Chapter Three: You Promised
You promised you'd be there
Whenever I needed you.
Whenever I call your name,
You're not anywhere.
-Endless Night, Lion King Musical
xxXxx
Tsuge's grin was incredibly silly as he held his phone close to Haru. Such was a difficult task at the present, since playing a guitar seemed to induce movement.
She finished the song with a fun crescendo and grinned at the boy. "How was that?"
"Oh, only amazing," he grinned as he hurriedly stopped recording in order to save the song. "Star Wars on a guitar! It doesn't get better than that!"
She grinned at him, but took the guitar's strap off of her shoulder to place the instrument in her collection.
It had grown since Tsuge's suggestion. Aside from the piano, she was now the proud owner of a drum set, cello, flute, and of course, a gorgeous guitar that was as grey as her beloved roses.
'I knew saving my birthday and Christmas money for years was a good idea!' she thought with glee as she gently set the guitar in the stand Tsuge's father had made for her. "Thanks again for suggesting different instruments"
Finished with his cell phone, Tsuge pocketed it with a grin. "You've definitely been sounding more cheerful lately. I think even the other students have noticed."
She gave him a grin while brushing her fingertips over her treasures. "I'm close, Tsuge. I know I'm getting closer to finding the thing I need. Now if I would just find it before the next talent show."
"Hey, don't sweat it," Tsuge assured her while giving a friendly punch to her shoulder. "We both know you'll find something. Now, would you walk me out again?"
"Sure. Even if it was more amusing to watch you try to do it on your own," she was able to tease.
"Maybe for you, it was," he grumbled, making her giggle.
ooOoo
Haru slipped into an empty classroom, walked through to the most secluded desk, and sat down to enjoy her lunch. She didn't know if Abe-san would be willing to let her eat in the music room again, but knew that it would just start another fight if she started on the drums again.
Or practiced Evanescence.
She smiled a little wickedly as she opened her bento box and current favorite notebook. 'I really should have tried expanding years ago. I might have found my fire by now.' She tapped her thumb against her notes, none of which were for school. Instead, it was lists of songs, bands, and even bad doodles of instruments.
She had never been much of an artist.
The slim brunette randomly added a lightning bolt to the guitar doodle as she nibbled on a tuna sandwich with her other hand.
"Hey, Haru," someone said as he opened and closed the door for himself, sharply making her gasp and cover her notes with both arms.
"You saw nothing! Oh… Machida?" she asked in complete shock.
The cutest boy in her class was talking to her?
"Hey, relax," he said with an eye roll, walking over in order to sit in the desk beside her. "I can't read music anyway. Mind if I eat here?"
"N-No, of course not," she said, hurriedly shutting her notebook anyway. Not quite sure what else to say to her secret crush, she nervously sipped her water and nibbled her salad.
"It sure is quiet in here," Machida said after a few minutes of silence.
Haru nodded happily. "That's why I eat here. You can actually hear your own thoughts."
Machida nodded, and finished chewing through an egg roll. "Don't you get lonely, eating alone all the time?"
'Is that a joke?' "Sometimes," she answered instead, playing with her pencil with one hand. "How's basketball going?"
His eyes lit up at the question. "It's going great! Did you hear that we've been winning every game this year?"
She blinked in surprise. "No, I didn't." 'Tsuge almost never talks about basketball.' "But congratulations; that sounds like a lot of hard work."
"Oh, it is," he assured her, getting hyped over his favorite topic. "Practice four days a week, jogging the other three, plus I have to watch what I eat!" He waved the egg roll in front of her face before taking another bite. "Mom had to specially make these for me so that I can get the maximum amount of protein!"
'Can't you get that from ordinary egg rolls?' "Your mom sounds nice," she said instead. 'More doting than mine, that's for sure.'
"She's all right. … Say, have you ever been to a game?" he asked, like the thought had struck him.
"Not really. Too noisy for my taste." 'Plus I don't understand or like the game.'
Machida tapped the table with his fingertips, staring at her thoughtfully. "What if we make a deal, Haru? You come to my next game, and I'll take you to the Sakura Festival Dance."
Her jaw fell open in complete shock. "… I'm sorry… what?"
