White Rose of STARISH Ch. 3
This is the last chapter I have up and ready to go for right now, so it might take a little bit to get the next chapter up an running. Hopefully these few chapter are long enough to give a little sustenance until I get more chapters up. Again there isn't any magic here, so I will get on with the quote.
"It's tough being a girl when there are so many hot princes around."
-Shibuya Tomochika
Okay, I couldn't resist putting in this quote. XD
That's all I had so we will get on with the story.
ooo0ooo
Aika watched with a bright smile and Otoya, Natuski, and Masato practiced dance moves in the quad.
"How was our dancing?" Natsuki asked Aika while Ototya was stretching and Masato looked on across the way.
"The test is next week," Otoya explained. "I hope we can pass."
"It was great," Aika beamed. "It makes me want to dance. I'm sure you guys will ace the test.
"Alright," Otoya laughed happily.
"No, we've still got a ways to go," Masato pointed out. "Your rhythm strays too far off the beat. That's a long way from perfection."
The boys couldn't help but look at him with disbelief.
"Well, that's…,"Otoya trailed off.
"Let's be careful about the tempo," Natsuki agreed.
"Yeah."
"Really?!" came a particularly loud shout from a female student.
"Ren! That's why you're a celebrity!"
Oh dear god, Aika sighed in her mind at the way a group of girls were fawning over the ginger haired idol student.
"How dreamy!"
Aika watched unamused as whatever Ren said only spurred the girls to speak louder with more excitement. Ren-sama, Aika questioned when she heard one of the girls calling him that. I can't believe that these girls fall for this, she continued on with her inner monologue.
"Only he could get away with a line like that," Otoya commented.
"Jinguji Ren," Natsuki said. "The Goddess of Love must be fond of him…,"
"Nonsense," Masato interrupted. "Come on, let's start."
"From the beginning right?" Aika asked, happy to get her mind off of the giggling gaggle of girls.
"From the third phrase if you would," Masato amended. "From here."
Aika couldn't help but bask in the warmth that Masato gave off by his close proximity when he kneeled beside her to modify the music track. Ren on the other hand caught sight of both Aika and Masato and his light mood was momentarily interrupted by a feeling he couldn't quite place.
"I want to properly take advantage of this opportunity," Masato continued.
"Right."
"Huh," Ren said, now heading towards the two. "When did you become so cozy with little lamb Hijirikawa?"
Aika watched the face off between the two wearily since she was brought into the conversation. Why am I being brought into this, she groaned in her mind.
"Ever since we met, she and I have been tied together by fate," Ren added while looking down at the white rose that he had in his hand.
"Wait, what?" Aika voiced as Ren leaned forward to pull her closer. She looked up at him only for him to offer her the rose.
"I'd rather you not stray too far," Ren told her. "I've been looking for someone to feel the sea breeze with."
"Sea breeze?" Aika echoed in confusion. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"You wound me little lamb," Ren smiled. "I thought we had something special."
Aika shook her head with a smirk while looking up at him with fire in her gold eyes.
"You'll have to try harder than simple honeyed words Mr. Casanova."
A delighted smirk rose on Ren's lips at her words.
"I'll take that as a challenge little tigeress."
"What? No more little lamb?"
"You are not as meek as you appear. I'm thinking you are more like a tiger than a lamb."
Aika had another smart remark ready for him, but it flew from her mind when Syo came running onto the scene.
"Syo-kun," Aika greeted him with a smile.
"Hey," he returned with a pleasant smile before turning to Ren. "Ren, what are you gonna do about the lyrics assignment? Have you forgotten Hyuga-sensei promised a harsh punishment if you didn't turn it in this time?!"
"Is that right?" Ren brushed off easily.
" 'Is that right?'," Syo repeated. "That's exactly what he said!"
"Jinguji Ren!" came a new voice that had Syo jumping a little. The S-class teacher Hyuga-sensei then made his way to the little group with a stern look on his face.
"Hyuga-sensei," Syo greeted his teacher.
"Hi, Ryuga-san," Ren said instead. Aika couldn't help but inwardly sigh at Ren's attitude. Why must he act like everything is a joke?
"You skip class and don't turn in any homework," Hyuga-sensei began.
"Show me one more bit of this frivolous attitude, and I'll show you no mercy. I'll expel you on the spot!"
A sharp gasp left Aika's mouth at the news while Syo could only repeat Hyuga-sesnei's words.
"Seriously?!" Otoya questioned in shock.
"Ryuga-san," Ren began after a resigned look crossed his face. "A scowl is never popular with the ladies."
"Don't push your luck Jinguji," Hyuga-sensei warned his pupil as he walked past him.
"I'm serious! I'd better have that assignment by the end of school tomorrow! Otherwise, you're out of this academy! Got it?!"
Rather than verbally answer, Ren waved back to his teacher without turning to face him.
That idiot, Aika sighed in her head. If he was able to get into this school and into S-class, then he has some serious talent. It would be a shame to just throw that all away. Hyuga-sensei left not long after that followed closely by Syo who threw a goodbye over his shoulder.
"I can't believe he is going to be expelled," Otoya commented when only the original group was left.
"Serves him right," Masato said. "It will teach him to actually work instead of messing around with girls."
"He kind of seems like he lost his drive," Aika mused after a few minutes.
"What makes you say that Aika-chan?" Natsuki questioned.
"I don't know," Aika admitted. "Maybe it was just the way his eyes looked or how he reacted to Hyuga-sensei's words. It just doesn't seem right to me."
Aika allowed herself to think about the situation for a few more minutes then focused back on the other boys and their dance practice.
"Cat cookies!" Natsuki exclaimed while holding up a cookie that was in the shape of a cat.
"Cat?" Syo echoed in confusion while Aika looked at the cookies with interest. Tomo-chan was more interested in her food.
"And I've got pigs too," Natsuki told his blond friend. Aika raised her eyebrow at all of the animals that were mixed in with the cookies in the basket.
"This one's zebra."
"Where did you get these cookies?" Aika found herself asking.
"Do you want one?" Natsuki offered.
