Iris: For Shadows
Shadows tossed and turned against the walls of the room, contorting with lurid excitement as they spread and shifted by command of light and wind. Sitting on her bed, Emiko had wrapped her body in a cocoon of cheap fabric as her eyes watched the shadows against the wall.
'It's nothing…' she tried to convince herself as she turned her head away from the shadows, her eyes firmly closed. 'It's just shadows…' A loud crack roared outside, the sudden sharp sound causing her to jump and twist in her covers while she let out a feeble shout of surprise and tipped backwards.
She groaned as her back effectively smacked onto the floor, her feet still resting on her bed. Aggrivation pecked at her mind and she angrily tore away the sheets until she felt the cold air slide along her skin meaning she was free.
It had been hours since her friends had gone home and Emiko unfortunately had to try and fall asleep in an empty home. Deciding that being outside even with the heavy threat of violence was better than being inside with her imagination alone Emiko quickly grabbed her bag and displayed its contents upon the floor. Where she was going she wouldn't need her school things.
Instead she hurried to her small collection of drawers and pulled out an aged film camera, one of the few things her mother had refused to sell when they had been forced into the Aka neighborhood. Emiko bought the film with her saved lunch money when she could. She tucked the camera and a few rolls of generic film into the bag safely, her former brutish behavior about the contents of her bag long gone as she handled the items as they were of glass.
Deciding against changing as she didn't have the energy for it she grabbed her jacket, shoes and scarf and walked out the door, quite aware that she was wearing old pajama pants and her wife-beater. 'You're not supposed to always look good, remember?' her feminist side spoke loudly but she couldn't help the nagging feeling that she should go and change.
Ignoring all the thoughts she began to murmur the remnants of a song:
"Everybody wants a waterbuffalo, yours is fast and mine is slow. Where we get them I don't know but everybody wants a waterbuffalo." A grin crept onto her face as she fastened the scarf around her neck and pulled her shoes on just before she walked out to the street.
"I took my buffalo to the store, when we got there it hit the door. Akanashi most kanga pop, but everybody wants a waterbuffalo." She chuckled at herself as she realized that she still didn't know the third line and laughed at her lame attempt at impromptu line-making.
Once upon the sidewalks, still layered in snow, and effectively freezing her feet Emiko hopped the few steps to the street where the snow had been eroded by the heat of cars. 'There shouldn't be that many cars,' she thought to herself as she began to walk down the streets. It was usually more risky to be on the sidewalks, near houses where its inhabitants could always yell and shout. And the street had street lights which helped Emiko with her wariness of the dark.
It wasn't long before she found the old park and she joyfully pulled out her camera to take some photos of the deserted and beautiful night time playground. As her finger poised to take another picture she heard something in the background. Her eyes scanned the area and finally rested on the school not far away. Inside Emiko could see lights flickering on and off and shadows creeping past the windows before the sound of shattering glass could be heard.
Mixtures of curiosity and instinct compelled her forward as she ran full speed towards her unfortunate school. Her thoughts buzzed on what could be happening and no matter what she thought of she was sure it was something bad.
'Damn it,' rang continuously through her mind like a broken tape player as she skidded to a half before her school and raced up the walkway and past the front doors. As her shoe connected to the floor she cringed hearing the loud noise and realized that stealth mode would be required.
Desperately, she tried to ignore the memories of when she and Naruto had "gone stealth mode" into Kiba's house by hiding from lamp post to lamp post while Naruto murmured the James Bond theme song. Her lips tightened as she tried to stifle the laugh and focused on slipping off her shoes before she quietly padded her way towards the light.
"Kyoko, you're making too much noise." Emiko stopped dead as she recognized the voice and anger began to tingle beneath her skin, the feeling rising in heat and fury with every step she took towards her classroom door.
"Sumimasen, Toya-kun." She stated and Emiko guessed there was a hidden meaning but was unwilling to pry further. Another step closer, her hand grasped the handle to the door but she waited, hopefully by staying silent she could figure out what the hell they were doing.
'I hate them already,' she glowered at the door, the feeling of anger rising against her wishes and she knew that she couldn't stay quiet for long.
"Why do we have to do this?" Megumi's sweet voice was strained, barely audible over the sound of crashing metal and breaking glass.
"Megumi shut up! If we trash this place then they're going to send up somewhere else so we don't have to be amongst this trash." Toya snapped before the sound of something crashing against the door resonated throughout the room.
"But why must we frame th-"
"Why do you even care! If we frame them it makes this all so much better. They'll get in so much trouble and we won't even be here when they realize who caused it all!" Toya's laughter buzzed in her ear and she realized what was going on.
'Those!' she strained to finish her thought but found it impossible as her anger clogged her thoughts. Curses remained intact as she readily cursed them. She wasn't sure what else they were doing to the room but if it was enough that the Uniforms thought they would be placed somewhere else it probably was paired with graffiti. And to blame it on her and her friends. Too far.
'He doesn't know what he's messing with.' The saying about fire flashed in her mind and a smirk slowly dawned on her lips before she hauled the door open, listening with satisfaction as it crashed open, the sound louder than anything they had caused.