"You come to my game, and I take you to the Festival Dance two weeks from now. What do you say?" he asked with a confident smile.
'It's on my birthday this year!' "… Sure?" she squeaked.
"Great!" he beamed at her, finishing his lunch in a few more bites. "I promised the guys another game during lunch, so… see you Thursday night?"
Haru nodded dumbly, repressing the urge to pinch herself.
"The game starts at seven in the gym. Don't be late!" he warned her with another grin before almost running out of her sight.
Haru watched him leave, unable to keep to keep a disbelieving smile off her face. 'A boy asked me out! A boy asked me out!' She pinched her arm once to assure herself that it wasn't a dream.
It wasn't. A boy really did ask her out! For the first time since her parents started fighting, someone was going to take her somewhere fun, for the sole reason of wanting to! Not even the idea of hanging out with Hiromi had filled her with this kind of glee. Haru even had to use her handkerchief to wipe away her tears of happiness. Maybe if she didn't mess it up, she wouldn't be alone anymore.
A sharp cracking sound filled the air, making her look up and to the left.
The pane of glass that was closest to her now had a large crack, splitting the window in two.
'What the heck?'
ooOoo
Earplugs had to be one of the finest inventions mankind had to offer. Despite having them in, the gym was still deafening. She curled up a little tighter against the end of the bleacher, and kept her eyes on Machida.
He really was good at the sport. Perhaps a little more aggressive than she would have liked, but it was definitely serving him in the game.
'Still, is it really necessary to have cheerleaders? Everyone here seems to have a good idea of how to cheer on their favorites.' But she shook off the idea and tried to focus on Machida. If it meant not being alone anymore, she was willing to deal with a crazy crowd every now and again.
"Go, Tsuge!" Hiromi screamed loud enough to be heard through the ear plugs, holding up some stupid sign that Haru couldn't read, but had a huge red heart on it next to his name.
The brunette shook her head with a sigh. 'Why does she keep embarrassing herself like this? If Tsuge was ever going to like her, he'd have started by now! Erg, just how long do these games last?'
The clock to her right said it only lasted two hours, but it felt like five. Sighing happily, she suppressed the urge to leave long enough for the crazy crowd to get out first. She stared at everyone else as they filtered down the benches, nearly reminiscent of water running free from a dam.
'You'd think after this many games, they'd learn to be a little more safe about these benches. It wouldn't take much to cause a massive accident.' Which was why she was waiting it out.
By ten minutes, there were only a few people scattered around, mostly in groups of both parents and students talking excitedly.
Sighing with relief, Haru pulled the plugs out of her ears and carefully made her way down the bleachers. "I wonder if Machida wanted me to see him after the game." 'That would make sense. He was a little too focused to look up at me, even when he was-'
Just as she was walking around the base of the bleachers, a hand grabbed hers and pulled her underneath. The other hand was quickly around her mouth to keep her from screaming, but by then, she could see who was responsible.
Haru stared at Tsuge in complete shock as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her deeper under the bleachers to keep anyone from seeing them.
He was still in his uniform for the game, although it was a little damp from sweat. "We need to keep quiet," he whispered, glancing up at the stragglers over their heads.
Haru pulled his hand off her mouth. "Tsuge, what's wrong? You've never done this at school before," she pointed out, being every bit as quiet as him. "What if someone sees us?"
"I'm willing to take that chance. Haru, you need to cancel the date with Machida right now."
She gaped at him. "W-what? Why?"
"One of the guys got him talking about you during half time in the locker room. Machida said point blank that you were just a charity case he was taking on for extra cash."
The brunette stared at him, slowly shaking her head in horror.
Tsuge gripped her shoulders, his eyes begging for her to understand. "Machida's wanted a motorcycle for a long time. He's been saving his money for over a year. He says a few girls from our class are paying him enough to top off his savings for a really nice one."
"… Pay?" she asked weakly, swaying slightly between his hands from the shock.
"Pay," he repeated firmly. "Machida may be oblivious to girl politics, but I'm not. When girls go through that much effort for someone that isn't a friend, we both know it's going to end badly."
Haru stared at him, feeling her timid hope drain away into emptiness. "You're absolutely certain?"
