So, regarding Akari's current character, she's a real chicken. She has problems standing up to people that she doesn't know so just to assure everyone, she won't always be like that. I'll develop her character gradually okay? Why, she's even developing some in this chapter! Anyways~, hope everyone enjoys the new chapter! R&R!
Sophia: Haha, the title you use for me is flattering! I haven't decided yet whether or not I will continue the original version. I can, the plot and story are really different, and I just have to find my inspiration for the story again. We'll see but I'm leaning towards continuing it since I had a lot planned for it. It will take a while for me to get back to it though, so do not expect a chapter very soon.
"Kaoru and Hikaru Hitachiin!" Yui-chan snaps from the door of the other class of middle school students. Everyone turns to look at her in surprise and amusement, well… everyone except for the twins of course. "We need to talk!" It was very kind of her to try to make something better for me and it just makes me look up to her more but I don't know if this is the best of ideas…. The twins aren't the best of enemies to have.
"We don't talk to people who aren't worth our time," the twins respond easily, not looking up from their gaming devices. I bite my lips nervously and tug at Yui-chan's uniform. I shouldn't have let her do this.
She storms in and I watch from the door, my eyebrows furrowed together worriedly. Her hands slam loudly on their desk and she snaps back, "Good thing that this is then." Yui-chan easily grabs them both by the arms and pulls them roughly out of the classroom.
"What are you doing you stupid bitch?" Hikaru-san snarls at her but Yui-chan isn't affected at all, merely narrowing her eyes at them.
"We'll have you expelled for assault!" Kaoru-san threatens but she snorts derisively back at him.
"Explain to me why the hell you two thought that it would be a good idea to force Ri-chan to do all of the work for that stupid project?" she growls at them.
The twins blink at her and then their eyes slide to me, promising revenge later. I cringe back and I look down at my shoes. "I-I tol-told you that it-it's fine Yu-Yui-chan," I mutter in my defense.
"It isn't though," she denies without looking at me. "You two better do your part of the work and stop forcing Ri-chan around!" she orders them forcefully, her hands placed on her hips.
"Why?" Kaoru-san asks monotonously.
"Because I'm telling you too!"
"Why?" Hikaru-san asks. My eyes widen as I see what they're doing, this isn't going to end anytime soon because Yui-chan isn't going to give in and neither are they. Maybe I should try to stop this….
"Because she's my friend and you aren't treating her fairly!"
"Why?" they twins question together, tilting their heads in opposite directions to make a mirror effect, managing to piss Yui-chan off at a rate rarely seen. Her face turns red and her body shakes with barely suppressed rage.
"GOD DAMNIT JUST LISTEN AND DO WHAT I SAY!" she bellows at them.
"No," Hikaru-san interjects easily.
"What?" Yui-chan asks, surprised by them suddenly coming up with an actual response.
The twins roll their eyes at her and shrug. "Now we know stupidity is contagious, it spread from the idiot to the bitch." I flinch harshly at their insult and shuffle back, clenching my hands tightly. I'm not stupid…. I'm not. I feel so pathetic for being hurt because of something that they said even though they don't know anything about me really. But, what person doesn't worry at some point what others think about them? Whether it is their weight, brains, or looks, there is something that someone will worry about. I don't want to be stupid. I'm not.
"Why don't you two just try to keep up?" Kaoru-san suggests harshly.
"See, idiot was the one that agreed to do the whole project for us, it isn't like we could actually force her to do it could we?" Hikaru-san points out and Yui-chan doesn't respond because he has a point.
"That's what we thought," the twins snort and they turn around.
"You two are the worst and most disgusting human beings that I've ever had the misfortune to meet. I'm happy that you both look the exact same, now no one will see Hikaru or Kaoru, just the bastard Hitachiin Brothers. I hope you both rot in hell."
