Absently thumbing through the pages of my textbook, I allowed myself a moment to relax and take a quick glance at the world outside these hallowed halls.
The sky was clear- not blemished by even a single spattering of white- and displaying a proud blue that outshone even the most honourable of man-made hues. The sun, a cheerful mellow ball of incessant energy stood tall; golden rays spilled down through the glass, causing a pleasant warmth to settle right into the very depths of my bones, and every object the light touched seemed to glow with an almost heavenly grace. While the windows were latched tightly shut, the gentle swaying of the waltzing trees foretold a peaceful breeze that would most likely carry the fresh scent of flowers.
Sighing contently, I allowed my gaze to shift to the right, towards two of the most loyal people I had ever had the fortune of meeting.
Zero was slumped in his chair, posture aggressively poor, as usual. Though, surprisingly, his eyes were focused and he looked fairly attentive as he chewed thoughtfully on the end of his pencil. The sight of him had me struggling to suppress a smile. Normally, Zero didn't seem to be too bothered with paying much attention in class, it was a nice change for him to be actually interested in something for once.
Ichii, on the other hand, was upright and seemed perfectly relaxed, his supple frame leaning low over the desk as he propped his head up with his hand, dutifully taking notes, his pen gliding across the paper with perfect precision; expression blissful, serene even. I had always envied Ichii's elegant script. It seemed so effortless for him, to pour his heart down upon a page, his hand neat and without fault. While I knew I was no slouch myself, it was hard not to desire the slanted curl to his letters that seemed beyond my grasp.
Struggling to fight back a yawn, Ichii's eyes wandered slightly. Upon noticing me, he flashed a warm smile in my direction and carefully nodded his head- a sign which I had recently began to recognise as him asking for my condition. I'm okay, I mouthed back. He seemed satisfied with my answer, if the small quirk of his lips was anything to go by. After assuring the safety of our covert conversation, he gestured down to his book; I somewhat understood what he was implying. You need to borrow these?
Although, the insistent tapping at the window did interrupt my reply. I suppose it was extremely lucky that Zero had such quick reflexes. In all honesty, anyone would be startled if they noticed someone perched on a second-story windowsill only mere inches from oneself, so I believe I had every right to be so startled that my chair tipped over as I emitted a small shriek. Though, Zero easily waded in to the rescue and managed to push it back onto all four legs, preventing me from harming myself. "Yakumo, that's dangerous!" Before either boy could stop me, I was instantly unlatching the window and ushering the boy into the classroom. "Get inside before you fall!"
"What are you doing here?" Zero didn't sound very impressed. Then again, when it came to other examinees, he never sounded impressed.
"Me? I've just come to pick Hikari up, as promised." My confusion must not have been as evident as I believed, since Yakumo missed it entirely. Zero, on the other hand, simply shrugged. It seemed he had reached the point where he no longer could summon the energy to question anyone's motives, in fear of permanently breaking his face from the face-palm that would most likely follow.
"So, I'll just be borrowing Hikari." I was promptly seized around the waist. "Don't worry-" The pencil case that I whacked him over the head with didn't have any effect. "She'll be safe with me-" Most likely because it was Ayumi's rather harmless rubber Lucky Star one. "See ya!" Zero blindly reached for me and was so surprised at actually managing to grasp my hand that he promptly let go.
And then cursed loudly when he realised his mistake.
To say that Ichii was not amused would be putting it lightly.
Zero had to execute a full blown flying tackle to prevent him from vaulting out the window after us. "This is so not the time for your gallant suicide attempt, Ichii!" The two of them briefly disappeared from sight as they hit the deck.
Zero rose first, dragging Ichii up by his collar and pointing directly at the centre of Yakumo's chest, looking every bit as ferocious as a feral tiger. "I swear, Yakumo, when we find you-" Cheeks flushed with anger, blue eyes blazing, he looked every bit a perfect, avenging angel. "Dammit, if there's even one scratch on that girl, you're going to regret it!"
Upon noticing the height I was currently at, I screamed and scrambled into the centre of the boat, clasping my hands tightly over my ears. The pain in Ichii's eyes was unmistakeable. Curling up, I focused almost entirely on my breathing, forcefully keeping it steady, even when it felt as if my throat was constricted. Even when it seemed like there was not enough oxygen to support me.
I continued to focus.
Breathe in. Hold. Out. Hold. Over and over and over, until I could almost convince myself that I was safe.
The ruffles on my swimsuit rustled as a gentle wind snaked across the golden sand. Grinning broadly, Yakumo swung around to face me, obviously expecting some kind of massive praise for his ingenious idea.
"What do you think, Hikari?" Instead, I rewarded him with a smack upside the head courtesy of the shockingly blue flip flops that had been provided for me. I supposed they matched pretty well with the blue and white polka dot tank top and skirt combo I had going on right now. Even I had to admit, it was pretty cute.
