A/N: Sorry for the late update! I got involved in one of my other projects called Fallen Star. It's a Fairy Tail AU fic. If you like FT and the pairing NaLu, you should check it out :) Other than that, onto the story!
I don't own Kodocha or any of it's contents.
'Thoughts'
"Speech"
"Flashback/Dream"
Life As We Know It
-O-
Chapter 4: Something There
-O-
"BIG BROTHER!?"
Ayame looked at Sana, who was now currently gaping, with uneasy eyes and a nervous thin line at her mouth. The young blonde watched as Sana quickly looked back and forth between herself and her older brother, Hayama Akito. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and the older blonde was glaring over at the two of them.
"Yes..." She said as she fiddled with her fingers.
"Wait, wait, wait. You didn't know Akito was her older brother?" Fuka jumped into the conversation, her brow arched.
"NO!" Sana's jaw practically fell to the floor.
That's when it hit the auburn haired teenager.
The reason Ayame was so familiar to her was because Hayama was her older brother. And she shared a lot of the same physique as her brother, with Ayame having a more feminine touch, accordingly.
"Bu-but-but, BUT you two are so, so- different." Sana was waving a finger back and forth between the two Hayama siblings, where the older boy was rolling his eyes. Fuka sighed and gave Sana a deadpanned look. Ayame merely chuckled a bit.
"Ayame is so cute! And sweet! And nice."
"Girls are usually nicer than boys." Fuka added.
"You're not always a nice person, Fuka. And you're a girl." The auburn haired girl refuted, to which Fuka glared at. They stared each other down for a few moments before returning to the pressing issue in front of them.
"Hey! Where are you going!?" Sana watched as Fuka turned to the dark blonde, who began to walk off, without Ayame.
The auburn haired looked from the corner of her eye as Fuka proceeded to yell at the boy, who obviously did a wonderful job of ignoring her. The bubbly teenager then turned her attention towards the younger, nicer Hayama.
"He's leaving you!?" Ayame sighed, biting down on her lip.
"It's not uncommon for us to go home at separate times or just not together." The blonde replied. Sana thought that was weird, especially for a young girl like Ayame, where lurchers and perverts we're constantly scouting the area for young, beautiful girls like Ayame herself.
"We usually walk Ayame-chan home." Aya added as Tsuyoshi nodded.
"Yeah. Ayame-chan is never alone. She's like our little sister, right?" Tsuyoshi gave a warm smile to Ayame, who turned a bit red by Tsuyoshi's statement.
'Seems to me like you're a better brother than her actual brother.' But Sana wouldn't say that outloud, not when she didn't know the details or the story behind the Hayama siblings.
"How weird." Sana mumbled. But she failed to notice the way Ayame's shoulders dropped of the way her face fell, almost somberly.
"You're brother gives me a headache." The hazel eyed teenager turned towards her best friend, who had her hand at her forehead with an annoyed expression etched on her face.
"Boyfriend troubles?" Sana really couldn't help herself. Watching Fuka turned deep shades of crimson gave her a thrill. And when her brown haired best friend screamed at her for her 'petty' and 'childish' taunting, Sana couldn't help but laugh.
She even got the others to crack a smile here and there.
On Fuka's protest, Sana decided to join the gang in walking Ayame home, where they talked about anything and everything, but Hayama Akito. That subject was like taboo to the younger Hayama sibling, Sana thought.
When they parted ways, Fuka going first, then Aya and Tsuyoshi together, all that was left was Sana and Ayame. The auburn haired girl didn't want to intrude, but her curiosity got the best of her, and she wanted to know more about the estrange Hayama family.
"I really don't get how such a sweet kid like you could be related to that jerk." The hazel eyed teenager figured that was general enough to spark some type of conversation.
Ayama chuckled nervously, not that Sana noticed.
"Well, ni-chan is a boy, like Fuka said."
"He's a mean boy." Sana pouted, crossing her arms out in front of her.
Chuckling at Sana's antics, Ayame gripped her school bag. "He was the one you were telling me about this morning, wasn't he?"
"Well… yeah." The auburn haired girl exasperated.
