Luka smiles warmly at his sister when she greets him after class. Since that incident, the younger Couffaine has taken all the steps to ensure that her brother is comfortable attending school, whether that is walking to school with him or waiting for him after the end of class. No longer the shy and reserved little girl she used to be, Juleka is here to show her full support to her older brother, even when everyone is sending him weird glances.
"Brother…" Juleka smiles in return.
"You don't have to do this, Jul."
Reaching his hand out, he pats her head lightly. Today marks the first week of his return to school and despite being in the same environment, Luka has never once seen his lovely raven head. Maybe the young artist is actively hiding from him, or he is unconsciously trying his best to not bump into her, either way, they have not seen each other since that incident.
Juleka wants to say something about it, she wants to help her brother mend his relationship with Himawari, but every time she wants to speak up about the matter, something stops her. Is it an invisible force? Or she finds it uncomfortable to express her concern when clearly, both Luka and Himawari are not ready yet?
She hates it, she hates how weak she is right now, unable to help her beloved big brother. While she can be so determined to cut all ties with Marinette, when it comes to Himawari, something about facing the young artist makes Juleka feels uneasy. Maybe it's a touchy subject for the raven head, or maybe Juleka feels like a little sister whenever she talks to Himawari, or maybe she doesn't want to force a solution on her brother and friend…
But…
What can Juleka do?
She is sick and tired of seeing her brother's soulless face every day. That lovely and bright melody that has always been playing in him has turned dark and gloomy. Juleka wants to see her brother's smile, that warm and kind smile he always wears whenever he's with her and Himawari. How his eyes shine with love and adoration for the raven head whenever they are together, Juleka wants to see that. How she misses the old days of him and Himawari, smiling and laughing with each other, sharing such kind and gentle gestures for one another…
Juleka misses those moments a lot, those moments when Luka was his happiest self…
"Yo Luka, not with your girlfriend today?"
A snicker coming from a guy from another class makes Juleka's stomach turns.
"Or maybe she ditches you for someone else and now your pathetic sister is here to cheer you up?"
Juleka knows she should not be bothered by those insults, but how she wishes she could smack that smug smile out of that face.
These guys, she knows them…
They're the ones who always try to pick a fight with her before Luka enters Collège Françoise Dupont. Of course they have to choose the worst moment to provoke Luka, they are nothing more than some cowardly bullies who think they are the center of the school.
"Come on now, cat got your tongue or something?"
One of them steps forward, reaching his hand out trying to grab onto the collar of Luka's shirt, but Juleka interferes. She steps in between them, holding the bully's wrist tightly as she glares at him.
No one can disrespect her brother like that… No one…
"And what are you gonna do? Fight me with your weak little body?"
The grip she has on his wrist becomes tighter, she grits her teeth in response. Juleka has no time wasting her breath on these bullies, let alone answer his stupid question. But the boy keeps on sneering at her, telling the younger Couffaine that she was once his victim too and that she should know her place not fighting back. But the more he insults her, the more those words fuel her anger as Juleka releases her grip on his wrist and by the time the boy can smugly smile at how pathetic the Couffaine siblings are, what comes next surprise everyone.
"Shit!"
The guy falls onto the floor, holding his now bleeding nose as he looks at Juleka in pure shock.
In some of the rarest moments in her life, Juleka punches the bully straight to his face.
Of course, everyone is surprised to see this. This is Juleka Couffaine, the shy and reserved girl who is friends with that overly extroverted girl name Rose. The girl who always wears her head low is now punching one of the bullies and making him fall onto the ground.
"You little…"
His other two friends are helping him stand up. The sheer embarrassment he wears on his face when he is punched by a girl, a weak and pathetic girl like Juleka is now hurting his ego. The boy grits his teeth as he storms back at her, trying to get his hand on the tall girl but he is stopped dead in his track.
Behind Juleka is her beloved, protective big brother Luka, who will surely send the bully to his grave if he so chooses. Despite not saying anything up to now, the aura that is exuding from Luka is nothing more than a viper ready to devour its prey. Those icy, venomous aqua orbs are not smiling at anyone, especially when it comes to those who dare to hurt his little sister.
Those eyes…
They are ready to kill…
"Don't ever talk to my brother like that again, or else…" Juleka threatens them.
"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do, you good for nothing little bi-Hii!"
