Title: 12 Days of Christmas
By: Queen Beryl
It's already a little after the Christmas season, but I've gotta finish something, right? I hope you like it! Please Review!
@---^---
Chapter 3: Day Three
Bdelle picked up the peanuts after Hitomi left. It was starting to get dark outside, and Bdelle thought about the meeting with the handsome stranger. Who was he? That question ended up giving her a headache. She'd find out sooner or later, right? No sense in losing sleep over it now.
But Bdelle couldn't help it. She thought about it all night. She even dreamt about the guy wearing a mask and cape and running around saying "don't tell Hitomi." She woke up confused and wanting to laugh. Finally, at 6:30 in the morning, her alarm clock woke her up for good. She had woken up several times before that, tossed and turned, and didn't feel good at all. She thought about staying home from school, but decided against it. Obaasan wouldn't like it too much. Not getting enough sleep was Bdelle's own fault. She sat up and decided to shower to fully wake her up. She had taken one last night, but she needed something to get her up, and she didn't drink coffee or a lot of tea. Even after three months she wasn't used to waking up with a cup of tea.
She finished her shower, dried her hair, dressed, and put on the pendant. She had taken more time than usual, so she was running late. She rushed out the door, saying "I'm going," as she did.
"Come back soon!" Obaasan called after her as she left.
Bdelle ran only to the fifth house away before the tiredness and the cold caught up with her. She breathed in deeply and started walking briskly. She turned into the schoolyard, never noticing the pair of eyes that watched her the whole way.
"Miss Aino." The teacher called.
"Present." Bdelle said in a sleepy daze. The class laughed.
"Yes, we've already established that, Miss Aino." The older man raised an eyebrow over his glasses. "I want to know how you finish this equation."
Bdelle blushed, realizing her mistake. She looked up at the board. The letters and numbers were slightly blurred, and she had no idea what they meant. "I don't know, Sir."
"Mr. Yoshino?" The teacher turned away with a frown on his face.
"Yes, Sir. X plus the square root of-" Bdelle stopped listening and put her head back down on her arms. She was too tired to think, too tired to do anything, too tired to- A piece of paper landed on her desk. Bdelle starred blankly at it for a moment before sitting up and pulling the paper off her desk and into her lap. She unfolded it and sighed. It was in Japanese kanji. She needed to brush up on reading this, so she wasn't sure how clearly she could interpret the message. She squinted at the intricate lines as if narrowing her eyes would turn them into English.
"We... need to... talk... Ryo-kun." Bdelle translated after some difficulty. She peered over at the boy that sat three seats away to her right and two ahead. He appeared to be paying complete attention to the instructor, until he turned his head a bit and smiled at Bdelle. Bdelle looked back at the note and tried to remember how to write kanji. She failed and hoped he could still read what she was writing, even if it was using letters instead of characters.
"Ryo-kun: Where?" She sent the letter sailing over everyone's heads the moment the teacher turned his back to the class. He scribbled something down on the same paper and waited until the instructor turned to the board to write something. When Bdelle tore open the note, she was relieved to find it not in kanji, but letters as well.
"During lunch just outside 1-D." Bdelle looked up and nodded when she caught Ryo-kun's attention. She wished for the class to end quickly. She loved and hated the anticipation that built itself up while waiting. Even though it probably wasn't anything important, like he probably wanted to know something he missed, but the wait still killed Bdelle. Finally, the bell rang and everyone started talking at once. Bdelle pushed her way past the people into the hallway. She was quickly shoved to the side by some upperclassmen and hit the wall. She looked hard at them, but they didn't even seem to notice anything was amiss. She shifted her messenger bag from one shoulder to the other and went on along down the hallway. She turned the corner and walked all the way down to 1-D. Nobody was there. Bdelle leaned against the wall and waited patiently. Finally, after a few minutes, Ryo-kun rounded the corner and was coming toward her.
Bdelle could see his tall, lanky frame weave in and out of the small groups that were heading over to the cafeteria. His hair always reminded Bdelle of a black form of Yuki-kun's from an anime she always watched called "Fruits Basket." It was longer in front and short in back. His dark brown eyes were definitely different from Yuki-kun's, but Bdelle just always thought they looked oddly similar. She shook her head as he walked up.
"What's wrong?" He asked when he arrived.
"Oh, uh... nothing. I just had... there was a fly." Bdelle stuttered. "What is it that you wanted?"
"You're pretty straightforward." Ryo laughed.
"I've been told as much." Bdelle nodded in agreement.
"Well, then I won't keep you waiting. There are two things, actually. I need the notes from Thursday on the structures of English paragraphs, and I was hoping you could, you know... help me with them."
"Sure, no problem." Bdelle pulled the notes out from her bag after much searching. She handed them over to Ryo-kun and started to walk away.
"I wasn't finished."
"Ah, sorry. I thought those were the two things." Bdelle blushed, waving her hand in a dismissive manner, and walked back to Ryo.
"Here's a letter." He smiled and walked off.
"A... what?" Bdelle stood there, starring after him with a letter in her hand. She shook her head, attempting to rid herself of the daze, and opened the letter.