"I'm sorry for that. Ni-chan is just…" The blonde trailed off, Sana impatiently waiting for the younger Hayama sibling to finish her sentence. "He's just hard to get along with."
The hazel eyed teenager sighed in defeat.
"So it seems. Everyone I've talked too has said that." Because, really, everyone Sana has met and was connected to Hayama somehow, has pointed out the difficulties of getting to know Hayama Akito.
The blonde laughed, shaking her head. "He's a good guy under all that, you know? He's not as bad as people might make him out to be. We've… he's just been through a lot."
Sana couldn't help but smile sincerely at the young blonde. Her heart softened at her words. If the auburn haired teenager ever had a younger sister, she hoped she had one like Ayame.
"You're a good sister, Ayame. Sticking up for your big bro." Sana teased her, elbowing her slightly, causing the girl to blush ferociously.
"Well, Fuka-chan does too. But it's my job too, right?"
The hazel eyed girl groaned, crossing her arms out in front of her. Ayame threw her a questioning gaze, wondering why Sana went from happy to frustrated in a matter of seconds.
"Fuka is totally into your brother. I mean, it's obvious she totally digs him. But Fuka continues to deny that she has any feelings for him, making me look like I'm totally pulling it out of my butt."
"You think Fuka-chan likes my brother?" Ayame questioned.
Sana deadpanned, arching a brow. "Duh. The last time Fuka ever cared so much for a person the way she does for Haya-jerk, she fell hard." The auburn haired teenager would never forget the conflict between her best friend and her now ex-boyfriend, Yuta Takaishi.
"Haya-jerk?" Ayame's eyes grew wide as Sana drawled out this newfound nickname for her brother.
It wasn't that she dismissed the other part about Fuka possibly liking her brother, it was just more humorous to see this girl she barely knew tackle her brother head on; something that no one had really done.
"Yeah? Cause' he was being a jerk, so instead of saying 'jerk Hayama' or 'Baka Hayama,' I could just say Haya-jerk." Sana grinned, as if she was so proud of her nickname. The blonde chuckled, thinking how weird her new friend was, but liking this carefree attitude the hazel eyed girl sported.
"And I don't necessarily think Fuka-chan likes my brother. She could just be trying to get to know him better?" She offered, thinking how bad it would be for the brown haired girl to develop feelings for her brother. Especially because her brother was, well… her brother.
Sana sort of scowled at the young girl. "Aya said the same thing."
Ayame laughed. "Well, for what it's worth, ni-chan doesn't date."
"Like that's going to stop Fuka." Sana muttered, knowing Fuka and her personality. While Fuka wasn't quite as daring as Sana, her best friend wasn't the type of person to give up so easily.
"Well, this is where we part ways, Sana-chan."
Said teenager looked around and noticed that they were at the place they met this morning when she found Ayame kneeling over, trying to nurse her scarred knee.
"You sure you can get home by yourself?"
Ayame merely waved her off. "Yeah! Don't worry about me. My house isn't too far from here anyway. I'll be home in 5-10 minutes."
"Alright. Then I'll see you later, Ayame!"
They gave their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Sana stood for a moment, watching as Ayame's back got smaller and smaller, until, she completely disappeared. While the auburn haired teenager was concerned for her new friend's safety, she got the feeling Ayame was capable of handling herself.
With a final glance, Sana made her way home. Her mind was currently going through all she learned today, mostly her encounter with Hayama Akito's little sister. Just the fact her he had a little sister was enough to blow her mind.
Usually older brothers were overprotective of their little sisters, watching over them 24/7 or being on constant patrol. But with Hayama, it was as if he could care less, especially in the way he left her behind today. And to hear that Tsuyoshi and the gang usually walked her home was very odd to add.
There was something going on in the Hayama family that she wasn't aware of; that she wasn't sure anybody really was aware of. If anybody knew anything, it would most likely be Tsuyoshi because apparently, he was always the one Hayama entrusted and confided in the most.
But Sana decided she wouldn't pry. Not yet anyway. She had to establish a friendship with Ayame first, thought the auburn haired girl was pretty confident that she and the younger Hayama had become friends very easily.
And it wouldn't hurt to have the older Hayama not hate her so much either.
