half expected to see a light bulb click on over his head. "Hey! Can you teach me to fight like that?"
Honda blinked in surprise as he found himself grinning with delight and nodding, as if he were someone else's puppet. "Sure! Why don't you come home with me after school today, and we'll get started?" Honda didn't think he'd ever seen anyone as happy as his new companion was at that moment, and it made him feel good inside to know he was the reason for it.
"Can I? Can I really? Oh wow, that's so great! Dad won't mind he won't even miss me! Arigato Honda-san! You're the nicest boy ever!" Honda couldn't help but grin at the boy's excitement, and felt himself blushing again.
"Class!" The teacher rang her little bell, and the class fell silent. "Welcome to the first day of second grade. Please take out a pencil and some paper..."
The math assignment they were asked to do was easy enough for Honda, but he noticed that Jounouchi seemed to be having trouble. He was staring at the teacher with what looked to be horror, and his paper was still blank. Honda maneuvered his finished paper so that it was in plain sight for Jounouchi and, after a moment, coughed slightly. The blond shot him an appreciative look before hurriedly scribbling the answers.
"Don't forget your name," Honda whispered. Jounouchi blinked at him, and Honda cocked his head curiously. "Your name, Jounouchi. You do know how to spell it don't you?" Jounouchi shook his head.
Honda was thunderstruck. How could he have passed the first two grades without learning to do simple math or to write his name?
"I don't know how to read or write," Jounouchi admitted in a low whisper, face flushing red with shame, "I couldn't understand what the teachers were saying, they confused me. I always just scribbled something at the top of the page, and they assumed it was my name. I only know how to copy what's written up on the board or on someone else's paper..." Jounouchi flushed a deeper shade of scarlet, realizing he had just admitted to this boy that he'd been cheating to pass the last two years. He probably hated him now!
Honda did, in fact, look furious, but it wasn't at Jounouchi. "Baka teachers! How could they not know that you needed help?" Honda whisper yelled, before looking at Jounouchi with hazel eyes that were shinning with honesty. Carefully, he reached over and wrote Jounouchi's name at the top of his paper. "I'm not only going to teach you how to fight, but I'll teach you too read and write too!" Jounouchi's eyes were shining with pure and sweet adoration for this boy that he thought was absolutely amazing.
"Would you? Could you really?" Honda nodded empathetically.
"You bet! No problem!" Jounouchi reached right over and hugged the other boy, unaware that people were staring at them. Honda sniffed for a bit, the relaxed. If Jounouchi wanted to hug him, that was okay, because...well it just was, and he'd even hug back.
End A/N: Kawaii! *giggles* This chapter was going to be longer, but I changed my mind. The scene I had in mind can come later. Thanks for the reviews and suggestions, I'll keep those in mind. Ja Ne,
JKJ
Itsudemo Atarashii Ashita
Chapter 2/10ish (probably more)
Honda slouched over his desk, trying to look like he was busily doing something so that no one could see the furious blush that was spreading over his face. The girls behind him were giggling and whispering to each other, and he just knew they were talking about him and his too big, always dirty, rumpled clothes.
He began to turn even redder as he thought about this, and scribbled harder against the paper with his blue crayon. It's not like it was his fault that seven older siblings had used all his clothes first and that, no matter how hard he tried, they never came clean or looked nice!
Someone dropped into the desk beside him, which had thus far been untouched by anyone, and he looked up in surprise. A large pair of brown eyes that looked overjoyed to see him met his gaze. It was Jounouchi, that boy he'd rescued a week ago!
"Hi, Hiroto!" Jounouchi grinned.
"Honda." He corrected automatically. Where had that bruise on the side of his face come from? He was pretty sure that the bully hadn't hit Jounouchi in the face. Pretty sure, but not entirely, so he let it slide. Jounouchi blushed.
"Gomenasai."
"It's okay." Honda assured him. Jounouchi grinned at him.
"Thanks again for saving me. You were really great!" Honda felt his face getting hot again, and turned away.
"It was no big deal, really." Either Jounouchi wasn't listening to him, or her thought that it really was a big deal, as he kept gushing.
"If I could fight like that, I'd never have to run away from ANYONE again..."
From Jounouchi's expression, Honda half expected to see a light bulb click on over his head. "Hey! Can you teach me to fight like that?"
Honda blinked in surprise as he found himself grinning with delight and nodding, as if he were someone else's puppet. "Sure! Why don't you come home with me after school today, and we'll get started?" Honda didn't think he'd ever seen anyone as happy as his new companion was at that moment, and it made him feel good inside to know he was the reason for it.
"Can I? Can I really? Oh wow, that's so great! Dad won't mind he won't even miss me! Arigato Honda-san! You're the nicest boy ever!" Honda couldn't help but grin at the boy's excitement, and felt himself blushing again.
"Class!" The teacher rang her little bell, and the class fell silent. "Welcome to the first day of second grade. Please take out a pencil and some paper..."
The math assignment they were asked to do was easy enough for Honda, but he noticed that Jounouchi seemed to be having trouble. He was staring at the teacher with what looked to be horror, and his paper was still blank. Honda maneuvered his finished paper so that it was in plain sight for Jounouchi and, after a moment, coughed slightly. The blond shot him an appreciative look before hurriedly scribbling the answers.
"Don't forget your name," Honda whispered. Jounouchi blinked at him, and Honda cocked his head curiously. "Your name, Jounouchi. You do know how to spell it don't you?" Jounouchi shook his head.
Honda was thunderstruck. How could he have passed the first two grades without learning to do simple math or to write his name?
"I don't know how to read or write," Jounouchi admitted in a low whisper, face flushing red with shame, "I couldn't understand what the teachers were saying, they confused me. I always just scribbled something at the top of the page, and they assumed it was my name. I only know how to copy what's written up on the board or on someone else's paper..." Jounouchi flushed a deeper shade of scarlet, realizing he had just admitted to this boy that he'd been cheating to pass the last two years. He probably hated him now!
Honda did, in fact, look furious, but it wasn't at Jounouchi. "Baka teachers! How could they not know that you needed help?" Honda whisper yelled, before looking at Jounouchi with hazel eyes that were shinning with honesty. Carefully, he reached over and wrote Jounouchi's name at the top of his paper. "I'm not only going to teach you how to fight, but I'll teach you too read and write too!" Jounouchi's eyes were shining with pure and sweet adoration for this boy that he thought was absolutely amazing.
"Would you? Could you really?" Honda nodded empathetically.
"You bet! No problem!" Jounouchi reached right over and hugged the other boy, unaware that people were staring at them. Honda sniffed for a bit, the relaxed. If Jounouchi wanted to hug him, that was okay, because...well it just was, and he'd even hug back.
End A/N: Kawaii! *giggles* This chapter was going to be longer, but I changed my mind. The scene I had in mind can come later. Thanks for the reviews and suggestions, I'll keep those in mind. Ja Ne,
JKJ