XXx Aya xXX
"So?" Hikaru and Kaoru ask eagerly as they shove their floor length mirror in front of me.
"We thought your eyes looked extra green today," Hikaru comments as he sticks a few more pins into my hair.
"So we decided on this kimono for the flower viewing reception," Kaoru finishes as he dabs a bit of a pomegranate lip gloss on the center of my lower lip.
"It's pretty," I reply honestly. "Not bad you two."
The kimono they picked out for me is a pale lime green with little gradients of a pretty sunset orange here and there. There are patterns of dark green leafs and white flowers across it and a forest green obi is secured tightly around my waist.
They've pulled my hair out of my face my making tiny braids out of my bangs and securing them at the base of my ponytail. Then they pulled the rest of my hair into a voluminous bun and pinned it in place with no less than thirty five bobby pins.
"Just one final touch," they say as they pin an orange rose hair ornament to the side of it, and letting the dangling charms just brush my ear.
"Am I good?" I ask, twirling for them quickly to make sure everything was secure.
They give me a thumbs up and I salute them before heading out to the reception.
The girls have already gathered in the area roped off for the event. Cherry blossoms litter the air, swirling around like large pink bees, but the girls seem to love it. At least it's a nice break from the rose petals. I was beginning to find them rather grotesque.
I make my way over to the nearest snack table, intending to pick up a few pieces of mochi, but I'm intercepted by Kyoya before I make more than three steps. I fold my arms across my chest, and pout. Not that I expect Kyoya to feel bad. I know he won't.
"Here you are," he says as he flips open his notebook. "Princess Kisaki Shinokozuka is waiting for you at a private table in the west side of the reception hall. Please try not to keep her waiting."
"Who?" I ask while furrowing my eyebrow. "I don't think I know anybody by that name."
"Well she's requested you," Kyoya says as he snaps his book shut. "And time is money, so go see her now please."
"Yeah ok," I sigh with a mock salute before stepping around him.
Just too irk him a bit, I stop by the table and take the entire plate of mochi covered ice cream. I balance the platter in my hands as I navigate my way to the west side of the hall. Dodging these girls turn out to be a little more of a challenge than I had expected, for they seem prone to sudden spazzes. I need to start looking for queues from the hosts to better avoid them.
"Oh, there you are," a bossy voice that comes from my right says. "I've been waiting here for almost fifteen minutes."
I turn to see that girl that cut into my dance with Mitsukuni at the party three days ago sitting alone at a table.
Her honey blond hair is curled in loose ringlets and her bangs are swept to the side with two pink bunny clips. Her gray eyes are sharp as she gives me a quick once over, her long well-manicured nails, which are painted a shocking shade of bubblegum pink, click impatiently on the surface of the table.
"Miss Kisaki Shinokozuka I assume?" I ask, popping a hip to better balance the tray.
"You assume correctly," she says coldly. "Please sit."
I set the tray on the table as I plop down opposite from her. She gives the platter a curious glance, and I gesture for her to take some, but she just wrinkles her nose and tosses a lock of hair over her shoulder. I shrug in response and start eating straight from the plate.
"So," I ask as I stare at her over my mochi. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Spare me the pleasantries," she says with distaste as she lifts her tea cup to her lips. "I don't even really want to talk to you, but recent circumstances have overruled my personal desires."
"Um….alright?" I reply.
"I want to know the state of your relationship with Honey-senpai," she says bluntly.
I almost choke on my mochi. I look up at her with furrowed brows, but she looks completely serious. It takes me a minute to compose myself, and when I do, I've planned my response.
"You know," I say as I stare her straight in the eye. "I could be wrong, but that sounds like it's none of your business."
"But that's where you're wrong," she says as her eyes darken over her teacup. "It is my business. Before you showed up, I was Honey-senpai's favorite regular. And then you show up and he doesn't pay attention to any of us anymore."
