~~~ Inazuma Student Council ~~~
Chapter 4: Fubuki's Past
In the Chemistry Lab of Inazuma High School, Kidou slowly reached for the test tube holder on the experiment table and directed it to one of the test tubes in the wooden test tube rack. The one he intended to pick up was the one with thick red liquid in it. A few green bubbles came from the chemical liquid and popped when it reached the height of the mouth of the test tube. Ignoring the loud thumping in his chest and with great care, Kidou widened the test tube holder and successfully grabbed the test tube and pulled it up from its hole on the test tube rack.
And now he turned his attention to the boiling beaker on top of the tripod stand, heated by the Bunsen Burner with a small flame. The liquid in the beaker, which is blue in colour with white foam covering most of the surface of it, had been boiled for almost an hour and Kidou patiently waited for it to reach its boiling point. And now, finally, after patiently waiting for a long time and sweating profusely as he stirred the hazardous liquid as it boils with the glass stirring rod, the moment for the two types of liquid to be mixed has come!
Oh, how joyful this occasion is! Kidou's red eyes, although concealed by the goggles he was wearing, trailed off to the tablet that he had put in position. He had the tablet recorded everything, from the moment he stepped into the Chemistry Lab, preparing the ingredients diligently and flashing a few restraint smiles at the camera as he stirred the liquid in the boiling beaker. The tablet was the constant companion, listening to him as the time passes by, recording everything that occurred between Kidou and his weird and life-threatening experiment. But now, to think of the hardships he went through to reach this exact moment...!
Kidou could feel himself tearing up a bit.
With strengthen resolve not to cry and finish up his task in hand, Kidou turned his attention to the test tube he was holding with a holder and the boiling beaker in front of him. With great caution and lightly shaky hold, he inclined the test tube and emptied its content into the boiling beaker, creating a dark and muddy purple colour as result. Satisfied with the colour produced by the mixture of the two liquids, Kidou put out the flame source and now, he looked around in the lab to see if there's any container he could use to keep the strange mixture.
His wandering eyes for a container landed on a few large bottles of cough medicine. He grabbed the bottles from the third floor of the shelf and found them, except for one, empty. "These should do." He said to no one and walked towards the beaker. He uncapped one of the bottles and using an all-purpose cloth, he held the beaker up and slowly poured its content into the bottle. But a few droplets of it splattered to his shirt. Kidou examined the tainted spot on his shirt with a frown. "This is not good. The stain will be harder to wash off if I let it be any longer." He said to himself, putting down the test tube back into its hole and went to the back of the lab, hidden by the where the a row of three sinks on a counter situated.
As the sound of water running down onto the sink filled the lab, the door was suddenly slide opened. "Excuse me for intruding! I'm here to get the cough medicine that had been mistakenly transferred here by the first years!"
"Aah, well, there's only one bottle left! It's in the cupboard!" Kidou yelled in reply, remembering that one of the bottles is still unopened.
The second year who came to the Chemistry Lab rummaged through the cupboard and saw a few bottles. He started to lift the bottles one by one to see which one of them that Kidou was talking about and his eyes lit up when he finally found it. "Arigatou!" He thanked Kidou cheerfully before running out of the lab with the bottle in hand.
Kidou did not bother to reply as he was trying hard to wash off the offending stain on his shirt.
~~~ Inazuma Student Council ~~~
"Goenji-kaichou! I brought the cough medicine for you!" Fubuki announced his return to their office cheerfully with a sunshine smile beamed on his face for all to see. Saginuma stopped on doing his calculation, his eyes twitched in annoyance as he was blinded by the over bright smile while Goenji covered his mouth with a handkerchief, coughing on it heavily. His face was a bit flushed and he seemed to be a little out of breath.
"Aah. Thanks, Fubuki." He managed to say before he let out another fit of cough. "Just put the medicine in the fridge. I'll take it later." Right hand covering half of his flushing face with a handkerchief, the President continued reading the final draft of the report for the month. A concerned frown marred Fubuki's face. "Ah! That won't do, Kaichou! It's best if you take the medicine now and get plenty of rest, so that you can recover faster! I'll get you a glass of water, then you can eat the medicine!" The stern voice left no room for any argument.
