"OH CRAP!!!!" The two girls chorused.
The rain poured mercilessly. Students scampered to the nearest shelter. Some ran all the way back to the school building.
"Crap! My uniform is all wet!" Noriko complained.
"Me too!" Hanasen gasped.
"Let's go to my place!" Noriko grabbed her hand and they ran all the way to her house.
Noriko's house was located about three blocks to the school. They finally reached the gate. Noriko pulled out her key and they entered.
Noriko rang the doorbell impatiently. Hanasen braced herself from the cold.
Finally, the door opened.
"ONE-CHAAAAAAAAAANNN, OKAERIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!" (big sister)
"Kyaaaa!!! Don't hug me! I'm all wet. Go get my slippers and for Hana here. Hayaku!" (quickly)
"HAI!!!" The little kid left immediately and returned with the slippers.
"C'mon, Hana..let's go to my room so we could get these damn clothes off. I'm freezing my butt!"
"Hai." Hana grabbed their things.
"Do you like me to make some tea, ne-chan?" The little boy asked.
"That would be nice. I'll be back in a while."
IN THE ROOM
Noriko pulled out her drawers and pulled out a pink shirt and baby blue shorts and handed them to Hana.
"Arigato." She entered the bathroom. After she dressed, Noriko took her turn and changed into warm clothes.
The rain continued to pour. It was getting stronger.
"Better?" Noriko asked her while she combed her hair.
"Yeah."
"Let's go downstairs now." "Oi! Where's the tea?" Noriko was about to enter the kitchen when she saw her brother standing on the stool with a potholder in one hand. The kettle was boiling.
"Alright, I got it!" She smiled. He went down the stool and handed the potholder to her. Hanasen took out the cups.
She poured the tea into the cups and placed them on the tray and proceeded to the living room.
They sat on the floor. Noriko's younger brother seated himself beside his sister. Hanasen began to sip some tea.
"Where's kaa-san?" Noriko pulled her brother closer to her arms and kissed the top of his head.
"She went to visit Auntie Maaya. She said she'd be staying there for like two days." He smiled.
"Have you eaten already, Tet-chan?"
He shook his head.
"Nani?" She raised his chin to face her.
"I was waiting for you." He pouted.
Noriko pulls her brother and carries him. He wraps his legs around her waist and hugs her neck tightly. Hanasen stands up and takes the tray as they proceed to the kitchen. She smiles at the tender scene between Noriko and her brother. They are so close. She has always been protective of him. Their mother was usually not home though.
Noriko takes some three cups of ready-to-cook ramen and pour the hot water. Then they proceed to the dining area.
"ITADAKIMASU!!!"
"Guess what? I have a story!" The little boy beamed.
"What is it?" Hana looked at him.
"I was walking with my friends the other day and we stumbled upon this really, really tall guy at the play lot! He had red hair like fire!"
Hanasen sputtered some of the ramen and began to cough.
"Daijobu? Here have some water." Noriko handed her a glass of water.
"Thanks." She gulped the water.
"What happened?" Noriko pulled another helping of ramen with her chopsticks to her mouth.
"He was asleep, right in the middle of the play lot. Hiro wanted to get out but Ken still wanted to play and so I ended up waking him up. Whew! I thought he was gonna get mad at us. But he was quite cool!"
"Who's that guy?" Noriko began to drink the ramen soup.
Hanasen stood up and excused herself.
"He said his name is SAKURAGI HANAMICHI!!!" He squealed.
With that they suddenly heard a cry from the kitchen.
"Hey, what happened? Are you okay?" Noriko looked at her. Hanasen was kneeling on the floor picking up pieces of broken glass.
"I'm so sorry. Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka!" She cursed herself.
"Daijobu, Hana-nechan?" Tetsu looked behind his sister.
"Daijobu." She smiled nervously.
"That's okay. Just be careful, you don't hurt yourself."
Hanasen stood up and threw the broken glass pieces into the trash bin.
"It's 6:00 p.m. Tet-chan, have you done your homework?"
"Hai. Can I watch TV now, please?"
"Okay. But you have to be in bed by 8, you hear?"
Tetsu waved at her and turned on the TV. Anime Marathon. Noriko shook her head and smiled.
"C'mon, Hana." The two girls went upstairs.
As soon as the door clicked, Noriko bounced on the bed and grabbed a pillow to hug.
"Okay.okay..now, I believe you happen to have something to tell me had we not been duly interrupted by the rain."
Hanasen stared at the glass window as the rain continued to pour steadily.
"Hana?"
"Huh?"
"The story!"
"That was it." Hanasen bit her lip.
"What do you mean?"
"That was him."