When the young teenager arrived home, she raced in, calling out to her mother.
"Mama! I'm home!"
Sana walked into the living room, where her mother was usually seated. Because her mother was an award winning author, Kurata Misako was always on a tight schedule, constantly being pestered by her editor, Onda.
"Welcome home, daughter."
Called girl jumped slightly as her mother drove herself into the living room in this automated car that she used to escape the cat calls of her nagging editor.
"So you're never going to believe what happened today."
"You understood your math homework? Or is that too much to ask for?" While Sana wanted to feel insulted by that comment, she really couldn't because, well, it's math. And math and Kurata Sana don't mix well together.
"Ha! I wish! You know how significantly better my life would improve if I finally understood math?"
"Point taken."
"Anyway!" Sana flopped herself down into the couch, slinging her backpack to the other side, already forgetting the homework that was resting inside, which was most likely due the next day. "Hayama has a little sister!"
Kurata Misako arched a brow. "Is that so?"
Nodding her head vigorously, Sana grinned, a finger pointed. "Uh huh! And she's nothing like the Haya-jerk! She's so sweet! And nice! And easy to get along with! Complete opposite of her brother."
"Hmm. Is she your age?" Misako asked, her mind reeling in the information.
"She's two years younger. She just started at Jinbou this year." Sana stated, blowing her bangs out of her face.
"How intriguing."
Sana stopped playing with her hair and casted a confused glance at her mother. Her mother was bearing her 'thinking face.' Usually, when this demeanor popped up, it meant her mama was in great concentration, putting puzzles together with the few bits and pieces she had.
"What is?"
Misako gave her daughter a knowing look, one that she didn't understand apparently.
"Isn't it interesting how two siblings, with a short age gap, could bear such different personalities? Usually siblings who are much farther apart in age are known to have significantly different personalities because they were raised differently from one another. But in just two years, their personalities have radically altered from one another."
Sana pondered on that thought, thinking that her mother had been right. For Hayama and Ayame to have such different personalities, something had have happened to the older Hayama sibling for him to be the brooding individual he was now.
"So basically, you're implying that Hayama was involved in some sort of incident that made him into what he is now?"
"Why, I imply no such thing, daughter. I am merely offering, alternatives."
Sana deadpanned as her mother laughed, darting off in her stimulated car. She could hear the cries from her editor lost in the background. She sighed, smiling at her mother's immaturity. But she couldn't help but think about what her mother said.
It was obvious Hayama was hiding something; what that something was, she had no idea. But the question of truth was: Was she going to get involved?
But she already knew the answer to that question too.
-O-
When Ayame walked into her house, it was deathly quiet; as it always had been. The hallway light was on, the better part of the house dark, except for the kitchen. She sighed as she took off her shoes and placed them by the door, heading towards the only lighted room in her home.
As she walked in, Ayame noticed the newly washed pot and plate settling in the dish rack. Figuring her brother must have cooked dinner, she went straight to the fridge and opened the door. When she saw the plate of curry sitting inside for her, she smiled.
It wasn't much to many people, but to her, it meant the world.
The relationship with her older brother was almost nonexistent. Had they not been living in the same house, most would never know that Hayama Akito had a younger sister nor that Hayama Ayame had an older brother. They didn't speak to each other at school and very rarely at home. They steered cleared of each other's way, not acknowledging one another. They went to school at separate times and returned home without as so much as a phone call.
It made her sad. She longed to know the brother she always had, but he never allowed her to get close enough. And at times, it had always felt like he hated her, like she was some type of burden to him.
But when her brother did small things like leave her dinner, it filled her battered heart because she knew deep down, her older brother was still in there.
Speaking of her older brother, Ayame heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. Her brown eyes immediately shifted upwards to the top of the stairs, watching secretly as her older sibling came down. He was probably going on a run, the blonde haired girl thought to herself.
When he reached the last step, he looked up, locking eyes with Ayame for a moment. In that brief time period, she was already subdued by her brothers eyes. While she had regular brown eyes, he had striking golden eyes, and they were beyond intimidating. The young blonde immediately turned away, her heart racing and mind panicking. She heard the door open, then close softly. She let out a sigh of relief.