"I'm willing to bet any and all desserts you'll ever make for me again that it's a set up. Haru, you know me better than Machida. I don't spread lies for fun, and I don't like you getting hurt. Please, break things off before you suffer a bad made-for-television fate."
"… If you're wrong about this, I'll never speak to you again," she whispered, peeling his hands off of her shoulders. She walked away from him and out from under the bleachers. Her pace was still unsteady, so she used the wall to support herself as she nearly stumbled out of the gym.
As soon as she exited into the hallway, the noise returned with a vengeance, but now she was too distracted to worry about it. She kept going, feeling like someone had torn out her heart.
It just wasn't fair. She was really looking forward to spending her birthday with someone, especially after the fiasco of last year. … Was something really so wrong with her, that she couldn't have the comfort of a true companion?
"Oh, Haru! You made it!" Machida said, approaching her from the front with a warm smile. "Did you see me? What did you think?"
She tiredly looked up at him, and somehow managed a smile. "You're very good. You've worked hard on your game."
"Thanks," he preened, although she could see sweat on his brow, now that he was right in front of her. "So, a deal's a deal, right? You showed up at the game- you know, I wasn't completely sure you would, especially since you don't like noise."
"It was noisy," Haru admitted, forcing herself to stand up straighter. "Machida… I'm really sorry about this, but I can't go to the festival with you."
His eyes flashed in horror. "What, no! Haru, come on, you promised!"
"Yes I did, but my dad has this family thing scheduled for the same night, and he won't let me talk my way out of it. Don't worry, you'll find another date."
If she didn't know that he was getting paid, the agonized look would have been flattering. "No… Haru, I need to take you!"
"Why? It's not like I'm the only girl in school," she replied in a calm challenge.
"It's… just… I really wanted to take you," he nearly begged, grabbing her hand.
She shook it off in a calm defiance. "Why?" she dead panned.
"Because I like you," he answered a little too quickly.
"Why? What do you like about me enough to single me out?" she demanded, finally looking him straight in the eye.
His mouth flapped open as he struggled to think of something.
Her final hope died in his silence. "If it's taking you this long to think of something, then something made you ask me out. Money?"
"What? No, of course not!" he tried to say, but she held her hand up to stop him.
She'd had enough. "Save it. If you don't want to be around me for me, I don't want you around at all. Find another way to pay for the bike of your dreams." She turned away, feeling her heart turn into ash.
He grabbed her arm before she got too far, and forced her to face him again. "Who told?" he snarled, increasing his grip on her arm.
"Sensei? Anybody?" she called out, making a ton of people look over at them curiously.
"Answer the question!" Machida commanded, shaking her with his free hand.
"You're hurting me! Let go!" she yelped, slamming her hand against his wrist to make him release her, but it didn't work.
Her arm was going to break!
"Machida!" Juno-sensei roared, running forward to grab the boy's hands. "Let go of her right now!"
"Will you back off?" Machida snarled, even as his fingers were pried off of the brunette's sore arm.
She pulled away, leaning heavily against a wall as she favored her left arm and right shoulder. She was going to get bruises for sure.
"What is wrong with you?!" Juno-sensei demanded of the basketball star. "Attacking Haru like that?! The principal's going to have words with you."
"Machida-kun?" an older woman asked as she came out of the crowd, her stunned eyes on both the girl and boy.
"Yes, you'd best come, Mishuzi-san. Your son has just tainted his victory," the teacher snarled, dragging the boy down the hallway with the older woman in his wake.
"It's a good thing you enjoy eating alone!" Machida screamed at the girl as she watched them go. "People like you always end up alone, because you're too pathetic to bother with!"
"Shut up, Machida!" Juno-sensei snapped, but it was too late.
If anything was left of Haru's dignity, it was certainly gone now. Not caring that every eye was on her, she stumbled out of the school. She kept her eyes on the ground, not looking at anything or anyone.
Tsuge watched her leave, her pain reflecting in his own eyes.
ooOoo
Haru stumbled into her home, feeling hungrier than ever. But it wasn't food her body was craving, it was…
She numbly tried to think of the word as her bag slipped out of her hand shortly after closing the door. Love? Attention? Even mere affection?