"What do you think my butt!" I exclaimed, promptly throwing it down in exasperation. "You can't just do stuff like this as you please, Yakumo. Suddenly taking me to a place like this- during school no less- it's... it's..." Evidently, I could not locate the appropriate word to fully convey the enormity of the situation, or the full extent of my irritation, so I busied myself with folding my arms and sharply turning my back on him, like the immature child that I was.
"Oh, you look so cute!" He said, sheepishly rubbing his neck as he admired the outfit Nanase had supplied me with. I resolutely refused to meet his gaze. "Now, now, don't sulk that much Hikari. It doesn't suit you at all. Come on, don't let your cuteness go to waste!" Determined to be as stubborn as possible until the boys arrived- for I was quite certain I would just cause more problems if I attempted to return by myself as I would surely become lost in this unfamiliar neighbourhood- I nudged his hand away as he went to throw his arm around my shoulders. Seemingly undeterred by that admittedly harsh reaction, he beamed even brighter. "It's true, I swear. Hikari's the cutest on the beach! ...Though, I would've been happier if your breasts were a bit bigger..."
I couldn't prevent the hot red that flushed my cheeks as I quickly crossed my arms over my chest.
"What does that have to do with anything? I'm still just a kid, aren't I? Yakumo... You're... You're such a jerk! " I cried, stumbling slightly as I backed away. Yakumo, apparently catching on that he had made a mistake, followed. "No, stay away from me!" Before he could even think to apologise, my anger took hold and I smacked him across the face, turned tail and ran straight into what seemed at first to be a brick wall.
Upon further inspection, I found that that brick wall was actually Zero who promptly tugged me to what he deemed to be a safe distance, glaring daggers over my shoulder at Yakumo as he did so. Even Rokka and San looked marginally pissed off. Both had their hands on their hips and heads high the air, looking maddeningly superior, though I suppose the real cause for concern came from Gou and Forte who were both flanking their sides, arms crossed, expressions just daring Yakumo to take even one step closer.
"Hikari! Hey, are you okay?" Ichii crouched down to my line of sight and rested a comforting hand on my shoulder, his expression far beyond the mildly concerned that I expected it to be. "You're not hurt at all?" I carefully shook my head, feeling my heart swell with relief. He allowed a moment to fully take in my attire. "What on Earth- Why are you- What the hell happened to your uniform?" I had never seen Ichii look so distrustful. Though, I suppose finding me in entirely different clothing to before was hardly reassuring. "They... They didn't do anything weird to you, did they?"
I didn't have time to reply. "Hey! You're making me out to be a pervert." Yakumo pouted, a red welt now forming from where I struck him earlier. I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt rising in my stomach. After all, it wasn't exactly necessary for me to use that much force, since Yakumo had no intention of harming me.
Ichii scoffed loudly and protectively extended an arm to keep me safely behind him, though it wasn't all too important, as Zero had refused to release his grip on me. On his remaining hand, he easily tacked up the numerous offences that had been committed.
"Let's see... Taking a young girl out of school without permission, bringing her to the beach by force and making her wear a swimsuit. Wouldn't you think that was plenty evidence to call anyone a pervert? While there's already three solid reasons there, that mark on your face is also suspicious; only Hikari's little hand could have done that. Either you made some insensitive comment or she put up a fight to escape you. And I'm leaning more on the latter. After all, when we got here, she was running away from you, wasn't she?" The gloves were apparently off. Ichii wasn't even hesitating, his words cut sharp and clean, each one precisely selected to cause maximum damage.
"Don't talk in a way to make people purposely misjudge me!" Catching me in a fluid embrace, Yakumo managed to separate me from the Ichii and Zero while they were briefly distracted with sharing equally exasperated looks. "Anyway, Hikari's playing with us today!"
"Don't say selfish things like that!" Ichii said, grasping my arm and tugging with just enough force release me. Though, I simply refused to be shunted behind the boys and instead was sandwiched between them in such a way it seemed near impossible for me to be dragged away once more. "You seriously expect us to just let you guys hang around her? After you just practically abducted her?"
"Well, since you're here, we might as well play a game of volleyball." Nanase gestured lazily over to the net set up a few yards away. "We have got enough people to play, after all. Why don't we settle our differences on the court?"
Zero caved almost instantly.
Sometimes, I believed he was far too competitive for his own good.
Ichii, on the other hand, couldn't have looked more disapproving. "No." He said, his voice holding firm authority. And then, of course, Zero reverted to his favourite tactic and set his rather impressive puppy-dog eyes on the older boy. After a few seconds where Ichii simply refused to meet the deadly gaze, he glanced over at me to ask my opinion, to which I shrugged non-committally. Sighing wearily, Ichii finally agreed, but only after naming himself the referee. "Alright, let's get this over with."