When the blonde finished her dinner, she raced upstairs towards her room. But before entering, she looked over towards the room at the end of the hall: her parents room. Her head fell, becoming crest fallen and sadness taking over. She bit down on her lip, resisting the urge to cry. Opening the door, Ayame entered her room, closing the door shut behind her.
She wanted to go to sleep and forget about everything.
-O-
"That's a pretty sour look you got going on there. Feel bad for the person at the receiving end."
Hazel met green as Sana shifted her gaze upwards towards the new voice joining her. Akimoto offered her a friendly smile, which she returned. He sat down next to her at the empty table she was sitting at; which he found weird, considering she was constantly with Fuka and her group of friends.
"Hey Hiro."
"Where's your gang at?" The green eyed boy inquired.
Sana sighed, slumping her shoulders, resting her cheek against the lunch table. "Mami and Hisae went off somewhere. Tsuyoshi and Aya I think are outside and Fuka is currently ignoring me."
It really wasn't her fault that Fuka couldn't just take a joke. Well, in this case, Sana guessed she may have pushed it too far.
"That explains the look of displeasure written all over you." The brown haired boy pointed as he smiled slightly. "You and Matsui really are similar, but honestly, so different."
"Fuka just doesn't appreciate a good joke here and there. She knows that I'm the type of person who likes to joke around and laugh a bit. When I tease her about Hayama, I don't mean to embarrass her. Okay, maybe a little bit, but I'm just poking fun most of the time." Sana explained as she huffed, thinking back to earlier in the day when Fuka yelled at her for her immaturity and her childish taunting.
"Hayama huh?" The auburn haired girl noticed Hiro's slight change in personality, the way his voice fell and his eyes dimmed with what looked like anger.
"Yeah. I mean, the last time I seen Fuka this invested in a guy was with her ex-boyfriend." Yuta Takaishi was a well rounded, good hearted, guy who treated Fuka right. One could even say he was in love with her, but some relationships just don't work out. And in this case, this one definitely didn't.
"Both Aya and Ayame-chan told me that Fuka was just trying to get to know the guy better, but I know Fuka. While I may be a little more boisterous and Fuka is more rational, we both have a tendency to follow through with things we believe in to the very end."
"So… what does it matter if Matsui does have feelings for Hayama?" Hiro asked, not entirely sure where the auburn haired girl was going with this conversation. She shrugged her shoulders.
"It doesn't. I just like to tease her about him. If Fuka wanted to be with Hayama, she will fight tooth and hammer to be with him." As she commented, Hiro muttered something like 'It's actually tooth and nail,' but she hardly put attention.
"Do you like Hayama?"
Sana turned quickly, an incredulous look gracing her pale features. She then burst into a fit of laughter, confusing the bright, green eyed boy.
"Do-Do I like Hayama? Re-really Hiro!" She gave him a light slap on the arm, to which he winced slightly because it somewhat stung.
"I hardly know the guy! The only words we've ever exchanged to each other we're insults! I tried to get to know him, but he immediately shut me down." She frowned when the memory came back, "Everyone tells me he keeps to himself and doesn't really get along well with people, which I can obviously see. We don't even have a title. We're just strangers to each other."
Strangers was the better way to put it because as Sana thought about it, even classmates couldn't define them. They were two complete strangers living completely different lives that have only collided because of an accident.
Hiro sighed in relief, happy to hear the news. Kurata Sana was intriguing, unlike most of the girls at Jinbou High School who only sought to him because of his good looks. She hardly spared him a second look and poked more fun at his popularity rather than following the rest of the crowd. The brown haired boy longed to learn more about the girl sitting next to him.
"That guy…" Sana noticed as he trailed off, "He… I just don't understand him."
The auburn haired girl noded, agreeing full heartedly.
But Hiro had reasons for his statement as he and the blonde haired boy had crossed paths before in the past.
They quickly changed the topic, with Hiro teasing Sana about her poor knowledge in English by speaking in English. They laughed and joked around like they had been friends all their lives. There was never a dull, awkward moment with the chiseled teenager. While a bit flirty, he was harmless, and someone Sana came to really enjoy being pair was completely oblivious to heavy staring from the students in the cafeteria, girls fuming with jealousy and envy, boys grumbling under their breath, cursing Hiro.