"Sure."
"Who, uh…," Syo ventured when Aika took a cookie from the bunch.
"I baked them," Natsuki answered easily.
"I knew it!" Syo exclaimed while he watched Aika took an offered cookie.
"Wait, Nanami! Don't eat that!"
"Why?"
"Syo-chan, homemade food is safer than anything!" Natsuki insisted with a determined gleam in his eye.
"I can't trust anything that you make!" Syo retorted in fear of his life.
Aika watched the scene in confusion while lifting the cookie to her mouth. Why are they so weird, Aika thought to herself.
"You'll die if you eat that!" Syo shouted. "You'll die!"
"I doubt that I would die from eating a cookie," Aika denied.
She had just lifted the cookie to her mouth when Tomo-chan caught her attention by shouting.
"What?! Jinguji-san did what?"
"What did Jinguji-kun do?" Aika ventured since she didn't hear what was said. Syo used that momentary distraction to swipe the zebra cookie from Aika's hands to toss it into a potted plant when Natsuki wasn't looking. He liked the white haired girl and it would be a shame for her to die early by eating Natsuki's baking. It was bad enough that she ate the cake before.
"Yeah," Ittoki confirmed to Tomo-chan.
"Serves him right," Tomo-chan huffed. "He's so irresponsible."
"They're childhood friends, but Masa and Ren are polar opposites," Ittoki commented.
"I thought that was it," Aika remarked while resting her on the palm of her hand.
"They seemed like they had years of history together."
"That's right," Natsuki chimed in. "They even share a room."
"Masa-yan is the successor to the Hijirikawa Conglomerate," Tomo-chan explained to Aika.
"Jinguji-san is the heir to the Jinguji of their parents' relationship, they've known each other since they were little."
"That certainly would have either good or bad feelings between them," Aika pointed out.
In the room that Masato and Ren shared, Masato was sitting at his table on his side of the room while Ren was throwing darts.
"Jinguji, are you ignoring what Hyuga-sensei said?" Masato asked the ginger haired boy.
The blue haired boy was answered by the sound of a dart finding its mark on the dartboard.
"It has nothing to do with you," Ren finally said.
We never get along, Masato sighed in his head. Things have changed since then, he realized when he looked back on how things used to be. Things used to be fun and easy for the both of us when we used to sneak out of parties to go play outside. But we grew up, he thought with a sigh. Once we realized each other's positions, we stopped speaking to each other. Determined to study music, I convinced my father to let me come here for one year. In Ren's head, he remembered a conversation he had had with his elder brother before coming to the academy. As the eldest son, I must succeed our late father, he had said. Ren, go to Saotome Academy. Make a name for yourself in show business and become a poster boy for the Jinguji family. He took a few more minutes to think it over before he sat up from his bed.
"Hijirikawa, are you worried about me?" Ren teased to hide his turbulent thoughts before letting out a sound of irritation.
ooo0ooo
Later that day found Ren standing atop a bridge sort of railing of the school building. He stared down at his notebook as he wrote down lyrics, but he found himself stopping before he could complete them. What's the point, he thought to himself. He even went as far as to rip out the page and crumble it in his fist.
"This is stupid," he said to himself. He stuffed the crumpled paper in his pants pocket as he had flashbacks of watching his mother's video. In attempts to clear his thoughts, Ren pulled out his saxophone. Whenever he found that his thoughts chased each other around and around in his mind, he found that he could calm himself down by playing a song. The beautiful, jazz note floated through the campus air that managed to permeate into the practice room that Haruka was in. That must be Jinguji-kun, she thought to herself with her mechanical pencil hovering over her sheet music. She quickly wrote down the notes that were floating in her head then walked over to the open window to hear the music better. He really is good at the saxophone, Aika smiled softly to herself. When her golden eyes caught sight of the boy up high on the building, she smile grew a little. If he can play with such passion, why has he lost his drive? While Ren played, Aika found herself walking towards where he stood to get closer to the music. Before she knew it, she was standing under the arches of a stone canopy just a few feet from Ren. He had just finished playing his song when he noticed Aika out of the corner of his eye. When he caught sight of her white hair flowing in the breeze, he thought for sure he was in the presence of one of the fabled flower maidens he had read about as a child.
"You're like a flower shining in the setting sun," Ren commented while he kneeled down to put his saxophone away.
"That was such a beautiful song," Aika told him with a small smile that showed her hidden dimples.
Ren was a little taken aback at the sight and he couldn't help but wonder what else he could discover about the petite white haired girl if given time.
"I'm happy to hear that," Ren said, walking over to her with his usual confidence.
"As long as we can be alone together, I don't care what your reason is."
When Ren stopped in front of Aika, she had to look up into his blue eyes. However, when he pulled his hand out of his pocket, Aika's eyes followed the crumpled up paper that fell out. She barely registered that his hands settled on her shoulders and Ren couldn't help but turn to see what exactly had taken her gaze off of him. When his eyes saw the paper, he let his hands fall from her shoulders. Aika didn't hesitate to bend down to pick up the crumpled paper. She was just about to open the paper when it was plucked from her hands by Ren. Confused by his actions, Aika looked up at him as she rose back to her feet. Upon closer inspection, she was able to see some words that were written on it.
"Are those lyrics for your assignment?" Aika asked him. Ren didn't say anything and a rush of relief washed through Aika.
"Oh, that's good," Aika sighed.
"Good?" Ren echoed.
"I was worried about if you would turn in your lyrics," Aika confessed with a little embarrassed smile.
"I didn't know what I would do if you didn't."
The only served to confuse the ginger haired boy. Why would she be worried about that, he asked himself.
"But you've already written them."
Ren couldn't help but smirk at Aika's words.
"I think it's about time for me to disappear," he told her.
"What?" Aika uttered in shock.
"I'm bored of this place."
At his words, Aika's face settled into a hard face.
"You're not bored of being here," she denied, sure without the shadow of a doubt that she was right.
"Oh?"
"You've lost your drive."
"Maybe you're right," Ren said without confirming anything.
"At any rate, it's time for me to leave here."
