écriture fatale
by crisis rain
Disclaimer: Kaichou wa Maid-sama!/Maid-sama! belongs to Fujiwara Hiro. Fiction plot & originals belong to crisis rain. No infringement intended.
The sky was a pale shade of blue, and the sun was out; for a local's perspective, it was rare weather for a cloudy month in December. Regardless, the festival spirit was strong and the air was swirling with the rich smell of fast food stands. Within the realm of Oukashou High, bright banners rode the ripples in the wind with their myriad of colours hoisted for all to see. Christmas lights strung along the bare branches of the trees that lined in the courtyard; people filled the school grounds in their eagerness to spend the day to sightsee the events the students had to offer.
Inside the school was equally as busy. The hallways were cleverly decorated; each classroom bearing its own personality and theme. By mid-morning, the once-modest hallways that were silent with a studying fervor were now bustling with people. And in a particular classroom, a certain costume café is keeping its keepers just as busy. The first wave of customers this early in the morning first came as a nervous surprise for the class, but nonetheless due to previous rehearsal the classroom has transformed into a historical teahouse for one to enjoy sweets and tea.
"Dango and tea for the gentleman waiting on Table #4!" Endou's voice came chirruping into the kitchen area; a portion of the classroom where they had partitioned off for the preparation of the food. Teranishi whirled around from the waffle iron he was currently preoccupied with, giving a nod to his classmate. "Dango and tea, got it." Endou clipped a post-it note beside the rest of the orders that were held up by a clothesline fashioned out of string and wooden clips. He turned around, spotting the familiar figure of the health representative carefully pouring hot tea into a Styrofoam cup.
She seemed to be intently lost in the task of pouring tea, and so Teranishi thought he'd give her a wakeup call. "Inchou." He called out, but received no response. With a sigh, he scratched the back of his head and wiped his hands clean on a nearby handcloth. "Hisui." He tried this time, and attentively she turned her head back, her mouth half-frowning and half-gaping. It appears that she still wasn't accustomed to having him call her by her first name.
"If you're finished pouring the tea, could you bring it to Table #4?" The male watched her nervously place the cups of tea onto serving platter. It seems even the great health representative gets butterflies once every while. "Careful you don't spill; it's hot." He cautioned, and returned back to preparing orders. Hisui nodded faintly, carefully navigating around the tables before setting it down before her customers with a shaky smile. "Here's your tea; please expect your order to arrive soon."
Trotting quickly back to the kitchen area, once she was sure she was under the safety of the partition curtains she let out a loud sigh of relief. Truth to be told, Hisui wasn't very used to dressing up and serving customers. While Endou and Shinohara had done a fantastic job on getting the costumes tailored quite beautifully, she simply wasn't accustomed to dressing herself up in such a manner. Thus to an extent, her heart was still beating from wearing such an exquisite piece of clothing. Combined with her long, dark kimono – at the boys' request, the costume was completed with a final touch: a white, frilly apron wrapped around the more conservative folds of the traditional outfit. With frivolous lace bowties and a ribbon tying the garment around her waist, the booth had transformed into a historical maid café.
Deft and swift fingers laced around the iron handle of the taiyaki maker, and Teranishi sidled back a glance at his classmate with a concerned look on his face. There she was again, not paying much attention to her surroundings in the middle of an important task. Hisui seemed to be lost in thought, despite appearing to be examining the orders that were strung along the clothesline. "Inchou…" He reverted back to his usual honorifics this time, but turned around to tap her lightly on the shoulder for good measure. "You're spacing out again. It's the first day of the culture festival and you need to brind that head back down from the clouds."
"Eh?" She sounded somewhat surprised at the same time, distracted. Hisui took in a deep breath, before exhaling sharply. She wasn't going to let herself worry over something unpredictable. "…Right. Thanks, Teranishi. I'll go out and make myself useful." Muttering about how she would sooner spill tea on the customers, she had dashed right out of the tiny, little kitchen space before he could utter another word.
Sighing resignedly, Teranishi merely turned back to the dishes he was to serve and kept his own rambling mind busy with work.
Hisui exited out the front doors of the classroom, immediately spotting Shinohara standing beside the entrance with a stack of flyers in her hands. The quiescent girl looked rather sharp and domineering when dressed in traditional garb, for her usually placid and blank expression looked stiffer than usual. Letting out a soft, rueful laugh from her lips, Hisui walked up to her classmate and placed a hand in greetings upon the bespectacled girl's shoulder.
"Ah, Kogarashi-san." Shinohara formally addressed, giving the health representative a slight bow of her head. "I've been standing here for quite some time already and it doesn't seem like many people are interested in our booth… perhaps we are doing something wrong?" She pondered thoughtfully, cupping her chin as she mulled over her lack of success. Hisui glanced back to the passing crowd of people who passed by with only few glances of minimal interest.
Turning back to Shinohara, she smiled widely. "Well, at times like this you just need to raise your voice a bit! Here I'll take half of them and pass them out throughout the school." Shinohara hastily relinquished half of the posters advertising the historical cosplay booth to Hisui, looking quite overwhelmed.
"A-Are you sure you want to do this…?" Shinohara began, but her words trailed off when Hisui began to make her way down the corridor, clutching a handful of the colourful posters in her hands. She turned back to wave reassuringly back to Shinohara, her smile still solid.
"Don't worry about me! I'll bring those customers; you'll see!"
As if some newfound courage had found its way inside her heart, Hisui dashed along the tight and packed corridor; her geta heels clicked with a distinctive, wooden clap! clap! as she ran. Endou and the rest of the girls had helped her with the makeup, and within this swirling environment of excitement, the usually-aloof and serious girl couldn't help but to feel herself swept away by the stimulating current. Extending an hand out with a poster clutched in her fingers, she waved in greetings to several students and festival attendees and plastered on a bright smile.
"Good morning, everyone! Please visit Class 2-B for a very unique historical Japan-themed café! We have cake, dango, taiyaki, you name it!"