Fubuki came near and placed the cough syrup bottle on the President's desk. Ignoring the scowl his President directed at the seemingly offensive medication, the good-natured Public Relations Manager let out a sigh before making his way to the office's pantry. He took a water glass and proceed to the fridge to get cold water.
"Fubuki, you don't have to trouble yourself. I'll just take the medicine at home." Goenji handed over the report to their temporary office boy with a nod. Handa accepted the report and bowed at the President before he left with the report he was tasked to send to the Principal.
"It's not good to delay taking the medicine, Kaichou! Your cough will only get worse!" Fubuki uncapped the large water bottle. He titled the water bottle and the water flowed out into the glass water.
"It's not good either if I were to fall asleep in the middle of the Student Council's monthly meeting. Cough medicine makes the patient feel sleepy, remember?"
"That's alright! You won't be going to the meeting, anyway. We'll tell the others that you're sick and we'll cover for you." Fubuki replied as he made the last turn of the cap and sealed the water bottle tightly before putting it back in the fridge.
"Fubuki-"
"You worry too much, Kaichou! It doesn't hurt to really depend on us once in a while!" Fubuki came out of the pantry, in his hand is a glass of water and on the other hand is the spoon. He looked expectantly at the platinum blonde guy to take the glass water and spoon for him and have the medicine he brought for him. But when Goenji didn't make any move and instead started going through the folders of disciplinary cases, Fubuki pulled a face and pouted at him.
Goenji felt the guilt gnawing him even more. How could he let his Public Relations Manager down when all he did was out of concern for his well-being? A defeated sigh escaped Goenji's lips and he reached out to take the water and the spoon. When their fingers touched, Fubuki's face reddened in shyness while Goenji had a gentle smile on his face, dropping his cold demeanor as Disciplinary Committee's President.
Saginuma, who's at his desk doing some secretarial work, had been shamelessly listening in since Fubuki returned to the office and now, he wished he hadn't. The two sounded eerily familiar like his parents' argument. Ahh...it's good to be home. The sarcastic thought came to his mind. And when he glanced at the two and saw Fubuki turned away from Goenji, both hands palming his blushed cheeks while the other shot an amused look at the other before opening the cough syrup bottle, Saginuma's brain froze and he dropped his almighty pen. His body shook uncontrollably before he blew up.
"NO PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION ALLOWED IN THE SCHOOL, ESPECIALLY IN THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OFFICE!"
~~~ Inazuma Student Council ~~~
"-therefore, I suggest the Student Council bring forth this proposal to the school board as soon as possible. That is all from the Disciplinary Committee. Thank you." Fubuki ended his committee's report and sat down on his seat between Saginuma and an empty seat. He sneaked a glance at the unoccupied chair and his eyebrows furrowed. Although he was sure that Goenji is more than capable of taking care of himself despite having a fever, he could not shrug off the worry. He even made Goenji promise to call him if he needs anything.
But since he didn't receive any phone calls from the President, everything should be fine, right?
"Now that all three Committee have finished delivering their report for this month, I officially adjourn the meeting." Endou announced in an authoritative voice, one that he rarely used. The President of SS Committee stretched his sore body and slumped further in his desk chair with a relieved sigh. As the meeting had been adjourned, most of them started packing their stuff. He turned his attention to a frowning Fubuki. The Public Relations Manager of the Disc. Committee has the exact look of a kicked puppy. Probably has something to do with the President's absence.
"Fubuki."
Fubuki startled from his deep thought by the call and he lifted his head to see who had called his surname. He saw Endou flashing a grin at him.
"Is Goenji-kaichou's fever that high? What is his body temperature reading?"
Fubuki shook his head. "Not high. Just 37.8. But I've made sure that he eats medicine and told him to rest for the day before Saginuma-kun and I leave for the meeting." To his surprise, Endou laughed. "I know him very well, and I doubt he'd stay still and rest even if he's sick, well, unless he's bed ridden, of course." He ceased his laugh and his eyes soften. "That's just how he is, that guy."
"Are you talking about Goenji-kaichou?"
