Author's Note: Wow... gosh I'm terrible, no updates in two months. And it wasn't due to writers block either (I've had these next few chapters planned out for a while...) Please forgived me!! I've got lots to do (life seems to get bigger and bigger). Oh, and Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah and New Years!
To the reviewers:
katana777- Thanks so much! Hmmmm, I may try doing that sometime...
YukiShinoya444- Do-chan is so lovable! Mwahahahaha... I have swayed you to the dark side... just kidding! You are a FujioxHazuki fan, are you not? I respect that.
shuu-kun's fangirl- Thank you! I'm sure your great, just keep going at it! I'm nowhere near perfect...
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Bustling throngs of people navigated through endless hallways, passing each other without a thought or relation. White coated nurses and doctors conversed in open rooms, whether it be about surgery or release, the subjects mixed into one large melting pot. Young children squealed and cried in the waiting room, quarreling over the toys and books.
Patiently seated on the leather cushion, Hazuki watched the small kids, arms folded neatly in her lap. On her left was her father, who was reading a men's magazine. Opposite him was her mother, who stared at her gauze-wrapped ankle in stressful worry.
"Hazuki-chan, are you sure you don't need anything?" As always, the woman was desperate to please her daughter.
"Not at all mother, but thank you for offering." Not really in the mood to be fawned over, she dismissed every one of her mother's offers.
Nowhere near settled, her parent continued to give her a typical "I'm a mother and I worry" look. Attempting to focus on something other than her mom's frilly, distasteful dress, she stared over the chairs to the door, which had swung open to reveal a new patient.
Accompanied by her father was the frail figure of Shiori, who spotted Hazuki right away and waved. Surprised but smiling, Hazuki patted the seat of the chair next to her. Eager to comply, the ebony-haired girl walked over with her father in tow.
"Shiori-chan, what brings you here?.. Another checkup?" Seating herself comfortably, Shiori turned to Hazuki's voice.
"Uh-huh. The hospital is pretty sure I'm doing fine but you can never be too careful." Friendly and feeling nicely upbeat, the sickly girl dangled her legs back and forth.
Hazuki was instantly reminded of the field trip. "Oh that's right, you weren't able to go.. but you wouldn't have had much fun anyway." The witch was about to change the subject before Shiori intervened, already interested.
"Why is that?" Then their current location set off a light bulb in her head. "You don't mean?.." One hand over her mouth, she flicked her eyes down to Fujiwara's injury. Unable to escape, Hazuki nodded grimly. The smaller girl motioned a hand towards her ankle. "What happened?"
The orange ojamajo fiddled with her glasses. "Erm.. about that. It's a long story." Her ponytail slipped over her shoulder as she dipped her head. Though the experience should have brought anything but pleasure to mind, the brunette couldn't help but crack a tiny smile. "But it wasn't all bad," she murmured almost inaudibly.
Face tilted to the side in curiosity, Shiori questioned what she wasn't supposed to hear. "What was so good about it?"
Hazuki jolted slightly and her forehead crinkled in reluctance. Shiori had always been a good friend and all, but the witch had always felt uncomfortable talking about Masaru with her. If she thought about it, that kind of feeling was silly as both of them only had a nice friendship with him. She had their since-childhood relationship and Nakayama had a similar family background. There was nothing wrong with that... right?
"Well.. the farm was a lovely sight, it didn't disappoint me at all. It wasn't until we entered the corn maze..." She trailed off at that, vivid images of swirling petals distracting her mind.
"Corn maze? You mean a field you have to walk through?" Hazuki shook her head unconsciously.
Nakayama smiled, understanding. "I see, so you injured yourself in the corn maze.." Her mouth hung open, almost as if she wanted to say more. Hazuki mentally crossed her fingers, praying that she wouldn't have to discuss Yada if Shiori just so happened to ask further.
What was coming over her? Masaru is only her best friend!...well no, that wasn't true. Doremi is her best friend and.. Hasebe is his...
Almost as if time had started back up again, Shiori's lips slowly curled to form the dreaded words. "But how did you make it out.. with your injury?" She folded a tiny hand on the chairs arm rest.
"Heh, ahh..." Hazuki's eyes darted around the room, desperate for a way out of the trap she set for herself. A spiteful feeling rumbled in the pit of her heart and she fought it back with all her might. Why was she feeling this way... what was wrong with her?!
She opened the hospital door to find Yada and Shiori smiling at each other, probably about their own inside secret.
"Hazuki-chan?" Nakayama wondered what was wrong with the shy brunette.