One of the bully's friends keeps his mouth shut immediately after he is met with a shinai right in front of his eyes. The boy slowly turns to his side, flinching when he realizes who it is.
"I believe it's time for you three to run back to your mommies, after all, only boys would pick a fight with a girl like that."
The three bullies grit their teeth, they are humiliated by two girls and still can not fight back. Gathering their belongings, one of them kicks the trash bin so hard it falls down onto the floor as they walk away, vowing to themselves that they will get their revenge soon.
"Kagami…"
"Hey, you put up a very good fight." the young fencer smiles "And hello to you too, Luka. I have to say, I have seen more handsome faces around here than yours."
Luka chuckles at the joke. Of course, Kagami would never cease to stop herself from making sarcastic jokes with him. But seeing her makes him feel uneasy, if she is here, then does that mean Himawari is also here as well?
Of course she is, Luka can tell for sure. Hiding is not the young artist's strong point as he can catch a glimpse of the familiar shoulder behind the corner.
He wants to see her, to see those beautiful amethyst orbs with his very own eyes. He wants to hold her hand, to pull her against his body and hug her tightly. He wants to feel the soft raven locks and how lovely her floral fragrance is. Luka has not seen her for so long, his heart yearns for her.
But he knows…
He knows that none of them are ready to face each other…
While she is still hiding from him, he can feel his own palm sweating nervously. Is he that afraid of facing the girl he adores the most?
Luka knows why Kagami is here, he can even guess what she is here to talk about. He is 2 years older than most of his friends, after all.
Himawari is not ready to see him, so he is not going to force her. Even if she has the courage to face him, Luka can't be so sure about himself. For the first time in his life, he is afraid, so afraid to face the truth…
So he chooses to run away…
"I'm gonna go now, you girls have fun."
"Wait, where are you going?" Juleka turns to him, surprised "I'll go with you."
"No need, I'll be fine Jul."
Smiling gently at her as he kisses her forehead, Luka looks at the small shoulder one more time before taking his leave. The younger Couffaine tries to call him but she is stopped by Kagami, who sighs in defeat as she turns her attention to her, the one who is still hiding behind the corner.
Himawari bites her bottom lips, her body shakes lightly. Chloe is right beside her, the blonde doesn't know what else to say besides patting her friend lightly.
It is the raven head's idea to come here. She heard a ruckus upstairs and immediately knew who was the source of those loud noises. But when she finally got closer, her whole body froze. She wasn't able to take another step and chose to hide behind the wall instead. She could hear what those bullies said to Luka, how Juleka fought back and how the Couffaine siblings almost got themselves in another trouble. She was grateful that Kagami decided to step in, just in time to scare the bullies away.
I'm so pathetic…
Luka is so close and yet, she feels as if he is miles away from her. Himawari can't find any courage to face him, not when her heart aches at just the sight of his teal-colored hair.
It's not his fault…
She has tried to tell herself this so many times, as if to soothe herself from all the pain she is carrying in her heart. Her friends have told her so many times that she of all people should not doubt Luka's feelings for her, she has spent enough time with him to know that his feelings are genuine, but she also finds herself cowardly running away from them. It hurts so much, every time she catches a glimpse of him, her mind wanders back to that day.
Himawari blames herself for being so weak, so vulnerable when in reality, she knows the truth behind everything that has happened up to now. Her eyes see the truth, but her heart is blinded by the pain she carries, so she follows her heart and chooses to run away. As long as she doesn't see him, she will not feel those pain.
Or at least, that's what Himawari thought…
"I'll go home first."
"Are you sure? I'll go with you." Chloe looks at her friend.
"It's okay. Please help me check on Juleka to see if she is okay…"
And with that, Himawari takes her leave, too afraid to stay behind to listen to the blonde's words of advice. She needs time, she needs more time to heal her wounded heart. She can't face him, not yet… not now…
Himawari walks fast, she wants to get out of the school ground. Ever since Adrien comes back to class, she has started to feel like this, nervous and uneasy. It's like the raven head tries to hide away from him, tries to run away from him, tries to not encounter him. It has been a week since his return and she is doing everything she can to run away.
The raven head understands how wrong that sound, for her to do that to him. She knows that she is actively throwing away his feelings for her by acting like a little kid, but every time she thinks of seeing him, the pain in her heart is so big, it's unbearable.