Fubuki turned his head around to identify the owner of the voice while Endou merely glanced at the newcomer. It was Kidou, his goggles had a small glint on their screen and his cape blown softly. "Kidou-kaichou." Fubuki greeted as he bowed slightly while Endou simply nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"Aah. I just asked Fubuki if Goenji's fever is high. But it's not too high so I guess it's not a cause for concern."
Kidou frowned slightly. "Even so, it's best if we have the school's doctor to check on him. Just to be safe."
Endou nodded. "You have a point. Should we instruct someone to fetch the doctor and go ahead to see him?"
"I'll have Sakuma call the doctor."
~~~ Inazuma Student Council ~~~
Endou, Kazemaru and Kidou followed Fubuki and Saginuma to the Disciplinary Committee office. The Student Council has a whole four storey building just for their own use. The first floor is for general use, such as holding Student Council meetings, holding meetings with people outside of the academy, and a lounge especially for members to relax and mingle. The second floor is the Campus Event and Management Committee's floor. The third floor is the Student's Support and Welfare Committee's floor and the fourth floor is for the Disciplinary Committee's use.
Nothing less from a prestigious private school owned by Raimon Souichirou, a successful businessman, who's also Natsumi's father.
Fubuki increased his pace to reach the office first. He slid the door open and his eyes trailed off to the figure lying on the couch. A small smile graced his face. He felt happy that Goenji paid heed to his advice about taking a rest. He moved aside of the door. "Come in, Endou-kaichou, Kidou-kaichou."
Endou and Kidou entered the office, their eyes wandering around before they noticed their best friend lying on the couch. They went ahead to see Goenji first. Fubuki and Kazemaru stepped into the office together while Saginuma waited to be the last person to enter the office.
Upon reaching their sick friend, Endou stood beside Goenji's head, staring down at him in concern as he placed the back of his hand on Goenji's forehead. Kidou knelt on the carpet and took Goenji's right hand, feeling Goenji's pulse on his wrist as he look at his wrist watch. "He's hot. And he's sweating a lot and panting heavily." Endou murmured after he scanned his friend's condition. Kidou nodded. A minute passed by, and he ended the pulse reading. "His pulse is higher than average count."
"Yuuto."
"Aah, his fever is getting worst." Kidou confirmed their suspicion.
Fubuki let out a small gasp at the confirmation. "But he had taken his medicine before we left. His fever should have gone down a bit by now." He turned to look at his President. A small groan escaped Goenji's lips and Fubuki gritted his teeth as he closed his eyes shut. "This is all my fault. I noticed that Kaichou has started coughing and looked pale yesterday, but I-"
"This is not your fault, Fubuki." Two hands gripped his shoulders and Fubuki opened his eyes and slowly lifted his head. Endou gave him his usual grin trademark. "Goenji-kaichou will be alright. He's a tough one, that guy. Something like a fever wouldn't bring him down that easily." Kidou nodded at Fubuki in assurance before turning his attention to his sick friend. "Demo, it is rare for Goenji to get sick, even with something as common as a sore throat."
"It has been awhile since Sakuma-fukukaichou left to fetch the doctor. They should arrive any moment by now." Saginuma said, tidying up the paper works, files and other office stuffs on their desks. They had left the office without cleaning up to attend the meeting.
"Saginuma's right. Let's not worry too much and wait for the doctor to come. In the meantime, let's do what we can do." Kidou took charge. "Saginuma, get some clean towels and hot water. Fubuki, go to the SS Committee office and ask Aki to prepare a porridge and warm milk. Help her buy the needed ingredients." Saginuma bowed lightly before he left the office, while Fubuki still stand on his spot. "But why did you want me to ask Kino-san instead of Natsumi-san? Natsumi-san is your Secretary."
"Your President is only sick with fever right now. If he eats Natsumi's cooking, he'd be on his death bed." Kidou said slowly. "You don't want that to happen to your precious Kaichou, do you?" Fubuki gasped at the thought of Goenji dying from high fever, and shook his head furiously. "No! Absolutely no! I'll ask Aki-san to cook the porridge!" He said before he left the office in a hurry.
Endou watched the poor Public Relations Manager almost tripping over his feet on his way out. He chuckled lightly at the amusing talk between his best friend and Fubuki. He turned to Kidou, who had stood up and is now looking through something on his smart phone. "Yuuto, that's unkind of you, scaring Fubuki like that." Endou shot an accusing glance at his other best friend.