"You're probably imagining it," I chuckle through a mouthful of mochi. "Trust me, there's nothing going on. I barely know him."
"And yet you spend all day with him," she says as she places her cup back in its saucer quietly. "And as if that wasn't enough, now you've invaded this club too. Forgive me if I have trouble believing you."
"I can't help the way my class schedule was made. He was just nice enough to show me around," I say through grit teeth. "And I didn't invade this club either. They asked me to stay."
"But why?" she asks innocently. "What do you really do for this club?"
My mouth is clamped shut. I really don't like her.
"Just look around," she says, gesturing to the festivities. "You're just like the tea sets and the kimonos. Expendable. A mere ornament. They'll just get rid of you once you're no longer needed."
"Look," I spit. "I don't know what your deal is, but it sounds like you're blowing everything out of proportion. I don't have anything going on with Mitsukuni."
Her eyes spark dangerously at my answer.
"And who are you to speak his name so informally?" she asks in a slightly shrill voice.
"You do it too," I scoff.
"Yes, but mine is a term of endearment. Yours is not," she snaps. "Only Mori-senpai ever calls him Mitsukuni. You should have at least added a 'kun' or a 'san' at the end of his name if your relationship is indeed as you say, strangers."
"Whatever," I sigh as I cram more mochi into my mouth. "Obviously trying to convince you is a lost cause."
"I'll say this once," Kisaki says coldly. "So listen good. Mitsukuni and I are made for each other, don't think you can just flirt with him for one night and forge a relationship with him that would cause him to forget what we have."
"I wouldn't dream of it cupcake," I say sarcastically. "Can you honestly see me as the kind of girl to have a relationship with anyone?"
"Of course not," she says, perking up slightly but still regarding me with distaste. "You're rude, pushy, ungraceful, ill-mannered, and completely repulsive."
"Well that's the pot calling the kettle black," I scoff as I finish the last of the plate.
"You don't belong here," she continues. "Why should a thorn like you tarnish the stem of a rose like Honey-senpai? He needs a gentle, loving, tender-hearted, feminine woman," she sighs dreamily. "Someone who's presence will be a gentle guiding light in his life."
"I hope you're not referring to yourself," I snigger. "And what's with all the metaphors?"
"We're done here," Kisaki snaps, standing up suddenly and smoothing out the skirts of her infernal yellow uniform. "I'd say it was a pleasure meeting you, but it's been anything but that."
"You're no ray of sunshine yourself," I scoff as I pour myself some lukewarm tea from the pot in the middle of the table.
And with that, she turns and leaves, her hair bouncing down her shoulders like hundreds of tiny yo-yos, over to Mistukuni's station.
XXx Honey xXX
Kisa showed up almost halfway through the reception looking like she was about to cry. She holds her hands delicately in front of her mouth, her face flushed and eyebrows furled.
"Kisa-chan!" one of my other regulars, Sumi, gasps as she jumps to her feet and rushes over to her. "What happened?!"
"I went to g-go apologize to Aya-senpai for cutting into the dance she was sharing w-with Honey-senpai at the party," she chokes. "But she just snapped something in French and told me t-to go away."
I share a quick look with Takashi.
He shakes his head slightly, and I nod. Good, we're in agreement that Kisa's story sounds completely unbelievable. But the other girls don't seem to think so.
"Seriously?" another girl, Meirika, asks incredulously as she shoots a scalding look in the direction Kisa just came from.
Aya is sitting alone at a table across the reception hall from us. She leans back in her chair, covering her face with her hands and rubbing her temples with her ring fingers.
"What's wrong with her?" Sumi asks in a disgusted tone. "You're so sweet Kisa-chan, why would anyone ever do that to you?"
"I bet she's just jealous," Meirika says in a more comforting tone, rubbing circles on Kisa's back. "I mean, I know if I was a boy I'd choose you over her any day."
"I just want to know why she hates me," Kisa says softly. "She glared at me before leaving the dance floor too."