"Oh, what pretty stationary!" She exclaimed, then felt really stupid afterward, started walking toward the cafeteria while reading the letter. "Dear Bdelle-kun:
There was a young man who came to me earlier asking me about you. I've never really taken the chance to get to know you well, so I couldn't tell him much. He told me not to tell you he asked about you, but I figured that if I _wrote_ you it wouldn't be the same thing. My curiosity got the better of me. Who is that guy? You can tell me when you help me on my English, like I know you will. Meet me after school today at the same place we met earlier, okay? Ja! Ryo-kun." Bdelle just finished reading the letter when she ran into an open door. She fell backward, the letter flying from her hand, and hit the ground with a thud. Some people around her laughed and others said rude things about the "Yankee." Bdelle blushed and tried to ignore them. She looked around for the letter but couldn't find it. She picked herself up and went straight to class, forgetting about lunch all together.
Bdelle raced home after school, still pretty much in a daze. She had just finished talking to Ryo-kun, and he said that he'd come over tomorrow so she could help him. She nodded and rushed from the school. She threw off her shoes as she entered her house and said "I just got back!" She went to her room and fell on her bed, too exhausted, confused, and otherwise tired to even think.
"Bdelle?" A small knock awoke Bdelle. She looked over at her clock and saw that it was already 7:30. She had been asleep for so long!
"Yes Grandma?" Bdelle asked groggily.
"Hitomi is here to see you, dear." Obaasan creaked open the door and let Hitomi inside.
"Thank you." Hitomi smiled as Obaasan left the room. "You okay, Bdelle?"
"I think so." Bdelle sat up. Hitomi sat down on the bed, a box in hand. Bdelle didn't even notice that there were no address labels. Hitomi sat there for a moment.
"I got this at my house a little while ago. You wanna open it?"
"I think it's your turn. Even if it isn't, you can...." Bdelle rubbed the sleep from her eyes and waited for her head to stop spinning.
"Sure." Hitomi ripped open the package. This time there were no packing peanuts. There were two Styrofoam boxes next to each other. Hitomi handed one to Bdelle and took one for herself. They both took the box apart and discovered a porcelain dragon. Hitomi and Bdelle both gasped, as a small realization flashed across their faces. Could it be? Either somebody was playing a terrible trick or it was _him_! But, how would he know? It just didn't make any sense.
"On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..." Bdelle started.
"A porcelain dragon just for me." Hitomi finished, seeing her friend wasn't feeling well at all.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Okay, this chapter was... well, weird, I suppose. Tell me what you think! ^_^
By: Queen Beryl
It's already a little after the Christmas season, but I've gotta finish something, right? I hope you like it! Please Review!
@---^---
Chapter 3: Day Three
Bdelle picked up the peanuts after Hitomi left. It was starting to get dark outside, and Bdelle thought about the meeting with the handsome stranger. Who was he? That question ended up giving her a headache. She'd find out sooner or later, right? No sense in losing sleep over it now.
But Bdelle couldn't help it. She thought about it all night. She even dreamt about the guy wearing a mask and cape and running around saying "don't tell Hitomi." She woke up confused and wanting to laugh. Finally, at 6:30 in the morning, her alarm clock woke her up for good. She had woken up several times before that, tossed and turned, and didn't feel good at all. She thought about staying home from school, but decided against it. Obaasan wouldn't like it too much. Not getting enough sleep was Bdelle's own fault. She sat up and decided to shower to fully wake her up. She had taken one last night, but she needed something to get her up, and she didn't drink coffee or a lot of tea. Even after three months she wasn't used to waking up with a cup of tea.
She finished her shower, dried her hair, dressed, and put on the pendant. She had taken more time than usual, so she was running late. She rushed out the door, saying "I'm going," as she did.
"Come back soon!" Obaasan called after her as she left.
Bdelle ran only to the fifth house away before the tiredness and the cold caught up with her. She breathed in deeply and started walking briskly. She turned into the schoolyard, never noticing the pair of eyes that watched her the whole way.
"Miss Aino." The teacher called.
"Present." Bdelle said in a sleepy daze. The class laughed.
"Yes, we've already established that, Miss Aino." The older man raised an eyebrow over his glasses. "I want to know how you finish this equation."
Bdelle blushed, realizing her mistake. She looked up at the board. The letters and numbers were slightly blurred, and she had no idea what they meant. "I don't know, Sir."
"Mr. Yoshino?" The teacher turned away with a frown on his face.
"Yes, Sir. X plus the square root of-" Bdelle stopped listening and put her head back down on her arms. She was too tired to think, too tired to do anything, too tired to- A piece of paper landed on her desk. Bdelle starred blankly at it for a moment before sitting up and pulling the paper off her desk and into her lap. She unfolded it and sighed. It was in Japanese kanji. She needed to brush up on reading this, so she wasn't sure how clearly she could interpret the message. She squinted at the intricate lines as if narrowing her eyes would turn them into English.