She can see the irony of her action, while she can feel bad for Marinette when Adrien acts coldly toward her, she is doing the same thing to Luka. It's not his fault, none of this was his fault and Himawari understands very well that very well. However, it's like her mind is trying to find a person to blame for her heartache, if she can no longer blame Marinette for what she has done, then her mind is turning its attention to the guitarist and seeing him as the source of all her negative feelings.
She wants to fight back, so many times she wants to break free and come to him. She wants to follow what her heart is telling her, but the warm and bubbly feeling she has always had for him is not strong enough to fight back her ego. As each day passes by, Himawari slowly succumbs to her fear and pain.
"I'm so pathetic…"
The raven head sighs, biting her bottom lips lightly. She has made so many excuses, that she needs more time to process her feelings, to process her pain…
But how much longer does she need…?
As Himawari gathers her thought and walks to the school gate, a familiar sound reaches her ears. She turns around, her eyes open widely. Is she imagining things?
But no, her ears are not lying to her.
Even if it is just a faint sound, she can make out what that sound is. A sound of guitar, and not just any guitar, it's his guitar. A blush adorns her face as she looks up to the sky, the orange hue of the sunset makes the tune blend in perfectly.
She bites her lips, still facing the school gate. She should not have any thoughts about this, it should not bother her this much, whether he is playing his guitar or not. Her mind is slowly wandering back to that day and how painful it was to witness everything with her own eyes.
Himawari knows that she needs to leave, if she doesn't, then who knows what will happen next. But the sound of his guitar is so beautiful, so soothing and yet, it sounds melancholic.
Is he feeling the same pain she is feeling right now…?
She turns around, her eyes are searching for something, for someone. Despite her mind telling her that he is the source of her pain, Himawari can't help but take a step forward, and another step, and another step, until she finds herself walking back to the school building, following the faint guitar sound as she reached the stairs. Her hand touches the cold metal stair railing, amethyst eyes searching for him.
She is drawn in by the sound of his guitar, and with each step forward, she finds herself falling in love with the soft, gentle tune even more, until she reaches the rooftop of the campus. This place usually prohibited students from entering and yet, some know a way around the system and can get access to the door key, with Luka as one of them.
Hiding behind the open door, she can see him turning his back to her. It has been almost 2 weeks since they last seen each other and yet, she can still recognize his tall, lean figure. The way his body slumps lazily while playing the guitar, the tune is still nice and clear, how his teal-colored hair is flowing when the wind rises. The orange hue of the sky matches his hair perfectly, painting a soft bright color against his pale skin.
From afar, she can see it, he has lost weight. Although it's not significant, Himawari can't help but feel a tug in her heart. When he turns to his side, aqua eyes wandering at the orange sky, the raven head notices it immediately. Those beautiful orbs no longer have that bright light in them, they are gloomy and she can even see those dark bags underneath them.
Is it because of her that he is like this…?
Luka continues to strum his guitar, playing whatever tune that comes into his mind. If Himawari is here with him, then he will gladly be playing some of her favorite songs. Anything that has a bright and lovely vibe will surely bring a smile to her beautiful face, Luka knows this very well.
The raven head looks at him one more time, her grip on the wall becomes tightened. She doesn't want to see that sad expression. Luka is the most handsome when he wears a smile on his face, anything that is too gloomy doesn't suit him at all.
She wants to walk out there, to circle her arms around him and hug him tightly from behind. She wants to bury her face in his back, feeling the sound of his heart thumping. She wants to feel his hands on her, those big calloused hands that always make her feel so loved, so safe. Maybe he will turn around a hold her tightly in his arms too, maybe he will kiss her forehead gently like he always does, maybe he will whisper kind and loving words into her ears…
Himawari takes a step forward but stops herself immediately. She can't do it…
She can't just walk out there and hug him like nothing happens when she knows very well that she is the one who causing this pain for both of them. Revert her hand back, the raven head tries her best to hold back the sob but she fails miserably.
She needs to leave, she has to leave. Himawari can't stay here, or else, she would…
The young artist picks up her pace, as she turns around, taking her leave. Running away like a coward, once again.
Luka is minding his own thing when he heard a sob, he startles a bit, that voice sounds awfully familiar. Could it be…?
The young guitarist stands up and walks toward the open door, but he finds nothing. Letting out a sigh, Luka turns around to return to his spot and that's when he sees it. Aqua eyes open widely as he touches the soft material of a blue ribbon hanging onto the sconce light wire.
Himawari…?