Rushing up to the door with all the furious energy of a raging tornado, I paused for a split second to rain down a volley of warning knocks before sweeping into the room, barely aware of the fact that Ichii had still yet to button up his shirt, or that I knocked a picture off the dresser. He rapidly turned his back to me and began fumbling to do so as quickly and inconspicuously as possible. He failed to do both. Zero, on the other hand, was fully dressed and busy staring intently at me, as if I had suddenly sprouted a second head. "Whoa. Okay. You're here. In this room. You know, there's this new thing, Asahina. It's called knocking- look into it." His voice, though sarcastic, only served to spin me into overdrive.
"I did knock! I knocked loads! How could you not have heard that?" I replied indignantly, galloping over and tugging on his arm as I bounced excitedly up and down, his name already rolling off my tongue in an incomprehensible mantra, twirling the poor boy so fast I almost missed his dizzy exclamation of 'that was you knocking?'. "Guess what? Guess what, Zero?" I didn't give him a chance though, because I released him and selectively ignored the fact that he collapsed backwards onto the bed to catch his breath. Instead I latched on to Ichii still bouncing from my abundant energy. "Guess what, Ichii? Guess what?" Ichii, instead of struggling uselessly like Zero had, allowed himself to be swung around, chuckling warmly at my antics as my mantra switched to his own name.
"You're going on holiday?" Zero suggested, his voice a little weak. I shook my head so fast it was probably a blur. "You're getting another cat?" Again, the same response, though this time I almost managed to KO Ichii. "You're getting a pony?" A hopeful note was in his voice. It was endearing and vaguely amusing. So much so, that I laughed. "Well, what is it then, Shrimp? We can't guess all day. We've got school to go to, you know." I paused with my incessant movement, giving Ichii a moment to rest. He did appear to be quite dizzy.
"Oh..." I said quietly, a little downcast now, shuffling my feet awkwardly. "My news isn't as big as that..." Ichii gave me an encouraging nudge, which aided to boost my spirits considerably. "Okay. Since you guys begged, I'll tell you! I've just been measured and guess what? I've grown loads!" My eyes flitted from both boys faces, gauging their reactions. Zero looked a little perturbed, Ichii was ever cheerful. "Zero, Zero, I'm 4"9 now! I'm nearly as tall as you now!" Zero snorted at that, though he did smile immediately afterwards and cross the distance to ruffle my hair.
"Yeah, good luck with that, squirt." He said, before promptly ejecting me from the room.
I was taking my sweet time. For some reason, my hair just wouldn't cooperate and it was irritating me greatly. No amount of brushing seemed to be able to tame that stray lock. I wondered briefly what I could do with it, when I heard an insistent tapping at the bathroom window and threw open the blinds to find Ichii crouched there on a tree limb that was far too slender to hold his weight. For a moment before I caught sight of the branch, I mistakenly thought he'd somehow found a way to fly. But, no, he was being incredibly graceful, and ignoring the laws of physics which were inevitably going to protest. After being warned that I should make haste as Zero was in certain kill-mode, and almost having a heart-attack as Ichii was forced to spring back to avoid falling to his death when the branch promptly snapped, I advised them both to come inside, into the warmth.
In hindsight, careering down the stairs was a very bad idea. It was just my luck that I was to trip over my own feet and go flying. Thankfully Ichii had lightning-fast reactions and caught me before I could do any permanent damage. He was too busy ramping up his abundant charm, though, as he reassured my panicked mother on my safety, that he didn't notice the fact that I was shaking. Neither did Zero, who barely touched me as he issued a band aid to a particularly nasty graze on my elbow. "Mama. Where is he? Why isn't he home yet?" The voice had been so sudden, so unexpected. It struck me, high and clear as I had been hurtling to the ground and left me grasping pitiful to regain my composure which was rapidly slipping through my fingers. My voice. When I was younger, a mere eight years old.
It had been a while since I had revisited the memory, though I often walked its hallowed halls in the silent hours of night, locked away in precious, fragile dreams. My colourless face went unnoticed by the other occupants of the room. So did my pale, unsteady fingers as they reached up and curled tightly around my locket. My eyes flickered over to the mantel piece, where a box lay motionless, a fine layer of dust coating the top. "Daddy. I still have your present." My breath caught painfully in my throat, though I forced out a smile and declared it time for us to leave. Neither boy protested but while they didn't say anything, I was aware that they had both realised something wasn't quite right.