Yes, she wanted all of those things, but something told her that it still wasn't the right word. She had lived without that for years, after all, and was more or less functioning like most other human beings.
Her feet felt heavy as lead as she dragged herself into the living room, and slipped onto the piano bench. She unrolled the cover to reveal the instrument's teeth, and began playing.
Unlike the songs most people were used to hearing from her, the ones that fell from between her fingers were angry, chaotic. Maybe even evil.
Night on Bald Mountain. Toccata and Fugue. The angrier pieces of the Firebird Suite.
No one knew she knew such songs by heart. Who could? When in public, the only songs Haru was allowed to play were soft ones that demanded no special attention, or to be the music for others to sing to. She could only play passionate pieces when she was alone and felt this bad. Like she could go step in front of a truck, and no one would even notice that she was gone.
Slowly, the angry songs became spaced out between ones that sounded like endless mourning. Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony, followed by the more violent parts of Introduction of the Lilac Fairy. Chopin's Opus Ten in G minor, Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique, Pavane for a Dead Princess, Funeral March, Funeral march, funeral march…
Her hands shook, her sore arm ached, and her eyes were long blinded by tears. But she kept going; letting the music speak for her in a way that she never dared to try with words.
How could people think that this kind of music was boring? Just because there were no vocals or people screaming into a microphone? Were they really so deaf to not hear what the music itself was playing?
Haru had no idea just how long she poured her heart into the instrument. It could have been anywhere between an hour to eternity for all she could notice or care. Once she felt drained, the young girl managed to slide off of the piano bench and take a few steps away.
But she didn't move toward the stairs. She knew she couldn't handle them right now, even if it meant a much-needed cuddle session with Muta. Instead, she limped to a large mirror, her very favorite. The tired schoolgirl sat down next to it, and let the comforting coolness seep through the side of her clothes.
Her tired eyes locked with that of her reflection's, when she wanted with all her heart to see someone else looking at her. She curled tighter against the mirror, and placed her hand against it, wishing to feel warm flesh instead of cold glass.
Was it really so much to hope for, to have just one person on her side? A shoulder to cry on? A hand to hold hers? She tried desperately to get angry at Tsuge, at Machida, or even her parents for not being around to hear or notice her pain, but her enthusiasm had disappeared. Just like her hopes for the future.
"I want hope," she whispered, just before crying herself to sleep.
Upstairs, her alarm clock started ringing.
ooOoo
Tsuge felt like a jerk. He knew he shouldn't feel that way; he had done Haru a huge favor by telling her the truth before suffering a bad teenage movie fate. But at the same time… she had been really happy before he told her. He literally couldn't remember the last time she had smiled so much, and he had been her computer nerd since junior high.
He kept casting glances at the door to their classroom, fully expecting Haru to come in, even if it was later than usual. But as the morning stretched on, there remained no sign of her. After an hour, even the teacher started staring at the door, looking more irritated by the minute. By the time lunch hour rolled around, he couldn't take it anymore.
"I have to make a quick call; everyone behave themselves," Juno-san said sternly while walking out of the classroom.
But instead of reaching for his lunch like everyone else, Tsuge whipped his cell phone out for a quick text. Haru, are you okay?
He knew it was a stupid question, but it just wasn't like her to skip out on school. She was too responsible to try something like that unless she was sick. For all he knew, she had tripped down the stairs and had a broken leg. No one would be able to hear her call out for help if she needed it.
"… I mean, really! Did she honestly think Machida would have asked her out if he wasn't getting something out of the deal?" Yura laughed, her words finally reaching Tsuge's ears.
"Apparently so. Still, I wonder how she found out," Hiromi mused thoughtfully. "Machida promised he'd keep the details secret."
'Then maybe he should have kept that promise,' Tsuge longed to answer, although he was grateful that Machida hadn't. Haru had a hard enough life without adding teenage drama to it.
He knew that better than anyone. He pretended not to, but now he was having difficulty remembering why.
"Well, I know I didn't tell her," Aiko asserted forcefully. "Not after all that hard work."
Tsuge's blood boiled as he wondered what she meant.
