Unbearable:
Chapter Five: Firsts For Haruhiko
Tanaka's POV
Though I already had a hunch as to what was causing today's chaos, I was still shocked to actually see Master Akihiko's bear happily munching on Master Haruhiko's biology project.
Upon uttering the word "bear", Mater Hiroki began to look at Akihiko with a blank stare that then turned into incredulity as his gaze traveled to Master Usami's face. I don't believe I ever saw a child's eyebrows raised so high on someone's forehead.
The Kamijou child pointed at the noisily (and rather messily) snacking cub, opened his mouth, and attempted to demand answers from the head of the house. However, all the poor child could do was give a rather accurate impersonation of the opened mouth fish behind him.
Why? What could have possibly brought this on? Who on Earth could have deemed this appropriate in any way?
Clearly, Hiroki and the nearly consumed salmon had the same questions running through their minds. As Hiroki asked his silent questions, Master Haruhiko brushed past him and laid hands on the salmon's head.
"Give it back, you moronic beast! Give it BACK!"
I had never seen Master Haruhiko display so much emotion at once; the usually rather expressionless young man (actually, this could be aptly used to describe Master Akihiko as well) was seething, his face set in an ugly snarl as the cub's teeth clenched more firmly around his prey.
In a flash Akihiko was behind the cub, grabbing its chest from behind and pulling with all his might. "Let it go, Natsuhiko*! Let go!"
Master Hiroki by this time had passed out from the shock of the whole scenario playing out. Master Usami was frozen at the door, while Master Isaka was positively rolling with laughter in the hallway, completely oblivious to the dampness of the carpet that was surely soaking into his clothing.
I gathered Master Hiroki into my arms and laid him on Master Akihiko's bed as I turned to see Master Haruhiko smacking the cub on the nose. The bear let out a startled cry and dropped the mangled salmon. Both boys were sent flying back onto their rear ends, each with his respective animal in tow.
However, when Master Haruhiko's posterior made contact with the ground, what was left of the salmon went flying through the air, and landed right in front of Master Akihiko and his struggling cub. The cub stopped struggling to lean forward and swipe the remainder of the fish into his paws and resumed happily gnawing on it as he relaxed into Master Akihiko's embrace.
Haruhiko rose to reclaim his project, but Akihiko gently pushed the bear off of his lap and stood between his brother and his bear.
"You didn't have to hurt him!" Akihiko shouted, a rare sound for the mild boy.
"He's eating my science project you brat! I have to get it back!" Haruhiko took a step towards the bear and his hard-won prey. "If we can get that one back into the tank right away, it might be able to heal just enough…" Haruhiko said wildly, most reason clearly absent from his face.
He somehow managed to sidestep Akihiko and was once again playing a fruitless game of tug-o-war with the cub. The bear shook its head violently in irritation, dropped the fish (really, it was only a head by this point) and sank his teeth into Master Haruhiko's hand. Haruhiko let out a howl of pain and lifted his hand to retaliate, but someone had caught his arm as it swung down to strike the bear once more.
"That's enough, Haruhiko." Isaka had a firm grip on his arm as his eyes tried to drill a hole in Haruhiko's head.
"But our project…" Haruhiko stammered, tugging uselessly against his friend's grip.
"Idiot!"
Everyone including myself gasped as the heir to Marukawa whacked the heir to the Usami group in the back of the head. That is, excepting Master Hiroki and Haruhiko himself. His eyes widened and he pointed at the quickly disappearing fish. "But if we hurry…"
"Haruhiko, even if the damn fish wasn't already dead, it would be soon! Look at it!" Haruhiko turned his pained gaze back onto the cub as it worked on what was left of the salmon.
"Idiot. Absolute and complete idiot." Isaka shook his head in disgust as he released Haruhiko's arm. "You should be glad Natsu-chan didn't decide to take one your fingers. Gosh, you really are an idiot!"
Master Isaka smiled when Haruhiko looked at him with a depressed visage. For the life of me, I had never seen Haruhiko express this much emotion in public. And now, before my very eyes, the boy was holding back tears.
"Our project is due tomorrow!" he wailed as the cub began sniffing around the room, in complete disregard of the chaos it had reigned.
"Well, we'll just have to tell the teacher the truth, now won't we?" Isaka murmured with a slight smile on his face as the cub plopped itself down in front of Akihiko's feet with a satisfied grunt.
"What, that a bear ate my homework?" Haruhiko snarled, grabbing the front of Isaka's soaked collar.
The boy calmly removed Haruhiko's trembling hands from his shirtfront. "Well, you might wasn't to mention that it was you who forgot to put the lid back on the fish tank, that you forgot to close the door behind you, and that you are very sorry for the mess you've made. And I'm not talking about apologizing to the teacher either; I think your father, Tanaka-san, your brother, and Kamijou-san are all entitled to an apology from you."
I for my part, had been desperately trying to fade into the background; I was only here to help maintain order as best as I could; whenever the boys became confrontational, it was not my place to comment or to intervene.
Now though, since I was closest, Isaka-sama was looking at me pointedly while nudging Haruhiko in the ribs.
I glanced over at Akihiko; he had sat down with his beloved Natsuhiko and was rubbing between the cub's ears absentmindedly while he looked on. Master Haruhiko took a deep breath and looked at me first.
I nodded my silent encouragement, hoping that the boy knew I wasn't particularly upset with him. The bespectacled youth turned to fully face me as Master Hiroki was stirring in the background.
I could hear the brunet's half-conscious mutterings: "Bear…Akihiko…why….?"
I tried not to smile as Haruhiko opened his mouth to speak.
A/N: MAJOR shout-out to freakylemurcat, who was my celebrated 15th reviewer! A big thank you to all who made the first fourteen reviews as well. ^-^
*Natsuhiko: Aki=Fall; Fuyu=Winter; Haru=Spring. I wanted for the fourth season to be a part of the Usami household; Natsu=Summer. ^-^ I'm such a sap for plays on words.
Laying the foundation for Tanaka-san's backstory; still trying to figure out how he would come to meet Usami Fuyuhiko… ^~^;
Haruhiko's first formal apology and then back to the present I think. I know, "boo, MB Skirt!" However, I do like this vein, time-consuming as it is to write. More fics will follow, I give my solemn vow. I'm working on a fic that will explain a LOT about Akihiko.
Enough commentary on my part! But please, stay tuned.
-MB Skirt