The bell chimed and both teenagers said their goodbyes as Sana waved at him with her signature grin and Hiro giving her one of charismatics grins. The pair went their separate ways, Sana begrudgingly making her way towards English.
When she walked in, her eyes scanned for the blonde haired boy she and Hiro were just conversing about not even ten minutes ago. And there he was, in his usual seat in the back corner near the window; her seat open right in front of him.
He had his earbuds plugged into his ears, his apathetic eyes looking out the window with the usual stoic look plastered on his tanned face.
'It wouldn't hurt to say hi, even if he can't hear me.'
Once Sana made her way over to the blonde, she stopped, staring at him for a second. The golden eyed boy must have felt her staring at him because he slowly shifted his gaze towards her. When he did, she smiled and said "Hi."
For a quick second, his eyes widened slightly with surprise, considering that they hadn't talked since the previous week. The auburn haired girl turned away from him and sat down, thinking that maybe baby steps was the way to approach this.
-O-
Hayama Akito officially declared this girl weird.
Ever since the cafeteria episode a little over a week ago, they had no interaction with each other. They never made eye contact, nor spoke a single word. She didn't pester him and he hardly put any attention to her. There would be times where he could hear her talking because of how annoyingly loud she was, but by just pressing a button on his iPhone, he was able to block her out.
But even then, he noticed how quickly her relationships had grown with some of these people that he had known his entire life. She even managed to get a hold of Akimoto Hiro's attention, which was especially odd.
Tsuyoshi was right by commenting that Kurata Sana was similar to Matsui Fuka. They were both hard headed and overly annoying. But also, extremely different. While the brown haired teenager was mature and rational, the auburn haired girl was definitely more childish and boisterous. Kurata was far louder and noisier than Fuka. And was far more humorous.
While Fuka pestered him everyday and showered him with frustrated glares, Kurata left him alone, completely. But it wasn't for the reason that everyone elses avoided him. While most scoured away from him because of his intimidating aura, Kurata Sana wasn't frightened by him one bit. She took him head on, sort of how the brown eyed girl did when they first met. And just like Fuka, they even went their separate paths.
So when she greeted him and actually smiled at him, it baffled him completely.
Because nobody ever just smiled at Hayama Akito.
The golden eyed boy decided not to dwell on Kurata Sana anymore, shaking off her and her weird antics.
Whatever the auburn haired girl did, it was her own decision and he had nothing to do with it. He had already closed himself off, deciding that he didn't need anymore friends because in the end, it didn't matter.
Kurata Sana was just another stranger to him. Someone Hayama Akito would never get to know. Someone Hayama Akito would eventually forget as life went on.
-O-
"Are you done being mad now?" Sana inquired, resting her chin on Fuka's shoulder. Her best friend tched, shoving her off.
"Come on, Fuka. I was only kidding. You can't seriously be that mad, can you?"
They were sitting outside the local cafe, Mimi's, with Tsuyoshi, Aya, and Ayame sitting at the opposite end of the table, shaking their heads at the usual bickering between the two friends.
"Hmph!" Fuka turned her nose, ignoring the way Sana was pleading with her puppy dog eyes.
"I don't think Fuka-chan is in a very forgiving mood, Sana-chan." Ayame commented, Aya and Tsuyoshi nodding their head in agreement.
"Well, Sana-chan was only joking around about Akito, right Sana? So no need to be so upset, Fuka." Tsuyoshi added, a nervous smile settled on his lips.
Fuka gave him a pointed glare, to which he stilled at, gulping with fear.
"Oh come on, how can you resist all of this, eh girl?" Sana suggestively wriggled her eyebrows as she gestured to herself, earning a few giggles and chuckles from the others in the group.
"Pretty easy, if I say so." The brown haired girl retorted.
"Alright, alright! I won't say anything about you and Haya-jerk anymore, if it really irritates you that much. I promise."
The upset teenager looked back towards her best friend, who bore this somewhat serious look on her peach face. Serious and Sana did not fit in the same sentence, Fuka thought.