Zero gently rapped me on the head. "Looks like we're a team, Shrimp. Do your best out there, kay?" I smiled and nodded enthusiastically. We spared a small moment to high five each other, before jogging to our designated positions. "Knock 'em dead, Hikari!" I raised my hand in acknowledgement, flashing him a simple thumbs up in reply.
Zero served first. Nanase and Yakumo cleanly maintained possession of the ball, until with the second hit, Nanase was in the perfect position to execute a spike, which he did without hesitation.
I won't lose!
Jumping up high, I made to intercept. Though, seeing as though sports wasn't really my forte, I failed spectacularly and the ball hit me straight in the face, knocking me flat on my back. The ball, on the other hand, sailed straight upwards, high enough for Zero to return the blow, so I was confused when he neatly caught it and crouched down at my side, already easing me up into a sitting position.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." Nanase was saying, directly over Zero's anxious questions regarding any injuries I may have acquired.
"You idiot! You've damaged my Hikari's precious face!"
Zero's head snapped up so fast, I couldn't help but wonder how he managed to avoid getting whiplash. "She is not your Hikari, jerk! Just leave her alone, I can take care of her just fine on my own, understand?"
Nanase and Yakumo, however, completely disregarded the boy's orders. The band aid Nanase offered me was instantly commandeered by Yakumo, who's hands lingered slightly as he carefully used it to cover the small cut on my cheek. Thankfully the low growl that rose in Zero's throat was enough to force the over-zealous boy to back off somewhat. Yakumo's questionable compliments didn't really go down too well with him either.
After nearly losing my voice assuring my companions that I was feeling better, it took an extra minute or so of convincing for them to be fully satisfied that I was actually capable of continuing.
I happened to notice that there was a rather worrying glint in Zero's eye as he prepared himself to serve once more.
The ball hurtled towards the net and was clearly infused with an alarming amount of magic, though it was intercepted by Zura, who rather stupidly flew right into it's path citing the fact that the use of magic was strictly prohibited. I managed to shield myself fairly well from the small explosion that ensued. As expected, this action led to an all-out brawl between the two of them, one that I was unfortunately caught in the middle of.
After failing thrice to escape the battle zone due to having to dodge wayward fireballs, Ichii succeeded in performing an excellent flying tackle which allowed us to fall clear of the danger and prevent me from being decimated by an on-coming attack.
"Jeez, Zero! Calm down, you're going to kill somebody!" He yelled, knee pressing firmly into the small of my back as he angled his body to cover my own.
"Thanks for the save, Ichii. That was pretty close, huh?" I didn't protest as he tucked even closer, in order, I suppose, to shield my body better. I had felt him flinch at the previous explosion and was aware he was just concerned for my safety. "Ichii, let me handle this. I'm sure I can get Zero to see sense!" I had already wriggled out before the boy had fully processed my words, and continued towards my blue-haired companion, ignoring Ichii's pleas for me to flee.
"Zero, listen! Please, just calm down. You don't need to fight, it's just a stupid game!"
I was far too late. Zero had already unleashed his Magic Cannon, which collided with Nanase's attack and resulted in an explosion of such a great magnitude, it lifted me clean off my feet. I landed in the shallow water with a harsh splash, completely winded and wishing I'd seen the sense to stay by Ichii. "Ow... You went a little too far this time..."
Zero certainly didn't miss my wince as I dragged myself back onto the beach. "It's not my fault... Nanase started it..." He mumbled. "Blame him."
"Oh, my precious Hikari! I was so worried about you. You're not hurt, right? That Zero can be way too hot-headed sometimes." I emitted a small shriek as Yakumo promptly hugged me, and I barely managed to release myself.
"Kyah, Yakumo! Okay, stop. Back off a little. You really need to stop hugging me all the time! I don't like being constantly grabbed, alright? Respect my personal boundaries." All my assertiveness was rewarded with was him cooing a gentle; you're so adorable, which wasn't exactly what had been my intention. Ichii, ever the gentleman, pulled me up to my feet and lightly brushed away the stray sand clinging to my clothes. He offered me a towel, though I politely declined. "Huh? That's weird..." Upon further inspection, I was almost certain that our group was missing a certain blue-haired someone. "Ichii, where's Zero? I can't see him anywhere."
"I'm actually not really sure. Knowing him, I have a feeling he stormed away when you got hit." I accepted the bottle Ichii passed to me and gratefully sipped the cool liquid. "You should leave him be for a while. He's probably feeling pretty guilty about what happened; he never intended for you to get hurt, after all. In any case, he'll just be sulking and that's not really a sight you need to see."
Gingerly picking my way across, I silently prayed that my balance be assured. The sea swirled beneath me, lapping against the rocks, and with my limited abilities in the water, I was fairly certain that any tumble could be potentially deadly for me. If Ichii saw me right now, he would scold me so badly. Though, spotting the familiar blue locks just ahead helped me to clear my mind from distractions.