A few interested potential patrons excitedly asked for posters immediately following after. Handing out several sheets with bubbling delight, Hisui quickly thanked the crowd before making a little dash down the hallways in partial excitement. Of course, the dash wasn't superbly fast for it was rather hard to move around in the kimono she was wearing, but there was a certain spring to her steps as she made her way to the front of the school.
Outside in the cold, the atmosphere was kept warm from the smoky, steaming food booths offered by other classes. Two unlikely characters trooped through the crowd, their gruff-looking muffian mugs parting a path in the sea of people as they stepped to the side in fear, much like Moses. Aratake Gouki was here on this particular day along with his good friend and right hand man, Shimazaki Yasutaka – due to the behest of his childhood friend whom he was secretly rather fond of. Shoving his cold fingers into his vest pocket, he ignored the whispers and dirty looks he was thrown at his general direction, his scowl deepening.
"Man, looks like your glare is just as awful as always." Yasutaka commented ruefully, a brief chuckle following shortly afterwards. The blonde-haired "mad dog" of Seisen Middle turned to meet his friend's remark with a half-lidded stare which sent a few girls shivering and turning away in fright. Yasutaka however, remained unfazed, for he was accustomed to his friend's disagreeable facial expressions and the effect it had on most people.
"'s not my fault people get scared of my face." Gouki grumbled aloud, but only loud enough for Yasutaka to hear. He wouldn't want to scare off the crowd even further with his words. After all, it was an important day for his childhood friend, and he would hate to ruin it for her. He glanced around, blinking at the unfamiliar yet familiar sights. The school had been so heavily decorated, he hardly recognized the once plain front doors of Oukashou High School.
"It's the headband, I tell ya man. The way how you hide your eyes under that makes you look like a public threat..." The sound of Yasutaka's voice was droned off as his focus began to fade away from the conversation, and more-or-less focused on finding that familiar silhouette of a certain troublemaker he knew. It was then Gouki began to notice the sizeable crowd that was gathering in front of the school entrance path; and following soon after, the familiar ring of a voice belonging to someone he knew rather well.
"If it pleases you to have a cup of tea with some old-fashioned desserts, please visit the Historical Cosplay Café at Classroom 2-B!" Beckoning guests gaily with a cheer in her voice that was unusual for her personality, Hisui enthusiastically waved the flyers in her hands, attracting the attention of a rather large crowd of people who were preparing to enter the school in hopes of seeing more sights. As hands reached out to take a poster, she quickly handed out sheets, bowing often to show her gratitude for their interest.
Glancing back around, she soon quickly spotted the familiar messy head of bleached hair and disgruntled face of her childhood friend, much to her alarmed surprise. She wasn't expecting him to arrive so early during the day and immediately afterwards let out a loud gasp before covering her mouth in embarrassment.
"G-G-Goucchan!" She spluttered out, blushing profusely and looking thoroughly self-conscious about her little performance back there… to which she was sure he had borne witness to. "Y-You're here rather early!"
Gouki said nothing, feeling his cheeks rapidly ascend temperature with his gaze locked upon her figure and the outfit she was wearing. He had recalled that she was making plans on making a cosplay café, but his heart damn sure wasn't prepared for this. The bistre brown, almost black-coloured fabric of her kimono was lightly patterned with accentuating, golden floral patterns locked in hexagonal cells. An eggplant-coloured sash secured the thick folds of fabric together. But what made his heart flutter with a happy sort of unease, was that unmistakable look of excitement on her face when she tried her hardest to round up a few patrons for her class's booth.
He covered the lower half of his face with a hand as if he was cupping a cough, looking away quickly before she could catch on where he was staring. Albeit his best attempts to act nonchalant, the searing redness that was flushing his cheeks was undeniable. Thankfully for Gouki, his childhood friend was known to be a complete airhead when it comes to noticing these sorts of things. Hisui sweated out her own embarrassment and walked over to Gouki and Yasutaka, shuffling the flyers back in order.
"Ahh… well, winter break already started for us. So Aratake suggested me to accompany him today; for your school's culture festival." Yasutaka spoke up, trying to suppress from grinning too much at Gouki's reaction. Hisui immediately bowed respectfully, as she was brought up with such manners, eliciting a look of surprise from the young male.
"Thank you for being Gouki's friend. Please, look after him when he's at school." Hisui straightened back up, smiling gently back at Yasutaka. The delinquent couldn't help but to blush slightly at her modest greeting, and waved a hand in dismissal while laughing nervously. "A-Ahahaha, don't mention it, sempai! My name is Shimazaki Yasutaka – just Yasutaka is fine with me. Is it okay for me to call you Kogarashi-sempai?"
"Ah… yes, Yasutaka-san." Hisui replied distractedly, realizing that she was still holding onto the flyers in her hands. She glanced back to Gouki, who was still silent and stubbornly glancing away from her general direction. He stole a glance, and immediately his feverish cheeks flared up when he realized she had fixated her stare at him. "Goucchan, you haven't said a word since I saw you. What's wrong?"
"Nothing!" He barked aloud – a bit too loud, for a couple nearby immediately stared at him in terror before hurriedly walking away – "A-A-Anyway, since we're here… I thought maybe we can just w-wander around on our own or something…" He grumbled, voice trailing off as he tried to come up with an excuse to give himself some time alone to still his beating heart. At the very least, he wanted some time to prepare himself before he come in contact with her. Hisui frowned slightly at his response before lightly flicking his forehead with a snap of her fingers.
"Nonsense! If you get occupied and carried away with everyone else's booths, you'll never come to my class! C'mon, first stop is Class 2-B!" As if to demonstrate her willpower of a salesman, she took hold of Gouki's arm and began to lead him back towards the school entrance, if not forcing him in a half-drag. The taller boy resisted out of embarrassment at first, bickering incessantly before giving up and forcing himself to go along with her whims. Once Hisui has set her mind on something, she won't stop at anything to accomplish her goal.