"In that case, just leave already," Masato spoke up that had both Aika and Ren turning to face him.
"Masa-chan," Aika uttered that had Ren looking between the pale girl and his blue haired roommate.
Just what was going on between the two, he found himself asking in his head.
"I don't like you," Masato told Ren.
"My life has been decided by my father. But only in music and I free."
Aika felt her heart reach out to the blue haired boy at his words.
"That's why I can't forgive you for not taking this seriously."
"I didn't come here because I wanted to," Ren chuckled while he closed his eyes to keep his emotions in check.
"I was thrown in here."
"Thrown in?" Aika echoed on confusion.
"There's no reason for me to be here," Ren added. "It's just a game to me."
"You're lying," Masato said, voicing both his and Aika's thoughts.
"That tone just now was no lie," Ren denied.
"Why don't you show what you really have to offer?" Masato challenged the ginger male.
"I told you," Ren insisted while he began to tear up the previously crumpled paper.
"What are you doing?" Aika questioned in shock at what he was doing that went unnoticed by Ren.
"This is a game."
As if to prove a point, a breeze blew through that spread the bits of paper to the wind.
"The lyrics!" Aika shouted worriedly.
What was Ren thinking?! Didn't he work hard on those lyrics that he had just thrown away?!
"I don't have time to waste on these stupid lyrics," Ren said.
Masato's eyes widened in anger and jumped forward before he could think to punch Ren square in the mouth. Aika's eyes widened at the display of violence and she knew she had to intervene before it got too out of hand.
"Masa-chan," she interjected, jumping up to hop on his back and lock her arms and legs around his torso.
It seemed that did little to deter the male because he still glared at the ginger.
"How unfortunate," Masato spat. "I thought you had more mettle."
It was then that Masato realized that Aika was on his back.
"Aika-chan, please get off of me."
Aika was conflicted seeing as though she didn't know if he would try to hit Ren again, but she relented when she saw that he angled his body away. She quickly slid down to land on her feet so that Masato could leave the balcony. Ren smirked at Masato's remark.
"What a hot head," he commented that had Aika looking to him worriedly.
While she did not approve of Ren provoking Masato, she also did not approve of Masato punching Ren. He probably wouldn't like it if I tried to take care of the cut, Aika thought to herself. So I should probably just go try to find the lyrics that he threw away.
"I'm going to go look for the lyrics," Aika said softly before she too left the balcony. Her heels clicked against the hard floors as she flew down stairways and hallways to get to the trees and bushes below where Ren still stood. Now where would the wind have blown the pieces of paper, Aika asked herself while she stuck her pointer finger into her mouth then raised it to the sky to test the wind. When Aika got a good idea of which direction the wind was blowing, she took off to hopefully find the missing pieces.
Luckily for her, Aika found a good chunk of the missing pieces of paper amongst the bushes that lined a path not that far from where she had just been. Anyone who walked past the white haired girl looked to her in confusion as she let out shouts of joy when she found new bits of the lyrics. After grabbing all but four pieces needed to restore the page, Aika found a piece up in the trees above her.
"You have got to be kidding me," Aika groaned, looking up at the tree with her hands on her hips.
How in the hell am I going to get up there without any branches lower for me to climb? I can't exactly jump all the way up there. Aika looked around her at the other trees until she found a tree with branches closer to where she could hoist herself up. And bingo was his nameo, Aika smirked to herself before she hastened over to the chosen tree. When Aika reached the tree, she climbed all the way up to the branch that was level to the branch she needed a few trees down then carefully shimmied her way across the tree branches until she was on her desired branch. Up above at a window, Ichinose Tokiya watched Aika climb her way across the branches. What is that girl doing, he thought to himself as he watched her struggle to reach out towards the piece of paper that he couldn't quite see. She was able to grab the piece from the leaves of the branch, but a slight shifting of her weight was enough to cause her to slip. She gave a yelp at the turn of events and her hand shot up to catch herself. Luckily she stopped herself from falling straight down to the ground, but the rough treatment of her palm caused the bark to cut into her delicate palm. She gave a wince of slight pain then let go of the branch to land harshly on her feet only to fall to her knees. That was fucking scary as hell, she thought to herself while she caught her breath. When Aika had almost fallen out of the tree, Tokiya's body moved before he could register what he was doing only to stop when he saw that she didn't fall from the tree. Thank god, he sighed to himself in his mind but stopped himself before he could think more about it. Why am I worried about her? She wouldn't have died if she would have fallen. With that thought in mind, Tokiya left the window and continued on with what he was doing. Now that Aika had all but three pieces of the lyric sheet, she gave a few more minutes searching before calling it quits. Instead she returned to her room where she proceeded to put the paper back piece by piece. The process was painstakingly slow, but she put as much care as she could into restoring the lyrics. However, she made sure to bandage her palm before even thinking about touching the white paper. As she put it back together, she read the lyrics that appeared before her.
"These are so good," Aika said to herself while reading.
"Why would he just throw these away?"
Aika frowned at her own question as she continued to work.
The next day, Aika scoured the campus to find Ren to give back his lyrics. She ended up finding him all alone on a grassy hill just outside of the main campus area.
"In a classroom dancing with the evening sun," Aika quoted from Ren's lyrics that had him jumping a little at both her sudden nearness and the fact that she was quoting his lyrics. He slowly turned to face the white haired girl who stood a few feet from him. Did she seriously take the time to find all of pieces of my lyrics, Ren asked himself in disbelief.
"By your eyes twinkling even more than the stars I'm...knocked out," Aika continued on with a light blush on her pale cheeks.
Ren was floored by the small petite girl who was standing so prettily before him while quoting his lyrics. She is so beautiful, Ren couldn't help but think about her.
"It's wonderful," Aika commented while she walked forward.
"When you fall in love with someone and release your feelings, everything comes alive with light and dances."
She then kneeled down in front of him so that she could hand over what she could gather of the paper.
"I couldn't find all the pieces," Aika lamented sadly.
At Ren's surprised face, she found herself backpedaling a little.