"You better keep an eye out for that one Honey-senpai," Meirika warns me, her blue eyes flashing with concern.
"Yeah, she sounds like a psycho," Sumi agrees. "Someone needs to set her straight."
"Thanks you guys," I say, forcing one of my sweet smiles. "But I can handle it."
"And until then, we'll keep an eye out for you Kisa-chan," Meirika says as both her and Sumi pull Kisa into a tight hug.
As they do, something falls from the skirts of Kisa's uniform. It hits the floor with a small thunk and Kisa kicks it nonchalantly under the nearest table. But Takashi and I caught the label before it disappeared under the lace tablecloth.
A bottle of premium eye drops, not unlike the ones we use here at the club.
XXx Aya xXX
I seriously have no idea how I got wrapped up in this ridicules plan.
I think the twins guilt tripped me into it. But anyways here I am, dressed in a fluffy pink nurse's uniform. My hair is pinned and tucked into a faux bob style, and my bangs were pulled back and tucked under my nurse's cap to chance my hairline.
All my piercings have had clear rings in them, except for the normal lobe ones. They only have small gold studs in them. I feel so…naked without the rest of them.
And this dress is so puffy and pink I feel like an 'I can be…' Barbie, Nurse Edition.
I keep having to remind myself that this is for Haruhi's sake. But I also can't help this nagging feeling that this plan will fail epically. Like most of the plans Tamaki comes up with.
But nevertheless I do what I was instructed to and follow Mitsukuni and Takashi around.
"Why are Honey and Mori dressed as doctors?" a girl suddenly whispers (not really) to her friends.
They all glance over eagerly, their faces lighting up as they recognize Mitsukuni, Mori, and the rest of the hosts. I knew it. This was never going to fool anyone.
"Hey who's that nurse that keeps following them around?" another girl asks, irritation weighing down her voice.
I have an overwhelming urge to smack my forehead into my palm. These girls are idiots.
"She better not try anything with them," another girl says in a slightly menacing voice.
"I'll scratch out those pretty eyes of hers is she does," another voice threatens.
I shudder despite myself, and do my best to ignore the comments. But it's hard, so I decide to distract myself by checking out what I'll go through in a few hours.
It looks similar to physical exams at my old school. Only here, everything is pink…
"Wow Miss Shuramunei," I hear one doctor exclaim. "You've lost two whole kilograms since this time last year!"
"That's so good to hear, I thought for sure I was heavier!" the girl on the scale gushes happily as the nurses around her clap.
"Not at all," the doctor says as he shakes his head. "Keep this up and you'll be even healthier next year! Keep up the good work!"
Wow.
Our doctors were never this nice. Both my privet doctor and my physical examiner at school would scold me if I was an ounce over ninety-five pounds. These girls are lucky.
Well, since the incident at school and coming to Japan I've been putting on a few more pounds, but I'm still stuck only at ninety-seven pounds. And I feel disgustingly underweight.
I poke my stomach through the fluffy pink uniform, but all I feel is my stomach muscles. I sigh in irritation.
"Hitachiin bothers, would you please come with me?" a nurse suddenly asks. "We're ready to do your chest measurements. You can use the area behind this curtain to undress."
There's a collective gasp from most girls in the room. They rush over, almost trampling me in the race to get a good view.
"Doesn't matter to me," Hikaru says tonelessly as he unbuttons his shirt.
"We're not shy," Kaoru continues. "Who needs a curtain?"
And…that is my queue to leave.
I squish in between the girls, making my way towards an empty part of the hall, which is no easy task. They are literally everywhere.
And at one point, some girl shoulders past me hard enough to knock me off to make me lose my footing. My tractionless slippery nurse shoes slide on the slick tile and I fall forward with absolutely none of the grace you'd expect to see from a martial artist.
But before I plummet to the floor and break my face I feel someone grab my wrists and stop my momentum.
"You ok?" Mitsukuni asks as he looks at me from over his fake glasses.