"Zero, here. I hope you like chocolate!" Smiling, I extended the designated cone towards him. I didn't expect him to refuse. "I thought you liked this flavour? Don't you want it?"
"I don't."
Frowning slightly, I spared a moment to lick at my own vanilla ice cream. "What's wrong, Zero? If you're feeling guilty about me getting caught up in that explosion back there, then you should know that I'm alright. I didn't get hurt, so it's okay. You can stop sulking now. "
"I- I'm not sulking!" He exclaimed, finally turning to face me, his cheeks noticeably flushed a pleasant pink.
"Oh yes, it really looks that way to me."
I could just about see Zero's eye twitch. "What are you doing here, anyway? Are you going to be fine away from that guy?"
"Hm? You don't mean Yakumo, do you? It's really not exactly like I asked to be brought here, you know. I'd much rather come to the beach of my own accord, with you guys. I'm sure that would be a whole lot more fun, don't you agree?" Taking a small bite of my ice-cream, I busied myself by mulling over his words. Very soon, the pieces clicked together. "Huh? Wait... Don't tell me... That's what you're angry about?"
"N-No."
Not even the pleasant creamy taste dancing across my tongue, could drag my attention away from the dark trail snaking down my arm, which was cold enough to make me shiver. "Come on, Zero. Take it, quickly, it's melting!"
If possible, his blush deepened to a brilliant scarlet. He expertly covered it up by snatching the cone from my hand and chomping down, dismissing my complaints as I quickly realised he'd grabbed the wrong one. "Quit being so stingy." He snapped, keeping his eyes on the floor. That's not it at all... It's just... I licked that one... "I don't like it," Zero said, suddenly, breaking the awkward silence that had descended upon us. "When I see you being friendly with other guys... I'm not really sure why, but it pisses me off!"
No way... I was far too caught up in my thoughts to notice all of the chocolate falling down onto my leg. That means... Zero was...
"Hey... Your ice-cream-"
"Huh? No way! Uwah... I gotta wash it off! Um... This is not good... I need to- Whoa!" And, my magnificent Klutz abilities struck once more, as I tripped and fell forward, straight on to Zero. "Uwaaah, I'm so sorry... Damn, I'm really..." I hadn't ever seen Zero look so surprised. "...Such a..." He was so close, I could feel his warm breath on my face. "... Klutz..."
Blinking exactly three times, Zero carefully began reaching forward and I flinched slightly as his fingers lightly graced my skin.
What's... What's he doing? My eyes fluttered closed and I gulped, rather involuntarily, feeling a lump rise in my throat. Is he... going to... Red, hot, a massive blush flushed brightly at my cheeks. My heart was hammering at a thousand miles an hour and Zero still hadn't dared to remove the fingers resting on my cheek. Slowly, I could feel him peel something off my face and I allowed myself to release the breath I was holding.
Easing me up into a sitting position, Zero's eyes remained downwards. He was holding up my band aid. "Ichii... Always says it's best to leave small cuts to breathe... And, it's not really deep enough to do any damage... So, you don't need anything from... that guy..."
He was jealous then, huh? Stupid Zero, it doesn't do you any good when you bottle things up like this. It just makes you more annoyed, and I do hate to see you feeling down.
Zero seemed to be regaining more control over himself as the seconds passed. Upon hearing Ichii calling for us, he carefully helped me to my feet and hovered with an almost hawk-like manner as I manoeuvred my way towards the brunette, focusing intensely on his self-proclaimed duty of my keeper. While being treated as if I were some incredible fragile being was slightly irritating, the fact that Zero was concerned for my safety and actively preventing me from tripping and injuring myself lightened my heart somewhat.
Another person that was taking his self-appointed older brother duties way to seriously was Ichii, who lightly placed a towel around my shoulders without even bothering to assert whether I actually needed it. After negotiating the right to ditch it only if I wore his jumper, which was admittedly a good couple of sizes to big, I sunk into gratefully into the warm, all the while marvelling at how different Zero's attitude had become.
A/N: This chapter is very late and I apologise greatly for it. There haven't really been any solid reasons for it other than my procrastination, which you should know has been a problem for a while.
LoveInuyasha22: Finally, I have achieved my mission! Of course, I couldn't leave the two of them fighting for too long, now could I? It does break my heart to see them at odds with each other.
Breebreebabygirl: It's perfectly fine, I'm just glad you liked the chapter. This one is a little late, but I hope you find it good, nonetheless.
AJPJweallluvJJ: That certain boy doesn't just happen to be the one that lost his temper in this chapter, does it? I'm glad you thought that Ayumi's reaction was believable, since I was a little worried about that. It's always good to hear from you!
Guest: Thank you, I greatly appreciate your review and hope you continue to find the story to your liking.