Kidou raised an eyebrow. "Whatever makes you say that?"
Endou sighed. "You told him that if Shuuya eats Natsumi's cooking, he'll die. Well, not that it isn't true. Why do you think I throw away the her Valentine chocolate once she has her back turn? But still, you'll only make him even more worried. You know how Shuuya gets when someone picks on any of the Fubuki twins, especially the older one. They're both precious to him."
"It'll be fine. He knows I didn't mean any harm." Kidou said, eyes still on the screen of his smart phone.
~~~ Inazuma Student Council ~~~
Fubuki raised his right hand and knocked on the SS Committee's door three times. "Konnichiwa. I'm Fubuki Shirou, Public Relations Manager of Disciplinary Committee." He then waited for response. A few moments later the door was slid open to reveal the exact person he has been ordered to look for.
"Konnichiwa, Fubuki-kun." Aki greeted him with a friendly smile. "Is there anything you need from the SS Committee?" She asked kindly. "Aki-san." Fubuki started. "Kidou-kaichou sent me here to ask for your help. We need you to cook some porridge and warm milk for Goenji-kaichou. Onegaishimasu!" He bowed deeply at her, making Aki flushed slightly.
"I will gladly help." She nodded her head. Fubuki's face lit up. "Arigatou gozaimasu!" Fubuki waited outside as Aki went back inside to get her bag and locked the office, "I can get you the ingredients you'll need." Fubuki offered to help. Aki shook her head. "There's no need for that. Natsumi and I did grocery shopping for Student Council, so the fridge has been fully stocked. You'll just have to wait for me to finish cooking, okay?"
"Hai."
They stepped inside the elevator and Fubuki pressed the number 1 button. The kitchen is on the first floor. Once they arrived at the kitchen, Aki grabbed her usual light yellow apron and started working on the porridge while Fubuki took a seat at the dining table. The girl hummed a song that he didn't recognize as she rummaged through the fridge.
Fubuki averted his eyes from Aki and stared down at his right arm. Slowly, he pulled the sleeve up and revealed the thin, white scar line across his arm. It's not too long, making it hard for people to really notice it, unless they are near him or already know that he has a scar there. Fubuki lifted his left index finger and traced the length of the scar. A small, faint smile appeared on his lips as he was pulled into the days of his past.
~Flashback~
It was winter in Hokkaido. The wind was blowing at its strongest and the snow was getting heavier day by day. People who live in Hokkaido has become accustomed to this kind of weather. However, to others who came to Hokkaido, either to visit their relatives, closing business deals, work-related and such, this was a harsh and unforgiving winter. Thus, people of Hokkaido take great pride in being the able to withstand the coldness of the north of Japan.
I love it when winter comes. More snow to make snowmen and snowballs, and thicker ice layer for ice skating. The cold never bother me much. In fact, I enjoy it very much. I'm not really sure why, perhaps because I was born here and raised here. This is the best place in the world, the best place for me. I don't ever want to move away from here. I love it here so much.
"But the time where we will have to go away from here might come, ya' know." Eight-year-old Atsuya said, his eyes still focusing on the large snowball he was working on. The snowball was supposed to be the biggest as it was intended to be the tummy of the snowman.
Fubuki Shirou, the older brother of the twin, turned swiftly at his younger brother from the two smaller snowballs, the legs of the snowman, that he had been working on with so much care and love. "But why should we go away from here? This place is safe." He questioned Atsuya's statement, a frown appeared on his face.
"Oh, there's plenty of reasons! Maybe dad will get a promotion and will have to transfer from here. Or mom wants to continue to Masters Degree at Tokyo University, but she didn't want to leave us behind, so she brings us with her. Or we'll get an offer to study at an elite school, then we'll have to move there. Or-"
"NO!"
"Shirou-niichan, you have to be realistic! Just because you like it here, it doesn't mean-" He finally turned to look at his older brother and winced when he saw tears gathering at his eyes. Shirou's body shook as he held himself back from crying.
"S-Shirou-niichan..."
"No! I don't want to move from Hokkaido! I wanna stay here forever! Why can't we stay here forever?!" Shirou's lips trembled and the tears finally rolled down his white cheeks.
