When he opened that door, their eyes widened instantly.

The 'girl' in sweet lolita outfit blinked, then 'her' eyes widened too and 'she' gasped nervously. 'Her' face felt like it was being burned when 'she' realized that those who shouldn't see 'her' current appearance had arrived in the Castle.

And while the three High School students stood still with their mouths gaped in shock, Tiashe could only saw them with curiosity and innocent gleam in his eyes.

"…uhm… guys… This isn't like what you're thinking…"

Ea fainted instantly when he recognized that voice.

Oo—O—oO

Their Daily Lives

Oo—O—oO

Genre: Family – Friendship

Rate: T, for safe~ XDD

Warning(s): Cross-dressing implied, AU, lots of shonen ai hints, and grammar mistakes.

Disclaimer: 07-Ghost belongs to their respective owner. I don't own anything except the absurdity of this story.

Oo—O—oO

Story 4

~Déjà vu, Dumbfounded, and Those Awful Things I've Done Because of You~

Oo—O—oO

It was a peaceful morning at the beginning of spring season.

Ea, who've just started to study at Elementary School, has been prepared for this since a week ago. Being an ignorant he was, he didn't care about those comments he got when he arrived at the school gate with a 16-years old Zehel. His amethyst eyes stared at the building in front of him with bored gaze, but since Zehel knew him better than anyone else in that place, the spiky-haired teenager just smirked as if he was reading Ea's mind.

"Missing that loafer so much?"

An imaginary arrow stabbed the younger boy's head immediately.

"Tsk, tsk. Even if you act like you hate it when he keeps blabbering around you, you can't fool me with that stoic mask of yours, my Dear."

"…haven't I told you before that I hate it when you act like Profe and call me like that, Zehel?" Ea said with his light, yet calm and childish voice. He kept his face stoic like usual, but if someone took a look closer than Zehel did now, they would notice the soft pink blush that tainted his chubby cheeks. "Besides, I have nothing to do even if I meet him this morning. He'd just tease me until I go berserk," he muttered softly, and responded by Zehel's failed attempt to restrain his laughter.

"Aww. Someone's falling in love now."

"I'm not!"

"Did I mention your name before, Kid?"

"…"

"I didn't, did I?"

"…no, you didn't."

The tall teen sighed when he heard the ringing bell. "Kinda want to tease you more than this, Brat. But since I'm sure that Profe and Relikt will beat me together if you late, then it's 'see you later'." Ea nodded slightly. He waved his hand too, and then walked toward the building in front of him alone—different with other children who came with their parents.

It didn't matter for him, anyway; he used to be alone before he live at the manor.

And he's not alone. Someone's who've been there earlier than him had the same condition too. But it's too bad that he didn't know the current whereabouts of that happy-go-lucky loafer now.

He sighed mentally. /I can just pray that he won't do such shameful stuffs in his first day now…/

.

"Ah, Ea!"

He turned his attention to the source of that familiar voice. His melancholic amethyst eyes blinked slowly when he saw a familiar brown-haired man standing not too far from his own place; Weldeschtein Krom Raggs, Vertrag's older brother if he remembered it correctly. He changed his direction towards the older man, and realized that Krom wasn't alone in that place. There's a wavy grey-haired boy standing next to him with the same expressionless face like Ea wore.

"Glad to see you here. Did you walk alone today?" Ea shook his head. "Eeh? But I didn't see someone with you—um, I mean, in this building. He or she went away after taking you here, am I right?" Now, the tall man smiled gently when he saw a nod from the younger boy. "It mustn't be Profe or Fest."

"It's Zehel, Krom-san."

"Ah. No wonder, then. I should ask Vertrag to take you before, shouldn't I?"

"No. He has been busy in school lately, so I won't make him has any trouble again."

Krom sighed softly. "You're a good boy, you know?"

Again, there're transparent blushes appeared on Ea's cheek.

"Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to introduce you to my youngest brother; Krowell, come and greet him now." But the said boy just stood still on his place, ignoring Krom's call and kept reading the book on his hand. Even after Krom sulked in the room's corner, that boy just kept reading and ignored his surroundings. A huge sweat hung itself behind Ea's head after the dark-haired boy saw that rare slapstick.

And somehow, he felt déjà vu for it.

After a minute full of Krom's sulking mutters ("My cute little brother won't respond to me again… I'm the worst big brother on Earth… Where have that innocent and childish Krom gone? Did I do something bad on him—" and something like that), finally the boy with black hat huffed and closed his book. "Isn't it the time for you to go to school, Onii-san?" was the first thing that came out from his mouth, and Krom pouted like a child. "My teacher gave me permission to accompany you already. And here you're, asking me to go immediately while I've been trying to be a good brother for you."

Sometime, Krom's behavior made Ea forgot how old that brown-haired teen actually.

"I'm glad that you're here to accompany me in my first day in school, Onii-san."

"Then, why did you ask me to leave immediately with that stoic face?"

"It's just…"

"What? Am I not good enough to be your brother, Krowell?"