"I'm sorry for sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, but I couldn't just let you let such talent and passion go to waste. I can't let you quit. You should tell everyone how you really feel."
Ren almost shook his head at the nerve of the girl in front of him, but he found himself smiling instead. She never ceases to surprise me, Ren chuckled to himself.
"Thank you," he said. "You skipped class just to do that."
"I guess I did," Aika admitted with a ducking of her head. "I honestly forgot 'cause I wanted to get this back to you."
With that said, she placed the paper in his hand where her bandage brushed against his hand. That was enough to bring Ren's attention to her injured palm.
"What happened?" he questioned.
"I cut my palm a little when I was climbing a tree to get part of the lyrics," Aika answered.
"You climbed a tree?" Ren found himself echoing.
"Yeah, but don't mind it," Aika dismissed, waving her hands as she rose to her feet.
"It's just a scratch. Besides, I still have to go look for the missing pieces."
She didn't even wait for Ren to say anything before turning around and running off. You won't find it even if you look for it, Ren sighed in his head to the reatreting figure of the girl. It's not done yet.
Sometime after looking for a few hours by herself, Aika was joined by Tomo-chan, Otoya, Syo, and Natsuki. They searched tirelessly for the missing pieces, but they became disheartened when they didn't find any pieces.
"Aika, did it really fall here?" Tomo-chan asked her roommate.
"I think so," Aika sighed. "That is in the trajectory that the wind took when they fell."
A little ways down from Aika, Syo gave the trees a good poke with a broom handle before giving a sigh.
"He's an annoying guy, but it he really going to quit?" he remarked, referring to Ren.
"It would be such a pity," Natuski agreed.
"I don't think that he'll quit," Aika said with certainty. "All he needed was the right push."
Just as she finished her sentence, the school bell rung that signaled the end of the school day.
"It's no use," Otoya said when he heard the bell toll. "It's time."
"I have faith in him," Aika insisted with determination set in her brows. "He still had some time to either remember the lyrics or write new ones."
When Aika thought she couldn't take the suspense anymore, she heard the click of a tongue over the speakers of the school.
"Hey, can everyone hear me?" Ren's voice echoed all across campus that had Aika's spirits soaring.
"See, I told you guys," she practically beamed.
"Little Tigress, can you hear me?"
"Yes, I can," Aika replied even though she knew that he couldn't hear her.
"Ryuya-sana and everyone else, please listen," Ren continued on.
"I just finished my song. I'll release my slumbering feelings ...Until the very last phrase."
They could all hear the breath he took before talking again.
"It's showtime!"
The jazzy, energetic sound of Ren's saxophone then washed over the speakers that had Aika's heart warming. I knew you had it in you Ren-chan, Aika thought with a small smile on her lips.
"In a classroom dancing with the evening sun,
I was looking at only you
But your eyes twinkling even more that the stars
I'm knocked out
I've never felt anything like this
If I had to compare it to something
It's like bitter chocolate
The sweet nectar is making my love
Turn on its hazard lights
I usually only take
It's a simple lesson time
But…
To be stolen from is a rule breaking love
Release my soul
Remove your fake heart
Deep in my heart
I'm breaking out!
I'm on fire
If my running emotions change into passion
I'll say it just for you, the last phrase of my love
Believe heart to the end of the world."
As soon as the last notes of the song was washing over the speakers, Aika took off towards where she knew the recording studios to be. Everyone else followed closely behind her so that they too could congratulate the ginger haired male. Aika was the first to enter the booth to congratulate him.
"I knew you could do it Ren-chan!" Aika exclaimed without thinking about what she had said while she threw her arms around Ren's broad shoulders as much as she could.
"Ren-chan," Ren teased her in her ear while he wrapped his own arms around her slim waist.
When Aika realized what she had said, he face lit up in a blush and she tried to pull away but Ren was having none of it.
"Sorry. I have a habit of giving nicknames without-,"
"Who said I didn't like it?" Ren questioned as he pulled back slightly to look down into captivating golden eyes.
"Can I get you to call me Aika-chan, or is Little Tigress gonna stick?"
"I'm afraid it has stuck My Lady," Ren smirked that had Aika rolling her eyes.
"Of course it has."
"You did great Jinguji," Syo told his classmate with a large smile.
"I didn't think you would be able to pull it off, but you surprised me."
"Let's just say I have a new drive," Ren said as his eyes flashed over to Aika for just a split second. Aika gave Ren a warm smile in return.
"I'm happy for you Ren-chan," Aika offered him.
Not long after that, the group split up with Aika walking back to her dorm by herself.
Grandma, songs move people's hearts and give them passion, Aika thought in a mental letter to her grandmother. I had the opportunity to listen to such a song today. A small smile appeared on her lips that hinted at her dimples when Aika realized that Tokiya was walking towards her. Seeing as though he didn't look like he was going to talk to her, Aika gave him a simple nod and continued on her way. Tokiya was a little surprised at the simple gesture but his facial expression nor his gait betrayed it.
Later that night, Tokiya's mind was full of thought of the white haired girl. What was so special about this girl? Why was everyone so enamored with her? Was she the one who got Ren to write those lyrics? To satisfy his curiosity, he turned to his roommate who was strumming away at his guitar at his desk across from him.
"Otoya."
"What? Was I being too loud?" Otoya asked his roommate, stopping his strumming to turn around and face him.
"No," Tokiya sighed.
A little confused as to what he meant, Otoya voiced his confusion.
"What's wrong?"
"Did she make Ren write the lyrics to that song?" Tokiya questioned,
"Are you talking about Aika-chan?" Otoya smiled.
A little surprised that they were on a first name basis, Tokiya gave a nod.
"Yes."
"I was impressed," Otoya admitted with a small smile.
"She gathered up the torn lyrics. She even climbed a tree to do it. Her feelings must have reached Ren."
So that's what she was doing yesterday, Tokiya thought to himself when he remembered the strange zigzaging that she had done across the campus outside of the window.
"She always works so hard," Otoya continued on, unable to stop himself when he had started talking about her.
"Especially when it comes to music."