"A-ahh! Don't cry, Shirou-niichan!" Atsuya went to his older brother and wiped the tiny droplets of salty tears away with his small fingers. But Shirou was still crying.
"I don't wanna go away! I want all of us to stay here! Atsuya!"
Atsuya stared at his crying brother with a worried expression and slowly pulled him into a hug. "Alright, we won't move away. We'll stay here for as long as you want. When we go home, we'll tell mom and dad, okay?" He said softly to sooth his brother's fear.
Shirou sniffled a few times before he nodded timidly, finally giving the bright smile that Atsuya lived to see.
True to his word, when they got home, Atsuya and Shirou approached their parents and Atsuya told them what happened. He even made them promise to stay in Hokkaido for as long as Shirou wants. It was always like this. When one of the twins wanted something, the other will be the one to tell them and made them get it for his twin. Usually it was Atsuya who wanted something. Although the young couple was surprised and amused, they played along and gave their word.
But tragedy strikes when we least expected it.
And we are not at all prepared for it.
For Fubuki Shirou and Fubuki Atsuya, it was the snow's betrayal.
Or is it the Mother Nature's fault?
It was an avalanche that left them orphaned.
Ten-year-old Fubuki Shirou and Atsuya stood in front of their parents' grave, both children sobbing openly. Guests that came to the funeral have started to leave. All of them gave their condolences to the twins before leaving, feeling sorry for the boys for losing their parents at such a young age. Their neighbour, a middle-aged couple with two children offered to take care of them while waiting for the arrival of their relative who will take them in.
"But mom and dad said we don't have any other family members." Shirou replied when the couple mentioned the news. The couple glanced at each other with a frown before the wife responded, "But according to your parents' lawyer, you two have a relative who is qualified to take you two in and have accepted the arrangement."
Three days after the funeral, when they returned from school, the wife of the couple told them that their relative had arrived to pick them up. They put their bags in the guest room and went downstairs to meet their mysterious relative. It was a boy of their age, with spiky platinum blond hair and dark onyx eyes. His cool facade soften when their eyes met.
"Who are you?" Shirou asked, unblinking as he stared at the boy.
The boy put his tea cup back on its saucer and stood up. He walked towards them at a slow pace so as not to make them feel intimidated. Nevertheless, Atsuya narrowed his eyes and pushed his older behind him.
"I'm-"
~End of Flashback~
"Here you go. One chicken porridge for Goenji-kaichou!" Aki said cheerfully from behind Fubuki and placed the a bowl of porridge and a glass of warm milk with a tray on the table in front of him. Fubuki stared down at the porridge, Aki's cooking, although it was just porridge, looks really delicious. He could feel himself salivating. Remembering that the porridge is made especially for Goenji-kaichou, Fubuki shook his head, shaking off the "I'm-hungry-and-this-looks-tasty" thought.
He stood up from his seat and lifted the tray. "Arigatou, Aki-san. I'm sure Goenji-kaichou will like your porridge!"
"You're welcome. I hope he'll get better soon."
~~~ Inazuma Student Council ~~~
Kidou, Endou, Sakuma and Saginuma watched the school's doctor performing a check-up on Goenji, assisted by a female nurse. The check-up has been going on for about 10 minutes now. It took awhile for the doctor to come because he had to treat almost the whole 1-C class due to a mishap in their science experiment.
Endou and Kidou shared a worried look, before turning to their pale friend. Finally, the doctor unhook the stethoscope from his ear and hang it around his neck. The middle-aged man pulled the blanket up to Goenji's neck before standing up from the chair that Saginuma grabbed for him. Endou and Kidou approached the doctor while Sakuma and Saginuma chose to stay behind.
"Doctor, how's our friend? Will he be okay?" Endou asked him.
The doctor smile. "Goenji-kun will be alright. I believe he's just having a normal high fever. It will eventually go down, perhaps in two or three days. But if it doesn't, he'll need to go to the hospital for thorough examination."
"That's good to hear." Endou let out a relieved sigh. "It's rare for him to get sick, so when he does get sick, we worry so much."
Kidou sent a small smile at Endou's direction while the doctor laughed.