Sighing in defeat, Fuka turned back around, facing the hazel eyed teenager. "Promise?"
Sana brightened almost instantly, a grin spreading wide on her pale lips. "Cross my stomach, swear to die!"
"Cross your heart, you baka!" Fuka let out an exasperated sigh, Sana chuckling. "I swear! Sometimes I feel like you only think with your stomach!"
The entire group laughed, happy that Sana and Fuka were back to being Sana and Fuka. They wouldn't say anything, but the atmosphere when they were actually fighting and not play fighting was insufferable.
"So did any of you guys get the math homework today? Because I'm absolutely lost."
And with that, Fuka dead panned, saying something about Sana being an "absolute idiot." Ayame laughed, enjoying this carefree atmosphere with her friends. The auburn haired girl brought a lot of spirit to the group, making it more light and welcoming. Tsuyoshi and Aya would agree.
Sana and the gang stayed at the cafe for another hour or so, until Tsuyoshi had to hurry home and watch his younger sister, Aya had chores to finish, Ayame homework, and Fuka to close her uncles sushi shop. They all went their separate ways, Sana taking a detour through a park that was close to her house.
"Oh wow. I had no idea this was here!" Her eyes light up like a child on Christmas.
She watched as young children ran around, playing tag or swinging on the swings, or climbing the monkey bars, or playing in the sand. It made her heart melt, watching the children being able to be so carefree and innocent. The auburn haired teenager smiled softly as she remembered her childhood days back in Nagoya.
"Hey lady! Come pway wiff us!"
Sana looked down to see a little boy tugging on the hem of her skirt, a tooth missing and his hair unruly and messy. She grinned, ecstatically.
"Sure! What do you you wanna play?"
The young boy smiled. "Tag!"
"Alright! Who's it?"
"You it!" He tagged her and ran away, rather fast Sana could say. She stood there for a minute, trying to figure out which of these kids were partaking in this game of tag. When she a group of kids break and start running around, laughing, Sana found her victims.
She grinned playfully. "Here I come!"
-O-
Kurata Sana forgot just how sneaky children could be.
When she chased them around, tagging them lightly, they always managed to tag her back without knowing. Therefor, resulting in the auburn haired teenager being "it" a majority of the time. It was exhausting, chasing five different kids at once, but the hazel eyed teenager would be lying through her teeth had she said it was not fun.
After all the kids had packed up and gone home, Sana sat for a few minutes at the nearest park bench, trying to catch her bench.
"Those kids are going to sleep good tonight." She thought to herself as she laid back against the bench, thinking how thankful those parents should be now that she's worn out those children.
She closed her eyes for a second, taking in the light summer breeze. The sun was setting and a slight chill had just nested on the city, making Sana shiver slightly. While Tokyo was no Nagoya, the city had it's perk and this happened to be one of them. She could stay out in this weather all night long.
Unfortunately, she had to get running home, not wanting to worry her mother. That was the last thing the young Kurata wanted.
As she jumped off the bench and began making her way out of the park, Sana heard some slight rustling, making her body freeze immediately.
While she appreciated what the city had to offer, lurchers and perverts we're definitely not part of it. And to hell is she was going to let some perverted moron touch her in any ways that were completely indecent. Sana went into a defensive stance, prepared for any creep to jump out at her.
"I want my mommy."
Well, that definitely wasn't the voice of an alleged rapist trying to seek it's prey, Sana thought to herself. There were a few heavy trees and some bushes blocking her line of sight, but what the auburn haired girl could make out, it sounded like a little girl; a little girl who sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
"We'll find her, kid."
And that's when Sana went back into defensive mood.
That voice was definitely the voice of an older boy, maybe man and she inwardly growled as she thought about the endless articles and stories she's read about shameless men who molest and assault younger children.
To hell if she was going to let an innocent child be abducted and battered while she was around.
"Are you going to take me to my mommy?"
Sana made her way through the bushes as the voices started distancing from her. She glared, not caring if she had to crawl through a cave of spiders to save this innocent little girl.
"Yeah, I am."
'No, you ain't you lying son of a witch!'
"Okay, mister!"