It looks like she has both Ren and Otoya wrapped around her fingers, Tokiya commented to himself when he saw the way Otoya's face softened.
ooo0ooo
"Come on Cecil," Aika called out to the handsome black tom who was sitting on the warm grass in front of her. She was waving a dandelion around for him to bat at while her warm laughter mixed with the sound of the sighing grass. As she was playing with the cat, a sudden phrase of music came to mind that she needed to put down on paper before she forgot. In response to her thoughts, she had dropped the dandelion so that Cecil could pounce on the once elusive weed while Aika hastily jotted down the phrase.
"It's better to write it down than to lose it later," Aika sighed.
When she wrote down the last note, Aika could hear a peculiar noise around her. What the hell? She looked around in hopes that she could find the source of the sound, but came up with nothing. The noise continued on until she heard a yell come from behind her. Her head snapped around to see Syo clinging for dear life onto a branch that was on its last legs.
"Syo-kun!" Aika called up to him. "Are you okay?"
Her shout was enough to surprise him enough to let go of the branch that had him falling with a yell.
"Syo-kun!"
Before her mind could catch up with her body, she ran forward and slid under him to provide him with some sort of cushion with the ground. A groan left Aika under Syo while he let out an ouch.
"Are you okay?" she wheezed out. "I didn't mean to startle you."
When Syo was able to get a grip on his wits, he realized that he was laying over Aika's stomach with his head a little over her breasts.
"Are you okay?" Syo returned, worried since the small girl had cushioned his fall.
"I'm fine," Aika waved off as she was grateful that he had sat up so that she could breathe again.
"Should we go to the nurse's office?"
"Don't tell anyone," Syo demanded that took Aika aback.
"What are you talking about?" she voiced when Syo ducked his head so that his hat covered his face.
"Don't tell anyone you saw me here," Syo explained while he helped Aika to her feet.
"Alright," Aika relented at once. "Just as long as you promise to be more careful in the future."
Syo looked relieved at her words while a smile popped up at her worry.
"I will," he promised. "And thanks...for the save."
"What save?" Aika grinned. "Did I see you here?"
Syo gave a laugh at her words that made any worry he had before leave him. All he gave her was a pat on the head before he turned to leave while Aika watched after him with worry in her golden eyes. She was worried for her friend and his weird behavior, but she couldn't find it in herself to pry. Thoughts of the stylish blond continued to swirl around in her mind all the way until lunch break. I want to ask him what he was doing so badly, she groaned in her mind while she tapped her papers against her desk to get them straight.
"Wow, Hyuga-sensei's going to be in a movie!" Otoya exclaimed that brought Aika out of her thoughts.
"What?" Tomo-chan asked.
"Look at this," Ototya insisted while turning his magazine around so that the girls could see. When both Tomo-chan and Aika looked at the article, they saw that the movie he was going to be in was called "Precipices Prince".
"Hyuga Ryuya is lead actor?" Tomo-chan questioned after reading the article.
"I think he stars in a lot of action movies," Aika offered.
"It makes sense since I've always seen him running around campus. He is one fit teacher."
"He's getting a little old to be a prince though," Otoya commented.
"He'd just graduate to a king instead of a prince," Aika smirked.
"It says they're holding amateur auditions!" Tomo-chan exclaimed.
"Co-starring with Hyunga-sensei, huh?" Otoya added.
While they were looking over the article, Natsuki had slid up beside them to look at the article.
"I see," he said that had everyone jumping in surprise.
"When did you get here?" Otoya stammered a little in his surprise.
"I need to tell Syo-chan immediately."
"Is Syo-kun a fan of Hyuga-sensei?" Aika asked with slightly wide eyes.
Was that what he was trying to do, train for the role? But what would make him ask me to keep what he was doing quiet?
"Yeah, he's always been a huge fan of Hyuga-sensei's."
"Oh really?" Otoya smiled. "I bet Syo wants to audition then."
"Yes," Natsuki agreed.
I'll have to pass on the news if Syo-kun hasn't already heard about it, Aika thought to herself.
"Aika, what do you want to do for lunch?" Tomo-chan asked the white haired girl as they both walked to the cafeteria.
"I'm starving."
"I wonder what I should get," Aika laughed.
"I'm getting a teriyaki burger without the teriyaki sauce," Tomo-chan insisted but was cut off when Aika gave a shout of excitement when she saw Syo walking ahead of them.
"Syo-kun!" Aika called out to him as she ran up to him.
"Do you know about the audition?"
"What?" he said before a look of understanding washed over his face as well as a bit of sadness.
"Oh, you mean Hyuga-sensei's?"
"Oh, you already know," Tomo-chan beamed happily.
"You really are a huge fan. You already checked it out."
"Natsuki," Sto uttered.
Aika's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the mention of the tall blond and turned slightly so that she could see where Syo was looking. Just behind them walking down a walkway a little ways away from them. Aika's face lit up at the familiar face and she couldn't help but call out to him.
"Natsuki-kun!"
At the sound of his name, Natsuki stopped and turned towards the voice. As soon as he saw the blond next to Aika, Natuskilit up.
"Syo-chan, wonderful news!" he shouted over.
Syo reflexively flinched at the energetic blond's voice as it usually didn't end well for him.
"Crap!"
Without even thinking, Syo grabbed Aika's wrist and proceeded to pull her after him. What in the world is wrong with him, Aika questioned in her mind while she ran with him. Rather than say anything at the moment, Aika kept her thoughts to herself so that she could try to at least catch her breath.
They ran for a few more minutes until Syo was satisfied that they were far enough away from the dangerous blond. When she stopped for a breather, he let go of Aika's hand and doubled over to take in big lunguls of breath. Aika herself sank to her knees to try to get her breathing under control.
"Sorry," Syo gasped. "Things always get complicated when Natsuki is involved."
"I take it you have a long history with Natsuki-kun?"
"That's an understatement," Syo chuckled humorlessly.
"Besides, there's something I need to do before the audition."
"You're going to do it," Aika grinned up at him with her dimples flashing.
Syo gave her smile when blue eyes met gold.