The inside was packed more than before. With the time hitting late afternoon, growing close to noon – many more people were arriving to experience the sensation of Oukashou's Culture Festival. "Hold on a minute – S-Sui!" He had to raise his voice from the growing noise volume as they entered the crowd; her figure soon disappearing in the sea of people. Only his hand remained connected to hers, holding on tightly in fear of losing her in the wave. Hisui continued to tug him along, her excitement getting ahead of her. Poor Yasutaka was keeping up with great difficulty in the dense throngs of people that constantly blocked his way.
Gouki briefly wondered if he should yell again and battle against the deafening voices from the crowd or stay silent and let her lead him along, as she had always done so. He heaved out a heavy sigh, and smiled faintly to himself. The worst was over when they reached the other end of the hallway where the stairways proved to hold considerably less traffic. "You should see everyone's costumes," Hisui began animatedly at the first chance for conversation where they could hold one without being interrupted by the thick noise level. "Endou and Shinohara both worked really hard to get everyone dressed up in historical kimonos!"
"Ehhhhh! That sounds rather nice!" Yasutaka commented with a grin. If the rest of the girls in her class were decked out in cute kimonos, perhaps this culture festival wouldn't be as boring as he thought it was originally was. Gouki stared back with an unimpressed look at his friend as if he could read his mind; to which Yasutaka responded back with a sheepish look, putting fingers to his lips in a hushed signal to keep his thoughts a secret from the unwitting health representative.
Emerging out from the stairwell connecting to the second floor, Hisui rushed forwards to the entrance of her classroom, waving a greeting to a surprised-looking Shinohara. "Shinohara!" She smiled brightly back at her classmate, waving the flyers. "I came back with some friends of mine!"
"Kogarashi-san…" The girl spoke softly, but there was a flush of excitement on her face. "I-Is this your doing? I m-mean… look at the amount of customers we have…!"
Hisui swiveled her head to glance inside the classroom. It was bursting with customers, and more seemed to be coming. Several new visitors greeted Shinohara by the door, who then led them inside to find a seat for them. A bead of sweat slid down Hisui's face – it wasn't worry, but more awe than anything else. Awe, in that perhaps they may not have enough table space to generate the most amount of revenue possible.
Endou who was primarily tasked with the role of waitress was dashing and scurrying about, taking orders back and forth from the kitchen and customers. "It's only the first day and man, aren't you guys on a roll?" Yasutaka whistled at the sight of the busy, bustling classroom. He had some doubts about a cosplay-themed café but it seems like the students put quite the amount of effort into making their establishment look genuinely interesting.
Hisui ushered them inside the classroom, lest the tables be completely filled up. "A table for two, please!" She called out for Endou who glanced back with a distracted look, currently serving orders for another table. "Oh, Hisui-tan! You've came back! Good timing, there was a junior…" She trailed off, pausing to huff in a few breaths and made her way over to the health representative. "There was a junior – her name, Kitagawa, I think? She came around a few minutes ago looking for you!"
A look of surprise washed over Hisui's face. "Kitagawa… she's my underclassmen from the Health Committee."
At that moment, Teranishi stuck his head out from the kitchen stall, his bangs pushed up by a makeshift knotted cloth headband to keep his hair out of his eyes. Perspiration from working at the grill lined his forehead, sweat gleaming off his features. "You should head to the infirmary. I think something's come up."
Nodding silently, Hisui turned around with an apologetic smile on her face. "W-Well, I guess I need to go! Oh, but before I leave," She gestured Gouki and Yasutaka to an open table, placing down menus. "We don't have too much on the menu but Teranishi makes a mean crepe! I'll try to come back and show you guys around the campus as soon as I can." There was a certain worried look in her eyes, but Hisui forced herself to smile, feeling slightly disappointed that her time with her guests was cut short.
Gouki glanced back at her, his brow set in a stern line as he continued to look at her for a moment. "You're worrying again." He started, picking up the menu. "You say the crepe was good? I guess I'll order that." Grateful that he was being understanding in his own way, a small crack of a genuine smile came through Hisui's features. "Yeah, it's really great. Can I get you anything else before I head off?"
"Uh, I'll have the ice cream fruit parfait." Yasutaka replied candidly, and handed her back the menu. "Thanks, sempai. You should probably go check on that junior of yours."
After turning in their orders to Teranishi, Hisui quickly exited the classroom and her feet began to take her down along the crowded corridor; the path towards the nurse's office was all too well-memorized. She knew that Kitagawa wouldn't have personally come to find her lest it was something serious; and part of that worried her deeply. Troubled, she began to take off the apron tied around her waist during her fast stride towards the office, and by the time she had reached there in record time, she had flung it over the crook of her arm, not bothered by the fact that she was still dressed up in her traditional garb.
Swinging the door open briskly, she peered in with sharp eyes, immediately surveying the scene. Kitagawa who had been sitting down by the desk immediately got up, alerted by Hisui's arrival. "I-Inchou!" She managed to whisper aloud, quickly making her way to the older girl. "Kitagawa! I heard you came by my classroom looking for me. Is something the matter?" Hisui breathed, her eyes scouring over the younger girl's face for signs of trouble.
Kitagawa bit her bottom lip, eyes contemplating the matter for a moment. "It's… about an incident this morning."
"Incident? Was someone hurt?"
"No; not yet, at least." The placid, suave tone of the school nurse came floating from behind, and Hisui turned around to see her slightly unshaven superior standing languidly by the doorway, smelling faintly of cigarette smoke. Hanazono ran a hand over his chin, feeling the bristles he had neglected to shave this morning. Hisui stood stoically, holding her junior who looked shaken yet relieved to see a familiar figure.
She cleared her throat. "What do you mean by that?"
The Okinawan man scratched the back of his head, his messy, unkempt hair tied back in its usual short, bushy pigtail. "Well… a familiar face popped up earlier, looking for trouble. Remember that senior? Nakata?"
Hisui froze; her blood ran cold.