The sun started was setting on the horizon as Masaru played a complex song on his trumpet, only for Hazuki and her friends to overhear on the bridge.
The witch's lips trembled frighteningly. Her eyes joined them in rhythm, until her lips were the first to give in, blurting out the words. "Yada-kun rescued me..."
Her chest wrenched immediately, but she managed to hold it all inside. The whirlwind of thoughts and feelings, some of which she had no answer to.. all bottled up...
Shiori smiled beautifully, her face contorting into the most knowing look Hazuki had ever seen. "Yada-kun, he's a very sensitive boy."
"Eh?" That was the last thing Fujiwara had expected her to say. Maybe a "that was nice of him" or "he must be really strong to carry you all that way". Her simple yet complicated words echoed in Hazuki's mind endlessly.
The ebony-haired girl giggled softly. "Most of our classmates can't always tell, but when Yada-kun cares about something he takes it very seriously. He has a wonderful understanding of emotions."
The ojou-sama's irises expanded, her mouth following suit. All of her jealous and confusing feelings suddenly dissipated and all that was left was a dumbfounded emptiness.
Masaru really didn't get enough credit. He certainly wasn't the most outgoing person, but he was always there when someone needed help. Now that Hazuki thought about it, there were countless examples of his kindness!
Hazuki full on beamed at her friend and Shiori mimicked her expression, happy but not exactly sure of what had come over the brunette.
"Nakayama Shiori?" An older heavyset woman was at the door on the left with a clipboard in hand.
"That's me!" Looking back over her shoulder, Shiori gave Hazuki one last thoughtful smirk before leaving to have her checkup.
The small girl's back disappeared from her line of vision. What could that mean? Her mouth gradually sank into a firm line.
What was Masaru to her? A.. crush? Just a childhood friend? But more importantly...
What did he think of her, Hazuki Fujiwara?
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"GET WELL HAZUKI-CHAN!" A chorus of numerous voices greeted the brunette, who was quietly reading a book in a large armchair. Gathered in the living room was half the entire quota of girls from her class, including the other witches.
Hazuki looked up from her book in surprise, nearly knocking over her crutches in the process. How could that many people sneak in here without her noticing? Well she had been a bit lost in thought lately...
"Everyone, what are you doing here?!" Actions spoke louder then words as Marina stepped forward and held out a card.
Hazuki looked at it cross-eyed for a second before taking the slip of thin cardboard. On the front was "Everyone says get well soon!!" and Hazuki turned it over to find the quip "But the rest is personal!" The comment tickled and she giggled in her throat.
"Read the inside too," Marina instructed, pointing at its center.
She complied and unfolded it to find seemingly millions of tiny signatures, almost every one with a short comment above it. A gasp escaped from her mouth.
"All these-"
"We got everyone in the 6th grade class to sign the card for you," Onpu answered before she could finish. All the girls smiled at the same time, proud of their achievement. "And Ai-chan drew the cover." Unsure if her job was satisfactory, Senoo scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Well yeah..."
It was unbelievable, how the bespectacled brunette could have so many people that cared about her. A warm inferno welled up and spread throughout her body, right until she was smiling just as widely as the rest of the girls. "Everyone... thank you!.. Thank you for caring about me."
Doremi, Aiko, Momoko, Onpu, Marina, Naomi, Nanako.. everybody was here for her sake. If someone had told her she was popular several years ago, Hazuki would have denied it in a modest fashion. But now, with all that had happened, the witch felt more open in general. Open to everyone, because she knew they understood. Their class was like its own network of problems and solutions, connected to everyone by strings of fate. And it was fate that had brought her to this very day.
Rustle, Rustle. Hazuki peered questioningly at the others, who were shuffling their feet nervously. "What's wro-..." She trailed off until the initial realization struck. "It's a school day!"
"Yeah... we have to get going. The teachers allowed us drop off your card, but we don't have the time to stay...sorry.." Naomi spoke for the group, while the others joined in to apologize at the end.
Hazuki was about to say that she should be the one apologizing, before she remembered a certain someone's scolding.
"Idiot", the green-haired boy repeated. "You shouldn't worry so much about what other people think." He rose to stand in front of her. "If we want to help, it's not troublesome. Don't be so hard on yourself."
If they hadn't wanted to come of their own will, the girls wouldn't be here at this very moment to wish her well. It would be rude to blame it on herself, because that would make her seem ungrateful. And as everyone knew, Hazuki was thankful for everything, no wealthy background needed.
"It is still amazing that you could all visit. I'll see you when the time comes! Sayonara!" Sending them on their way, Hazuki waved her card back and forth. Overjoyed, but desperate not to miss anymore class, everyone except the witches hustled out the door.