Refusing to look weak, Emiko ignored the pain shooting through her ears and instead took a survey of who was there. Megumi stood in the back with desks and chairs askew around her, her hands were clasped firmly over her ears. Kyoko and Toya were both in the middle, each had their hands over their ears to shield some of the noise and Emiko noticed the spray paint cans all around the room and two rolling at their feet. In the whole room there seemed to be only one stable desk, her own but Emiko realized that someone was currently sitting in it, his head straight ahead and his fingers entertwined in front of him.
"What the hell are you doing here!" Toya snarled as he recognized the girl who had readily become such a nuisance to him. Kyoko paired his death glare with one of her own but Emiko's smirk only widened.
"Your glare couldn't scare a kitten." She challenged the girl before turning to Toya. "I could ask you the same damn thing." Her gaze now hardened as she met his glare with a fierce one of her own.
"We're fixing up after what you and your friends did to this classroom." His chest rose with hot air as he turned his nose up at her.
"How long do you think I was standing there, baka?" she hissed.
"Forgive me Emiko-san." Megumi stepped forward, her posture was straightened a little and Emiko wondered what the two had said to her to convince her to stay. Toya turned violently towards the girl but she kept her eyes locked with Emiko who motioned for her to come. The blonde ran forward and stepped to Emiko's side.
In such a situation she normally would have felt happy for finding a new friend but all she felt was a sense of revenge and satisfaction as Toya watched with coiled rage as Megumi stayed beside Emiko.
"What are you doing here?" She directed her question at the silent one sitting in her seat, for a few minutes it seemed as though he wouldn't react when his black eyes chanced a glance in her direction.
"They're my ride." He stated monotonously as he returned to staring ahead at the wall.
"Ah bull. You're rich, you probably have a cell phone or at least some money to call someone for another ride." Emiko replied before she began to study the defamatory graffiti upon the wall.
"Don't judge, baka." Abruptly Emiko turned her attention back to the Uchiha as she realized what he had said. 'Damn he sounds like my mother…except colder.' She thought as she studied him, his gaze was still blank and she wondered if he even could feel anything. 'I could always dress him in a bunny suit and see how he reacts to that…'
Seeing her attention distracted Toya raced forward, spray bottle in hand as he smashed it into the side of her head before she could react. Megumi let out a small shriek as Emiko crashed into a desk and slid to a slow stop.
Emiko cursed beneath her breath and gingerly rose to her feet, her fingers meticulously touching the epicenter of her now throbbing head. Crimson liquid stained her fingertips as she studied them and realized with a sense of delay that she was bleeding. 'Why didn't I see that coming…' her thoughts expressed the remorse at her poor performance that her mouth refused to acknowledge.
Laughter magnified the pain but Emiko refused to wince as she stared back into Toya's face, the weakness he had expected to be heavily laden across her face after such a moment was missing, only to be replaced by a fierce anger.
"Sasuke, Kyoko-chan, Megumi let's go." Toya declared as he realized that he was facing someone who was beyond furious and determined. Two bodies moved towards the door and Toya turned in surprise as he noticed Megumi beside Emiko and Sasuke still sitting, of course watching the wall with apparent apathy.
"Hey you two! Baka!" He yelled loudly as he looked between Sasuke and Megumi. Under his gaze the blonde seemed unnerved but Emiko offered her a small smile which she gratefully returned and she continued to stand resolutely beside Emiko. 'Take that.' She couldn't help but feel victorious as he realized how quickly he had been abandoned for Emiko.
"Sasuke I'm your ride home." Toya acknowledged her choice grudgingly when he turned to the Uchiha who acted as though he hadn't heard him. "Fine you want to stay with the trash! You are trash!" The Uniform stomped from the room, slamming the door as he went. Emiko groaned as the noise rattled her thoughts into incoherent murmurs, her legs folded beneath her as she sat on the floor.
"Emiko-sa-"
"You can call me Emiko." The golden haired, former Uniform smiled gratefully and sat beside the brunette.
"What are you going to do about the classroom? If you leave it like this you might get in a lot of trouble." Megumi thought aloud and Emiko nodded in understanding as she surveyed the room once again. The windows were broken and Emiko guessed that someone had kicked at them or thrown things to crash through. Shambles of desks were strewn about and Emiko acknowledged that most of the desks were mere splinters of wood.
What worried her most was the graffiti upon the wall, slanders of the new students and derogatory sayings were plastered on every wall and surface. Hope of possible fixing the damage dwindled like a candle burning low in snow and she felt her face fall. On the walls were also their names: Emi, Naruto, Kiba, Shika, Ino, Sakura and Hinata. 'God they even brought Hinata into this, she's not even in our class!' She groaned and rubbed her temples. 'Hinata's parents are going to flip.'
The thud of a spray bottle broke her thoughts to pieces and she jolted in place as the bottle rolled beside her. Following it's trail she looked up to see Sasuke now standing a yard away.
"Stop groaning, it's annoying." He stated and Emiko grinned goofily as she noticed a hint of annoyance in his tone. His eyes shifted from hers to the bottle and she gingerly picked it up, ignoring the paint idly carving its way down the container. With her thumb she scratched away some of the dry paint and her smile immediately broadened.