"I guess he's a little mad for having been thrown out of school after the principal expelled him for his less-than-savory crimes on school grounds." Hanazono continued, now scratching the side of his nose. "Made quite a scene earlier by the front entrance, badly scaring some of the festival attendees might I add." He heaved a heavy sigh, and shuffled into the office in his pair of slippers, plugging his hands into his lab coat pockets. "When will they lock him up in jail for good? I don't see a single good bone in that boy's body…"
He stopped midway in his muttering, realizing that his favourite student had gone silent since his arrival. "What's the matter, Kogarashi? You look a little pale." He was concerned now, seeing how rapidly the colour had drained from her face.
"I… no, I'm fine." Hisui reassured him, clearing her throat again awkwardly. "I… I suppose the faculty's been informed of his intrusion?"
"No doubt, they've strengthened security. Wouldn't want someone of his character showing up and ruining the school's culture festival altogether – it'll end up in disaster if he continues to harass the school." He sank down on his swivel chair, reaching out for his hot mug of tea. Roughly picking up the piece of ceramic into his hands, he turned his gaze back to his students.
"Well… I think Kitagawa should head back to her class; I'll take care of things here. Sorry about having you come in the middle of the culture festival; seems like your class has its hands full with you and that get up." He winked back at her, and Hisui's face reddened slightly after realizing she was still wearing her costume. "I… I was worried someone was hurt, so I came as soon as I could…!"
"Thankfully no one was hurt. Let's hope it remains that way." Hanazono firmly concluded. Pausing for one last moment, he frowned at Hisui, a questioning look in his eyes. "Are you sure you're alright, Kogarashi? Is there something I need to know?"
She quickly shook her head, feigning a smile. "No, no… there's nothing. Don't worry about me. I'll take Kitagawa back."
There was still a perplexed look in his eyes, but the school nurse said nothing, and nodded his head. "Well, I'll be here, like always. Feel free to come sit down and talk to me whenever you feel like it."
"Will do, Hanazono-sensei. And please don't scare any female patients too badly. Just because Kitagawa isn't here doesn't mean you can go around unchecked." And with that, Hisui was out of the door, walking by her junior's side who had kept quiet for the most part. She glanced down at the younger girl and her somber expression.
"Do you think… he'll come back? Nakata-sempai, that is." Kitagawa finally expressed her worries, her brow arched in a troubled wrinkle. Hisui wasn't sure what to say, but she could sympathize with the girl's fears. She didn't want to appear weak to her juniors – it wasn't a reassuring thing, to be weak and cowardly as a leader. And thus she inhaled sharply, trying to let out a small laugh.
"Hanazono-sensei said that the teachers made sure he won't be coming back. So I don't think there's anything to worry about anymore."
"Yeah…" That relieved Kitagawa slightly, but she still felt concerned. "…but Nakata-sempai was sure a nasty fellow, even back when he was here at school." Hisui's face hardened, and she looked away.
"Don't call him 'sempai'; he's not a student here anymore. He doesn't deserve such formality." The senior's mean-looking face flashed in her mind once more, and Hisui felt her heart thud faster. "…And he barely attended school, as the delinquent he was. So you don't have to feel that he still has any sort of attachment to our school. That's all in the past."
She dropped Kitagawa at her classroom, seeing her off. Hisui sighed in relief, watching her junior welcomed back by her classmates. Walking back down the corridor, she stopped by the second floor balcony window and looked outside at the scenery. The sky was still blue and cloudless, and the sun was out. The cheerful atmosphere made it hard to believe that Nakata had shown up earlier, and it eased some of her anxiety away. Glancing at the naked tree branches, a particular head of bleached hair caught her attention and she gazed down.
With the window providing a clear view of the back gardens behind the school, she could see a tall male walking aimlessly around the deserted sidewalk; his frame was wrapped in an expensive-looking winter coat and scarf. He looked like he was simply wandering, but his eyes were searching for something – or someone.
She elicited a hiss of surprise, pressing her face against the glass before confirming her suspicions. "Why… Igarashi Tora!" She whispered to herself with angry surprise and immediately darted for the stairs. Making her way down as quickly as possible before she would lose sight of him, Hisui pushed open the heavy set of doors leading out to the back of the school, her face buffeted by the sharp sting of cold air.
Shuddering against the chill, she followed the sidewalk and looked around wildly for any sign of his familiar face or that stylish mess of blonde hair. With him nowhere to be found, Hisui slowed to a stop in the middle of the path, rubbing her hands around her arms to keep warm as she paused for breath, confused. She was certain she had seen him – or did she? She was beginning to think she was imagining things when footsteps echoed behind her and she quickly turned around to see who it was.
Surprised to see Gouki walking quickly after her, Hisui blinked her confusion away before finding her voice. "Goucchan…? What're you doing here?"
His face equally alarmed, he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I was going to ask you that question! Yasutaka and I were looking around for you since you never came back to the classroom, and I saw you running for outside. What're you in such a hurry for?"
Hisui felt her face heat up again at the prospect of mistaking someone for Igarashi Tora. "N-Nothing! I thought I saw someone I knew… but I was mistaken, I suppose." She cleared her throat, and glanced around Gouki. "Where's Shimazaki-san? Wasn't he with you?"
Gouki awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "He, uh, went off with some other friends we bumped into earlier. I thought I should go and find you… got worried for a moment when you never came back."
Hisui let out a small laugh. "I had to drop off my junior at her classroom. But thanks for worrying, though." She walked back towards Gouki, towards whence she came from, and gestured for him to come along. "I suppose I should go back to the classroom… they seem like they need another pair of hands with how busy it's gotten." Gouki said nothing, but glanced back at the empty scenery behind them. There was nobody he could see, as far as he could see, in the empty expanse.
The sounds of a weary teenager arriving back home could be heard from the kitchen. Kogarashi Sayaka looked up from her mug of lemon honey tea and gardening magazine, seeing the tired face of her daughter enter the house, holding a variety of things; from her schoolbag to a large cloth bag containing additional clothing and materials. Watching her daughter set her things down by the table and take off her scarf and jacket, Sayaka managed a small smile.
