Author's Note: It took me time to upload my lame writing…teheee! But then, I feel motivated to go on with this now. Two things! Firstly, thank you for the one follower! Hahah! I thought my work would forever be undiscovered but then, someone kind enough gave me follow. Whether or not you read this, Jack; Thank you still. Secondly, I got good news from the owner and creator and it inspired me more to continue this story. It'll be a secret for now Hohoho!
Disclaimer: Adeniss X belongs to Mr. Dexter Roxas.
Chapter III
Comrades
Maiden sat down in her bed feeling unusually tired. She sleepily lets her back fall on the soft mattress as she relaxes.
Dinner with her parents, thankfully, isn't eventful...just kind of.
Her mother kept on asking if she made many friends and looks forward to her inviting them over. Her father whose on a protective mode reminded of her morning escape and made her promise not to refuse being driven to school. She took that as an opening to relay her intentions not to have personal servants anymore but both parents frowned at the idea. She did not try to push her luck further when her mother started to rant dramatically about safety and kidnapping cases which sounded overrated coming from her. That and all the more reason she did not mention of the afternoon incident not liking the prospect of her mom over reacting on it or her father suggesting additional securities.
Her eyes snap open at the sound of her phone ringing. She groaned turning to her side away from the source of sound hoping that whoever is calling will eventually drop it off. When the ringing persisted, she reluctantly rose from her bed reaching for the interrupting device hitting answer key without bothering to check the caller ID and placing it in her ear.
"Hello?", she answers lazily lying flatly back on her bed.
"Hello, Maiden?", answers the voice on the line. She slapped a hand on her forehead for forgetting to drop him a call but then she excused that he might still be in the attendance of his doctor.
Still.
"Forg...I'm sorry. How are you doing? "
"I'm fine!", he answered quickly a little louder as if he'd been poked. "Really..", he says more calmly and then cleared his throat. "I'm fine now.."
There was a beat of silence before she answered contemplating his response.
"I should have been more careful...It's my faul—"
"No!", he cuts her. "I mean..don't apologize... It's not your fault.", she heard him sigh heavily.
Hearing him seemingly agitated, she inquired once more, "Ummn...you sure you're alright?"
Another beat of silence before he spoke again.
"I just called...to check on you...I'll see you..'bye."
"Hey, wait..wha—"
She took the phone off her ear and glared at the screen with the ended call notification at the display blinking back at her.
"Weird. I don't remember him complaining he hit his head or something.", she huffed.
She tossed the phone to her pillows and went for the bathroom.
She took her cardigan off leaving her with a short-sleeved baby collar shirt and as she passes by the mirror, she finally takes notice of the expanse of a bruise that runs from her right elbow to the base of her forearm that she'd been adamant about ignoring the pain of. She examines it for a while thinking to herself that it might take time to heal.
"I'm fine...really.", mimicking Forg's tone over the phone as she reminds herself that it's nothing compared to her friend's wound. She blows a stray lock dangling in her nose and proceeded to clean herself up and retire for the night.
***A.X***
"Woah...you have a beautiful girlfriend, eh?" Traxor commented curiously peering up at him as soon as he laid his phone back on the bedside table.
He liked the sound of that but didn't show it. He furrowed his brows in mocked annoyance at the redhead's prying. "Just...what do you guys want?" he asked growing more impatient and agitated at the sight of the five people who managed to sneak inside his room unbeknownst to the entire house's occupants.
"I'm sorry...We know it's not a good time to talk and that you needed some rest but...please listen.", a girl who introduced herself as Hazel says in a pleading tone.
Forg was slightly taken aback and then looked around at his visitors. His fists on his lap marginally relaxed as he willed himself to calm and try to absorb what is being told by him to understand.
Stating it simply, these people are trying to recruit him into an organization that will take down an impending evil. The idea was so absurd. It was so out of this world but then, these people claimed themselves so.
In haste, he excused himself and dialed Maiden's number not only to check on her but to anchor himself on what he thinks a remain of his sanity. He closed his eyes the entire time he was talking to her hoping that his unexpected visitors will vanish themselves as soon as he's done with the call.
To no avail.
"I guess...we just have to show you then.." Hikaru finally says interrupting him from his stuphor. "Colleen."
