Disclaimage: Poor
[Chapter One]
Hikari shuffled down the hallway, holding her binder tightly to her chest sot that it wouldn't fall when someone inevitably bumped into her. All around her, a steady stream of students flowed, yammering happily in every language except her own.
Hey, Hikari! a voice leered, very close to her ear. She turned around, a mixture of fear and anger burning in her ruby eyes. Grant Ekkel and his gang of equally cruel, stupid friends.
You know what comes next, right Hikari? She nodded mutely and waited for it all to begin.
By the time Grant and company were done, Hikari's school supplies were spread all across the hallway. She scrambled around on her hands and knees trying to colect it all. A few faces looked down on her in sympathy, but they all to turned away, too afraid to risk their reputation' by helping.
Here, let me help you. All of a sudden, a tall brunette girl was kneeling down bside Hikari. I just hate it when people do that! Is Grant giving you trouble? Yeah, I thought so. Hikari was shocked. Who are you?'
There you go. I'm sorry if I startled you. Here's my phone number, the girl scribbled Mimi' onto a piece of paper along with seven numbers. Call me if you ever need to talk. See you around! As quickly as she had come, Mimi was gone, leaving Hikari standing dumbstruck in the middle of the hallway.
~~~
Hikari stood silently in the cafeteria line, watching the paper plates loaded with spaghetti covered in tomato sauce. Her stomach churned with hunger- it all looked so good.
Hikari, you're actually eating? One of Grant's cronies passed by, landing a c=punch on her arm which made a sickening crunch against the bone. Hikari winced but didn't cry out, trying to direct her attention away from the pain.
Still more plates of spaghetti flowed by, and the line inched forward, bringing Hikari within inches of the front.
A clammy feeling gripped her stomach and she ducked quickly under the barrier and ran for the washroom.
~~~
I don't understand this...' Hikari stared at her paper, the words blurring in front of her eyes. She knew that all around her, her classmates were having no trouble at all- some were probably even done already.
You're so stupid Hikari. I don't know why you even bother. Those voices, cruel and mocking. Why wouldn't they go away? The words echoed in her mind and formed themselves on her lips, coming out haltingly.
Why... Why even bother? No, she wasn't brave enough. Unbidden, that girl, Mimi, sprang to her mind. She could call... Surely this was what she gave her the number for. It probably isn't even the right number.'
Hikari thought about what her mother had said about the boy who had commited suicide in her hometown of Sano. Was it selfish, or was it the perfect means of escape? Selfish, yes... But what else could he do? Why even bother?'
Taichi, I need you! she whispered to the desk. Who else could she say it to? Her brother wasn't there.
You're pathetic Hikiar, the voices told her.
The bell rang and Hikari put her name on her test and handed it in blank.
~~~
Hikari picked distractedly at her rice, not really eating, and not really trying to pretend either. The Yagami table was uncomfortably quiet, the gentle clink of chopsticks against bowls the only sound. Occasionally, one of her parents would try to start a conversation and Hikari would give a one word answer, not really thinking but still lost in her thoughts.
My family. My poor, broken family. I would bring more shame to them, but I would also relieve them of the burden of... The burden of me. But how would it feel to have lost both of your children?' She could feel her mother's eyes on her, trying to read her thoughts. Hikari's stomach lurched and she stood up quickly, her queasiness overpowering the head rush.
Look how twisted you are, Hikari. You don't even need us to torment you anymore.
~~~
Hikari tossed and turned in her bed, her sheets twisted around her. The minutes went by, the neon digits on her clock silently counting, and still Hikari dreamed.
Their dark shapes were clearer now, more human even, and their eerie red eyes glowed brighter. They were walking down a long passage way, and she was helplessly following.
Whatever happened to sweet, helpful little Hikari? one of them asked condescendingly, and she couldn't help but wonder too. How had she become so hopelessly ensnared in this nightmare?
~~~
Hikari sat quietly at a desk in the back row of her homeroom class. At the front of the room, her teacher called out names and the corrosponding students proceeded up to her desk to collect their report cards.