The venom in that sentence makes me jump back and watch for their reactions fearfully. How can she say that? There's certain line that you don't cross while talking to certain people and I think that she just crossed that line by a mile. Wait, don't they kind of deserve it though? They did force me to do something I shouldn't have to and Yui-chan was just protecting me…. No. That isn't okay. But I can't say that they didn't ask for it while antagonizing her.
"At least we aren't a lonely attention whore," Hikaru-san snaps back and the twins disappear back in the classroom. Then again, Yui-chan asked for it too.
"Most hatred is based on fear, one way or another. Yeah. I wrapped myself in anger, with a dash of hate, and at the bottom of it all was an icy center of pure terror."
― Laurell K. Hamilton, Guilty Pleasures
"I can't believe they are so… ugh! I hate them!" Yui-chan rages as she storms through the school, people staring at her warily and giving her a wide berth. Not that I blame them.
My hand starts to go numb from the vice grip that had latched onto me as soon as the twins had gone back into the classroom but I had long ago given up on the prospect of escape. "It isn't that big of a deal Yui-chan!" I try to assure her. "I can do the project just fine."
Everyone had gone silent in the corridor by now, watching with avid interest so that they can recount the events occurring to their friends later. My friend whirls on me and her expression was murderous. "Will you stop saying that?!" she snarls savagely and my eyes widen in shock. "Stop being such a pushover and stand up for yourself for once! It's annoying for you to give in to everything someone else tells you to do!" I stare at her in shock and she drops my arm like it was burning her.
"O-oh," I answer pitifully, shame coursing through me. I didn't realize I was so annoying. "I-I-I'm sorr-s-sorry."
A look of regret passes across her face like a shadow but it disappears as soon as it had come, more rage replacing it. "There it is again! Here I am, yelling at you like you're some stupid child and you won't do anything but take it!" she snaps angrily, her fists shaking and her knuckles white from how hard she was clenching them. I shuffle back, seeing her very valid point. She's right. Anger starts to surge through me though at the prospect. I am not a child. I will not let her walk all over me.
"True," I concede, my voice void of any emotion. "But am I the one really acting like a child? I don't seem to be the one that's taking out all of their anger out on a friend that they were just trying to help all because they couldn't do anything." Yui-chan goes rigid and I see her take a shaky breath, her pulse thundering in her throat. Oh God, did I really just say that? Should I apologize to her? Did I hurt her?
"Better," she breaths, her voice at a much calmer pitch. Relief flood through me once I realize that I did the right thing and I feel a small amount of pride in the back of my head form at the accomplishment.
I walk closer to her and hold out my hand. "Why don't we go back to class Yui-chan?" I ask, smiling at her slightly. She was just trying to help me so I can't blame her for being upset that I wouldn't do anything to do the same. I can't rely on her all of the time to protect me.
Yui-chan bites her lip and grabs my hand, walking next to me. Whispers start up and she glares at the source of the sound. "What are you looking at?" she growls dangerously and they wisely keep silent. I giggle at her slightly and pull her along to keep her from attacking the bystanders. Yui-chan mumbles something and I look back at her, confusion written across her features.
"What did you say?" I ask, tilting my head slightly and smiling at my friend encouragingly.
"Sorry," she says slightly louder, the words barely discernible as she turns her head away from me in embarrassment. My grin widens and I nudge her playfully.
"Me too."
"So…," a voice drawls, the lighter tone distinguishing him from his twin. An undercurrent of anger and a promise of revenge linger in the air, making an uneasy shiver run down my back. "You asked your friend to protect you." He sounded less than impressed.
I look over my shoulder at Kaoru Hitachiin, biting my lip slightly. His brother stands next to him with contempt written across his features plainly like it was in letters. "No…. I told her b-but I di-didn't ask her to d-do anything abo-about it," I defend myself softly, not mentioning that the help wasn't all that unwelcome. Right now the thing I need to focus on is getting out of this without any revenge.