Yura growled with frustration. "She'll get over it soon enough. Do you think we have enough time to bribe another boy into taking her to the festival dance?"
"Haru's not stupid; she'll be suspicious of any boy that tries to approach her now," Hiromi informed the group glumly. "Plus she'll probably go out of her way to avoid dances."
"She hardly went to them in the first place; that's why we had to get Machida. Okay, so if she won't go to the festival, what will she go to?" Yura mused.
"The talent show," Aiko realized. "The principal would never allow her to skip on one."
"Great, that gives us two and a half months to work with. We'll all meet at Umo's Café after school to iron out the details."
That. Was. It!
Tsuge wheeled around and slammed his fists on Hiromi's desk, making the girls gasp with surprise.
"You leave Haru alone," he snarled like an animal. "If any of you dare to follow through with hurting her, I'll tell the principal what I just overheard, and make sure all of you pay for it."
Hiromi stared at him in complete shock. "Why do you care about her?" she demanded. "She's no one special."
He glared at her, not bothering to conceal his disgust anymore. "If you honestly believe that, you never knew her. Leave her alone, or else. Last night was bad enough." He then turned back to his own seat, and pulled out his bento box, despite the fact that he had lost his appetite.
"I guess that explains who told her," Mia said in a stunned voice.
"Who asked you?" Hiromi snapped, but Tsuge didn't care anymore.
The thought made him blink in surprise. He didn't care anymore! He and Haru had long agreed to keep their friendship secret; it would cause too many complications in both of their circles.
Scratch that; his circle. Haru hardly had a circle to worry about. An overly concerned principal and teachers under orders were about it. It would have only harmed his image if the truth were known. Tsuge cringed in disgust. The thought made him feel like a slime bag. He knew better than anyone that he was the only one that spent more time around Haru than he had to.
In fact, he had more fun discussing random things with her while fixing her computer than he had in weeks with the team. There had been more than one time when he'd catch himself hoping that her computer would break down, or that she'd need help with a random task around that lonely house of hers.
… What was really so bad about coming clean?
He mused over the idea the rest of the school day. 'People will think we're a couple, no matter what we say. But it's not like I like anyone yet; save for Haru, all the girls in this stinking school are shallow brats. If I don't like anyone and she found out her crush is just a jerk…'
By the time the final bell rang, his mind was made up. 'I've been disappointing Haru for long enough. Everyone has.' He gathered his things in a flash, and marched up to the front of the classroom to the sensei's desk. "May I take Yoshioka-san's copies? I'm going to see her after school."
Juno-sensei looked at him in surprise. "I didn't know you were on speaking terms with her," he noted as he handed over the folder he had been fussing over.
Tsuge could see more than one student within hearing distance, but he no longer cared.
"Haru's an old friend of the family."
Hiromi's jaw nearly fell completely off her face in shock.
"But don't you have practice after school?" his teacher asked sternly.
Tsuge flinched sharply, realizing that it was the truth. But an evil grin soon replaced it as he tucked the folder under one arm. "Not for much longer."
ooOoo
"You're what?" the gym teacher shrieked at the top of his lungs.
"Quitting the team. Here's my uniform, see you next class," Tsuge repeated, tossing the bag of cloth at him.
"But Tsuge, you can't quit!" Yoshi tried to convince him, but the boy just pushed past him. "We've been undefeated thanks to you!"
"Don't you mean Machida?" he asked bitterly. "He is the captain and everything." 'No matter how well I do, it always becomes about him again.'
"Didn't you hear? Machida's going to be stuck in detention for a month because he threatened Little Miss Perfect-"
"Don't call her that!" the schoolboy snapped at his ex-teammate. "Just because Haru's a good person doesn't mean she's perfect! She'd be the first to tell you that, if anyone could be bothered to listen!"
Sasuke gaped at him in shock. "… You like her!"
"And so would you, if you ever bothered to talk to her," Tsuge answered with complete honesty, since it was technically true. 'The entire school would love her if they bothered to look past the piano.'
"Tsuge, stop and think about what you're doing," the coach tried to stop him. "Haru's not worth quitting the team for. One college scout came to the last game and-"
"He can pay attention to anyone else, for all I care! I hate basketball, and I'm sick of pretending that I don't!" he roared at the top of his lungs.
