Radiant Garden- Four Years Ago

"Everyone, we will be having a new student joining us..."

"I want you all to give her a warm welcome..."

"You can take a seat next to..."

Ikari found herself sitting in one of the blue desks in the small classroom that were lined up in columns of two. All the sounds around her became muffled as she tuned them out, having no energy to absorb any of it. She absent-mindedly pulled a text book out of her school bag on the floor and rested it on the table top, flipping to a random page. The girl sitting beside her was saying something, but Ikari couldn't tell whether or not she was talking to her.

A loud, undignified gasp clawed its way out of her throat when she felt the girl beside her latch onto her shoulder with her hand.

"Whoa, calm down! Geez, you'd think you were just attacked by a zombie, or something," the 17-year-old patted Ikari on the arm a couple of times.

Ikari just frowned and returned to her book, pretending to actually be learning something.

"You're Ikari, right?"

Ikari sighed and closed the book suddenly, slowly looking up to make eye-contact with the girl. She had bright greenish-blue eyes and short blonde hair. Most of it only reached down to the top of her neck, but there were two parts on either side of her head which were strangely long enough to be put into high pigtails.

"Yeah, that's right," Ikari finally replied in a distant voice.

The girl laughed, "I'm Arleen and this is my buddy, Tai."

Ikari slowly turned her gaze to follow the thumb that Arleen was jerking towards the person sitting directly behind her. There was a boy sitting there with his arms folded over his desk and he was resting his head in the middle of them. Ikari could only see his short dark grey hair that spiked outwards a little. Arleen gave him a light tap on the head with the back of her fist.

"Taishi!"

He jolted up and stared at Arleen with half-closed eyes. His thin rectangular glasses moved to an odd angle on his face and a hint of his turquoise irises showed through. "Mn, what do you want?"

"This is Ikari. Be nice and say hi!" Arleen gestured to Ikari with a grin.

Taishi rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and then opened them fully. He smiled at Ikari politely, straightening his glasses on his face. "Nice to meet you. I'm Taishi. Please call me Tai."

He extended a hand towards Ikari who stared it at for a couple of seconds before she realised that she was supposed to shake it. He's so formal, she gushed as she lightly placed her hand in his and moved it up and down a few times.

"Arleen! Taishi! Stop distracting Ikari!" the teacher was glaring cruelly at them.

Arleen quickly straightened her back and threw her text book open, putting on a serious face. When the teacher was satisfied, Arleen smiled cheekily and looked at Ikari from out of the corner of her eye. "Sit with us at recess," she whispered.

...

Before Ikari knew it, the bell had rung and she was sitting at a round table with Tai and Arleen. It was a reasonably loud atmosphere with the other students sitting around eating their lunch and laughing together. Ikari was doing her best to tune out the noise, but Arleen was quick to tap her on the arm to snap her out of it.

"So, how come you're starting school in the middle of the year?" she asked with a mouthful of cheese and crackers.

Tai shook his head, disappointedly. "You shouldn't ask personal questions."

"It's not personal! It's just a question!" Arleen put her hand over her mouth so that she didn't spit any crumbs out.

Ikari stared at the white table with a blank expression. "I've been home-schooled my whole life. And now that I don't have anyone at home to teach me anymore...I don't know, I figured I should probably start going to a real school now," she spoke in a low monotone.

"What, something happen to your parents?" Arleen took a gulp from her water bottle.

Ikari just nodded.

"Arleen, stop," Tai threatened.

The blonde threw her hands up defensively. "I was just asking, sheesh!"

Ikari looked up at her curiously as Arleen suddenly pushed herself up from her chair. The blonde stared wide-eyed at a student who was walking casually past their table. She picked up her water bottle and threw it as hard as she could with an exaggerated battle cry.

The boy she hit gave a short grunt as he staggered back a couple of steps before reaching down quickly to snatch up the bottle before it hit the ground.

"Thanks Arleen! I've been dying for a drink," he narrowed his cyan eyes and smirked as he pulled opened the lid with his teeth and took a sip.

Arleen scowled at him. "Well..! Well, you're putting your mouth all over my spit, so ha!"

"Wouldn't be the first time," the boy waved the bottle around playfully as he walked off, running a hand over his blonde mullet.