"How was the first day of the culture festival?" She asked, not expecting an immediate answer. Hisui paused to think, before unraveling the rest of her scarf and hanging it up by the coat hanger. "It was… fine. It was busy too, but everything's fine." She her jacket up as well, wearing her uniform once more.
"I don't hear you mentioning it being fun." Sayaka teasingly pointed out. Hisui let out a weak chuckle. "It was exhausting, but now that you mention it… yeah, I guess it was." She pulled a chair from the kitchen table and sat down across from her mother. Sayaka got up, fetching a cup from the cabinet. "Want some tea as well?"
"Thanks mom. That sounds great."
As she fixed her daughter a cup of what she was having, Sayaka turned around to gaze at Hisui who leaned back in her chair and stretched her tired limbs. "You know, your father's working the night shift at the hospital today. But he says he might be able to make some time for tomorrow for the school parade."
"If he's too tired, that's okay; there's always next year." Hisui pointed out, and Sayaka merely shook her head adamantly, pouring the hot water into the cup. "Well you know how your father is… speaking of which," Sayaka set the mug before her daughter, taking her seat again. "He was going to tell you about some plans this coming week. You don't have school after the culture festival, do you?"
"No; why do you ask?" Hisui gingerly took a sip from her cup, staring expectantly back at her mother.
"Well," Sayaka started, clasping her hands together with a smile. "Your father's been invited to the charity ball the Igarashi Group is hosting this year. They sent an invitation to our family; for all three of us."
Hisui tried her best not to spit out the lemon and honey, and swallowed her gulp messily, covering her mouth in shock. Sayaka fussed over her daughter's attempt of nearly spraying her with drink, handing her a napkin to wipe up after. "Honestly, Hisui! Don't you think you're overreacting?"
"I'm…" She paused to cough out the lemon in her throat. "I-I'm not! But why am I…?"
"It's a gesture of formality, dear. You know, since your father's been seeing the chairman for almost two months now, it would be wise for you to come along. Be a good girl and go to the charity ball. You don't want to embarrass your father by declining to attend, now would you?" Sayaka sternly chastised, and Hisui frowned deeply at this.
"I… I really don't want to go." She gripped the handle of her mug tightly; fingers wound so hard that her knuckles turned white. "I don't think I feel comfortable lounging around with other elites." She muttered back into her cup, shifting a rebellious glance away from her mother.
Sayaka sighed deeply, wringing her hands together at her daughter's disobedience. "There won't just be old people there, Hisui. There will be… teenagers of your age. I hear the Saionji Health Group has a young daughter about your age as well…? The other families will be bringing their children, Hisui. You will have plenty of people around your age to talk to."
"Great. More spoiled brats." Hisui sarcastically retorted.
"Hisui." Sayaka's tone had turned to a stern edge now, and she gazed back at her daughter with a deep frown. "Now listen to me, young lady; Tora-kun will be there as well, so please try your best to get along with the other guests. I want you to be on your best behaviour."
Hisui bit her lip, tasting blood from where the skin had cracked from the cold. "…Fine. If it's only for one night, I guess I can endure." Getting up with her mug of honey and lemon, she marched upstairs without another word, and closed her bedroom door behind her loudly. Sayaka let out a sigh, rubbing her forehead.
Morning had arrived again. Once more, the weather was beautiful and the air was filled with the loud, cheerful noise of merriment; culture festival. The second, final day of Oukashou High's culture festival was only beginning, and the school grounds were becoming increasingly crowded by the hour. Amongst all of the cheer, crowds, and aroma of fresh food, the busy scene was surveyed from the third floor window, tucked away from all the noise and cold sat a girl sitting on a medical stool, her chin propped against the window sill; her eyes, looking down at the scenery. Yesterday's fantasy was gone; her usual attire and appearance graced the presence of the man who sat in the far corner of the room, helping himself to a fresh mug of coffee as he stifled a tired yawn.
She hadn't moved for quite a while now, just simply observing the scene that was laid out before her. The school nurse, Hanazono Kengo glanced back at her, taking a sip of his tea before look around the empty office. "Well, I suppose it's good that we don't have too many patients this year. A decline from all the clumsy little accidents from cooking and amateur carpentry, eh Kogarashi-kun?" He tried to make an effort for some conversation, but his pupil merely nodded her head; her eyes still fixated at looking outside.
The white, winter morning light glowed from the glass pane; its brilliance softly reflecting off the young girl's features as her eyes occasionally quivered in movement; she studied the faces of the festival attendees with a knowing delight, but her smile would sometimes vanish when her mind wandered upon topics that bothered her; the topic she had shared with her mother last night. She did not want to give it much thought at the moment, and expelled the idea of attending the charity ball from her mind as quickly as she could.
However, upon perishing the bad thoughts, she was rudely brought to attention when the loud voices of merriment from outside changed slightly to a tone of fear. Alert, she glanced back outside, where upon her horror she sat, gaze transfixed to the scene that unfolded before her. A few teachers stood by the gate, barring from another man from entering. He lunged forwards towards another student, and there was a moment of chaos as the bodies writhed in the scuffle; finally, the offender pulled back from the pull of the gym teacher and sprinted away as quickly as he can. He threw a retreating, spiteful glance at the people behind him, and Hisui's heart skipped a beat when she realized that it was Nakata.
The concerned voices soon turned into loud yelling and a few shrieks of terror, and Hisui immediately sat up from the stool, her eyes still staring down. There were too many people – she could not see what was going on even though she was looking from above. Hanazono looked up from his book, alarmed at the voices. "What's going on outside? Is something happening?" He immediately questioned, noticing that she was out of her seat.
Hisui swallowed; her throat dry. Turning around, she faced Hanazono with a look of panic on her face. "There's… there's been some sort of accident. I just saw Nakata at the front gates… he ran off and… and…" Hanazono immediately placed his book back down upon the desk; his usual laidback look hardening into one of seriousness. "Stay here, Kogarashi. I'll go downstairs and see what's going on. If anybody comes, help them out and have them wait for me until I get back."