"I couldn't let a chance like this pass me by."
Aika gave a small cheer that also lifted Syo's spirits.
"After all, he's the Prince of Fighting."
"Prince of Fighting, that sounds familiar," Aika mused.
"The Prince of Fighting is a hit drama starring Hyuga-sensei," Syo told her.
"It's set in Europe in the Middle Ages. When his family is killed in a civil war, a prince swears to get revenge and restore his kingdom by fighting with his fists."
To show Aika the magnificence of the show, Syo began singing.
"A world shrouded in dust,
The farthest reaches of the wilderness,"
As Syo sang, the joy and enthusiasm he had for the series and Hyuga-sensei was evident in his voice.
"My heart burns hotly
Burning shot
This unstoppable feeling
Become a fist
My tears shine, the stars shine, too
La, la, la
There are nights I heal myself with song
But my heart is howling
100 isn't enough
I go 1000%
Full throttle chivalrous spirit
No one had better stand in front of me
Because I don't know what I'll do
I don't want to make anyone suffer
Burns of rage
Underneath this vast sky
As long as I have a tomorrow to protect in my heart
Unquestioningly shout
Full throttle chivalrous spirit
Let's go
Fight!"
"You have a wonderful singing voice Syo-kun," Aika praised the blond male as she got back to her feet.
Syo smiled at her words before talking again.
"My body's been frail since I was little, and I never had any confidence," he told her.
"But watching Sensei on TV cheered me up. I owe Ryuya Hyuga a lot. He's my hero."
Aika found herself relating with Syo about heroes when she thought about Hayato/Tokiya.
"When I learned he was my homeroom teacher, I was so happy."
"I bet," Aika smiled only to be surprised by Syo's shout of surprise.
She followed his line of sight to see that Hyuga-sensei was running along a trail a good few feet in front of them. He even threw in some punches and kicks that had Syo all but bouncing on his feet in excitement.
"He's so cool," Syo all but beamed.
"I wish I could co-star with him. Do you understand how I feel?"
"I do actually," Aika said with a small smile.
Syo was surprised at her words and turned to face her when she uttered the words. Who would she look up to, Syo found himself wondering. And if she had a hero, what exactly happened for her to look up to them?
"I'm a fan of Hayato-sama," Aika revealed.
Syo couldn't believe his ears. Why on earth would this girl be a fan of him of all people?
"That's not what I'd expect from you," Syo remarked. "Hayato is…,"
"He's a wonderful singer," Aika insisted, taking a strong step forward that showed how dedicated she was to him.
"He cheered me up too. His music saved me."
"You're just like me, then," Syo realized after hearing her words.
"I guess so," Aika smiled up at him.
Syo was pleasantly taken aback a little at words when they both heard Natsuki.
"Syo-chan, found you!"
Fear clawed its way into Syo's heart at the net that flew towards him, but Aika was looking at the net with shock. Thankfully the net only captured Syo that left Aika wondering just where Natsuki had gotten the net.
"Syo-kun!" Aika called up to him in worry.
"Are you okay?!"
"Syo-chan, you still haven't gotten over your fear of heights," Natsuki pointed out happily, much to Aika's dismay.
"He's afraid of heights so you strung him up in a tree?!" Aika protested with even more worry in her tone.
"Seriously, stop! It's so high!" Syo protested as the net he was in swung dangerously from side to side.
"Let me down! Stop it! Stop it! What's going on?!"
Aika couldn't take his shouting anymore so she resigned herself to climb up the tree to get Syo down. She used the same method that she had before to shimmy her way to where the net was secured so that she could slowly work out the knot that kept the net in place. When she had released the knot, she slowly lowered Syo to the ground while her arms strained from the effort. Both Syo and Natsuki couldn't believe the strength and bravery Aika was displaying climbing up the tree to free Syo. Syo was so grateful for the release of his prison while Natsuki thought he was watching a white haired goddess. Before long Syo touched down to the ground that left Aika on the tree branch letting out a deep breath.
"Are you okay Syo-kun," Aika asked the blond who was wiggling his way out of the net.
"I'm fine," he assured her, his body shaking now that he was safely on the ground. "Are you okay? Will you be able to get down?!"
"I'll be fine," she grinned down at him. "I just got to-,"
As she talked, she maneuvered herself so that she was hanging down from the branch by her arms, but she underestimated how much strength she had left in her arms. A yelp left her when her grip faltered that had her falling towards the ground.
"Nanami/Aika-chan!" Syo and Natsuki shouted when they saw the small girl plummet to the ground. Natuski went to run forward to catch her, but Syo beat him to it. He held out his arms to catch her around her waist. With the way that he caught her, Syo ended up falling to the ground with Aika straddling his waist. A groan left Syo as his hands moved to settle on her hips.
"Looks like we're even," Aika chuckled while she gathered her bearings.
"I guess we are," Syo returned.
"Are you alright Aika-chan?" Natsuki fussed, rushing to her side and kneeling down beside her.
At Natsuki's words, Aika realized she was straddling Syo and hastened to get off of him.
"I'm fine," Aika said. "But since you called me Aika-chan, can I call you Natsu-chan?"
"That is so cute," Natsuki smiled that spoke of his happiness with the nickname.
"Great. Why don't we all go grab a cup of tea to calm our nerves?" Aika suggested with a shuddering breath.
"Sounds like a good idea," Syo agreed.
"So are we going to talk about the fear of heights?" Aika ventured after she had her initial cup of tea.
Natsuki and Syo sat on either side of her while Otoya and Tomo-chan sat across from her and Masato sat down a little ways down the table.
"Fear of heights," Syo echoed while he shook in fear. "O-Of course not."
"Looks like a serious phobia," Tomo-chan observed with her face resting on her palms.
Masato said nothing while he took a sip of his tea.
"That can't be good, though," Otoya mused. "The movie's called The Precipices Prince."
"There's gonna be lots of high places," Tomo-chan pointed out.
"Sh-Shut up," Syo said. "I'm doing my best to get over it."
So that was it, Aika thought when she remembered his earlier plight with the tree branch.