"You coming?" Nanako asked over her shoulder.
"We'll catch up with ya", Aiko replied.
As soon as they vanished outside, the remaining apprentices turned to encourage their friend on a more personal level.
"So do ya really like it? Sorry 'bout the messy handwriting, we kinda had to rush," the blue tomboy clarified.
"Of course! It's the thought that counts." Hazuki held the card open between her thumb and pointer finger, searching and reading through the jumbled list of names and comments. There was Tamaki's elegant script, Kotake's average scrawl...
Out of nowhere, Doremi spoke up, finally managing to say something. "Hazuki-chan?.. I made you a present.." Since this was obviously her compensation gift for ditching Fujiwara in the maze, there was still a hint of depression in the clumsy ojamajo's eyes.
"Hm, what is it Doremi-chan?" At her eye level, Doremi shyly held out a box with both hands. Hazuki lowered it down with her palm and fingered the flower-shaped ribbon on top.
The ribbon unraveled to leave the box unbounded. Hesitating for a split second, Hazuki pulled off the lid.
While it didn't sparkle or wink at her, the necklace inside was still something to be impressed with. Almost at perfect center was a wooden star that had been painted a bright orange color. Two dusty tan wings spread out at the sides, ready to fly away at any time. Twirled into a pile underneath was a medium length string. Carefully lifting the gift out by its wooden charm, Hazuki could see that there were actually two separate strings that came around the neck to a mutual clasp. While it was simple, the necklace was in no way crude and definitely deviated away from Doremi's usually clumsy looking trinkets (not that Hazuki thought of them that way).
"Doremi-chan when did you have time to make this, it's beautiful", the orange witch exclaimed, setting the necklace back down in the foam cushion. She kept the lid off, admiring the design.
"I snuck out to Maho-Dou for the materials and spent all night in my room making it", she explained with a hint of exasperation. "Because... it was my fault you sprained your ankle..." The witch in-training twisted her toe into the carpet, unable to make eye contact.
So thats what was bothering her! Though Hazuki was incredulous at the idea of Doremi blaming the incident on herself, it made sense. Perhaps if her friend hadn't run off, she never would have been hurt. But if none of that had happened.. she wouldn't have had an encounter with Masaru. Her cheeks prickling, Fujiwara moved on from that idea.
"N-no it wasn't Doremi-chan!" Hazuki stumbled over her words, trying too hard to sound convincing.
"Of course it was! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have nearly died out there", Doremi yelled out of extreme guilt more then anger. Her odango bobbed forward as she clenched her fists, staring into Hazuki's eyes with electric determination, daring the orange witch to prove her wrong.
This halted Hazuki in her mad search to redeem Doremi. Maybe Doremi just wanted her to admit the crime had been committed, and stop trying to defend a hopeless cause?
She took in a tiny breath. "I forgive you", her soft voice whittled out.
"What?"
"I forgive you", Hazuki said clearer and with more confidence.
Doremi unclenched her fingers, eyes wide and static as her tense muscles relaxed. No longer would she have to sit alone in dark depression. It had only been two days but it felt like an eternity, drawing out to innumerable lengths. And it had only taken three words from her best friend to cure the illness.
"R-really?" She managed to sputter.
Hazuki nodded vigorously, lips curved in a warm smile.
"That's great." Doremi's face softened. Suddenly, Hazuki had been enveloped in a friends 'making-up' embrace.
"That's really great!" The cry of redemption rang in Hazuki's ear.
She responded by hugging her best friend in return. "It is."
While this dramatic moment had been playing out, the others had decided to stay on the sidelines and not interfere until it was resolved. Aiko cleared her throat with exaggerated loudness.
"Sorry to interrupt the moment, but we have a few things to report." Doremi cleanly let go and stepped back, scratching her head in embarrassment. Hazuki felt a bit spent but was certainly anxious to hear the news anyway.
"Lesse... well Hana-chan is back from Majokai. Passed all of her exams with flying colors!"
"But we weren't able to bring her along. School started too early unfortunately", Onpu added.
Momoko traced a circle in her hair ringlet. "Oh yeah, and Class from the Past week is over." Doremi made something of a wailing sound. She had never quite got over the fact that Onpu, Aiko, and Hazuki were in class 6-2. Even if it was for only one week, it had been awesome having all her friends in one classroom.
"Oh..." Hazuki had switched to leafing through her card's signatures, reading the comments one by one. Sagawa, Nobuko, Kimura...