"Why are you smiling?" Megumi asked as she leaned over her shoulder to look at the paint bottle.
'Nippon Spray Paint. Perfect.' Her smile turned to a small laugh and she tilted her head to look to Megumi then Sasuke.
"Does Whitie always go through his ancient stuff when getting ready to deface public property?" She questioned curiously, Sasuke gave a small 'hn' although Emiko sensed a little bit of relief that he didn't have to spell out his friend's stupidity for her.
"What do you mean?" Megumi said innocently and Emiko turned to explain it to her. Luckily her thoughts were recollected enough that she could understand reason and think decently without a heavy pulsating pain in her head.
"Nippon Spray Paint went under some years ago. It was founded by a man who wanted to get the money the "gangsters" provided by buying cheap spray paint but he wanted something that was easy to wash off because he hated graffiti. After a while they began to notice the graffiti would weather away just by rain so they made the connection and burned the place to the ground for scamming them." Emiko let out a small laugh at the look on Megumi's face. It resembled Naruto's when she wasted her time explaining something that he only needed a simple explaination.
"It washes off." Their gathered attention focused on Sasuke who had easily summarized her sentences with three words. Megumi's look was replaced by one of happiness and relief.
"You could have said that Emiko. It's much easier." Megumi teased with a small giggle which fastened as Emiko stuck out her tongue and jokingly shoved her. "I'll go get the water and some soap." Megumi offered and before Emiko could add anything she was out the door.
'So…' The unvoiced thought ricocheted around her thoughts as she turned to see Sasuke sitting back in her seat. Seeing the opportunity to speak Emiko readily jumped to it.
"Like the seat?" The question went unanswered but she wasn't disappointed as she noticed his eyes focus upon her. 'At least he's listening.' To replicate the events of the morning she walked up to him, a warm smile upon her features as she crouched down to be eye level with the strange Uniform.
"Why didn't you go with them?" Her voice was quiet and full of sincere curiosity.
"Didn't need to." The answer surprised her and it was clear as her eyebrows raised before quickly furrowing in confusion. Even seeing the change in her features he didn't elaborate.
"You're enjoying my confusion aren't you." It was more a statement than a question so she resigned to silence.
"Something you should be used to." The shock was injected to the atmosphere before Emiko burst into laughter and fell back, sitting and eventually lying back to enjoy the satisfaction. Sasuke raised a brow at her behavior but ignored the confusion rambling in his mind, only gathering his thoughts quick enough to prevent a small twitch of his lips.
Emiko gradually ceased to a grin and she returned to her position at eye level. "Did you just tease me?" The light tone of her voice matched the amusement and sparks in her eyes as she locked eyes with him.
"Hn." The next few minutes stayed that way with Emiko making a simple comment and Sasuke trading it for his common 'hn' remark. Despite the lack of true words Emiko enjoyed the unusual behavior of the boy it was quite amusing to her.
"I found some buckets," the door slid open to reveal Megumi carrying two buckets filled with water. "Here are some rags and I put some soap in them since there was only liquid soap." She tossed the rags to Emiko who caught them and offered one to Sasuke. Megumi watched in interest, a faint smile on her lips as she watched first Sasuke refused to help then Emiko's attempt at reverse psychology only to see the final result to be an annoyed Sasuke with his head adorned by a rag.
"If you're not going to help then you might want to call for a ride home since we won't be doing anything else." Emiko called as she managed to hop her way through the room, only stumbling once due to a sudden increase of pain in the side of her head. 'I should do something about that…' the thought was knocked from her head as she began to diligently work to scrub off the writing.
Megumi joined in as she grabbed another rag and began to work as well. Her thoughts drifted over the day and the new people joining her life. As her mind wandered towards the more thought-provoking notions a purposefully off tune singing voice dragged her back to the classroom.
" Everybody wants a waterbuffalo! Yours is fast and mine is slow! Where we get them I don't know but everybody wants a waterbuffalo!" Emiko glanced over to Megumi and winked good naturedly at her before they both broke into light laughter.
"Is there any more to the song?" The golden haired girl questioned as she washed off the spray paint.
"I took my buffalo to the store! When we got there it hit the doo-" Emiko stopped suddenly and raised a hand to her head. Resting there was a rag. Still grinning she grabbed it and inspected it for a moment before turning to Sasuke who was now rag-less.
"Uchiha! That's not nice I didn't finish the song!" Emiko declared before she threw the rag back and watched gleefully as it successfully perched back upon his raven hair. She bent down, believing the battle to be hers as she dunked her rag in the bucket of water. To her surprise she felt water splash into her face as another rag landed into the bucket, effectively spraying her with water.
Slowly, to give the effect she desired, Emiko raised her head and a smirk appeared on her face. Beads of water slipped down her face and she blinked repeatedly as she stared at Sasuke who was once again rag-less.
"You're annoying."
"Are you challenging me Uchiha?" Emiko ignored his comment and instead grabbed his former weapon and made sure it was heavily burdened with water.
"Hn." Megumi rolled her eyes before she turned away from the rag war(instigated of course by Emiko) and carried on with the cleaning.