Colleen approached his seated form and crouched by his feet. She looked up and smiled sweetly up at him and abruptly grabbed his injured leg folding the portion of his pyjama pants up to his knee revealing the freshly-bandaged swelling wound. He winced at the sudden action but before he could form a retort, he saw the girl's hand on the wound glow green and he instantly felt a soothing feeling that he promptly relaxed.
What the...?
"There!", Colleen stood up happily glancing down at him after a minute of her magic work.
Forg gaped at her and looked down at his still-bandaged leg and wiggled it shocked about not feeling pained at all.
Colleen chuckled to herself as he hastily removed the bandage to see his fully healed good-as-new skin.
He was bewildered and amazed at the same time.
Everyone in the room fell silent waiting for him to say something as he looked around.
"Please believe us.", Reinjenna says in a pleading tone as his eyes laid on her form.
He slumped in his seat half-wishing the entire thing is a dream while a part of him whispers to throw caution to the wind and agree on this undertaking.
He runs a hand in his now ruffled hair and sighs in defeat.
"Fine. I believe you guys. What do you want me to do?"
Everyone and felt relieved hearing his consent. Traxor went to his side and playfully threw a punch on his shoulder while the two other girls cheerily welcomed him.
A faint smile graced on Hikaru's lips as he approached the new guardian.
"Welcome.", he holds out his hand to shake Forg's hand for the second time that day which the latter took in a friendlier state than the previous one.
***A.X.****
A sigh left his mouth the second time that morning.
Despite being healed, Forg still had to continue pretending to be injured and had to rest and miss school as originally prescribed by his doctor.
He barely had a sleep though. He thought about what has been revealed to him and how overwhelming every part of it is.
He lay flat on his bed staring at the ceiling recalling at what had ensued in this same room the night before. He begins to realize what agreeing to this so-called mission means. He could be away from this world and would travel in some parallel universe, there might be dangers ahead and there might be a chance of not being able to return if they fail. It would be very soon once they find the last of the guardians who according to Hikaru, is among in this world.
His musings brought him back to Maiden as he thought about being away from the girl. He never liked the idea of distancing himself from her but the circumstances lead him to—one being the need to keep secrets from her from here on.
He has never felt this conflicted before.
***A.X.****
Maiden struggled to avoid the glances thrown into her direction as she passes the hallways on her way to class. Yesterday's event spread quickly and it seems that people didn't have anything to talk about in a long time that this is news to them. Even her classmates wouldn't let her go and began asking her about the occurrence as soon as she stepped in to the room.
"Maiden! How have you been?"
"Eh...I'm..."
"I heard it was you who got hurt really bad?"
"Eh..no..?"
"Who is that boy who saved you...?"
"..."
A question after the other;
Loud chatters;
And a vein popping in her temple;
This is annoyance. She thought to herself.
She heard two subtle knocks behind her and it seems to silence the noise as her classmates look past her.
She peered behind her shoulder and saw Hikaru looking down at her with a blank expression on his face. His lips shifted to a half smile that didn't reach his eyes.
His eyes momentarily locked with hers but he broke the gaze to look ahead to no one in particular.
He greets everyone warmly.
"Alright guys. Today, no one will bug Maiden on anything regarding yesterday, okay?", he paused. "You're scaring your new classmate here!", he added jokingly.
She swore she had seen some of girls melted looking back at him.
Fangirls. She thought not sure why it annoys her even more.
The small swarm dispersed after muttering their agreement. Hikaru motioned her to walk forward and she complied.
Maiden felt grateful at his intervention and thought to herself that maybe he wasn't that annoying after all. She also talked herself into being a little nicer to him, in her mind at least, on account of yesterday's event. It was probably part of his job as the class president but still she appreciates him being there for her friend.
"Thank you.", She says softly to him as they sat down.
Hikaru paused in the midst retrieving a book from his bag to look back at her. He took his time before responding and let his eyes remain fixated on her serene beautiful face.
"I apologize for the trouble.", He finally says looking at her intently.
The way he worded it sounded like she's hearing it from a person from the old times. She internally chuckled at his tone but then, she chose to shrug the thought.
"It's not a big deal.", she says suddenly feeling uncomfortable of his staring that she looked ahead of her.
"It is. For me.", he says softly as he also took his eyes off her in favor of the blackboard.
His manner of speaking, gives her an impression that he has been apologizing for some greater offense other than being inconveniently mobbed by a string of questioning of their classmates.
She looks back at him wondering about his cryptic remarks and she doesn't feel like wanting the conversation to go on.