The other girls ramblings were of only second interest as her eyes scanned over the page with increased anxiety. Where is it? Fujiwara knew it was rude to ignore her friends but the strange wave of curiosity was getting the better of her.
"-and I think that about sums it up", Aiko wrapped up.
The witches pupils enlarged, ending at the corners edge on Sachiko's name. They froze and jumped back to the beginning, searching across again and repeating once more. A whisper of a gasp flew from her lips.
"Where is it?!" The other witches necks snapped up in surprise.
"Where's what, Hazuki-chan", Onpu questioned back at her outburst.
Hazuki let out air she didn't know she was holding, calming down a bit. "His name is not there!.. Masaru-kun's signature." She flushed in slight shade of rose.
Momoko's mouth pulled back into a toothy smirk, causing Doremi, Onpu, and Aiko to all stare at her before answering. "Yada-kun's out sick. He was out in the cold without a jacket. Not the smartest idea he's ever come up with", she chimed, adding all the right elements. A spoon of indifference, a cup of pity, all with the flavoring spice of partial blame on top.
"Sick?" Hazuki blinked and her eyelids drooped. She hadn't even considered his apparel when he had gave her a piggy-back ride. Masaru-kun.. he was shut in his room, all alone, while she had a nanny and friends to keep her company.
"Yep. I suure hope he's doing okay", Momoko drawled out, trying to build up Hazuki's already anxious emotions. She added a casual shrug for good effect. The three witches that weren't involved started to feel a bit suspicious at Momoko's provocative behavior.
A vision of Yada hacking away in bed (it's Yada for crying out loud, where the heck did that come from?!), flashed in Hazuki's mind. Her forearms pressured the sides of the chair and she stiffened as if she was about to vault out of the seat. Doremi held out a shaky hand, ready to push her back down.
Aiko sweat blobbed and started to 'inconspicuously' shove Momoko out of the room. "Well then! We don't want to be late for class!" Onpu and Doremi followed them out, throwing a few apologetic glances Hazuki's way.
Once they were in the main lobby, Aiko practically butted her face into Momoko's own. "Why are ya riling up Hazuki-chan like that! She's got enough on her plate as it is," the tomboy scolded.
Nonchalant that Aiko's hardened face was mere centimeters from her own, Momoko grinned impishly and pulled Aiko forward, whispering in her ear with great enthusiasm. The blue witches angry face slowly evolved into the sly grin of a fox.
"Ahh, so, so," she said with devilish undertones. Respectively, Momoko and Aiko let on the bewildered Doremi and Onpu to the 'secret'. In only a few minutes, Asuka's plan had gotten only more complex.
"I don't really think its our job to interfere... but a young love romance is too fun to pass up." Onpu stuck out her tongue in a cutie-pie fashion.
"I just wish I had a chance like this..." Doremi daydreamed of the most handsome and wonderful boyfriend she could imagine. Aiko gently bonked her on the head and the image snapped, blacking out like a TV screen, leaving doremi to wallow in her own sadness.
Baaya, who had finished her duties in the kitchen, walked in on the loitering girls and her wrinkled face scrunching up in slight annoyance.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!? HAZUKI OJO-SAMA NEEDS HER REST!! GET TO SCHOOL," her tiny form roared at them, causing the witches to fall over in surprise. The shuddered and stood up, a "little" freaked out by the nanny's outburst.
Baaya held open the front door and the girls escorted themselves out. Sure, they were already eager to execute their plans for Hazuki and Yada, but Baaya was just too darn scary when it came to caring for the orange-eyed brunette.
Lucky for them, the plan had already started to set itself in motion.
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It was deathly silent in the well-funished room and Hazuki had a feeling that her friends weren't coming back. Perfect.
He's sick... and I'm the cause. I could have walked by myself. He didn't have to carry me... well kinda...
"No..." the brunette uttered, gripping her best friends gift tighter.
I could visit him... no one will know. Well unless his parents are there... oh dear...
Hazuki quietly shifted her arm over her crutches. Her difficult decision was made.
I have to see him.
She snatched her spray bottle tap from its hidden crevice, spraying it twice. In a whirlwind of violin-centric sound, she twirled to the music, her outfit changing bit by bit into the attire of a witch apprentice. The melody spun and twisting with a brief flash and disappeared, leaving a transformed Hazuki limping on the carpet.
The witch brandished her poron, calling out the words she knew so well with a different sort of determination.
"Paipai ponpai puwapuwa puu!" She cried into the empty room.
"Take me to Masaru-kun's home!"
And with a flash of light, the witch vanished.