Chapter 5 – Green Scarf

It is December 19th, just over 3 months have passed since joining high school and it's the last day before the Christmas holidays.

It is 7:45am and Daisuke is impatiently waiting at the school gate. The rising sun is shining bright and the grounds are coated in a blanket of snow. The tree leaves have now gone, replaced by the fallen snow, it's a beautiful sight. Daisuke is wrapped up tight wearing a green scarf and gloves, however this is still not enough to keep the cold out.

"I tell them to come early and they still haven't bothered turning up!" Daisuke mumbled to himself while jogging on the spot. "We're not gonna have enough time to discuss Hikari's birthday!"

Smack!

The feeling of ice cold snow runs down his back. Daisuke turns around to see Takeru preparing another snowball. Daisuke quickly picks up a heap of snow and moulds it into a ball.

Splat!

White powder covers Daisuke's face. He clears his eyes to see Ken and Miyako laughing. It was a snowball ambush!

"Haha very funny guys." Daisuke's angry frown soon turns into laughter.

The group begin the snowball fight until Miyako intterupts "We should get to discussing Hikari's 16th birthday. So is everything still going to plan?" The group come together and sit on the nearby bench.

"I've managed to pay off my parents to stay out overnight, but Jun will still be there to keep us out of trouble. Although with that said, she'll probably be the one causing the most trouble out of all of us!" Daisuke laughed "But she will be helping with all the decorating so I guess it's actually a bonus."

Miyako replied "Awesome! Me and Ken have got most of the games now and I've managed to sneak some alcohol from the shop. What about you Takeru?"

Takeru swiftly responded "Don't worry, I've ordered the cake, it'll be delivered to mine the day before on the 22nd."

"Although..." He thought to himself "...I just hope it's enough to impress her."

Snow begins to fall from the sky as Hikari makes her way through the gates. She is wearing a long pink knitted scarf and sleeved gloves. She sees her friends over near the entrance bench, but then something stops her. Her shadow in front is absorbed by another much larger than her own. Hikari looks around her to see the arm of her scarf suspended. Her eyes follow the scarf to see a mans hand grasping the end. She gasps in realisation to who it is. Kenta was back. After the incident with Daisuke, Kenta didn't show up again, until now.

He lets out a soft voice "Hikari...I want you." But then turns hard and sharp "And I always get what I want!"

Trembling in fear to his words, Hikari untangles herself from the scarf and makes a run for the entrance. Kenta remains where he stands, grasping Hikari's soft warm scarf bringing it to his face, smelling her fresh scent.

Miyako points to Daisuke. "And make sure you don't give her any suspicions when you bring her back to yours, the party needs to be a complete surprise!"

"I'm not that stupid!" Daisuke shouted back

Takeru looks away from the conversation to see Hikari running towards them, clearly distressed.

"Why is she running?" Takeru says to the others

He runs forward and catches her in a protective hug. With Hikari shaking in his arms, Takeru turns to the others in confusion. Daisuke looks over to the gate to see a tall, dark figure standing. He gets up and walks closer to investigate.

"KENTA!" Daisuke has realised what has happened, seeing the young man holding a long pink scarf.

Satisfied, Kenta walks away, with his figure disappearing into the falling snow. Daisuke wasn't going to let him get away, he sprints towards his direction. Ken follows close behind, incase there was trouble. But it was too late, he was nowhere to be found. Daisuke was furious, especially at himself, for not being able to protect the girl he loved from the man who scared her before.

An announcement sounds "Due to the heavy snow the school will be closed today. All students, please ensure you have a safe journey home and we hope to see you all in the new year."

As Hikari calms herself, Daisuke and Ken make their way back to the others. With Hikari still in the comfort of Takeru's arms, Daisuke approached her and rubbed her back.

"Hikari, I'm sorry. We couldn't find him." Daisuke looks at Hikari, furious at the one causing her distress.

"It's okay, thank you for trying, both of you." Hikari looks at the two boys and smiles. Takeru drops his arms and lets the scared girl go. As his heat left her skin, Hikari holds her arms to her body, trying to keep the remaining heat in.

"You're not hurt are you?" Ken asks, clearly concerned.

"No, but I am cold." Hikari answers shivering. She tries to cover her neck with her collar but it lacks the length to reach. Daisuke steps forwards, unwrapping his scarf, gently placing around her neck.

"But..." Hikari looks at the boy now shivering in front of her.

But she was interrupted "Come on guys, we have a free day now! Let's have some fun! Daisuke shouted

Everyone agrees and make their way out of the school grounds. As Hikari walks alongside the others, she squeezes Daisuke's scarf which is wrapped around her neck, feeling the warmth left in its fibres.

"So warm."

Hikari and Daisuke make their way outside of Hikari's apartment after a long day in the snow.

"Thank you for walking me home, I really enjoyed today. Especially when we all made those snowmen of us." Hikari giggled.

Daisuke pulled a big grin, remembering how much fun they had "Hehe, although the igloo we made for them went awful."

As the two stood laughing, they found themselves staring deeply into eachother's eyes. They fell silent and smiled softly. Embarrassed, Hikari looked down, blushing, holding onto the ends of the green scarf wrapped round her, fiddling with it in her fingers.

Unsure of what to say, Daisuke turned his head to look down the corridor and broke the silence. "Well, I better head back, I've gotta.."

As the snow fell behind him on the balcony, Daisuke felt a soft and gentle sensation appear on his cheek. It was moist, but ever so warm. He motioned his eyes to the direction it was coming from. There he saw Hikari's long beautiful hair, flowing in the gentle breeze, and her flawless face touching his. Her eyes were closed as she was kissing him. Daisuke blushed, wanting this precious moment to never end. "H-Hikari..."

As the tender moment passed, she slowly pulled away and opened her eyes. "I hope I'll see you on my birthday, it's in a few days afterall. You will see me won't you?"

Daisuke turned to her, speechless, face red and staring into her eyes. He nodded in response to her question. She had no idea what was planned for her, it was going to be a very special day. Daisuke was going to make sure that it is the best day of her life.

"Walk home safe." Hikari opened her apartment door and walked through. She turned to face Daisuke, gave a smile and waved.

As the door shut, Daisuke stood in silence, still speechless to the kiss he received. Closing his eyes, he thought to himself. "Hikari. I love you. C-could you love me too?"

Chapter 6 coming soon!