Hisui watched as Hanazono quickly exited the nurse's office, his white medical coat fluttering behind him in his long stride. She bit her lip out of habit again, and quickly approached the window to survey what was going on. The initial group of people had disappeared; she could see a faculty member waving at the throng of onlookers to disperse, seemingly to be reassuring them about what had happened. She kept on staring, her heart beating like a heavy drum, waiting to see for any changes but was called to attention when a flurry of footsteps and voices made their way down from outside in the hallway.
"Bring him in here – quickly." Hanazono instructed, entering the room as quickly as he had left and pulled up a chair. Hisui glanced around the school nurse, and was shocked to see Sagawa accompanied by two other teachers – both of whom were supporting him by holding him up beneath the arms. He held to his left arm tightly, raising it up with a look of tight pain on his face.
"Sagawa-sempai!" Hisui immediately blurted out, but her eyes were quicker than her mouth for she saw his left sleeve soaked with blood. A hand flew to her gaping mouth at the horrific sight. "Y-Your arm! How did you…?"
"Kogarashi-kun; please, stand aside." Hanazono eased her gently away, and beckoned for Sagawa to sit down on the chair. "Now let me take a look at that. Roll up your sleeves without touching the wound as best as you can, Sagawa-kun."
The senior did as he was told, and slowly furled his sleeves back. The colour darkened as the rolls of fabric pressed against the folds, soaked with blood. Running almost vertically down his left arm, a gash between a deep cut and a minor laceration ran down Sagawa's forearm, spanning about five to six inches long. A light gasp escaped Hisui's lips at the bloody sight. Hanazono was already assembling a pair of tweezers and a suturing needle on top of a metal tray. "Kogarashi, if you want to make yourself useful – now's the time. Fetch me some disinfectant and cotton balls, would you, please?"
Jarring back to life, Hisui nodded wordlessly and immediately flew over to the medical cabinet, grabbing a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and a jar of cotton balls. She quickly prepared the necessities by pouring a bit of the rubbing alcohol into a small, kidney steel bowl. Bringing it over to Hanazono's side, she also handed him another kidney bowl filled with a handful of cotton. With a pair of tweezers, Hanazono lightly dipped a cotton ball into the isopropyl and began to clean Sagawa's wound.
"We'll leave him in your care then, Hanazono-sensei." Sagawa's homeroom teacher and the other faculty member nodded to the busy nurse and exited the office, whispering to each other in distress. Kogarashi worriedly watched them leave, before turning her attention back to Sagawa who sat in stoic pain at the sting of the isopropyl. "Sagawa-sempai… w-what happened?"
The older boy turned to face her, looking a little frayed. "Nakata came again today. I was the first to spot him from the front gates, so I told him upfront that he wasn't welcomed here and that he wasn't allowed on school grounds." Hanazono placed one bloodied cotton ball after another on a spare tray on the desk beside them, and continued to clean Sagawa's wound. Hisui stared back at her senior, nodding slowly.
"I told him to leave immediately. The teachers were also there when it happened." He quietly continued, looking down at his cut arm. "He was hiding a pocket knife underneath his jacket and tried to stab me, but I've taken 5 years of aikido since middle school." Some cheer returned in Sagawa's voice. "I used a simple blocking stance, but I'm sad to say flesh don't stand too well against sharpened steel."
"You're lucky he didn't get any deeper than this." Hanazono replied, his gaze still fixated on the wound. "Alright buddy, buckle up. Time for your sutures."
Sagawa winced slightly at this. "So I'll have to get stitches after all?"
"Hmmm, like I said; if it was any deeper, the school would have been forced to take you to the hospital. And they would have needed a bigger needle." A devilish grin came across Hanazono's face, and he fished out a ¼ inch circle needle used in standard medical practices. "And since I'm a certified medical doctor, I'll give you special service on the house you'd otherwise have to check into a clinic for."
Hisui glanced back outside, a look of apprehension spreading across her face as she left the commotion behind her. The once-blue sky was beginning to cloud over, her mouth breaking into a worried frown.
"For the time being… they say that on-campus activities won't be suspended; but will continue as they have been until the end of the day." Hanazono Kengo, the resident school nurse at Oukashou High School, declared firmly as he stood before the four students seated in front. The solemn, worried faces of the Oukashou Health Committee – Kitagawa Mika, Sagawa Kousuke, Teranishi Souhei, and the representative, Kogarashi Hisui – were all gathered before their usually upbeat and cheerful faculty advisor. But the situation they found themselves in suddenly was much too serious for him to act irresponsibly. At times such as this, Hisui couldn't help but to feel just how insecure she really was when someone with a personality such as Hanazono himself, was forced to get his act together.
"But it's too dangerous to continue at this rate," Teranishi protested, and gestured to Sagawa's dressed arm. "A student was hurt on premises! They should be putting the school on lockdown!"
Hanazono sighed tiredly. "A weapon was involved and produced at the scene but no firearms were involved. The police have been called and they've been looking into the matter – discreetly. It would do no good to cause a mass panic at the school, considering how many people have gathered here today." A look of disappointment washed across Teranishi's face. "I know you're concerned about the party-goers, Teranishi. But the culture festival is something everyone's been working on and anticipating for an entire year… the principal has decided to keep the doors open and the gates patrolled for the time being."
Kitagawa looked down at her fidgeting hands fearfully. "But… but what if Nakata-sempai comes b-back?"
"Don't call him sempai!" Hisui burst out angrily, before quickly turning pale at her sudden outburst. She shook her head in apology. "I'm sorry Kitagawa… but he's a stranger now to our school. We won't let him back in."
"My arm's not that bad, actually. But… he's got a knife, nonetheless. And what if it wasn't me, but some other innocent bystander? Charges could have been pressed." Sagawa added bitterly, eying his bandaged arm that was resting upon the table surface. Hanazono let out a long sigh.