I'm too flustered to form words, and end up just letting him hold onto me while I gape like a fish.
Then I see Kisaki Shinokozuka. She stares at me from a fair distance behind Mitsukuni. I pray for a moment to whatever god is up there that she'll be stupid like the rest of her fellow classmates. But the furious glare on her face is more than enough to tell me she knows exactly who I am and who's holding me right now.
"Fine," I finally respond as I step back quickly, pulling my arms from his hands. "Excuse me for a minute."
I don't wait for an answer as I turn away and start weaving through the crowd quickly and more carefully than before.
Once I'm sure I lost him I make my way over to the empty part of the exam hall and take shelter behind the privacy curtain farthest from the crowds.
My heart is hammering against my ribcage as I collapse against the wall. I've never felt this much fear from someone physically weaker than me before.
I keep having to remind myself to breathe regularly. This is so not good. Why did he have to catch me? And why did she have to be standing right there?
That's just cruel.
"What do you want?"
The voice almost makes me jump out of my skin. But then I realize it's not a question directed at me, and it's coming from behind the privacy screen to my left.
I look up, seeing the silhouette of two girls on the other side. The taller one has her arms crossed, looking down on the smaller girl. The smaller one looks like she's wringing her hands, keeping her gaze on the floor.
"I-I-I…." she stammers.
"Well? Spit it out," the taller girl says.
"I-I wanted to apologize," the smaller girl says as she looks up. "You were right, and I should've listened to you."
The taller girl's shoulders relax, and her posture and attitude shifts completely. She leans down, forcing the smaller girl to look her in the eye.
"So he was just using you to get his fifteen minutes of fame?" she asks.
The smaller girl nods, and I see small droplets of water hit the floor. As she begins to cry heavily, her sobs become louder, and more choked. The taller girl's hands slip from her face and the girl hangs her head again.
"Come here," the older girl says in a softer voice, holding out her arms.
The smaller girl stumbles into the taller girl's embrace, her crying becoming muffled as the taller girl clutches her close to her chest.
"I'm so sorry! I won't ever doubt you again!" she swears through her sobs.
"Shhhhh," the taller girl coos as she strokes the smaller girl's hair. "It's alright, I'm here for you. Just tell me if you'd prefer me to maim or castrate him."
The smaller girl hiccups through her crying, and laughs shakily.
"Alright," the taller girl says. "Time to stop crying, we need to get back to the exam."
The girl nods and wipes her eyes before hugging the taller girl one more time. The taller girl pats her head affectionately.
I freeze as they walk out, the last image burned into my retinas. I used to do the same thing to Simon, and he'd pat my head just like that.
My vision blurs as I feel a splash on my hand. Horrified, I rub away my tears, tearing my ear buds out of the pockets of the shorts I have on under my dress. My hands tremble as I place them in my ears. That girl's also very lucky. She has someone there for her when these things happen.
I slouch in a corner behind a few equipment racks, closing my eyes and try to steady my breathing as my shaking fingers find the music I need to numb my mind. Feelings...there are way too many of them right now and I can't possibly deal with them all at once
I grit my teeth as I wipe away the remaining tears with the heel of my palm. I'm not going to cry for myself. I refuse to.
I want the anger and hate to just evaporate along with the hurt. It's over and done with I shouldn't still care about it.
But I know the reason its lingering is because what I hate the most about my relationship with him isn't him for being a piece of shit, it's the fact that I was gullible and naïve enough to fall in love with him in just one month. He was the first person to treat me like I was worth smiling and laughing for, and then tore me limb from limb.
I fell for everything, and was made the fool. I thought I was over him, that I could hate him. But apparently I was wrong. No matter how much I say that I hate him, he's still burrowed deep within my heart.
Now he won't get out, no matter how much I thrash and scream about it. But I know one thing that's never gonna change. He won't come back. He never loved me, and now he's downright terrified of me.