They share an unreadable look and then turn back to me, leaning closer threateningly. If they were trying to scare me, it worked. They can seem so innocent, or so guilty... it all depends on their purpose. They whisper, "Just don't let anymore misunderstandings happen." I slide my hand down the strap of my bag so that it lands on the charm, rubbing it between my fingers comfortably. It calms me down slightly but I'm very aware of the situation that I'm in.
"O-Oka-o-okay," I mutter, pushing past them to get to the cafeteria that I had promised to meet Yui-chan, Aya-chan, and Kiyumi-chan at. The whole time that I scurried away though I could feel their eyes on my back, and I would be lying if I said that I didn't look back once to make sure that they weren't following me.
"Hey...Yari-chan right?" a voice questions and I look towards the source of the voice since that it sounds so close. A girl with long black hair stares at me with blatant interest, looking me up and down as if assessing me.
"Aka-Akari...," I correct her softly, still shaken from the twins.
"Right...," she drawls and I curl in on myself slightly, not liking how she is acting at all. "So, I noticed that you are partners with the Hitachiin Twins, you must be in on the game right?"
I furrow my brows in confusion and tilt my head at her curiously. "Game?" I inquire, relaxing slightly now that she hasn't done anything rude. Maybe she isn't as mean as I first assumed.
"You don't know?" the girl asks with shock, her mouth dropping open slightly. I shift uneasily at her look, was I supposed to know it? I never heard anything about a game... The girl shakes her head and continues, "Well, it's a game between all of the girls, whoever can tell the difference between Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin first wins. Pretty simple right?"
I involuntarily glance back at where the twins used to be standing only to not see them there; they had probably left once they finished talking to me. Looking back at the girl, I gulp nervously and question, "Why ar-are y-you playing a gam-game like tha-that?"
"Why not?" the girl retorts easily. "It's fun to do and they're hard to tell apart so it's just a challenge. Besides, the first person who can tell the difference gets a chance at dating them. Fun, isn't it?" Not really...
"Um... I don-don't know," I answer worriedly, biting my lip. This doesn't seem like a good game at all, making the twins seem like prizes and they don't even know about it.
"Come on! You have an advantage since you are on their group for the project. Look, just try, you don't even have to ask them to date you or anything," the girl snorts and I find myself slightly disgusted by the prospect.
I desperately look around for my friends so that I can somehow escape without outright refusing her offer but they all remain hidden among the throng of people. I swallow and then refuse uneasily, "I do-don-don't thi-t-think I wil-will. It see-seems rud-rude. T-thanks for th-the off-offer th-though."
The girl makes an unpleased sound in the back of her throat and her lips twitch down slightly in a frown or sneer. "What is the big deal?" she asks in exasperation, rolling her hazel eyes slightly. "It isn't like it matters what the twins think. I mean sure, they are cute and it would be nice to know which one you date but who cares which one you get? They're both the same anyways. I doubt they even care."
I clench my hands slightly and shake my head from side to side. "Th-that isn-isn't t-true," I defend them, not even sure why I am. Maybe it's because they never really messed with me after Yui-chan exploded on them. Maybe it's because they backed off yesterday when they were at my home. Maybe it's because Brathair-mathar likes them. Maybe it's because it was the right thing to do. Whatever it was, I couldn't shut up. "The-they aren-aren't jus-just prizes th-that e-ever-e-everyone gets to pa-pass a-around."
"Fine, be retarded then. If you change your mind and finally decide to actually do something useful then you can meet everyone who plays near the gym every Friday," the girl responds icily and she shoves past me, purposely bumping my shoulder and I stumble slightly, recovering once I take a few steps. My grip tightens on my bag and I quiver slightly from the harsh words. The girl had seemed nice but I guess that I should have just lis- no. There's nothing wrong with my opinion okay? I don't need everyone to agree with me. I force a deep calming breath to filter through my body and straighten up, walking farther into the cafeteria to find my missing friends.
I can have my own opinions. I don't need to listen to everyone else.
Just because someone doesn't agree with me doesn't mean that I'm wrong.