His hand reached up to scratch his unkempt mess of bedhead. "Well, at any rate; the principal wants us to help out with patrol. Now I know Sagawa's in no condition to do any of that, and since we're kind of a low-ammunition force to begin with, I just need to have two of you to go out and help out with the staff. I'll write a note to your homeroom teachers later, excusing you from festival duties." Hanazono dig around his pockets for his pack of cigarettes and lighter.
"I-I'll… I'll stay here with Sagawa-sempai!" Kitagawa instantly blurted out, eliciting a red flush from the older boy. "I… I just don't feel like I'm up to the task either… sorry." She mumbled, and Hanazono laughed lightly, patting the young girl on the head. "Well, I suppose Kogarashi and Teranishi don't have much of a choice."
Hisui glanced worriedly back at her classmate, who looked equally anxious back at her. "Are we to split up?"
"No. Go together as a pair. You'll be safer that way in case you actually run into Nakata again. Don't go looking for him, but don't stray and invite trouble, either." Hanazono handed a first aid kit to Hisui, who accepted it quickly, holding it in her hands. "You guys stay out of trouble, you hear me? Normally we wouldn't even think about endangering students, but the staff's shorthanded. The school's too big to cover with only so many people." He paused, before smiling wearily at the two.
"You see any sign of Nakata; you immediately report to the nearest staff member, and stay with them. If anybody gets hurt, you know the procedure. We've went over the drills before. If it's serious, call for emergency and bring them to me straight away. You hear me?"
"Yes sir." Hisui replied evenly back, regaining a bit of edge in her voice. Her hands wound around the handle of the first aid kit, and she went to go fetch her coat from the hanger by the door. Teranishi followed suit, slipping into his wool-lined jacket he wore over his uniform. He watched as the health representative briskly walked down the corridor, first aid kit in hand.
"Hisu… er, inchou," He readily corrected himself, knowing that Hanazono may still be within earshot. The last thing he wanted was an eternity of teasing from the perverted school nurse. "I'm just shooting blanks here, but I think you should probably stay behind. You don't look too well." He almost regretted saying such a thing at the furious look he was given from the health representative.
"Teranishi… we need to make sure nobody else gets hurt. That's the job we've been given." Hisui reprimanded him, before continuing her quick walk down the stairs. Teranishi followed suit. "Besides, now that I know he's skulking out there, somewhere… I can't put my heart to rest until I see him restrained, behind bars for once and for all." Her fingernails dug into the plastic case of the first aid kit. Teranishi eyed her worriedly.
"You're… not thinking of looking for him, are you?" Falling into a hushed whisper, the taller boy walked quickly to match the brisk pace of the health representative. Hisui jolted to a halt – and she gazed back at him with wide eyes. "N-No, that's not… Hanazono-sensei told us not to. I just… I just want the authorities to capture him as soon as possible. That's all." She gripped the first aid kit tightly once more, and pushed open the set of doors leading to the busy corridor of people.
The late afternoon chill flowed past the crevices of the door; the last bits of daylight already beginning to fade away, tucked behind the grey clouds that were blotting out the skies. Hisui knew despite the clear instructions she had been given, and Teranishi's warning about Nakata – it was clear to her what she must do.
She will personally see the end to this matter.
A tall, young male walked down the familiar neighbourhood street – his legs locked in a steady, quick pace as he made his way down beneath the cloudy, afternoon rays. The usual white headband he used to hide his eyes and brow with was absent; if not for some of the piercings and his bleached hair, he would have looked like an ordinary teenager of his age. His hands were stuffed inside his pocket and thus he withdrew his cellphone and flipped it open, planning on messaging his childhood friend to announce his arrival to the school's culture festival.
The sound of trash cans toppling over in a terrific crash caught his attention however; looking up, Aratake Gouki was surprised to see a figure huddled over the toppled cans, hand pressed against the stone wall as he paused to pant heavily for breath. Dressed in a dirty jacket worn over a hoodie sweater and jeans, Gouki could see immediately that the person was Nakata. Having been expelled from Oukashou, he wasn't surprised to see the senior wearing his ragged choice of civilian clothing.
But more than just the element of surprise, an overwhelming rage began to swell within Gouki as his memories were recalled of that particular night – Nakata poised in an unholy manner above her body; her crying face she refused to show; the fear that paralyzed her – they all came back like a bursting dam unable to control the flood of emotion and anger that was multiplying within him. Gouki silently walked towards Nakata, shoving his cellphone back inside his pocket and his fingers curling into a fist.
"Hey, Nakata!"
Nakata, who quickly registered the situation he was in, immediately lashed out his free arm. Immediately taking an evasive step back from trained reflexes, Gouki narrowly missed the glint of a knife edge striking his face – and Nakata immediately turned heel and ran, racing down the street whence he came from. Shocked for a split second, Gouki took after and began to chase the senior down the street.
"H-Hey! Stop!"
Trash cans were toppled over as the senior knocked them over purposefully for the sake of slowing down the younger boy. Jumping over the heap of metal and plastic, Gouki landed clumsily on his feet but continued on, dimly aware that Nakata was heading back to whence he came from – the direction of Oukashou High. Speeding onwards, Gouki could see the school's structure in the distance and turned his focus towards Nakata's retreating back. The damn druggie runs quite fast, he had noted.
Seeing that his obstacles barely slowed down his pursuer, Nakata took a steep turn to the left, escaping into a narrow alleyway that ran behind the houses. Gouki skidded to a halt, torn at the moment whether to continue after Nakata, or slow down and rethink his choice of action. Succumbing to the latter, he glanced around the neighbourhood streets and continued to run down the main road, towards the school. His hand dug inside his coat pocket, fingers winding around his cellphone, but he released his hold after thinking hard for a moment. He won't tell her – not yet. He'll take care of Nakata himself.
