Eight Petals Chapter 3

The next day at school was a very pre-occupied one. Shirohasu was racking his brain to figure out something to earn money quick. He could try to find a job but he didn't think that he could make enough money quickly enough to be much of a help. While he was supposed to be listening instead he thought up ways to get money, everything from winning a lottery ticket to holding the principal of the school hostage. He sighed as he rejected a scheme that involved himself and a high-security jewel vault. He had to be serious. Even if bank robberies sounded great in his head there were no way that he'd be able to pull one off, not to mention that his conscience wouldn't be able to live through stealing. There had to be something.

"Hey, Shirohasu," said someone from his left. Shirohasu ignored them, wondering if they would stop if he didn't pay attention. A sharp poke in his side told him otherwise and he somewhat irritably turned to glare at the person sitting next to him, Lieko.

"What?" he snapped.

Lieko's eyes widened with exaggerated hurt. "Nothing. Just ignore me. I was probably just talking to myself anyways."

Shirohasu nerved himself to calm down. Taking out his stress on other people wouldn't help his situation. "I'm sorry, bad mood. What is it?"

Lieko shrugged. "Just wondering if you were going to be fencing in the big competition. You used to be really into fencing before you became a lunatic over all that star stuff."

Fencing competition? Shirohasu hadn't even known there was one. "No, I haven't fenced in a while and would probably just lose on my first bout."

"Nah, you'd do fine. Half the people who come to these things are all newbies and you'd beat them in an instant. You used to be really good."

Shirohasu glanced at him with dry amusement. "Used to be. I haven't so much as looked at a sword in months. There is no way that I'm starting up again by jumping into a tournament."

Lieko shrugged again and turned to face forward. His expression turned wistful as his head sank down into his hands. "I wish that I was good enough to win one of those things. The girls are all over the fencing team which you quit, by the way." Shirohasu almost missed the next sentence as he started delving back into his own thoughts again. "Not to mention in this one they're paying big bucks to the winner."

Shirohasu snapped back around. "What did you say?" he asked loudly enough for his neighbors to give him reproachful looks.

"That you quitted the fencing club? Well, what did you expect after missing the meetings for three months. I can't believe that you-"

"No, about the prize."

"Ah," Lieko sank back into his chair with a smugly amused look on his face. "So, invite you to a fencing match and you're bored but throw money into the deal and you jump into action? Really, I thought better of you."

"No," toned Shirohasu distractedly. "Its for someone else. You don't happen to remember how much the prize is, do you?" To win this he would definitely have to skip the planetarium for a few nights to practice his fencing but if he could win the money fencing he could help Haikana.

"Um, five hundred dollars, I think," said Lieko as he chewed thoughtfully on the end of his pencil.

"You two, be quiet!" snapped their teacher.

Though Shirohasu was still ignoring his teacher it was with a lighter heart. He still remembered most of his old fencing moves and as long as he could get some practice time in he might just win!

Unfortunately, this was not the case.

"The competition is WHEN?" hissed Shirohasu to Lieko's uncomfortable face.

"Tomorrow. Hey, don't glare at me like that! I thought it was next week! Don't worry, though. They accept latecomers so you'll be able to enter."

Shirohasu made a quick sweep of the students to see if he could find Haikana before turning back to Lieko. "Are you coming?"

"I thought I made that clear. No. I stink with a sword even more than I stink with anything else." His manner turned crafty and he glanced slyly at Shirohasu. "You will be giving me a percentage if you win, right? I am the one who told you about it."

"No, of course not," said Shirohasu as he spotted Haikana talking to a group of friends. "I'll see you later." He began to walk towards her but was intercepted on the way by someone else. "Anshi," he said as his sister walked up.

He could tell without even asking that Anshi was annoyed at him for something. There was always something in her stance, the way that she narrowed her eyes like an angry viper that alerted him. "So, where are you going?"

Shirohasu saw her eyes flick over to Haikana and knew that somehow Anshi knew where he had been all yesterday afternoon. "I was going to talk to someone." It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the whole truth either.

"To her?" asked Anshi with one long finger pointing acusedly towards Haikana.

There was no point in hiding it. "Yes, to her."

"And why?"

"I told you, I want to talk to her."

"About what?" Shirohasu knew that if he didn't do something soon this could turn into an all-out confrontation. If anything got Anshi angry it was the thought of him being with some other girl. Her over-protectiveness had always gotten on his nerves but today he wasn't going to let it stop him.

"Anshi, I know that you're mad and I'm sorry but I have to go talk to her now." Before Anshi could think of something else to say he walked past her. "I'll talk to you about it later."

Haikana gave Shirohasu a happy glance as he approached and quickly separated from the pack of girls. "Hi," she said a little bit too quickly.

"There is good news and bad news," said Shirohasu. "I've found a way that I could earn the money but it isn't guaranteed."

"Isn't guaranteed?" Haikana raised one eyebrow as if wondering how anything could be unguaranteed for him.

"It's a fencing competition. I used to be good at fencing but am out of practice and the competition is tomorrow. If I win I'll have the money but if I don't. . ." He saw her disappointed look and quickly added, "Then I'll find another way."

"Where is it and when does it start?"

"Its at the fencing school and people are supposed to start arriving at about 10:00 in the morning."

"Good. I'll meet you there."

Shirohasu cocked his head, an expression of surprised confusion on his face. "Eh?"

"I'll meet you there! You're doing this for me so the least I can do is to be there to see it."

"Ah," said Shirohasu a bit awkwardly. He hadn't expected her to come along with him and wasn't sure what he thought about it. He knew that he was going to be a bit rusty at first and didn't exactly want someone seeing him in that condition. But. she had a point and he didn't think he could stop her if she really wanted to come. She was fragile but also very strong willed, like the few flowers that survived through winter's frost. Where did that come from? He asked himself.

Haikana was looking very cheerful now. "Thanks for all your help. I'll see you tomorrow!" she turned around and was soon back within her circle of friends. Shirohasu was left with a blank look on his face and a sinking feeling in his stomach. What if he lost on his first bout? What if he couldn't remember how to fence? Nervous thoughts flitted through his mind as he started to walk home. He had a few hours to practice today and then nothing in between himself and the fencing floor tomorrow.

Ah, the prices of nobility.