Chapter 3
Tsuki's POV
I punch the button for the fifth floor and the lift shoots upwards. I'm all alone in the lift as I lean against the wall, my box still in my hands. Did I leave too abruptly? I hope I didn't offend them. What the hell am I doing, blowing my top at any new face I meet today? All I've been doing is letting my emotions get away with me. I shake my head and sigh, mentally slapping myself in the face. I really am an idiot.
The lift dings and opens onto the fifth floor. I step out of the lift and walk down the hallway, treading on the plush carpet. A mirror adorns the wall and I pause to look at my reflection. A girl with long white hair bunched at the ends looks back at me with her ruby red eyes, which I loathe so much. These eyes and hair are nothing but trouble, just inviting people to direct insults at me.
I sigh and pull at one bunch of my hair. I've tried dyeing my hair red once before, but the day after my hair had gone back to its original color. After that I even tried dyeing it in a rainbow, much to Mom's shock, but the moment I opened my eyes the next morning, my hair was white again.
It's really no fair. Why am I the only person with red eyes and white hair? Mom has white hair like me, but her eyes are magenta and according to what Mom always says, my dad had brown hair and red eyes. A weird combination but Mom always says that he's the most handsome guy in the world. Probably explains how I came into being. Yay.
After patting down my messy hair, I turn away from the mirror and walk towards my new room. At the end of the hallway is a brown door with the number five engraved in gold. Room 5. I look up at the golden 5 before pushing open the door.
I scrutinize my surroundings carefully. The environment seems homely enough, already well furnished and decorated. I walk through every room and make a bee-line for the balcony when my gaze falls on it. I slide open the glass door and step onto the balcony, admiring the beautiful scenery. I have a bird's eye view of the whole district and I try to see if I can see my old home. But my home is far beyond the horizon, miles and miles away. I'm in a strange place filled with strange people, but at least this scenery can give me some serenity.
I close the door and make my way to the living room, my piles of boxes sticking out like a sore thumb, including the box I was carrying earlier. Soushi must have got someone to bring it up for me.
He really is such a kind person…
I can feel my face heating up as I remember the warmth of his hand when he grabbed my arm… Hang on. Don't tell me I like him…? I just met him today!
I shake my head, my hair swaying with the movement. Quit thinking so much about things. There's more important things that need to be done. I bend down and open the box, taking out Ririchiyo's gifts. This stationary set is so cute; while it's not to my tastes, I'll keep it anyway. You never know when cute writing paper and letters come in handy. Then my gaze falls on the small box.
Chocolates.
I swallow and reach out for them but then I pull my hand back. Not yet. Not until you finish unpacking can you eat those chocolates, Tsuki Yoake! I gingerly pick up the chocolate and placed it in the fridge so that I won't be tempted to suddenly eat the whole thing.
-1 hour later-
"All done!" I wipe the sweat off my forehead and glance around my apartment and give a sigh of satisfaction. My place really looks like home now with all my stuff in place. Now for my reward! I go straight for the fridge, throw it open and snatch my chocolate out of the freezer's clutches.
CHOCOLATE! YOU WILL BE MINE!
I open the box and pop one of the pieces into my mouth, sighing in pleasure. This is the life. Chocolate slowly melting in my mouth, delighting my taste buds. This is some good chocolate. I hug the box to my chest as I bask in bliss.
I'm just about to attack the remaining chocolates when the doorbell rings. Ah! Who could that be? Interrupting my bonding time with chocolate... I walk over to the door but surprisingly it creak opens by itself. A girl's head pokes through the door. She has salmon colored hair tied into pigtails and she's wearing a suit like Soushi, except in a more feminine cut. Her face is almost expressionless, free from emotion as she looks at me with her pink eyes, licking a lollipop in her hand.
"Who are you?" She asks in an almost monotone voice.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" I ask. This girl is weird.
"I'm Karuta Roromiya, SS of the tenant from Room 2." She says in between licks.
"I'm Tsuki Yoake, tenant in Room 5. Just moved in today..." She's an SS? I could pretty much guess from the attire, but she looks so cute and fragile. She doesn't look very threatening.