I entered the classroom in a daze. Zero and Ichii were right by my side, as usual, but I barely noticed them. My smile was weak and forced. Though Kei didn't notice. She was stuck in the snarling cannibal phrase right now, so I figured it was best to avoid her altogether. Risking a limb was way more stress than I needed right now. Ayumi, on the other hand, had her arms crossed and didn't once spare a look in my direction.
Oh. Right. She's still mad at me.
Joy.
I just want to state right here, I had actually really been looking forward to spending time with Kei and Ayumi. Because of my hectic life, we hardly saw each other any more, either in school or out. It was a blessing to get the opportunity to meet up, gossip and eat cake, just like before all this craziness began. What's more, Zero and Ichii had even agreed not to hover over me! They had negotiated that they would remain across the other side of the street, though, on constant alert and if anything bad were to happen, they were fully justified to swoop in and save the day. Though, I feel it's necessary to mention that Zero threw a pillow at my face when I muttered about how big his hero-complex was. I feel it's also necessary to mention that it started up a massive pillow fight between the three of us. Yes, even mature, collected Ichii. (In fact, he was the one that won. I call cheat!)
Unfortunately, all the excitement leading up to that moment had been wasted- and even two days on, it was still leaving me pretty depressed. It was, of course, just my luck that San and Forte had merrily decided to spend entire day chasing me around to the brink of exhaustion. It was times like that I wished I could tell my friends everything. Instead, I'd been forced to lie to them. I was such a coward, I'd let them down by text too, while we were running, no less, with a hasty excuse that something bad had happened at the boy's house and they really needed my help. I had promptly switched my phone off then, but when I checked my phone later I had a simple reply of; Ok.
Which was, of course, really bad. It was normally, No problem, or, Oh, I understand, hope everything turns out okay! But that? Just one word. Just an Ok? That meant Ayumi was mad. Seriously, apoplectic with rage. And that rarely happened. Especially when that rage was directed solely at me. But, really, what else could I say? I mean, I couldn't exactly rattle them off a nice informative text, could I? Soz, guys, busy atm, running 4 my life rn. Nxt week, fo sure. Luv u, ttyl xx. How ridiculous would that sound? Then again, at least threat against my own life would be a valid reason now after all the lousy excuses I'd given them before. I'd been forced to cancel three times prior to this. By now, my patience was wearing pretty thin. I could only imagine how Kei and Ayumi must be feeling. If I was in their position, I wouldn't be a very happy bunny either.
"Ano... Ayumi... I'm really sorry... About Saturday... I couldn't help it-"
She scoffed at that. "Oh, you couldn't help it? Well, that just fixes everything, now, doesn't it?" I looked hopeful. She crushed that hope right underneath the heel of her shoe. "That was the forth time, Hikari! Not the first. Or the second. The. Forth. But who cares, right? You have Ichii and Zero and suddenly you're too good for us. Now that you have your perfect little followers, you don't want to hang out with us 'Losers' any more, do you? They're practically wrapped around your little finger. It's sick." Both boys tensed. A muscle jumped in Zero's jaw. A quick glance was all that was needed for me to notice that Ichii was having to physically restrain the boy. Ichii while sitting down in the chair, had one leg braced against the opposite table. One foot squarely atop Zero's and the crushing force of his hand around the boy's wrist.
I winced under her biting words, opening my mouth to protest, to defend myself. Kei was sobering up. It seemed like an argument packed the same amount of energy as the extra two cups of coffee she would've needed. "Ayumi... Why are you being so mean?" People were turning to stare now. I could feel my ears turning a delicate shade of scarlet.
"Oh, bite me. Like you're so perfect, Princess Hikari. Where were you when Ken dumped me? Because you sure as hell weren't at my house."
"B-but, I told you! I couldn't... I couldn't get over, remember? That- that wasn't my fault!" And it hadn't been. I'd been forced to hide out from the other examinees. No amount of pleading or begging or downright crying could sway the boys. They felt awful, I knew that. But I was aware that they'd feel even more awful if the examinees tracked us down and me or my friends got hurt in the fight that would inevitably follow.