Everyone in the locker room was staring at him now, but he couldn't bring himself to care.
'So that's why Haru was trying to find something new. Saying no feels amazing!' "But to keep the record straight," Tsuge sneered. "I'm not quitting for Haru. I'm quitting for me." With that, he marched out of the locker room.
"Now you get back here right now!"
Tsuge spared another smirk for the gym teacher as he closed the door. "No."
ooOoo
A mere thirty minutes later, he was riding his bike to Haru's place again. His back pack was under the sturdy coat, holding the girl's homework, but he highly doubted that she would be in the mood to think about it right now. He spared a break on the way to pick up her mail, since it wasn't the first time he'd done that for her, and shoved it into his back pack before continuing up the hill. Once it was too steep, he got off and dragged his bike the rest of the way. Once he was just outside the wild greenery, he set the bike on its side and took off his older sister's motorcycle helmet to silently stare.
It could have been his imagination, but the thorns had never seemed taller, or darker. They were usually a soft mint green that he knew Haru loved, but now they seemed as dark as emeralds.
'Oh don't be silly. That's just because the sky is overcast.' Tsuge glared at the thorns, yet again reminded of his little sister's favorite movie. There had been many times when he wanted to ask Haru for permission to bring her along when she needed his help, but never quite found the nerve.
He shook his head and shoved the obsidian black helmet over his head. "Haru would never forgive me if I attacked her thorns like Prince Phillip would." 'I sure hope she won't need what Princess Aurora did.'
Without further ado, he stormed into the thick brush. Even with the thick protection of his coat, gloves, and over pants, the thorns were not about to let him through the seemingly easy tunnel they had created to the front door. But at least they couldn't prick him like they were fond of doing.
It didn't take long for the thorns to find a way to loop themselves around his wrists and ankles, preventing his progression to the door.
"Come on, now is not the time to play this game! Haru, can you hear me?" he called out as loud as he could. He had tried her cell phone before leaving his own home, but she hadn't answered.
That worried him. Haru always had her cell phone on her, the sole exception being when she needed to charge the battery. If she wasn't answering, it was because she couldn't.
'Haru's always had a strong bond with her thorns. Does she ever talk to them when I'm not around?' It was worth a shot, and it sounded like something Haru would do. Tsuge took a deep breath to calm himself. "Look, thorns, roses; Haru needs help. Something bad happened last night, and she needs a friend right now. I know you're amazing at protecting her and everything, but she needs me, and I've been letting her down for long enough. Please let me through."
He gave another tug on his left arm. "Please. You'll do it for Haru, won't you?"
Another minute passed. But when it did, all it took was a little tug, and he was freed in a heartbeat.
"Thank you," Tsuge said gratefully, although a bit spooked that it had worked. Even better, not a single thorn grabbed him again until he had broken through to the other side.
He stumbled up the front steps and knocked hard on the door. "Haru? Haru, I know you're around. Can you hear me?" he called out, but no sound indicated life. He tried the handle, a little horrified that it was unlocked.
But then again, no intruder had ever gotten close enough for it to matter. He pushed the door open and walked in while taking off his helmet. "Haru?" he called out, but there was still no answer. "Haru, you're starting to scare me!" He ran up the stairs, his blood chilling as he heard her alarm clock going off. Still going off after school had ended!
He slammed into her room. "Haru!"
But no. She wasn't in it. Her bed was still made, but her school bag wasn't in its usual corner next to the mirror.
'She never came in here! Muta's still on the bed!' He grabbed the cat on an impulse, despite the way that Haru tried to brush off her affection for it in front of him, and searched every room on the second floor for her, to no avail.
"Haru?! Where are you?!" he screamed, running down the stairs to search the main floor, but stopped cold in his tracks. Something had caught his eye. He did a double take of the living room, making his eyes widen in horror. He ran across the room, past the piano, and to the largest mirror in the house.
Haru was curled up in a tiny ball at its base, still in the clothes from last night and leaning against it with one hand against her reflection's in a desperate plea, but that wasn't what was disturbing him the most.
It was the fact that she wasn't breathing.