"Is that chocolate?" She gestures to the box of chocolates in my hand. I follow her gaze. My first thing that comes to mind is for me to slam the door in her face and run away. This chocolate's mine! NO ONE TAKES MY CHOCOLATE. Ririchiyo gave it to me! But that would really hurt her and it would be really selfish of me. Maybe this is the first key to making friends, being nice to people.
"Hai. Want some?" I take a piece and hold it out to her hesitantly. She takes it and nibbles it.
"Arigato Tsuki-chan… I don't care what everyone says… You're a good person…" She suddenly comes over and gives me a hug, to my surprise.
"Um, you're welcome?" I state uncertainly, patting her back hesitantly. She lets go, reaches into her pocket and takes out a lollipop, pressing it into one of my hands.
"As a token of gratitude, friendship and our meeting… Jana." She says as she walks off, alternating between eating her chocolate and licking her lollipop. I watch her go, confusion written all over my face. I look at the lollipop in my hand.
"What a strange girl..." I take out the wrapper and proceed to lick it. This time I make sure to lock the door.
I'm riding in the lift as it rises up towards the roof top. I just wanted to see how nice the garden is. The bell rings and the door opens and I step out. Immediately I'm greeted by a strange sight. The garden is beautiful I can assure you but-
I spot a guy with black rabbit ears and reddish hair watching a blonde boy... What is he doing?
I walk closer and hide behind a bush. The blonde boy is struggling, panting and sweating to-
-push a humongous slab of rock that is almost twice his height. The rabbit eared man observes in amusement.
"Just a bit more Banri-kun~, you little rascal~" He says in a sing song voice to the blonde boy.
"Shut up! And I'm not a rascal!" The boy says as he keeps pushing, changing position so that now his back is against the rock as he uses his feet as an anchor. What the hell is he trying to do though?
"It'll all be worth it~ Rascal~"
"How many times do need to tell you I'm not a RASCAL!" The boy retorts back.
"Pfft." I can't help but make a sound after hearing what all that. The man's rabbit ears shoot up.
"Oh! I think we have someone joining us today~" He says and looks in my direction. The boy raised an eyebrow and blinks his blue eyes.
"Who's there? COME OUT BEFORE I BEAT YOU UP!"
What? You want to beat me up? Bring it on, you punk, let's see who can injure the other more-
Suddenly the bush parts and I look into the boy's face.
His blonde hair is messy, in a nice way, and he has some hair clips pinning up part of his bangs. His blue eyes scrutinize me and narrow slightly. He's wearing a white T-shirt with the words "Delinquent4Life" printed on it. Ha, he's basically informing the whole world that he's a delinquent.
"Who the hell are you?" He scowls at me and says. I stand up, brushing the dirt from my skirt and glare at him.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that, you little punk! Tell me who you are first!"
"YOU were the one hiding! You tell me who you are first." His scowl is becoming clearer but the minute.
"No, you first."
"NO YOU!" He's starting to lose his cool. Not like he was cool in the first place.
"Little girls first!"
"I'm a guy! That means YOU have to go first!"
"I'M NOT A LITTLE GIRL! You look a lot like a girl too, with your hair pinned up like that!"
"SHUT UP! I'm a delinquent so don't mess with me!" His body trembles and suddenly with a 'poof', he turns into a…
"A tanuki! K-kawaii." I bend down and look at the little raccoon like creature in front of me. It has brown fur and a little green leaf on its head. This is what this so called "delinquent" turns into! I can't help but admit he's cute. I reach out my hand to pet him, but then the tanuki jumps back and hisses at me.
"I'm not cute! I'm a delinquent! Hey! Where's that hand going!? I'll beat you up if you touch me!"
"I'm sorry for sneaking up on you just now. You're so nice, turning into your youkai form just for me!" I coo at him and poke his furry forehead.
"Oi, don't touch! I just do that when my emotions get unstable! I didn't change for you! Get your hand away from me, if not I'll-"
"It's not good to threaten ladies, rascal~"
Suddenly a black gloved hand reaches out and gives the tanuki's tail a good hard yank. The tanuki suddenly freezes up and collapses to the ground, his body twitching slightly. I stare in shock at the rabbit eared man.
"Yo~ Konnichiwa! I'm Zange Natsume~" He smiles goofily at me. All I can do is blink.
"And this is Banri Watanuki of Room 1. I'm his beloved SS~" He gestures towards the tanuki.
"Will he be alright?" I peer closer at the tanuki and see he's still twitching.