"Oh, sure, that's what you claim. But then again, you've said something's cropped up every single time! Face it, you high-tailed it the first chance you got! I never thought you'd be the one to ditch us, but here you are, kicking us to the curb. We've been meaning to meet up for ages, now. But you keep making up excuses. Didn't your Daddy teach you it's rude to bail on people at the last minute?" My Dad. Those words were a cold, precise strike. Kei's eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open in utter shock. There was a collective gasp that rose up from the surrounding crowd, who had been lapping up the right with eager ears. Ayumi faltered and quickly shouldered a path out, leaving me gaping pathetically. Zero must have caught sight of my wounded expression, because in the next second his hand landed on my shoulder, concern radiating off him in waves.
I bolted. Headed straight for the bathroom where I promptly locked myself into a cubicle, hunkering down as I clutched the locket firmly in my hands, running my fingers all over it, pleading with myself to remain calm, to ride out this horrible, twisting sensation in the pit of my stomach. I knew at once Zero and Ichii had followed me in. I didn't protest as Ichii calmly picked the lock. The door swung open with a creak. We stared at each other for a moment. Then I did something that probably surprised them. I blinked back tears and silently held my arms out. Neither boy hesitated, they both stepped forward and enveloped me in a warm, comforting embrace.
I closed my eyes. The most painful part of this was letting go. Letting go of the urge to push back the rising memory. But that's exactly what I did.
Swinging my feet back and forth, I fidgeted in my chair, eyes impatiently flicking over to the door once more. "Mama! Where is he? Why isn't he home yet?" A light chuckle replied that question as my mother fluttered over from the other side of the room, pretty and delicate like a little butterfly as she gently lifted me up into her arms while the present I had been grasping slipped back down onto the table. I giggled happily as she lovingly pinched my nose, a big, warm smile spread out across her face, revealing her perfect white teeth.
"He'll be here soon, little one. Just wait a little longer, alright? He must have been caught in some traffic on the way home." Promptly, we sung an improvised tune with no clear beat to ward away those cursed jams, dancing around the kitchen with weird, jarring movements that, if the neighbours had been watching, would've caused great concern for them. Though, that all immediately stopped when I tripped over my feet and scraped my knee. Disbelieved, I stared at it for a moment, as the blood began to trickle out of my wound, before directing my gaze to my mother who had already flitted over to retrieve the first aid kit.
She was careful, her feather-touch barely making an impression as she dutifully nursed my injury and applied a band-aid, periodically cracking jokes to cheer me up, until my tears slowed and I began to smile once more. I followed her around, almost as if I were a lost sheep as she bustled around the kitchen to whip up a meal. My mouth was already watering at just the mere thought of it. She was busy slicing the onions when the knife slipped. Blood oozed from her finger in a steady trickle, but she didn't seem fazed as she held it firmly under the kitchen tap.
Determined, I dragged over a chair and awkwardly climbed up so I could treat her wound. She chuckled, her smile reaching all the way to her eyes as she allowed me to play doctor and carefully apply a band aid once she'd cleansed the area. "Looks like we're both pretty clumsy today, huh, Hikari?" She said, as she lifted me down and carried me over to the window so we could both peer through to see the empty driveway. "Well, bad luck does come in threes. I suppose-" She was interrupted by the phone. "That must be him, now." I was carefully set down as she went to answer it. I hadn't expected that the phone call would initiate an impromptu adventure.
She pulled up at the curb, blind to the double yellow lines. Deaf to me, as I pointed it out. Doors locked, hand grasping mine, she walked right up to the front desk and waited patiently while I glanced around. It smelled funny, like the stuff my mother often made me wash my hands with. And there were people everywhere, some slumped on chairs in various degrees of pain. It was a hospital. When they could've find a babysitter for me, Mother was sometimes forced to bring me to work with her. I liked the other people there. When they had breaks they would often play games with me.
We were led down a million halls, a maze that seemed to be never ending. The nurse was talking to my mother, but just one look showed that she could barely hear. Her expression seemed strained. She failed to keep a straight face as she walked through the door. He was lying in one of the big beds, blankets drawn right up to his chin, a weird padding around his head which forced him to stare up at the ceiling. In an instant my mother had pulled up a chair and was sitting beside him. Both hands holding one of his.
A flash of light caught my eyes. My mother's wedding ring. It was a pretty little thing, something which I admired greatly. I was, of course, in the stage where shiny, glittery things attracted my attention. But right now, it seemed distorted, warped in some strange, alien way. For the diamonds did appear to be just like broken glass to me. And the tears rapidly flowing down my mothers cheeks were nothing more than fine crystals taking flight. Her hands were shaking, whole body convulsing as if she were in a fit of unstoppable laughter, I dared to step closer.