Sana cleared the path through the bushes and tree line and had a clear view of the backs of the little girl and the dangerous man next to her. The little girl didn't look to be more than 6-7 years old! The man next to her was wearing a black sweater and dark slacks. 'Perfect disguise for a kidnapper!'
"Don't you dare touch that kid, you creep!" Sana screamed, pointing a finger at the pair walking ahead of her.
The stranger stopped walking, his face hidden under the shadows of the heavily populated trees. The young girl turned around, giving Sana a baffled stare.
"If you take another move, I swear I'll kick your ass!" She boldly declared, not caring if she had to wrestle with a grown man. If it meant saving a child, she'd do it everyday.
But when the stranger turned around, Sana's jaw practically fell to the floor and her eyes went as wide as saucers.
Because standing in front of her was none other than Jinbou High School's resident lone wolf, Hayama Akito.
"Hayama!?" She screeched.
She could see the older blonde roll his eyes, sticking his hands in the pockets of his slacks.
"Tch, idiot." He muttered loud enough for Sana to hear him.
"What is this crazy lady doing, blondie?" The young girl asked.
"You're a perverted, child abducting kidnapper!?"
It explained everything! She thought to herself. The reason he was so broody and cold was because he was a child abductor! He kidnapped kids and shipped them off!
Fuka was absolutely NOT allowed to date a kidnapper!
He scowled, not really answering her delirious statement.
"Don't listen to her, kid. She's a special type of alien that's crazy up here." As he finished his statement, he pointed towards his head, making the little girl's eyes flash with fear.
"Hey! I'm not an alien!" Sana argued, crossing her arms in front of her.
"Can we go now? I want my mommy!"
Sana felt completely rejected as the Hayama nodded and didn't even give her a second glance. Her head hung low, disappointed at the fact that this child chose the jerk over her. Her, who was wonderful with children, who made children laugh and smile, as exemplified earlier when playing tag with the children at the park.
"Hey! Wait up!" She ran after them, frustrated at the way that Hayama and the little girl ignored her completely, leaving her behind.
"What do you want?" Hayama asked, an irritated scowl now settling on his face, a grimace at his lips.
"What are you doing?" The auburn head asked. The blonde haired boy felt like he was suffocating in her stupidity.
"He's taking me to my mommy, weird alien lady!" The child said, an aggressive vein popping out in the corner of Sana's forehead.
"Listen kid! I ain't an alien! He lied to you. I'm a girl, like you." She gave an angry smile, her eyes somewhat narrowed, a dangerous gleam shining off them.
"Whatever you say, weird alien lady!"
Sana dropped her head in defeat, feeling dejected and beaten. By a munchkin to add on.
But what probably threw her off the most was the fact that Hayama was taking time out of his day to help this little girl find her mother. Sana didn't think a guy like him, so dark and broody, would willingly help a child out. He sure was a paradox.
"What are you staring at?"
Sana blushed, not realizing she was actually staring. "N-nothing! You're just hard to get." She mumbled.
"Whatever."
"That's exactly what I mean!" He casted her a side glance, "You're all leave me alone and I don't need any friends." Sana did her best with impressions, but, they weren't very impressive.
"What does that have to do with me helping a little girl get home?"
The auburn haired girl opened her mouth, but no words came out as she apprehended what Hayama was trying to say. She pouted, crossing her arms, muttering "Nothing, nevermind."
"Point is, I just never pegged ya for a guy to do something like this. I mean, you won't even walk home with your sister." She knew it was dangerous territory that she crossed in, bringing in his sister. But Sana wasn't afraid to cross a few lines to get the answers she was looking for.
His eyes darkened and his stoic countenance changed, a slight snarl settling on his lips.
Sana was expecting some sort of retaliation, a smart ass comment, or at least, a snarky remark, but instead, she was met with complete silence. The blonde eyed boy turned away from her, hiding himself away.
"Kiki-chan!"
Both teenagers stopped walking, distracted by the frantic woman with watery eyes and a look of panic flashed across her face.
"Mommy!" The older woman embraced her daughter tightly, whispering motherly words into the child's ear, tears streaming down her eyes.
Sana smiled as she wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye.