"Hai~ His tail is sensitive so it's a good way to teach him manners~" He says gleefully. If the other people I met were odd, he was weird.
"So-" Before I can utter a single word, Zange cuts me off.
"You want to know more about me? Hai, hai~ But it's better to keep things secret you know, so there's a mysterious aura~" He just answered his own question… Why is everyone at Ayakashi Hall so weird?
Banri scrambles to his feet with some difficulty and changes back into his human form. He walks over to me.
"I'm Banri Watanuki and I'm a delinquent! So don't mess with me again!" He points his thumb at himself and strikes a badass pose.
"Tsuki Yoake, Room 5. I just moved in a few hours ago." I say and shake his hand. He blushes.
"What the hell were you doing just now though? Pushing that rock and everything." I shoot him with a question straight away. Banri's face turns red as he looks away.
"I-I was trying-" And surprise, surprise, Zange interrupts him.
"Oh hoh~ He was TRAINING!" Zange shouts gleefully. I look at Zange skeptically.
"Huh? Training? For what?"
Banri tries to shut Zange up but he gleefully ignores him.
"Oh hoh~ Training to become stronger of course! To protect the girl he loves! Hoh hoh, as if she needs protecting. She's already strong enough! Ha ha hoh hoh~" Zange laughs and holds up a white card showing a bunny standing under a waterfall. Banri's face looks red enough to fry an egg on as he struggles to snatch the white card away from Zange.
"SHUT IT, YOU! She didn't need to know that!"
I put a hand to my mouth. "That's…that's so cute. I never knew delinquents did things like that."
"I'm not cute! I'M A DELINQUENT! I'M A MAN!" Banri shouts furiously, waving his arms about.
"It's a training exercise to see how strong I am! If I can push it all the way to the end of the garden, that means I can beat up a thousand guys! Zange said so." Banri puffs out his chest.
"Actually, Tsuki-chan~ I told him that so he could help me move that rock! Nobara-chan said it was in the way and she wanted me to remove it so I made Banri do it for me~" He whispers into my ear again. That's just manipulating him! I mentally face palm myself.
In the end, I choose not to tell Banri. I don't want to burst his little bubble after all, that Zange was actually manipulating him. Let him enjoy his little daydream. I wonder when he'll find out. Also, Banri got so emotionally unstable he turned into a tanuki again.
"Ah… I did it again! I HATE BEING A TANUKI!" Banri in his tanuki form squeaks in dismay, looking a bit depressed. Looking at his small figure, a strange feeling overtakes me. He wants to be tough but he can't... Must be hard if you look so cute, no one will ever be scared of you. Maybe it's time I do something useful for someone here instead of creating trouble for them.
I close my eyes, willing myself to transform and with a 'poof', I shrink to one of my favorite forms.
Banri's POV
"Just because you're small, you don't need to go and mope like a useless coward!"
I turn my head and stare at the little creature before me. It's a miniature fox with white fur, a single tail sprouting out of its back. But curiously, the tail is split in half, emerging into two smaller tails. Its eyes are ruby red, big and full of curiosity.
"… Yoake?" I say in disbelief, standing up on my small little feet to get a better look.
"Hai. I'm a kitsune like Miketsukami-san. I could tell he was one just by a glance. This is my chibi kitsune form! I find it really useful. Like sneaking around and finding out stuff." The little fox trots over to me and tilts its head.
"Yoake-san~ Kawaii! Hoh hoh, looks like there's someone that's as cute as you, rascal! I can call you both Rascal 1 and Rascal 2 now-"
"I'M NOT CUTE!" The two of us shout at Zange in unison. She doesn't like to be called cute either? So we do have something in common.
"But both of you are so kawaii together~~ You little rascals!" Zange laughs hysterically and scoops the both of us in his arms, petting our heads. I HATE BEING PETTED! I manage to wiggle out of his hands, nimbly landing on the ground.
"I TOLD YOU, I'M NOT CUTE!" I squeak but Zange ignores me as he continues petting the little fox's head. To my surprise, the little fox purrs gently, like a tiny engine.
"That's the spot… Wait! STOP IT, YOU!" The little fox finally snaps out of its trance and jumps away from Zange, shaking its ears as if it were trying to clear its head.