"Don't be so secretive, Syo-chan," Natsuki encouraged his childhood friend.
"Why didn't you come to talk to me about it?"
"Because it'd be dangerous," Syo retorted.
"There's nothing dangerous about me," Natsuki denied with an innocent face.
The net begs to differ, Aika refuted in her head.
"That smile's plenty dangerous!"
"Hey, let's all help him get over it," Otoya suggested despite the mini freak out Syo was experiencing.
"Huh?" Syo questioned.
"Then, he'll be able to audition," Aika joyfully joined in.
"I guess I'll help," Tomo-chan offered.
"Your conversation sounds interesting," came a familiar voice that belonged to a certain ginger.
"Ren-chan!" Aika greeted him happily.
"Would it be alright if I joined you?" Ren asked the jumpy blond.
"It sounds like a good way to pass the time."
"What about you Masa?" Otoya asked the quiet blue haired boy.
"Knowing what is right and not doing it is want of courage," was all Masato said that Otoya took as a yes.
"It's decided, then," Otoya announced.
"If you'll all help me, I guess I can give it a shot," Syo relented.
"It probably won't be so bad Syo-kun," Aika told him while leaning into his side. Syo was thankful for her comforting warmth and basked in it for a few moments before he stood from his seat. Maybe Aika was right. It wouldn't be that bad with others to balance out Natsuki, right?
ooo0ooo
"We're starting with this?!" Syo protested loudly from a high tower atop the school building.
"No way, no way! Absolutely not!"
"Shock therapy in the best way to cure it," Natsuki called out to him while everyone else watched from the safety of the inner part of the tower.
"Are you sure about this?" Aika voiced out loud.
"Probably," Otoya said after thinking about it.
"Well if he's going to do it, I'm going to stand out there with him," Aika decided with her mind set.
No one held her back as she walked forward to put a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm right here Syo-kun," Aika assured the nervous blond.
"I'm not sure if this is going to work, but we have to give it a try."
"You're right," Syo relented. "Just, Just give me a push when I'm not-,"
Aika did not wait for Syo to finish his sentence before giving him a firm push off the plank he was standing on. She leaned over a little to look at him as he fell with the thick rope that was tied around his waist following him. I don't think this worked, Aika sighed in her head when Syo yelled as he fell. The next test was to put him on a window washer platform beside a building, that also failed, then putting him on a really high bridge. This one also failed. With each try, Aika couldn't help but feel bad for him. He was trying to get over his fear, but they methods they were using was not working.
"We should take a break," Aika interjected when she saw that Syo was almost at the end of his rope. She carefully helped him sit down and rest before she hopped off to go grab some snacks from the school store. She had just paid for the snacks and was heading out when she ran into Tokiya. They both stood in silence while Tokiya took in the pale girl in front of him.
"You seem busy," he commented.
"My friend Syo-kun is going to audition, so we're all helping him," Aika told him.
"You must have a lot of free time."
"Not necessarily," Aika refuted softly. "But when a friend needs your help, you have to help them."
"Well, do your best."
Even thought Tokiya had all but given her a verbal lashing, Aika couldn't help but want to explain further.
"You may not understand," she began slowly while she thought over her words.
"But it's a very important dream to him. I want him to at least have a shot at living his dream."
Tokiya was a little surprised at Aika's words and couldn't even offer up anything to say as Aika excused herself. When Aika rejoined the group, she could see that poor Syo was all but passed out from his fear.
"Hey, hasn't his phobia gotten worse," Tomo-chan commented while she tried to fan Syo with her handkerchief.
"We may have pushed him too far," Otoya admitted.
"It's time to quit," Masato joined in.
"We're not done yet," Natsuki insisted. "If anything, we've been too easy on him. I actually happen to have a friend inventing a rocket. He told me if he goes up about ten thousand meters, he might not be scared anymore."
At the mention of the rocket, Aika paled more than she already was.
"What?!" Syo exclaimed in worry and even more fear than he was in before.
"I brought the snacks!" Aika shouted to bring the attention of the group on her in hopes that it would push the idea from Natsuki's mind. Tomo-han took a water bottle from the bag and proceeded to dump the water on Syo's head to get him to cool down a bit. It worked, but the day had been too much for him so he fell to the side on the bench he was sitting on. Poor Syo-kun, Aika thought in her head while a hand reached out to pet Syo's hair.
"Syo-chan works so hard," Natsuki sighed. "I want to see him overcome his fear."
"You and Syo-kun are childhood friends, aren't you?" Aika voiced out loud at the fact that Syo and Natsuki knew each other like Masato and Ren did.
"We met each other quite a lot over the years at violin contests," Nastuki said.
"I didn't think we would both come here, though."
"I wonder why he's afraid of heights," Otoya mused, watching Syo's soul fly from his mouth.
I have an inkling, Aika thought to herself when she thought back to how Natsuki treated Syo. Something tells me that Natsuki is at the root of this fear.
"Perhaps he had a terrifying experience in the past," Masato offered that Aika silently agreed with.
"What do you mean, a terrifying experience?" Otoya questioned.
Just as he asked the question, everyone could hear a deep laugh that Aika remembered from orientation. Is that the principal, she found herself asking only to jump with a yelp when the principal popped up behind the bench that Syo was laying on.
"P-Principal, when did you get here?" Tomo-chan stammered through her shock.
"He probably heard us and decided to come investigate," Aika groaned, her hand coming to rest above where her heart was pounding relentlessly in her chest. In true Shining Saotome fashion, the man did a handstand on the back of the bench and spun before hopping off to land on his feet in front of the bench.
"Listening to the concerns of devoted students is one of my responsibilities," was his reply before he grabbed Syo by his shoulders.
"Mister Kurusu."
That was enough to snap Syo out of his funk.
"What? What do you want?!"
"It's alright," the principal assured the young blond.
"Don't worry. I'll help you with your problem."
Later that night found the group in Shining Saotome's office with the promise of Syo getting over his fear. The principal saw in a chair behind a metronome along with a candle while Syo sat across the table from him in his own chair.