And when I'm eventually forced to go back to France I'm not going to go looking for him. And I know not to love so easily anymore. In fact why don't I just stop kidding myself and become an old rabbit lady and save all my love for them? At least I know they'll never make me hurt this much.
I take out my headphones and sit there for a minute, trying to pull myself together. I'm such a wreck I don't even sense the footsteps until it's too late.
"Aya-chan?"
XXx Honey xXX
I'm finally able to break away from the operation once Kyo-chan finally admits he's set up an appointment for Haru-chan in the special boy's clinic.
I scan the room for Aya-chan, but I can't find her anywhere. But who I do find is someone I'd rather not see right now. So as soon as I see Kisa I duck behind the nearest person.
Sometimes being this small has its advantages.
I take off in the direction I thought I saw Aya go, and end up in the back of the exam hall. It's empty, since everyone is watching Hika-chan and Kao-chan's distraction.
Two girls suddenly step out of one of the examination cubicles and walk right past me as if I'm not there. The smaller one looks like she was crying, and the older girl has her arm around her, and is softly stroking the girl's long reddish brown hair.
The sight gives me a feeling that something is wrong, and as I walk over to where they came out from, I can see a shadow peeking out from one of the privacy curtain.
I step up to the curtain uneasily, and look through the small gap between the screen and the frame that holds it up.
Aya is curled up against the wall, her small body trembling in a mountain of pink skirts. Tears stream down her face, and she bites down on her pinky finger to keep any sounds from escaping her mouth. She leans to the side and rests her head on the wall.
"Aya-chan?" I ask as I cautiously pull aside the curtain.
Her eyes widen as she sees me. Tears begin to stream down her face faster and she quickly buries her face in her knees.
"Aya-chan," I ask urgently as I walk over to her, tossing off my lab coat and fake glasses. "Are you ok?"
She stays put and doesn't make a sound. Her body just freezes solid.
"Ok that was a stupid question," I admit as I grab hold of her arms. "You don't look ok."
She looks up for a second, and I can see her face has gone from pale to pink.
"You think?" she asks with half-hearted sarcasm.
"Tell me what's wrong," I insist as I pull her arms away from her sides. "Please."
"It's nothing," she says stubbornly as her arms tremble in my grip. "I'm just more emotional when it comes to music than most people."
I don't buy it, but it seems like pressing the matter would be worse for her. So I settle for distracting her instead.
"Then you should listen to more happy music," I say with a soft smile. "That way I can see you smile more often."
She looks up at me in surprise. I laugh softly at the thought of how cute it looks. And how much cuter it would be if she weren't crying.
"Smiles suit you better," I say as I reach out to brush away the stream of tears that still trail down her cheeks.
She flinches back as my fingers come in contact with her face. She clamps her eyes shut and a blush rises in her cheeks again.
"Sorry," I apologize as I pull my hand back.
"You don't have to be," she whispers as her eyes flutter open again. "I'm just not used to people touching me."
"Oh," I reply softly as I stand back up. "Well…why don't we head back out?"
She nods and I stick out a hand to her. She hesitates for a second before taking it.
Her hands are small and dainty. But they are also rough and calloused in some spots, reminding me that she isn't some china doll. But they're warm and soft, and fit perfectly in mine.
She lets go as soon as she had her balance back and rubs the rest of the tear streaks. I clear the thoughts from my head as she looks back up at me.
"You think it's ok for me to get out of this uniform?" she asks.
"Yeah. But did you bring extra clothes?" I ask.
"Uh huh," she replies as she pulls the pins out of her hair that are securing her nurse's hat. "I have them on under this."
She kicks off her shoes and slips out of her knee socks. She pulls a few more pins and four braids fall out from under the short layer of curls that fall to her ears.
"Can you unzip me?" she asks as she pulls her hair aside.
"Sure," I reply uneasily.
I hesitate before pulling the zipper down, but true to her words, she has a black tank top and shorts underneath. There are also a pair of flip-flops that were held against her back by the bow of her apron.