Someplace within the busy courtyard of Oukashou High, Kogarashi Hisui navigated her way through the dense crowd with Teranishi following closely behind her. The number of people had grown exponentially now that it was growing late. The biggest spectacle of the culture festival was the large illuminations display that were installed in the front courtyard, and many people have gathered to come see the bright lights. It was almost half past four – the sky was already dark, and the lamp posts were beginning to flicker on.
She observed the dense crowd, before shaking her head futilely. It was hard to see a good distance ahead of her, with the crowds of people gathering in her way. "This isn't going to work. We need a better vantage point."
"What are you talking about? We're supposed to be patrolling the grounds." Teranishi grabbed her arm, pulling her back before she could be trampled over by a taller festival-goer who had brusquely brushed past her in a hurry. "Watch out where you're going!" He hissed. He was starting to worry about the health representative – she was acting strange, and he had a vague idea of what she was up to.
Hisui let out a short gasp when she noticed that there was someone in her way. She had been so focused at staring ahead; she hadn't taken notice to her surroundings. "T-Thanks. I'm just saying, maybe we can scout out from a better location. It's too crowded here, and we'd never get anywhere at this rate."
Teranishi supposed he couldn't argue against her logic; she had a valid point, it was too hard to move around within the thick crowd. "…Alright. Let's head back to the backyard. I doubt Nakata's dumb enough to take the front entrance again if he's coming back."
"My thoughts exactly. Let's go then." Pushing against the heavy crowd, Hisui hurried past the swarm of bodies and barred an arm out, gently easing the throng of people out of her path. "Health Committee, coming through! Please let us pass!" Along with some form of authority over the normal masses, she was surprised to see how quick people were to obey once she had uttered those words, and seized the advantage to push through quickly the crowd as they parted like a wave for her and Teranishi.
Catching up to Hisui, Teranishi let out a small laugh. "I can't believe you would do that."
"I'm not against breaking a few small rules for the greater good." She muttered back, finally breaking into an open space where she immediately shifted from a quick brisk to a slight dash towards the school doors. With Teranishi following her closely behind, she glanced around, taking notice of a few teachers that were on patrol walking in the far distance, unnoticing of their position, before darting past the doors and hurried around the side alleys.
"Remember, when we spot Nakata, we need to alert the teachers right away." Teranishi reminded her, keeping his voice low as he quickly paced behind the health representative. A slight smirk came across Hisui's face. "…Right. Then one of us will have to distract him to give the other enough time."
"There's a chance he'll run when he realizes what we're up to." Teranishi murmured back, keeping his eyes open around their surroundings. Hisui gave him a curt nod, before warily surveying the empty back lot behind the school. The baseball diamond and track field was still a good distance from their location; the garden area was an often solitary spot where a few plants were grown during the warmer seasons. But right now, during the middle of winter, there was nobody. Nobody, save for the two shivering, panting students who were discreetly making their way around the school.
Nakata, who had unwittingly became a target of interest, was making his way quickly behind the school fences through the tight spaces and alleyways behind buildings that bordered along the school property. He crashed to his left, burying his shoulder into the metal netting of the fence painfully after tripping over a few garbage bags. Throwing a quick glance over his shoulder, he was relieved to see that Aratake had given up on chasing after him, and allowed himself a short moment to catch his wheezing breath before quickly making his way towards the school.
A grove of trees separated the outer-lying grounds from the inner gardens. He crept up beside a bush, trying to quiet his ragged breathing. His lungs just weren't as healthy and capable as other people – it had been ruined by his arduous addiction of smoking since his middle school days. Much to his surprised delight, two people of his particular interest was right there in front of him – far away from witnesses. The younger underclassmen he had used to bully, Teranishi – and the hated health representative, Kogarashi.
They were talking to each other for a while, before they seemed to be focused at scouting out for something. Nakata slowly eased out the pocket knife from his pocket; cold, numb fingers running along the flat of the blade before he pricked his thumb to test its sharpness. Feeling the familiar sting as the knife broke his skin, he smiled to himself, his eyes fixated upon the shape of the slender girl who was standing only about ten feet away from him, her back facing unnoticed towards him.
It felt almost like an eternity, but with a drop of sweat running down his temple he was reassured of the certain, flow of time. There was nothing to hold him back now – the moment was perfect. His muscles that were braked in a stiff position kicked off from the ground, and he lunged – pushing his body forth while his right arm came swinging around, gripping the knight tightly in his hand –
A shout rang out into the cold, evening air and the sound of bodies tumbling along the floor accentuated with pained grunts and yelps followed after. Before she had a second to register what was happening, Hisui felt herself tumbling down onto the floor and instinctively she thrust her arms out to break her fall.
The palms of her hands stung like a thousand, tiny needles. Her left shoulder which took the brunt of her fall was sore, but not as badly scraped as her hands. Groaning out, she could feel a heavy weight on her back, and dumbly blinked her eyes as she struggled against the pain that racked her entire frame. Faintly, she could see the familiar sweater sleeve-clad arm of Teranishi resting over her torso... until the bright red she finally registered in her eyes caused her jolt up in shock.
A groan came out from beside her. Hisui looked down, and saw her fellow classmate lying on his side. A small pocketknife was lodged near the joint where his forearm met his elbow. His arm was still faintly grasping her waist as if he had tried to shield her.
Redness billowed everywhere, quickly soaking up Teranishi's sleeve.
If it weren't for the horrific realization that her partner had been stabbed, Hisui's terrified attention quickly broke when the ragged breaths of a certain someone broke the silence amidst the occasional grunts of agony coming from Teranishi.
"Godammit! God fucking dammit!" Nakata cursed loudly, anger flashing in his eyes as his lips curled up in a snarl. It was clear then to Hisui, that the knife was intended for her.
A scream escaped her lips, echoing loudly in the empty back passageway behind the school.
A/n: Well, what can I say? A long update after many people presumed I was dead. Actually this chapter was mostly written a year ago, but I couldn't decide on how to end this, plus I had many other subplots I want to introduce in this story. Again, I don't expect many people to remember this fic... but for those who do, thank you so much.