...Melanie Green, Stacey Holmes, Mark Illoch... All normal, American names, belonging to normal, American teenagers. Hikari sighed, staring distractedly at her romanized name on the notebook in front of her. Even after living in America for two years, it still looked strange.
...Julia Major, Adam Moncton, Roger Morris... Hikari leafed through her notebook, looking at her hesitant, messy script, and longing for the graceful kanji, for the familiar feel of reading right-to-left.
The noise level in the room increased as more students recieved ther report cards and began to discuss their marks. The teacher's dull voice worked it's way down into the T's, and Hikari waited with a growing sense of foreboding.
...Takeru Takaishi... Her attention was drawn to the eerily familiar ring of the name, admittedly backwards, and she watched as a tall blonde boy walked up to the teacher's desk. I know him... But from where?'
Omigosh, he's such a hottie! A girl's voice brought Hikari out of her trance, and she wondered who they were talking about.
Definitly! He's on my top ten list! Another girl added her opinion and Hikari felt the hope she didn't know she had fall in pieces. They're talking about Takeru. I don't stand a chance to even talk to him.' Hikari's head rang so loudly from focusing on what they were saying that she almost missed her name being called.
With a shudder of resignation, she began her death march up to the front, avoiding grabbing hands and various appendages stuck in her path to trip her.
Hope you don't fail, Hikari, came Gran't sneer from behind her, but she ignored him, finally stumbling up to the teacher and accepting the condemning piece of paper.
The powerful waves of nausea caught her by surprise, so she had no time to steel herself for the impact. Another failure, Hikari! one of the demons said, almost spitting her name. Hikari whispered something that sounded like an apology and fell to the ground unconcious.
Just before she hit the floor, a pair of strong hands caught her.
~~~
Takeru carried Hikari's limp body through the corriders towards the nurse's office. She was surprisingly lightm and he could feel her bones digging into him. The florescent lights highlighted the hollows in her cheeks and the dark circles under her eyes, giving her skin an unearthly glow.
Why is she so thin?' Takeru managed to open the door to the nurse's office without dropping Hikari and laid her on a cot. The nurse looked at him in mild shock, and gave a nod of thanks before he left.
~~~
You are such a dissapointment to your parents Hikari. They hate you for being such a poor replacement for Taichi, your beloved onii-san. Hikari could feel the demon's clammy hand on her shoulder and she pushed it away weakly.
I'd like to wake up now,' Hikari wished fervently, I'd like this to be over.'
You should be punished... The demon's hand reached out to herm a pale wrist being exposed as the sleeve of its sweatshirt slid up its arm. Come here. If you don't struggle, it will be easier.
Hikari leapt backwards, away from its cold embrace. No! This is all your fault anyways! You are the one who should be punished! The insult had no obvious affect on the demon as it cooly grabbed her wrists, pinning them behind her back. You're very thin Hikari. Thin and weak.
As Hikari struggled, the hood of the sweatshirt slipped back, revealing a little of her attacker's face. The lines of it seemed vaguely familiar, like they belonged to someone she hadn't seen in a long time...
Hikari lay on her back, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. She could tell by the folding screen surrounding her cot that she was in the nurse's office, which was comfortng in an odd way. She had seen the ceiling of Odiaba Elementary School's nurse's office many times.
Reality came flooding back very quickly once Hikari's mind had sorted itself out. What will my parents say? I can't show them another report card like this...' She hadn't even looked at the paper. As much as she tried to busy herself with real world problems, one question returned over and over. Why do I feel so betrayed?'
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Neko: There! I finally managed to overcome my laziness and type this up!
Enko-chan: ^watches TV and eats popcorn^ You're still lazy you know. ^yawns^ So tired...
Neko: Stupid.
Enko-chan: Are you going to bribe them with chocolate now?
Neko: Shh! ^pauses^ ^angelic smile^ I'll give you chocolate if you review....