"But you liked it, didn't you? Yoake-san~" Zange teases the little fox and it looks away.
"WHATEVER!" It squeaks loudly, jumping up and down on the spot.
"Too bad Rascal doesn't like head rubs~ IF I COULD ONLY DO IT ALL DAY, HO HO HO~~"
"But I'm a delinquent! Delinquents are tough and scary! NOT CUTE!" I jump up and down in frustration. Sure, Karuta says I'm cute, but how can I protect her if I'm just this cuddly and adorable thing? The little nine-tailed fox gives a sniff and waves its tail in a proud manner, finally regaining its composure.
"Quit whining like a kid! If this is what you've got, no amount of complaining or tantrums will change anything. Just make use of what you have. Life's unfair. Deal with it."
I fall silent, realization striking me. What Tsuki just said actually made some sense. And the fact that she actually transformed just to make me feel better…
"You just changed to make me feel better, didn't you?" I narrow my eyes and mumble.
"N-NO WAY! NO!" The little fox squeals, its ears and tail shooting up to attention. I snort.
"Whatever. I'M A DELINQUENT SO BE AFRAID OF ME!" I shout and get into a fighting stance.
"You're actually just all talk, aren't you?" The corners of the fox's mouth raises slightly, as if giving a hint of a smile, nudging her snout against mine in a friendly gesture.
"HEY! Don't touch me!" I leap back and hiss at the fox.
"Rascal~ Don't be rude to girls~"
Suddenly, I feel someone give my tail a hard yank and everything goes black again.
Tsuki's POV
"Watanuki? Watanuki? Hey! What the hell happened to you?" I poke the unconscious tanuki with my paws, unable to get a reaction out of him.
"Natsume-san! You made him pass out again!" I squeak and trot over to Zange, head-butting his leg.
"I told him not to threaten girls~" Zange says in a sing-song voice.
"You made him faint again!" I close my eyes and will myself to change back. With a 'poof' I land on my feet in my human form again, folding my arms and giving Zange a pissed off look. Zange bends down and grabs the tanuki, slinging over his shoulder like a hunter carrying his game back home before turning to me.
"Tsuki-chan, you should be more careful you know~" He smiles and looks at me.
"W-What?" I say quizzically.
"You're going to give yourself away if you're careless, Tsuki-chan." All of a sudden he sounds more serious; his lip curls into a smirk as he moves closer to me. I take a tentative step backwards, my body bristling with power once more, ready for fight or flight.
"I know everything about you, Tsuki-chan. Your past, present and future... I see all... More importantly, I know who you are. What you did." He whispers, sending chills down my spine. I look at him and try to stay calm.
"Y-You're a-" I hesitate. I know exactly what he is and he knows exactly who I am. There are no secrets between us, though we just met.
"Tsuki-chan, I suggest you be watchful in the future. I have my eye…no, my eyes on you... I wouldn't be careless if I were you… Hybrid." His eyes twinkle at me as he smiles knowingly.
The sky is starting to get dark. Shades of oranges, yellows and reds stain the sky a beautiful sunset color, like a gorgeous tapestry. Flocks of birds soar across this beautiful painting, returning back to their abodes. I notice none of this as Zange's words register in my sluggish mind. He knows.
"Even if you hadn't transformed just now, I'd still have known, Tsuki-chan. Be careful now… okay, bye-bye Tsuki-chan! YOU'RE SO KAWAII!" He suddenly cheers and pats my head before walking off, the limp body of the tanuki slung over his shoulder. The rabbit eared man steps into the lift, the doors closing behind him, and then they're gone. I'm still rooted to the spot, paralyzed by the fear growing inside my heart.
What is wrong with me?! Why did I transform in front of them?! Now two people have seen! I know it's only my chibi-kitsune form but… I pinch my arm and the pain brings me back from my worried thoughts, allowing me to think clearer.
I watch the blood red sun sinking below the horizon, plunging the world into darkness.
No more being careless. No more screw ups.
3rd Person's POV
Zange adjusts the tanuki on his shoulder, his eyebrows creased in thought. So that was Tsuki Yoake. He looks at the unconscious tanuki thoughtfully. He could still feel that powerful presence, the aura she was radiating. It'll only be a matter of time…
Zange closes his eyes for a moment before opening them again, his lips curling slightly. Looks like this is going to be interesting.