"Who?"
"Him!"
"Him, who?"
"The one Tet-chan.." Hanasen could not continue and looked away again.
Noriko gawked at her and slowly raised a hand to cover her mouth.
"You mean.." Noriko could not help it. Her eyes were round like saucers.
"Yes."
"But why?"
"What do you mean, WHY?" Hanasen frowned.
"I mean, why him?"
"And why not?" Hanasen raised her voice.
"Since when?" Noriko was more confused.
"Since our first year in Shohoku."
"That long?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I expected you would react this way and besides you were too busy ogling over that fox-face."
Noriko could not help but stare at her in wonder.
"Will you cut that out!" Hana frowned.
"What did I do?" Noriko looked at her puzzled but was about to break into a smile. "You're staring like there's something very wrong with me."
"No, I don't."
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't."
"Yes too."
"No!"
"Yes!"
The room was suddenly silent except for the pitter-patter of rain from the glass window.
Noriko moved closer to her nervous friend and put an arm around her shoulder.
"He has no idea how lucky he is."
"You think so?"
"I think so."
"You really believe that?"
"Of course. You're the sweetest loving friend I ever had. You're like a sibling to me next to Tet-chan." She hugged her.
Only then Hanasen released the tears that threatened to flow.
"I am so in love with him, Noriko-chan. Always been. I never could stop." She sniffled.
"I'm just so surprised, that's all." They released.
"But he doesn't know I even exist."
"But you kissed him! Oh my God! Now, that is courage!"
"I'm sure he would forget." Hanasen shrugged.
"I don't think so..specially with guys..most especially for someone like him." Noriko raised an eyebrow.
"But he was asleep!"
"Did he do something?"
"Anou..he murmured something like..sweet."
"Aha!!! So that's why you were so spaced out in class today." She poked her shoulder.
"Yeah." Hanasen blushed.
"Wow." Noriko gazed at her. "How was it like..anou..I mean kissing him and stuff?"
"I don't know how to describe it exactly but he has the softest lips ever!"
"I wonder if I could do that to Rukawa without those blasted bitches from hell dogging him around all the time."
"I don't think he'd even stir..I bet it's like kissing a corpse."
"Hey! That was mean!" Noriko pulled a pillow and thwacked her on the head.
"KYAAAA!!! PILLOW FIGHT!!!! YOU GOT IT!!!"
The rain poured mercilessly. Students scampered to the nearest shelter. Some ran all the way back to the school building.
"Crap! My uniform is all wet!" Noriko complained.
"Me too!" Hanasen gasped.
"Let's go to my place!" Noriko grabbed her hand and they ran all the way to her house.
Noriko's house was located about three blocks to the school. They finally reached the gate. Noriko pulled out her key and they entered.
Noriko rang the doorbell impatiently. Hanasen braced herself from the cold.
Finally, the door opened.
"ONE-CHAAAAAAAAAANNN, OKAERIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!" (big sister)
"Kyaaaa!!! Don't hug me! I'm all wet. Go get my slippers and for Hana here. Hayaku!" (quickly)
"HAI!!!" The little kid left immediately and returned with the slippers.
"C'mon, Hana..let's go to my room so we could get these damn clothes off. I'm freezing my butt!"
"Hai." Hana grabbed their things.
"Do you like me to make some tea, ne-chan?" The little boy asked.
"That would be nice. I'll be back in a while."
IN THE ROOM
Noriko pulled out her drawers and pulled out a pink shirt and baby blue shorts and handed them to Hana.
"Arigato." She entered the bathroom. After she dressed, Noriko took her turn and changed into warm clothes.
The rain continued to pour. It was getting stronger.
"Better?" Noriko asked her while she combed her hair.
"Yeah."
"Let's go downstairs now." "Oi! Where's the tea?" Noriko was about to enter the kitchen when she saw her brother standing on the stool with a potholder in one hand. The kettle was boiling.
"Alright, I got it!" She smiled. He went down the stool and handed the potholder to her. Hanasen took out the cups.
She poured the tea into the cups and placed them on the tray and proceeded to the living room.
They sat on the floor. Noriko's younger brother seated himself beside his sister. Hanasen began to sip some tea.
"Where's kaa-san?" Noriko pulled her brother closer to her arms and kissed the top of his head.
"She went to visit Auntie Maaya. She said she'd be staying there for like two days." He smiled.
"Have you eaten already, Tet-chan?"
He shook his head.
"Nani?" She raised his chin to face her.
"I was waiting for you." He pouted.