I don't have to go along with everyone else. I can be my own person.
I can be me….. as long as I'm good enough.
Lost and insecure
You found me, you found me
Surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late
You found me, you found me
~You Found Me by the Fray
"We're coming to your house again," the twins state, magically appearing in front of me after I had just left my classroom. Yui-chan glares harshly at them and gnashes her teeth together.
"She doesn't have to have you both breathing down her neck all the time dumb asses," my friend quips bitingly and I wince slightly. And so it begins.
Aya-chan places a hand on Yui-chan's shoulder and advises softly, "You don't need to be so rude to them Yui-chan. Besides, it's Ri-chan's choice anyways." Everyone looks at me expectantly, Yui-chan and Aya-chan expecting me to say that I can't have them over and the Hitachiin Brothers expecting me to accept their invitation.
"I-I'll cal-ca-."
"Stop," Yui-chan commands automatically and my mouth snaps shut with an audible click. "Deep breaths." I inhale and exhale a few times before she adds, "Now nod." I nod slowly and she smiles at me. "Speak."
"I'll call my uncle and ask if that is okay with him," I explain, my voice slightly softer than normal due to my nervousness. Hey, it's better than me stuttering over every word though.
"Wow, I can't believe she actually spoke a sentence without being pissed. How did you do it?" Kaoru-san (I think) asks with a tilt of his head but Yui-chan doesn't deign him with an answer.
Aya-chan sighs and explains, "It's a trick that works every time on Ri-chan to help her get over stuttering. Now she only stutters when she's around people she isn't comfortable around or they make her nervous." Cheshire cat grins grow on the twins face and they walk close enough to me so that they are invading my personal space.
"Aw, is the poor idiot all nervous around us?" Hikaru-san (eh, I'll just go with their voices. I think I got this down now.) asks smugly and I frown deeply at them.
"Who knew we affected you so much," Kaoru-san adds and I wrinkle my nose in distaste. That does not sound right at all.
I probably surprised everyone by pushing them away from me, albeit weakly but it's a start, and informing them quietly, "I would be happy if you didn't invade my personal space. I have to go call my uncle, excuse me." I pull my cell phone out of my bag and walk away without looking back, fiddling with the device slightly to display my nerves. Damn twins always messing with me. I call Brathair-mathar and bring the cell phone up to my ear, listening to the dial tone drone on.
"My sweet niece, how kind of you to call your dear uncle!" Brathair-mathar booms, his voice loud even through a phone. That's sad. My lips curl up fondly anyways and I barely hold in a chuckle. My body relaxes slightly at just the sound of my uncle's voice. Man, I depend on the man way too much. "What does my kin need of me!?"
I roll my eyes slightly and ask into the receiver, "Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin want to come over to work on the project today. Is that okay Brathair-mathar?"
"Of course! As long as they can deal with me of course! I am quite a bundle to handle, I don't know how your Matertera handles me so much," he answers back, his voice taking on a fond tone as he speaks of his wife. I laugh loudly despite myself and grin widely, agreeing with him whole-heartedly. Then again, Matertera is quite the woman herself.
I look back over to my friends and the Hitachiins and direct towards Hikaru and Kaoru, "As long as you can deal with my uncle you can come over."
The twins shrug in sync and answer, "We'll manage." I shake my head at them slightly and relay the message into the phone.
"They'll have too! I'll see the three of you in a little bit. Be sure not to keep Oikanawa waiting in the parking lot too long, the old man might give himself a heart attack!" Brathair-mathar advises easily and I laugh, motioning with my hands to have the twins follow me. I waves goodbye to my friends and spin on my heel once they reach me, matching their speed next to Kaoru-san.
"That's funny coming from you Brathair-mathar," I snort back. "You are just as old as him." An outraged sputtering filters through and I laugh unabashedly.
"There is no way that I'm even half as old as that man; he existed back when dirt was new!" The poor insult makes me shake my head and roll my eyes.