"Close your eyes and, slowly, take deep breaths," Principal Saotome instructed while waving his hands around.
Syo looked like he wanted to be anywhere else, but he went along with it in the end.
"Slowly, slow and slow, slowly. Slowly."
As the principal was giving the instruction, Aika had Poison Kiss by Quartet Night playing in her mind starting with the "Slowly, slowly" line. Everyone else was focused on what was happening in front of them.
"You will calm down and begin to feel warm. And you are becoming sleepy."
The whole group held their breath as they waited for at least something to happen.
"Okay, you're asleep," the principal said when Syo's head hung down towards his chest.
"No, I'm not," Syo denied at once while his headshot back up.
"How was that supposed to put me to sleep? Come one, don't be ridiculous. Besides, I-,"
He's asleep the group though in unison when Syo's head flopped back down as he began to snore.
"There, there, there," the principal grinned at the turn of events.
"You are asleep. Your memories will now travel farther and farther back in time. You are three years old. You are riding on a ferris wheel. Are you super afraid of heights?"
Aika held her breath while waiting for Syo's answer.
"It's not scary," Syo mumbled. "It's fun."
"Okay, you're four years old now."
"Nope, it's fun."
"Okay, you are five years old now."
Aika was able to see the way Syo's face scrunched up at whatever was playing in his mind. So the trauma happened when he was five, Aika thought to herself. Please don't tell me it was Natsu-chan who did it, she wished to herself.
"Is the ferris wheel scary?" the principal inquired.
By the way she started screaming, everyone was able to see that he was in fact scared of the ferris wheel scenario.
"What's wrong?" the principal asked, not even phased by Syo's reaction.
"I'm scared! Stop!"
Aika bit her lip at Syo's shout. She wanted to get the principal to stop since Syo was showing such distress, but she also knew that he wanted to get past his phobia for the audition.
"What happened?" the principal continued on.
"I told you!" Syo yelled at some unseen person. "Stop chasing me!"
Syo seemed to be reliving some sort of horror before he was brought out of his memories with a jolt. They all watched Syo with apprehension until his face took on extreme anger.
"Natsuki, it was you!" Syo seethed.
Of course it was, Aika sighed in her head. Why am I not surprised?
"What?" Natsuki voiced in confusion.
"Why you," Syo said as he hopped up from his seat to take fistfulls of Natsuki's uniform.
"Now that you mention it," Natsuki smiled despite the predicament he was in.
"I had a feeling something like that might have happened."
"It did happen," Syo insisted with a scary look on his face.
Before Syo could try to do something more or for Natsuki to make the situation worse, Aika strode forward to ease Syo's hands from Natsuki's uniform.
"Why don't we all head back to our dorms and get a good night's rest," she suggested.
She could see all of Syo's boiling anger, but he calmed down a bit when he saw Aika's sweet features.
"You're right Aika-chan," Natsuki agreed softly when he understood what Aika did.
While he knew that she didn't need to put herself between them, Natsuki appreciated the gesture nonetheless.
ooo0ooo
"You're not doing the audition?!" Aika questioned the next day with everyone else gathered around Syo.
"Wh-Why not?" Tomo-chan asked. "I thought you got over your fear of heights."
"Why?" Syo grumbled. "Look at this!"
The group all looked down to see that the roll was for a girl to play the protagonist's younger sister. Otoya read it out loud for everyone so that they understood.
"A girl?!" Tomo-chan exclaimed.
"How the hell are people expected to read such small print," Aika commented with a hand on her hip.
"I really wanted to co-star with Hyuga-sensei," Syo sighed.
"It's alright, Syo-chan!" Natsuki shouted, running towards the group with a frilly pink dress.
"Leave it to me!"
Both Aika and Syo watached Natsuki's approaching figure in dread for what he intended to do with the dress.
"Don't tell me you…," Syo trailed off.
Before everyone could process what had just happened, Syo was forced into the dress along with a wig.
"Syo-chan, you're so cute!" Natsuki exclaimed with glee while Syo looked none too happy.
Poor Syo-kun, Aika thought to herself. Aika kept quiet while Natsuki bustled around snapping pictures of Syo.
"You know, this isn't bad," Tomo-chan commented.
"Enough already!" Syo shouted in equal parts anger and embarrassment.
"Amazing," a new voice chimed in that had Aika stiffening.
"Hyuga-sensei," Syo uttered in shock, watching his idol jog in place just a few feet away.
"You look exactly like what I had imagined for my younger sister," Hyuga-sensei remarked.
"What's your name?"
"I-It's Syo."
"Come audition, Syoko-chan."
Aika winced with the blow to Syo's pride at the name Syoko as he sank to his knees in humiliation.
"Do you think we traumatized him again?" Tomo-chan pondered to Natsuki.
"You think?" Natsuki asked.
To at least make him feel a little better, Aika stepped forward to kneel beside Syo.
"It's okay Syo-kun," Aika said softly with a hand to his shoulder.
"I think that a real man can wear whatever he wants and still be manly."
He perked up a little at her words and he looked up at her with grateful eyes.
"Nanami…,"
"Please, call me Aika-chan," Aika insisted.
"I want to call you Syo-chan, but I think you're traumatized by it with Natsu-chan."
"That's an understatement," Syo muttered under his breath.
ooo0ooo
There we have it lovelies. The last written chapter I have. What did you think? Even though I have watched the show a couple times, I still react to the episodes as if I watching it for the first time. Something about how the story is told always seems to get me. One of the most engaging parts are when Natsuki is messing with Syo. I feel so bad for Syo, but I also know that Natsuki isn't really trying to hurt or traumatize him. At least I think he isn't. Anyway, the nicknames that I give the characters through Aika are the personal nicknames that I gave them. Granted, I wanted to call Natsuki Na-chan at first, but I figured that since Natsu from Fairy Tail is Na-chan, I should change it. Man, I forgot how much I love this franchise until I picked up writing it again. I would love to hear from you guys soon. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the story or the franchise, feel free to drop a review or shoot me a pm. Remember, reviews are magic!
-White Wolf