Noriko pulls her brother and carries him. He wraps his legs around her waist and hugs her neck tightly. Hanasen stands up and takes the tray as they proceed to the kitchen. She smiles at the tender scene between Noriko and her brother. They are so close. She has always been protective of him. Their mother was usually not home though.
Noriko takes some three cups of ready-to-cook ramen and pour the hot water. Then they proceed to the dining area.
"ITADAKIMASU!!!"
"Guess what? I have a story!" The little boy beamed.
"What is it?" Hana looked at him.
"I was walking with my friends the other day and we stumbled upon this really, really tall guy at the play lot! He had red hair like fire!"
Hanasen sputtered some of the ramen and began to cough.
"Daijobu? Here have some water." Noriko handed her a glass of water.
"Thanks." She gulped the water.
"What happened?" Noriko pulled another helping of ramen with her chopsticks to her mouth.
"He was asleep, right in the middle of the play lot. Hiro wanted to get out but Ken still wanted to play and so I ended up waking him up. Whew! I thought he was gonna get mad at us. But he was quite cool!"
"Who's that guy?" Noriko began to drink the ramen soup.
Hanasen stood up and excused herself.
"He said his name is SAKURAGI HANAMICHI!!!" He squealed.
With that they suddenly heard a cry from the kitchen.
"Hey, what happened? Are you okay?" Noriko looked at her. Hanasen was kneeling on the floor picking up pieces of broken glass.
"I'm so sorry. Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka!" She cursed herself.
"Daijobu, Hana-nechan?" Tetsu looked behind his sister.
"Daijobu." She smiled nervously.
"That's okay. Just be careful, you don't hurt yourself."
Hanasen stood up and threw the broken glass pieces into the trash bin.
"It's 6:00 p.m. Tet-chan, have you done your homework?"
"Hai. Can I watch TV now, please?"
"Okay. But you have to be in bed by 8, you hear?"
Tetsu waved at her and turned on the TV. Anime Marathon. Noriko shook her head and smiled.
"C'mon, Hana." The two girls went upstairs.
As soon as the door clicked, Noriko bounced on the bed and grabbed a pillow to hug.
"Okay.okay..now, I believe you happen to have something to tell me had we not been duly interrupted by the rain."
Hanasen stared at the glass window as the rain continued to pour steadily.
"Hana?"
"Huh?"
"The story!"
"That was it." Hanasen bit her lip.
"What do you mean?"
"That was him."
"Who?"
"Him!"
"Him, who?"
"The one Tet-chan.." Hanasen could not continue and looked away again.
Noriko gawked at her and slowly raised a hand to cover her mouth.
"You mean.." Noriko could not help it. Her eyes were round like saucers.
"Yes."
"But why?"
"What do you mean, WHY?" Hanasen frowned.
"I mean, why him?"
"And why not?" Hanasen raised her voice.
"Since when?" Noriko was more confused.
"Since our first year in Shohoku."
"That long?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I expected you would react this way and besides you were too busy ogling over that fox-face."
Noriko could not help but stare at her in wonder.
"Will you cut that out!" Hana frowned.
"What did I do?" Noriko looked at her puzzled but was about to break into a smile. "You're staring like there's something very wrong with me."
"No, I don't."
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't."
"Yes too."
"No!"
"Yes!"
The room was suddenly silent except for the pitter-patter of rain from the glass window.
Noriko moved closer to her nervous friend and put an arm around her shoulder.
"He has no idea how lucky he is."
"You think so?"
"I think so."
"You really believe that?"
"Of course. You're the sweetest loving friend I ever had. You're like a sibling to me next to Tet-chan." She hugged her.
Only then Hanasen released the tears that threatened to flow.
"I am so in love with him, Noriko-chan. Always been. I never could stop." She sniffled.
"I'm just so surprised, that's all." They released.
"But he doesn't know I even exist."
"But you kissed him! Oh my God! Now, that is courage!"
"I'm sure he would forget." Hanasen shrugged.
"I don't think so..specially with guys..most especially for someone like him." Noriko raised an eyebrow.
"But he was asleep!"
"Did he do something?"
"Anou..he murmured something like..sweet."
"Aha!!! So that's why you were so spaced out in class today." She poked her shoulder.
"Yeah." Hanasen blushed.
"Wow." Noriko gazed at her. "How was it like..anou..I mean kissing him and stuff?"
"I don't know how to describe it exactly but he has the softest lips ever!"
"I wonder if I could do that to Rukawa without those blasted bitches from hell dogging him around all the time."
"I don't think he'd even stir..I bet it's like kissing a corpse."
"Hey! That was mean!" Noriko pulled a pillow and thwacked her on the head.
"KYAAAA!!! PILLOW FIGHT!!!! YOU GOT IT!!!"