"Hmm," I respond disbelievingly. "Sure. I have to go now old man, I see Oikanawa waiting for us."
"Ol-!" The phone clicks and I slide it into my bag, chuckling to myself.
"What has you," Hikaru-san begins.
"Laughing so much?" Kaoru-san finishes and I blink at them in awe. It still surprises me that they know each other so well.
"O-oh well my un-uncle-."
"That's not what you call him usually," Hikaru-san interrupts and I look at him slightly.
"Kaoru is right," his brother adds and I openly stare at them in confusion. I was wrong? I could have sworn that I had that right….did they switch spots at some point? Or was I wrong the whole time? "Are you even listening?" A voice pulls me out of my train of thought and I jump violently, making them both laugh at me. "Gosh, you need to stop spacing out so much!" Ka- No, was it Hikaru-san? Ugh. One of them informs me. "What were you even thinking about?" I could have sworn that I had it right too.
I bite my lip in frustration and explain, "I thou-thought tha-that the o-one on the lef-l-left was Kaoru-san an-and th-the o-one on the righ-right was Hika-Hikaru-san."
"Wrong~!" they sing together and I frown in disappointment, slumping slightly.
"A-and I w-was so sur-sure," I mutter but I straighten up. "I'l-I'll figure figure i-it out, I prom-promise!" I tell them earnestly and they just stare at me with wide eyes before uh….. the one on the right snorts.
"Now you repeat words that you've already said. I think that your problem is getting worse and worse idiot," he tells me and I grin triumphantly at him, pointing at him excitedly.
"You are Hikaru-san! I would know your type of insults anywhere! Why are you guys pretending to be the other? That doesn't make any sense," I ramble on uselessly.
"Akari-sama."
"I mean, that just makes it seem like you don't-."
"Akari-sama."
"Even want anyone to tell you apart."
"Akari-sama."
"Yes?" I ask, breaking off of my though and dropping it completely. Eh, I'll probably remember it later. My chauffer taps his foot pointedly and I smile sheepishly.
"I believed that we had agreed that you would come to the limo within five minutes of class being let out Akari-sama," he reminds me sternly.
"Ah, w-well you see….. I got nothing. Noth-nothing happened though so it isn-isn't that big of a deal," I rationalize easily and Oikanawa lets out a resigned sigh before nodding in acquiesce.
"Just try not to let it happen again Akari-sama. Now, I don't believe that I was properly introduced to these two young gentlemen," Oikanawa hints heavily and I furrow my brow slightly. Man, I just wasn't paying attention.
"Oh, sorry Oikanawa. Oikanawa, please meet Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. Um, I'm pretty sure that the one on the left is Kaoru-san and the one on the right is Hikaru…. I could be wrong though. But I'm pretty sure," I introduce them. "Kaoru-san and Hikaru-san, please meet my chauffer Oikanawa."
"Pleased to finally meet you Hitachiin-sama's. Now, if you would please enter the vehicle, I do believe that we have a mansion to get to." I climb in easily and roll my eyes at the theatrics. Same old Oikanawa. Kaoru-san and Hikaru-san climb in next to me but I don't notice their odd silence.
(Hikaru P.O.V.)
"I mean, it just seems like you don't-."
"Even want anyone to tell you apart."
That stupid shy girl. Why does she have to point out everything that she thinks of once she gets nervous? God, it's so annoying. I can't stand this girl but she is kind of fun to screw with. Even then though, this idiot just can't seem to keep her mouth shut on things she should just not say.
I clench my fists slightly and Kaoru nudges me slightly, nodding his head towards this girl that we got stuck with and got stuck with us. I already know what he's thinking. She isn't the worst that we could've been stuck with. She was really easy to control and she isn't a bitch.
"The-they aren-aren't jus-just prizes th-that e-ever-e-everyone gets to pa-pass a-around."
She's just an idiot that should leave us alone.
After all, it's just us and everyone else. There is no room for a third person.