Arleen looked like she was about to call after him, but then she fell back into her chair in defeat.

"You need to stop picking fights with Medy. They never end well," Tai placed a hand to his forehead.

"Well, one: I hate him. And two: he deserves it! Tch, can't believe I ever went out with that jerk guitar player," Arleen folded her arms and pouted.

Ikari tuned out the rest of Arleen and Tai's conversation, slowly picking through her lunch until the bell rang.

...

Throwing the strap of her bag over the hook on the wall, Ikari pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and slumped down on it, sighing loudly. Yori came through the hallway door and greeted her with a friendly smile.

"Hey, how was school?" Ikari asked, sitting up straight on the chair as she returned his smile.

Yori shrugged. "Yeah, it was alright. What about you?"

"Boring," Ikari laughed tiredly. "Did you make any friends?"

"Maybe one or two. You?"

Ikari thought about for a second before shaking her head. "No, I guess not."

The 13-year-old boy walked over to the table and sat down on a chair of his own. He looked off into the distance, a sad smile on his pale lips.
"We'll be okay, right?"

Ikari swallowed a lump in her throat as she ran a hand along the side of her forehead. "Yeah. We'll be fine," she forced a smile.

"How much longer is Mom and Dad's munny going to last us?" Yori asked in a small voice.

"I don't know," Ikari's voice trailed off.

If I don't get a job soon... then we'll be left with nothing. I won't be able to buy food or anything else that we might need. Then what will we do?

Ikari pushed herself up from the chair as she smiled at her brother, gently ruffling his snow white hair.

"Don't worry. I'll start looking for a job first thing tomorrow."

...

Although over half of Radiant Garden's residents were kind and friendly people, they lived in dark times where there were also a large amount of people that had the intention of doing harm to those around them. It was people like this that were responsible for the death of Ikari's parents. As a result, the nicer people of the town, as kind as they were, preferred to keep to themselves, not allowing strangers into their own personal space. Everyone always had their guard up.
And so, even though Ikari walked up to each shop with her biggest smile and her best intentions, she was turned away by every store owner she approached to ask for a job. 'Sorry, we're not hiring,' and 'We don't really need any help,' were lines that Ikari had heard over and over again, and by the end of the week, she was just about ready to give up all hope.

Arleen noticed that something was wrong when Ikari stopped bringing lunch to school.

"Did you forget it? Can't you just get something from the cafeteria?"

"No, it's okay. I'm not hungry," Ikari replied in her usual monotone.

It had been two weeks since she had first started school and she had already fallen into a habit of sitting with Arleen and Tai every lunchtime. While she might not have been confident enough to call them her friends, they definitely made good enough acquaintances. She didn't talk to them a lot, but their conversations were always amusing to listen to.

"Ikari, you can tell us if something's going on," Tai told her seriously.

The black-haired girl sat there for a long time in silence before she finally spoke again. "I'm just saving money. That's all. With my parents gone...I'm the only who can provide for my little brother."

"Wait, are you saying you need a job?" Arleen bit down hard into her apple.

Ikari nodded slowly.

"Ha! Well, why didn't you just say so! I've got the perfect job for you!" the blonde cried triumphantly. As she did so, she choked on the fruit that was trying to swallow and Tai had to grab her and slap her on the back a few times.

Ikari's face lit up. "What, you're serious?"

Arleen was coughing, almost falling off her seat as Tai was holding her by her waist. "Yeah! My dad owns the town's Item Shop and he's looking for someone to help him out! Since I work with him too, we could work together!" she said in a rasping voice as Tai helped her slide back onto her seat.

"You shouldn't talk with your mouth full," Tai scolded.

"I'm not a baby!" Arleen coughed again.

"I'll take it!" Ikari stood up suddenly.

Arleen looked up her with wide eyes and tilted her head. "Take...what?"

"The job! When do I start?" Ikari beamed.

"Oh, right! The job! Walk home with me after school and I'll talk to my dad about it," Arleen winked and made a peace sign with her fingers.

...

As the kitchen sink was almost starting to overflow, Tai had to shake Arleen by the arm to snap her out of her day dream. Gasping, the blonde clasped a hand over the tap and turned it off. The bubbles were nearly sliding out onto the bench, but she'd managed to avoid spilling any water on it.