"Mommy! This nice mister-blondie here and the weird alien lady helped me find you!" The young teenager resisted the urge to tch at the nickname of "weird alien lady." But all was forgotten as the older woman walked up to them, bowing to them, taking Sana aback.
"Thank you so much for staying with Kiki-chan! I don't know what I would have done had something happened to her!" Sana rubbed the back of her head, turning red with slight embarrassment.
"Oh! It was no problem, reall-"
"Next time you should take better care of her. She was lucky that I was around, or else who knows what could have happened to her."
Sana's eyes went wide as her mouth parted slightly, astounded by the words that left his mouth. She shifted her gaze back towards the mother, who looked equally shocked, but also mortified. Hayama walked away, not even sparing a glance at the little girl or her mother.
"Ah! Don't take to heart what he said! What he really meant was you're welcome!" Sana reassured the mother, "It was no trouble at all!"
She casted a quick look at the retreating form of the boy who was making his way out of the park. Then, returned her gaze to the mother and young child in front of her.
"Thank you so much again."
"Thank you weird alien lady and mister blondie!" The child yelled.
With a final nod and her signature smile, the mother and child left, the mothers hand securely wrapped around her daughter's hand. Sana sighed, having half a brain to tell the child she wasn't a weird, alien lady, and that was just a stupid nickname the jerk gave her.
Speaking of the jerk, Sana darted after him, ready to lecture him for his blunt rudeness. When she caught up to him, he was standing, his hands deep in his pockets. She stopped a few feet behind him, eyeing him carefully.
"You didn't have to be so rude, you know..." The sun had already set, a spray of midnight blue adorning the night sky. A frosty air began biting at her exposed skin, causing her to shiver slightly.
"She was careless. Any responsible mother would know to keep an eye on their child at all times." He answered, his voice low and, though Sana wouldn't admit it out loud, somewhat husky and alluring.
"That is true… but what if she turned away just for a second and the kid just ran off?" Sana took a step towards the mysterious blonde.
"Still her fault for not keeping an eye on the kid."
As much as Sana wanted to disagree, Hayama was right. The mother should have been paying more attention to her daughter, watching her closely.
"You still could have been a little nicer about it."
He scoffed, rolling his eyes at her comment. She was naive and dimwitted, he concluded. With her type of attitude and personality, the blonde saw her struggling with life in the long run.
The dim street lights flickered themselves on, a hue of light spreading throughout the park. The once busy swing set and jungle gym were now empty, a few stragglers on the sidewalk. The city noise was drowned out by the few cars that made their way up and down the road.
As Sana studied him, she was beginning to understand a bit of why Fuka took in interest in him. While he did mask himself with a cold, apathetic exterior and intimidating, dull golden eyes, and an abrasive and cold personality, Hayama Akito had a heart.
Because any person without a heart wouldn't have bothered to walk around with an annoying child trying to find her mother.
Yet, he did.
And that was enough for Sana.
"Fuka was right. You're not really that bad of a guy." She smiled, her hands clasped behind her back. She didn't expect him to turn around, to thank her for the compliment, to have a conversation with her. But, the auburn haired girl wanted him to know that despite their differences, she wasn't like the rest of the school.
"idiots." He muttered, shaking his head slightly.
"I know." Hayama could almost hear her smile, her light giggle reaching his ears. He didn't bother turning around, already taking steps away from her.
The golden eyed teenager didn't look back, but could hear Buka's clone, well not so much clone anymore, yell something along the lines of "Bye! See you tomorrow!"
She was definitely odd, that Kurata Sana.
A/N: I'm back. Hello everyone :) So sorry for the late update! Got stuck in this mess called college and the will to write was literally nonexistent. But! I'm back :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was really bland.
Some development here and there, a little insight on Ayame and Hayama, Sana's thought on the matter, and some humor here and there. The next chapter should move a little faster, more character involvement and what not.
I want to go back on a biweekly schedule so the next chapter should be out in two weeks. Two World's Collide will be the next update, for those of you waiting for that. My FT story, Fallen Star, should also be updated soon.
Anyway, let me know how you liked it, yes? Reviews are greatly appreciated :)
Until next time!
-Dark Waffle