"We... need to... talk... Ryo-kun." Bdelle translated after some difficulty. She peered over at the boy that sat three seats away to her right and two ahead. He appeared to be paying complete attention to the instructor, until he turned his head a bit and smiled at Bdelle. Bdelle looked back at the note and tried to remember how to write kanji. She failed and hoped he could still read what she was writing, even if it was using letters instead of characters.
"Ryo-kun: Where?" She sent the letter sailing over everyone's heads the moment the teacher turned his back to the class. He scribbled something down on the same paper and waited until the instructor turned to the board to write something. When Bdelle tore open the note, she was relieved to find it not in kanji, but letters as well.
"During lunch just outside 1-D." Bdelle looked up and nodded when she caught Ryo-kun's attention. She wished for the class to end quickly. She loved and hated the anticipation that built itself up while waiting. Even though it probably wasn't anything important, like he probably wanted to know something he missed, but the wait still killed Bdelle. Finally, the bell rang and everyone started talking at once. Bdelle pushed her way past the people into the hallway. She was quickly shoved to the side by some upperclassmen and hit the wall. She looked hard at them, but they didn't even seem to notice anything was amiss. She shifted her messenger bag from one shoulder to the other and went on along down the hallway. She turned the corner and walked all the way down to 1-D. Nobody was there. Bdelle leaned against the wall and waited patiently. Finally, after a few minutes, Ryo-kun rounded the corner and was coming toward her.
Bdelle could see his tall, lanky frame weave in and out of the small groups that were heading over to the cafeteria. His hair always reminded Bdelle of a black form of Yuki-kun's from an anime she always watched called "Fruits Basket." It was longer in front and short in back. His dark brown eyes were definitely different from Yuki-kun's, but Bdelle just always thought they looked oddly similar. She shook her head as he walked up.
"What's wrong?" He asked when he arrived.
"Oh, uh... nothing. I just had... there was a fly." Bdelle stuttered. "What is it that you wanted?"
"You're pretty straightforward." Ryo laughed.
"I've been told as much." Bdelle nodded in agreement.
"Well, then I won't keep you waiting. There are two things, actually. I need the notes from Thursday on the structures of English paragraphs, and I was hoping you could, you know... help me with them."
"Sure, no problem." Bdelle pulled the notes out from her bag after much searching. She handed them over to Ryo-kun and started to walk away.
"I wasn't finished."
"Ah, sorry. I thought those were the two things." Bdelle blushed, waving her hand in a dismissive manner, and walked back to Ryo.
"Here's a letter." He smiled and walked off.
"A... what?" Bdelle stood there, starring after him with a letter in her hand. She shook her head, attempting to rid herself of the daze, and opened the letter.
"Oh, what pretty stationary!" She exclaimed, then felt really stupid afterward, started walking toward the cafeteria while reading the letter. "Dear Bdelle-kun:
There was a young man who came to me earlier asking me about you. I've never really taken the chance to get to know you well, so I couldn't tell him much. He told me not to tell you he asked about you, but I figured that if I _wrote_ you it wouldn't be the same thing. My curiosity got the better of me. Who is that guy? You can tell me when you help me on my English, like I know you will. Meet me after school today at the same place we met earlier, okay? Ja! Ryo-kun." Bdelle just finished reading the letter when she ran into an open door. She fell backward, the letter flying from her hand, and hit the ground with a thud. Some people around her laughed and others said rude things about the "Yankee." Bdelle blushed and tried to ignore them. She looked around for the letter but couldn't find it. She picked herself up and went straight to class, forgetting about lunch all together.
Bdelle raced home after school, still pretty much in a daze. She had just finished talking to Ryo-kun, and he said that he'd come over tomorrow so she could help him. She nodded and rushed from the school. She threw off her shoes as she entered her house and said "I just got back!" She went to her room and fell on her bed, too exhausted, confused, and otherwise tired to even think.
"Bdelle?" A small knock awoke Bdelle. She looked over at her clock and saw that it was already 7:30. She had been asleep for so long!
"Yes Grandma?" Bdelle asked groggily.
"Hitomi is here to see you, dear." Obaasan creaked open the door and let Hitomi inside.
"Thank you." Hitomi smiled as Obaasan left the room. "You okay, Bdelle?"
"I think so." Bdelle sat up. Hitomi sat down on the bed, a box in hand. Bdelle didn't even notice that there were no address labels. Hitomi sat there for a moment.
"I got this at my house a little while ago. You wanna open it?"
"I think it's your turn. Even if it isn't, you can...." Bdelle rubbed the sleep from her eyes and waited for her head to stop spinning.
"Sure." Hitomi ripped open the package. This time there were no packing peanuts. There were two Styrofoam boxes next to each other. Hitomi handed one to Bdelle and took one for herself. They both took the box apart and discovered a porcelain dragon. Hitomi and Bdelle both gasped, as a small realization flashed across their faces. Could it be? Either somebody was playing a terrible trick or it was _him_! But, how would he know? It just didn't make any sense.
"On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..." Bdelle started.
"A porcelain dragon just for me." Hitomi finished, seeing her friend wasn't feeling well at all.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Okay, this chapter was... well, weird, I suppose. Tell me what you think! ^_^