Pulling open the cupboard below, Arleen started to rummage through it, looking for one item in particular.

"Hey, 'Kari? Where do keep that...uh...that thingy that you use to clean pots and pans and stuff?" her voice echoed slightly as she stuck her head inside.

"The brush?" Ikari looked back at her over her shoulder from her station at the window which she was washing with a grey cloth.

"No, no, the other thing. It's silver and it's made up of a bunch of metal-y things all smooshed together? Looks kinda like a giant robot cat's fur ball?"

"Oh, that..." somehow Ikari managed to understand what she was talking about from her strange explanation. "I actually have no idea what that thing's called. It's right above you on the windowsill."

There was a crash followed by a sharp 'ouch!' as Arleen hit her head on the roof of the cupboard.

Ikari has been working for Arleen's dad for a good few months now. The pay she received allowed her to provide for herself and her brother without any worry and the two of them were living happy and somewhat normal lives. Working with Arleen every day after school, the two of them had been able to get to know each other well and Ikari now felt like she could call her a friend.

It was Tai who suggested to Arleen that they should come by Ikari's house every once and a while and help her out with things at home. And so, here they were, doing just that. Ikari was washing the windows and sweeping floors. Arleen was on dishwashing duty and Tai was standing by with a towel over his arm, ready to dry and put the dishes away. The three of them worked together efficiently and managed to get the whole house tidied before dinner time. Ikari was grateful that she had one less thing to worry about.

Tai sighed as he ran the cloth over one of the white plates that Arleen had just washed. "So, I'm guessing you'll be dragging me along to the festival with you this year as well?"

"It's our annual tradition! There's no way I'm breaking it now!" Arleen giggled, placing a clean spoon on the bench beside her.

"Festival?" Ikari asked, walking up to them.

"Yeah, the festival!" Arleen grinned.

"What festival?"

"The festival!"

Ikari shook her head.

Arleen drew in an exaggerated gasp of surprise. "You're kidding right? What, have you been living under a rock this whole time?"

"I don't get out much," Ikari laughed nervously.

"You're hopeless, you know that?" Arleen put a hand to her forehead, smiling with closed eyes.

Tai put down the cloth and gingerly brushed part of his dark grey fringe to the side. "It's the only festival this town has. The Radiant Garden Fireworks Festival," he explained. "There's stalls set up around the marketplace with games and rides and food. And at night when it gets dark enough, everyone gets their own firework to set off. That's pretty much all it is. I don't really get why people get so excited about it."

"You'll come with us, right?" Arleen grabbed Ikari's arms and shook her a little.

Ikari took a moment to think about it. "I...don't know. Can I bring my little brother along?"

"Actually, I have a little brother as well. If I brought him with me, the two of them could hang out together?" Tai suggested.

Ikari shrugged and smiled. "Sure, that's a good idea."

Arleen giggled and punched the air enthusiastically. "Perfect! It's a date, then!"

...

As it turned out, Tai's brother was actually a boy that Yori had already made friends with at school. So the two of them were able to go off and explore the festival on their own while Ikari, Arleen and Tai walked around each stall with Arleen making them try out everything they possibly could. Ikari found herself in a fast flurry of cotton candy, giant teddy bears and Ferris wheel rides. By the time night came, she was completely exhausted.

She was sitting on a park bench with Tai a little out of the way of the crowd. The sky was dark and the late autumn air was cold on Ikari's face. She was wearing a purple coat lined with fur, blue jeans, black mittens and a cream-coloured scarf around her neck. Arleen had gone off somewhere to get each of them a firework to set off.

Ikari was so sleepy and Tai's shoulder was just the right height for her to rest her head on. It looked so inviting. She could feel her head getting heavier and heavier, her eyes were beginning to slide shut as she struggled to keep them open. She was slowly leaning over, closer and closer to Tai.

"Guys, I'm back!" Arleen came running up to them.

Ikari jolted awake and sat up straight with wide eyes. Tai looked over at her and smiled.

"Don't worry, the day's almost over," he said, apparently completely unaware of what Ikari had almost done.