When Ea realized what kind of stare they're getting now, he couldn't help himself to pity Krowell. That boy looked like he was going to face-palmed, in Ea's eyes.

"…don't you even realize that Ea and I need to start our lesson now?"

Krom blinked innocently. "Eh? Is that so?"

Ea joined Krowell in face-palming gesture when Krom chuckled nervously and went outside in peace, trying to ignore the strange looks he got from the teachers and the other children.

What a poor, poor young Krom.

.

"Ea, isn't it?"

Ea blinked. Did Krowell just speak to him just now? "Well… yeah. It's nice to meet you."

Krowell nodded slightly. "I heard from Kreuz-niisan that there's another child who live in manor… Where's he?"

That reminded Ea about Landkarte's disappearance this morning. "…don't know. That guy left me behind this morning, though usually he woke up later than me."

"Sounds like Krom-niisan to me."

"Come to think of it, I think they have similar personality."

Krowell sighed softly. "Just like what Kreuz-niisan told me before."

"Did he?"

"He did. He told me about how his life at the manor every time he returns home. Majority of it was about a man called Zehel's pranks on you and the other resident—even him."

It's Ea's turn to sigh now. "I won't deny that."

Krowell turned his attention to the noise in front of the door. His purple eyes blinked when he saw something—or someone—who hid itself behind Teacher's leg there. "Hey, Ea?"

Ea, who was reading Krowell's book, just replied it with a, "Hmm?" without bothering to look at the crowded place.

"Kreuz-niisan told me that this 'Landkarte' boy had light hair with two long bangs tied neatly in front of his ears. Is it true?"

"Yep."

"And a pair of electric lime eyes?"

"He is."

"And long eyelashes that girls usually have?"

"Well, even though I won't admit it, he really has those."

"Then, is he really a boy?"

This time, Ea raised his left eyebrows. "Of course he is. What's wrong?"

Krowell shot him a blank gaze. His index finger pointed the crowd in front of the door. "Just wondering who that girl is."

A pair of amethyst eyes blinked in curiosity. He walked toward the crowd with Krowell behind him, and widened his eyes in shock when he saw the 'girl' that Krowell mentioned before.

("Now, now. Since you lost this game, you have to follow my instruction, my Dear."

"You're mean."

"Not mean, just following the rule."

"Got a bad feelin'."

"Hmm… Then you're the sensitive one, Landkarte. More than Ea or Fest, actually."

"Then what's my punishment?"

The long-haired girl in soft purple dress smiled mysteriously, and Ea and Landkarte's feeling grew bad. "Not a heavy one, believe me.")

Ea gawked in shock. He just remembered about the deal Landkarte made with an angel-masked witch called Profe last night now. /It can't be…/

When the 'girl' in cute pink Lolita dress screamed in shamefulness at the time 'she' saw him, Ea knew that his premonition was really never went wrong.

"…is that the Landkarte-guy who lives with you, Ea?"

A moment before he lost his consciousness, Ea could hear someone's yelling his name.

.

#

.

"Ea—"

"—look at what you've done—!"

Ea blinked slowly, and he almost screamed in surprise when he realized that a pair of wide, round green eyes was looking at him curiously right on top of him.

"Ea-niichan has awake!"

The two debating voice silenced immediately. One of them called his name with worried tone. Landkarte, no doubt.

"Are you alright, Ea?"

Ea nodded slightly. His head still felt dizzy; "What've happened, actually?"

Krowell shot a meaningful look to him, Landkarte clammed up instantly, a familiar spiky-haired man (/Since when did Zehel's here?/ Ea thought curiously) just smirked playfully, and Tiashe smiled widely. The little boy was almost told him about the incident that made him fainted if Landkarte and Krowell's hands didn't cover his mouth immediately. "Nothing! You just banged your head accidentally to wall and fainted because of that!"

If only there are no sweats hanging behind the light-haired teen's head, Ea would've believed it in seconds.

"…liar."

"I'm not! You really did it! That's what happened! Just ask to Krowell if you don't believe me!"

"What've happened before I fainted and why did you here, Zehel?"

"I'm not mentioning Zehel before, Ea!"

After succeeded in his mission to get out from his Uncle's grasp, the little brown-haired boy ran to Ea's place and pulled his sleeve so he could look down to him. Landkarte's face became more panic than before, and Krowell could do nothing but ran away before Landkarte hit him with the thick book on the table. "You fainted when you see Landkarte-niichan in cute dress, Ea-niichan! He's so beautiful when he wore that, wasn't he?" The boy asked cheerfully and innocently, ignoring Ea's dumbfounded expression and Landkarte's face-palming gesture and Zehel's victorious smirk on his face.

For a second, Ea felt that he's going to faint again.

/There's no way that that sweet, innocent girl I saw before I live at the manor is Landkarte in Lolita outfit, isn't it?/

And after around five minutes of regaining his consciousness and ten minutes of dumbfounding because of Tiashe's innocent statement, Ea fainted again—this time, with shocked expression on his face.

/My first love… is that cross-dressing loafer…/

The World was really cruel to you, wasn't it, Ea?

.

.

The end.