She slips out of her dress before dumping it unceremoniously on the desk and kicking her shoes and socks on the floor next to it.
"Ok, I'm ready," she says as she slips her feet into her sandals.
We walk out of the check-up area in silence just in time to see the rest of the club dash off in the direction of the special boy's clinic.
"What's going on?" she asks, looking at me with confusion etched into her face.
"No idea," I reply with an expression that probably mirrors hers. "Let's go."
We begin weaving in and out of the crowds of students, trying to catch up to the club without attracting too much attention.
XXx Aya xXX
By the time we reach a room labeled Special Boy's Clinic the door's already open and Tamaki is standing in front of some grungy looking guy who's begging to have his life spared.
Huh, guess we missed something good. Mitsukuni and I walk up while everyone else hits a serious pose and take our places next to Mori.
"I'm a doctor," the man suddenly says from his position on his hands and knees. "I have a small emergency medical clinic I run in the next town over. My name is Yabu."
"Did he say his name is Yabu?" Hikaru asks.
"That's crazy," Kaoru says. "What a terrible name for a doctor."
"Unless you're a quack!" they finish in unison.
"I know," the man moans. "I'm here because I'm hoping to see my daughter. My wife left me last month and took my daughter with her. But I know she attends school here!"
"I don't mean to pry," Haruhi speaks up from behind the uniform shirt that she'd using to cover herself. "But why did your wife and daughter leave you?"
I mime to her that she may want to put a shirt on, but she seems to invested in the scene in front of her to notice. I'm a little curious too, but I decide to just stay quiet and listen. The man just hangs his head.
"Well you see….." he trails off.
He then proceeds to let us into his mind theater, you know like the one Tamaki has. But I got to admit, his has a better animator. Huh, I guess that's just one of the perks these mega rich guys get.
So, one awkward backstory later, Yabu is still bawling his eyes out on the floor. Honestly I don't really understand how I'm supposed to feel after hearing his sob story, but Tamaki seems to be shedding all his tears for this financially-challenged doctor.
"When I tried to as her about my daughter the girl started screaming!" he wailed. "And before I knew it there were all sorts of people chasing me!"
"That's so tragic!" Tamaki cries as leans down to try and comfort Yabu.
"Doctor Yabu," Kyoya suddenly speaks up. "I think you may have the wrong place. Are you looking for Ouran Public High School?"
"Y-yeah," Yabu sobs from his place on the floor. "That's right."
"I figured that might be the case," Kyoya replies, sounding like he's suppressing a sigh of irritation. "This is Ouran Academy, a privet institution. Your daughter doesn't go to school here."
"Man that's pretty sad," Hikaru says. "You don't even know what school your daughter goes to?"
"I bet your relationship is messed up because you don't pay attention to her," Kaoru states. "Not because of some stupid debt."
This is actually pretty sad. No wonder the girl decided to go with her mom. I don't know what I'd do if my father was like this. I mean he may be clueless and not around often, but the time he does spend with me he's completely overly doting.
"Wow Kyo-chan!" Mitsukuni exclaims. "I'm impressed you figured out he had the wrong school."
"Well there's no way the daughter of such a small time doctor would ever be able to get into Ouran Academy," he states.
Ouch. That wasn't even aimed at me and that smarts. He's really…blunt. And he doesn't even seem to care.
"Kyoya," Tamaki says, suddenly very serious…he seems to have gotten over his tear fest pretty quickly. "Would you please find a map of all the public schools in this area? I'd like to help this man find his daughter."
Ok, that's sweet and all, but how many Ouran Public High Schools are there in one district?
"Whatever you say," Kyoya replies nonetheless.
XXX
We watch from the window as Yabu leaves the campus with cherry blossoms dancing merrily in the breeze around him. He has a map clenched in his fists and determination set on his face.
"Are you sure about this?" Hikaru asks.