Ikari yawned and stared into space with half-closed eyes.

"But the night's just getting started! Come on, let's go blow stuff up!" Arleen was already leaving.

Tai sighed and stood up slowly, a cloud of white steam pouring out of his mouth. He held out his hand, offering it to Ikari. The raven-haired girl looked up at him, feeling a little nervous and happy at the same time as she took his hand in her mitten and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

The three of them made their way to a clear part of the large field that everyone was gathering on. The sky was filled with tiny stars, but there were also a few grey clouds that streaked across it in some places. Arleen crouched down on the grass and dug the stand of her firework into the soft dirt. Tai and Ikari kneeled down and did the same. Arleen suddenly made a high-pitched 'hm?' sound and looked up.

"Hey! Long time, no see, Lumaria!" she greeted the young man standing near them.

The person she had called out to turned and looked back at her with an unimpressed look on their face. The man had light pink, ruffled shoulder-length hair and blue eyes, almost as striking as Ikari's. He was holding a small firework in his hand.

"Hello, Arleen. Tai. Arleen and Tai's friend," he greeted each of them in a tired voice.

Arleen grabbed Ikari's arm. "This is Ik-"

"I'm not going to see this person again, nor am I going to remember her. So I'm not going to waste my time with meaningless pleasantries," Lumaria flicked his hair back behind his shoulders with the back of his hand.

Well, that was rude. Ikari looked away, awkwardly.

Arleen folded her arms and pouted, obviously sharing Ikari's opinion. "You're mean. Anyway, how's the flower stall going?"

"Quite well. Here, why don't you have this?" Lumaria pulled a red rose from the long sleeve of his black coat. He offered it to the blonde. "It's thorn-less. Unlike your heart."

"At least I have one!" Arleen snatched up the flower.

"Please." That seemed to be the only comeback that Lumaria could come up with. "Now, I think I'll be leaving. It's almost time to set off the fireworks."

"I bet yours is pink!"

"What do you want? A medal?" Lumaria waved as he walked away.

Arleen glared after him and muttered something under her breath which Ikari was only able to catch the last part of: "-itch."

"Who was that guy?" Ikari couldn't help but ask.

"Lumaria. He went to our school. He was in the year above us so he was never in any of our classes. Arleen just happened to see him in the cafeteria one day and went up to him, trying to start a conversation with him, asking if his hair was a natural colour. He didn't want anything to do with her, of course. But for the rest of the year, she made a habit of harassing him at any opportunity she could," Tai had to speak a little louder than usual to be heard over the chattering people around them.

"Hey, I didn't harass him! I know he secretly enjoyed my company," Arleen giggled.

Tai shook his head. "Anyway, he graduated last year and started up a business selling flowers or something like that."

"Uh huh..." Ikari couldn't think of much else to say in reply, almost wishing she hadn't asked in the first place.

On a stage not too far away, the mayor of the town was standing in front of a microphone and making some kind of speech. When the important-looking woman was finished, the crowd started to count down loudly from twenty. Arleen fumbled with a matchbox in her hand and slid it open, taking out three matches and passing one to Ikari and one to Tai.

"Come on, it's time!" she had to raise her voice over the loud chanting.

Ikari held onto the match tightly in between her thumb and index finger. By the time the crowd had counted down to ten, Arleen passed around the box and they all lit their matches, dragging it quickly along the side of the box and creating golden flame that joined the other lights scattered amongst the people gathered on the field.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO-"

Everyone placed their matches against the wicks of their fireworks and a low fizz sound was heard, sparks flying in all directions, making everyone jump back a couple of steps.

"ONE!"

With whistles and bangs, swirls of colour burst into the sky. Red, yellow, purple, blue, pink. A rainbow of light filled the darkness above them. Ikari stared at the beautiful fireworks in wonder. From her crouching position on the ground, she stole a glance at Tai. The bright colours seemed to reflect off his rectangular glasses, making them shimmer and his eyes sparkle behind them. He was staring up at the sky with a dreamy expression on his face.

Ikari had always seen Tai as being an attractive boy. But now, as they stared up at the firework and star-filled star, she finally realised something that she hadn't thought of before...

He was actually quite gorgeous.