"No harm done. It's fine", she says in a dismissive tone getting herself busy by taking out her notes and pen.
There is harm done. Hikaru thinks to himself giving up his insistence sensing her discomfort.
***A.X.****
Time passed by quickly and only by noon did Maiden feel Forg's lack of presence in the school.
He wasn't there to join her for lunch.
She decided she'll take a trip to the cafeteria, grab some sandwiches and find a place under the shades in the school grounds.
She was about to make her leave when she heard a voice calling her name. She spun around to see Hazel and a girl who she remembered being called Reinjenna. Both girls are smiling warmly at her.
It was Hazel who spoke first. "Would you like to join us for lunch?"
She was about to turn down the invite in favor of her earlier plan but realizes that her new classmates are being friendly and trying to keep her company. It was a nice gesture and turning down the offer wouldn't sound so good while she's a new student whose only known friend is someone who can't be around courtesy of her careless act.
She only hoped not to be asked about anything regarding the incident.
"Yes, you should join us! I suppose it'll be fine with your boyfriend-Ugh!" The babbling Traxor doubled clutching the side of his stomach putting up a pained face to Hazel who just nudged him hard in the ribs.
"I'm sorry, Maiden. Please don't mind him." says a sweet smiling Hazel. "Let's go."
Before she could even say 'yes', she was flanked by the two girls and started walking with her out of the classroom.
"Hey...!"
The three girls turned to the direction of the voice to see a brown-haired girl, who Maiden remembers from yesterday.
Reinjenna greeted back, "Hello, Colleen!"
Colleen returned her smile so with Hazel's until her attention zeroed to the girl in the middle. Surely, she and her brother had been with her the day before and noticed her pretty face but it was only today when she could look so openly straight.
So beautiful. Her thoughts sounding an airy gasp at that.
"H-Hi!", she greeted slightly stammering in awe.
Maiden only nodded still looking back at her but decided to form words to greet back when the girl spoke once more.
"I'm Colleen!", she says smiling and offering her hand. She saw her slightly surprised expression and hesitation as she slowly accepts the handshake.
When their hands touch, hopeful as she was, her face fell but immediately recovered as she hears her speak.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Maiden."
Now that was...angelic.
She was suddenly feeling overwhelmed and confused at the same time that her eyes remained fixated in her even as they let go of each other.
Like she didn't know whether to smile or frown.
Like being around this beautiful girl with a mysterious air about her makes her feel wary at the same time, eased.
She was in her conflicting state of mind when she sees her older brother approach their small gathering.
He throws a glance to Maiden and momentarily lingered and then to her and his expression is somewhat asking her what's going on.
"Big brother!", she smiles brightly thankful she could do sooner so as to divert the awkward feelings she had with the encounter.
Hikaru stood beside Colleen and she snaked an arm to his. He glanced at his sister's face and then back at Maiden who is already looking ahead when Hazel gave her a thug in the hand
For a second, he thought he'd seen her wince when Hazel's arm looped around her right one.
He kept the thought to himself when Colleen starts chatting with him.
"I'm hungry, nii-san.", she whines with a tentative pout as their group proceed walking to the cafeteria.
***A.X.****
One...two...three..hmmn….
Colleen paused her counting in her mind to scoop some ice cream in her cup. She pressed the spoon in her lips after taking a bite and looked up as if in deep thought. She discretely glanced sideways to her right seeing Maiden silently finishing her food and then slowly to her right and took notice of her brother whose eyes just left the sight of the girl beside her.
Four!
She furrowed her brows and pouted her lips and then giddily took another scoop of her sweet treat.
"What's up, Colleen?"
She looks across the table to Reinjenna who is seated her brother's left.
"N-Nothing!", she chuckles to herself. She will have her inquiries to her brother later when they are alone.
Suddenly, Traxor started waving his hand frantically and everybody in the table except Maiden followed his line of vision. The latter only did so out of curiosity seeing everyone does and as Traxor's loud call so commanded.
"Kaze!"
**end of Chapter Three**
A/N: Some of my friends ship Kaze and Maiden and been pestering the author to write something about them and I'm just a popcorn grabber who's on the watch whether they're gonna win his favor or not. I'm a hardcore HikaruXMaiden fan but it wouldn't hurt to find out Sir Dex writes something about them too. LOL. ( I wanna see a jealous Hikaru…badly)