"After all, even if he does manage to find his daughter, there's no guarantee she'll want to talk to him," Kaoru says.
"Well then," Tamaki sighs. "That's just something he'll have to find out for himself."
I close my eyes, enjoying the breeze that blows over the school. It's so peaceful at times like this.
"I'm sorry about this guys, but could you please leave?" Haruhi asks, suddenly breaking the silence.
"Haruhi? Are you still angry with me?" Tamaki asks as he flinches back. "You're not thinking of quitting the host club are you?"
"Don't be stupid sempai," she laughs. "I've just got to finish my physical exam. As a male student of course."
They all smile and I make my way over to the door. It's about time I checked in for my exam too.
XXx Honey xXX
We walk down the halls of the estate in silence. Chika-chan is already in his room, leaving Aya and I to walk to ours alone.
I keep wanting to ask her about earlier. She just seemed so angry and embarrassed with herself to have been caught crying. I'm scared if I ask she'll get mad at me, but my curiosity is getting the better of me.
"So, Aya-chan?" I ask nervously.
She looks at me, her large eyes somewhat softer. I'm almost level with them. The doctor who conducted my physical exam told me I'd grown an inch and a half. Just another half inch and I'll be as tall as she is.
"Hmmm?" she replies softly.
"Well, now that no one's around to overhear us, will you tell me the real reason you were crying?" I ask.
As expected, she stiffens. Her face pales as she looks away, suddenly fascinated with the pattern in the carpet. She starts fiddling with her long black nails which are starting to chip.
"Well," she whispers. "This is the second time you've caught me lying."
"The third actually," I say without thinking.
She looks over to me with a sad smile on her face.
"So…three huh? I guess that means I owe you an explanation," she sighs. "You see, I chose to come here to Japan because of some trouble at my old school. There was a guy who hurt me. But I guess I wasn't as over it as I thought I was, so I kinda let myself get swallowed up by my emotions if you know what I mean."
I guess I was expecting something along the lines of that. I can feel a clenching feeling in my chest, but I ignore it for now.
"You don't have to go on if you don't feel like it. Sorry I made you talk about it," I say, looking down at the floor.
To my surprise, I feel her hand grip mine. It's not the romantic interlaced finger way, but still, she's holding my hand of her own will. And this time I didn't initiate it.
"It's alright," she whispers. "Just don't tell anyone you saw me cry and I won't need to break your fingers. Not that I actually think I can though, I'm pretty sure you'd win that fight."
And she smiles, a real smile. Not sad, or sarcastic, or fake. One that reaches her eyes. It makes my heart soar to think I was able to put a smile on her face.
"OK!" I say, smiling myself. "And from here on out, as your friend I'll make sure you never have a reason to cry again!"
Her smile skews into smirk as she bites her lower lip and her cheeks flush.
"Thanks," she says somewhat shyly as she drops my hand, her smile returning.
"And I'll make sure you smile more," I add.
"That one may be a little harder," she says somewhat sadly. "I haven't smiled like this in a long time. The muscles are out of practice. But I'll admit, it's become a bit easier since I've moved here."
"Well, now that'll be a collaborative effort," I say with a grin. "All of us will help."
"Alright," she says.
"You can count on us!" I insist. "It's our job to make every girl happy. So that includes you!"
"As long as you don't go too overboard," she says. "Well, I've gotta finish up my homework."
She begins to walk down the hall, but then pauses for a moment.
"See you tomorrow!" she calls over her shoulder before she begins walking briskly back to her room.
As she turns the corner, my smile falls a bit. 'If only you knew how pretty you look when you smile Aya-chan.' I think. 'I wish I could do something to make that happen every day.'
XXx Author's Notes xXX
Well there yah have it. As I doubled back I began thinking her school life was relatively boring and easy…and so Kisa was born.
Feel free to hate or love her in any way you wish…you know, it's kinda fun adding these scenes in. ^^
Lotsa love, Krystal