Her eyes never moved from their fixed position. Her lips never spoke my name. She clutched his hand tightly, as if it were her life line. As if that action had the power to keep him rooted in the land of the living and she continued her mantra. "I love, love, love you." That was two more loves than usual. And her whole tone, whole demeanour had morphed. It was almost as if everything was at a crescendo, battling to assault my brain with an incessant barrage of noise. I wondered briefly why the consistent beeps had begun to slow, but pushed the thought out of my mind.
"Daddy." I said, peeking over the edge of the bed and giving him an experimental poke. He smiled weakly and cupped my cheek with his spare hand. "I still have your present." My hands were holding his now. He was cold. Unusually cold. Innocent, I was far too innocent. I didn't even catch the way the doctor's face fell as I cheerfully requested a blanket to help warm him up. "I forgot to bring it. So you'll have to get better real quick, kay?" My mother's anguished cries were what clued me into the fact that the beeps were even slower. He seemed even weaker now. The hand that had been squeezing mine was almost completely limp.
He touched my locket, running his finger over the word engraved on the back. Smile. Just a simple, little thing. Something that had already brought me much happiness. "Hikari," His voice, if it hadn't already, was breaking. It was almost too low. Threadbare with exhaustion."Stay strong. Stay happy. Smile. Just keep smiling. I love you, my little Hikari. I love you, Hitomi. I love you. I'll always love..." Attentive, I held on tighter, shaking his hand a little to encourage him to go on. A sharp, high noise rang out around the room. Silence hung in the air, pressing heavily down on the occupants, seeking to crush us right to the very core.
"Daddy." I prompted. "Daddy. Wake up~" She was leaning on the bed, shoulders shaking from the effort of keeping silent. "Mama... Mama, what's wrong? Are you crying?" I climbed on the chair in order to reach the tissues. She didn't move from her position, not even when I insistently pushed the wad closer to her face. Her wails became louder though, like the death cries of a wounded animal. "Mama!" I exclaimed, feeling panic start to set in. "Mama, what's wrong? What happened? Daddy!" I touched his hand. His eyes were open, unblinking, unmoving. I screamed and stumbled away.
Then, numbly, I curled up in a ball and began to cry, barely noticing the fact that a doctor had draped his jacket over me, or the welcomed warmth that it brought. Inside, my heart was completely frozen.
They remained at my side, even when the warning bell screamed out. Even when lessons started, the three of us were still huddled together on the bathroom floor. Me, slumped into Ichii's side, eyes closed as I tried to stem my cascading tears. Zero, his arm around my shoulders, free hand interlocked with mine, carefully rubbing his thumbs in rhythmic, soothing motions against my skin. I hadn't felt this awful in a long, long time. I was glad they were here, right by my side, lending me their support.
He'd been killed in a traffic accident. Ayumi and Kei both knew. In fact, they had been the ones that pulled me out of my spiralling pit of depression. They were my best friends. They were irreplaceable. Even by people as great as Zero and Ichii. It hurt, even to think that either of them hated me. Even for a second. Because I loved them. I love them- present tense. They are my best friends. I need them. I care about them.
Another sob racked my body. Ichii carefully cupped my head, bringing me closer to his chest. He began to stroke my hair, every movement soft and soothing and full of warmth. "I know," He said quietly as Zero switched to gently rubbing his hand up my arm. "I know. It sucks. But give her time, Hikari. Just give her a little time. It's just a small fight. Me and Zero, we have them practically every day and each time we always managed to settle our differences. Everything will be fixed soon, just you wait and see. In the meantime-" He shuffled into a more comfortable position. "Me and Zero aren't going anywhere."
What had I ever done to deserve them?
A/N: And that concludes my 15th Chapter. This is another one outside the usual Anime/Manga plot. It's using an idea that was suggested to me in a review by AJPJweallluvJJ and I really hope you're pleased with how I wrote this. (Also, nice job for anyone who figured out the song that inspired the flashback. Because, damn, it almost makes me cry every time I hear it.)
AJPJweallluvJJ: I'm glad you like it! And that you feel it's realistic, I was a little unsure with it at first, but now I'm feeling pretty pleased. Any thoughts of this chapter? I'm a little worried about it. I may not have stuck to the usual cheery tone the whole franchise usually goes with...
LoveInuyasha22: Thank you! I got a little annoyed at that episode in general, as people can probably see *Sweat drops*. And also: Boom! Bet you didn't expect this! I do like to keep my readers on their toes.