The doctor signaled for the nurse to hand him his briefcase and he looked through it before taking out a plastic bag. "RIght, this is the medicine and the instructions are on the box. And please remind him to drink plenty of water."
"Hai. Arigatou gozaimasu, sensei!" The four of them bowed down at the doctor.
The doctor and nurse left the office.
When the door is shut, Endou went to the couch and sat beside Goenji. "Shuuya, hey, wake up. Fubuki will be here any second; he's bringing some porridge for you. And then, you'll have to eat your medicine." Slowly Goenji opened his eyes and Endou grinned at him. "Morning, sleepyhead." Endou teased lightly and carefully pulled him up to a sitting position with his legs stretched. Slowly, Goenji regained his focus and body balance.
"Where's Shirou?"
"Oh, he hasn't-"
BANG! Endou was cut off by the door being slammed open carelessly.
"OSSAN!" An ear-splitting scream came from the person opening the door, making the members of the Student Council closed their ears in an effort to block the disturbingly loud voice. Goenji, however, had a vein popped on his head as he turned to the newcomer.
"I told you not to call me that!" Goenji glared at Fubuki Atsuya, who was running to him with an armful of plastic bags.
"I heard you're dying." Atsuya blinked not-so-innocently.
Goenji felt like slapping his forehead. "Are you trying to jinx me?"
"Nopey".
"And what's with those bags?" Goenji asked, raising his eyebrow at the plastic bags in Atsuya's arms.
The younger Fubuki twin grinned cheekily. "Well, these are all what you will need to get better, ossan! Antibiotics, fever gel pads, paracetamols, aspirins, heating pad, an ear thermometer, a wrist blood pressure monitor, lozenges cause who knows you might have sore throat, towels-"
"Kaichou!" Unlike before, the door was slid open, revealing the older Fubuki twin balancing a tray of a bowl of porridge and a glass of warm milk. Fubuki's worried face turned into relieve and happy when he saw Goenji awake. "I brought some porridge and milk. Aki-san made them for you." Fubuki lowered the tray so that Goenji could see them.
"Uwaaa! They look good!" Endou gulped. "Ne, Shuuya, you mind if I have some?"
"Mamoru! These are for Shuuya, not you. We can order some takeout."
"Demo-!"
Goenji sighed, and looked up at the twins. He ruffled Atsuya's hair, earning an annoyed "Hey! You ruined my hair!" from him and patted Shirou's head, making the older twin blushed at the affectionate gesture.
~Goenji's Flasback~
"This is grandfather's grave?" Shirou lifted his eyes from the gravestone to the platinum-haired boy, who stared down at it blankly. Atsuya stared at it curiously.
"Yes." He replied. "Say hello to him, Shirou, Atsuya."
The twins nodded simultaneously. The two brothers turned to their front, Shirou with a warm smile while Atsuya with a small frown.
"Konbawa, ojii-sama. My name is Fubuki Shirou, and this is my younger brother, Atsuya. Our mom and dad passed away recently, so we'll be staying with Shuuya-kun. He said he'll take care of us. Please take care of us too." Shirou bowed at the gravestone.
Atsuya's frown deepened and when Shirou realized that Atsuya didn't do the same, he raised his hand and pushed Atsuya's head down too. Atsuya's hands flailing comically as he sputtered protests and blushed in embarrassment.
"Shirou-sama, Atsuya-sama, let's wait in the car. Shuuya-sama would like to spend some time alone here." The chauffeur who drove them to the gravevard said with a solemn smile.
The twins nodded uncertainly. Shooting a curious glance at Goenji, the two left with the chauffeur, leaving Goenji alone in front of the grave. Goenji stared down at the grave with cold eyes.
"Are you satisfied, father?" He gritted his teeth. "I met him, he's a good man, he and his wife are dead, and I took their twins because I couldn't leave them alone. I'm not like you. You abandoned him when he and his mother needs you the most. Even kaa-san said she'd rather you help them rather than leaving them to fend for themselves."
Goenji closed his eyes and sighed deeply, remembering the day he received the news of his half-older brother and his wife's death. He opened his eyes, showing determination in the pair of onyx eyes of his, and said,
"Goodbye...otou-sama." He said begrudgingly, before he turned and left.
And he never looked back.