KHR: The Inheritance Project - Prelude

The Homework Project

At least the drink was nice. It was an iced green tea, with a heap of ice and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on top. I've never really liked bitter drinks like green tea, but the sweetness of the ice-cream balanced out the bitterness of the tea. And it was lovely and cold; I'm glad I got it.

Hibari smirked knowingly as I lap up the last of my deliciously cold beverage, causing me to blush lightly. Okay so he has taste, I'll give him that. "You know, I still haven't forgiven you for that starfish stunt!" I glare at him.

"Hn." He just brushes me off and heads back downstairs. Why that cheeky little…

"Don't 'hn' me! It was so uncalled for!" I dash after him scowling. "I'll never forget it for my whole damn life now!"

"Well, now you have the perfect research topic." I stop dead at this, suddenly realising the reason we came here was to pick a topic for our posters. He's right, I do actually know quite a bit about starfish now… "You're welcome." He states with a smug, almost not there smile.

"Wow, he actually did help us with our research topic…"

"…You're still a cazzo though…" I mutter as we exit the building through the gift shop. He only grunted, his expression unchanged from before.

................................................

I seem to have learned quite a bit about my thinking buddy today. He's actually quite a shy person, like my 'other' Madre. I'll bet he's hidden behind that blank expression so long he probably finds it hard to express himself. I must have really caught him off guard for him to act so freely with me. But, on the first day we met he did burst out laughing… the cazzo…

"Well you do have an effect on people that lets them-" Was it really that funny to make even someone like Hibari laugh? "You're ignoring me AGAIN?" Man, that's a deep blow to my already shattered pride… "How do think I feel…"

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I walked straight into a woman carrying two full bags of toys. "Hahi!" she cried as we both toppled over. Hibari just stood off to the side and watched… hang on…

"Oi! Don't you dare laugh!" he twisted around snickering into his hands.

"Hahi! Are you alright little boy?" Aren't you the one who got knocked over…?

With a shake of my head I pick myself up from the floor and dust myself off. "I'm fine."

"That's good! It would be bad if you'd gotten hurt!" she grinned. I just stare blankly at these words. I get hurt all the time, besides falling over is the norm for me anyway. The contents of her bags has been spilt all over the floor. I bend down and help her gather up a bunch of stuffed fish. Even Hibari helped pick them up.

"Thank you!" she said as we stuffed the last of the toys back in the bags. "Such gentlemen! Hahi! We haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we? I'm Miura Haru desu!"

"…Hibari Kai…"

"…Sawada Cielo." We mutter our names and make to leave but she stops us.

"Sawada? Do you happen to be related to a Sawada Tsunayoshi?" She bends down to my level examining me too closely for my tastes. I back away slightly.

"He's my Padre…"

"Hahi! I thought so! He and I were good friends back in middle school! You look just like him with your hair, and your eyes are the exact same shape as his!" Merda, how can she recognise the exact shape of someone's eyes! Everything about her screamed 'stalker'…

"Hahi! That's right! I should thank you for helping me." She rummages through her bag.

"It's fine!" I hold up my hands in protest. "I was the one who knocked you over anyway…"

"Nonsense!" She shoves a pale orange and white stuffed toy dolphin into my arms and a pale purple and white one into Hibari's. "I have plenty so there's no need to hold back."

I was about to refuse again but then I saw the sparkly look in Hibari's eyes as he squeezed the dolphin in his hands. Dio he really likes it! Damn, I can't refuse now…

"Who would of guessed he liked stuffed animals…"

"Ummm, grazie Miura-san…"

"Haru is fine!" she takes a look at her wristwatch. "Hahi! I have to go now! Bye, bye Cielo-kun, Kai-kun. See you again desu!" And with that she's gone…

I glance at Hibari, who is staring, really happily, at his dolphin toy. He catches my eye and blushes. Then with a cough he charges off in the general direction of home. The tingly feeling in my gut tells me that there would be pain if I said anything about the toy.

Ever since that incident on my second day of school I've come to trust this feeling completely. So much so that it's gotten to the point where my body moves on its own before I even realise what's happening. That's why the only sport I'm capable of doing well is dodge ball. I haven't been hit once, but since I can't catch the teacher just swaps me out otherwise the game would last forever.

I look down at my own dolphin. Well, it was free and I guess it could serve as a reminder of how great today was. When I look up I realise we've stopped moving. Whoa, we're in front of my house! That was quick. Hibari is just standing there staring at me… Why is he staring?

"…Ummm… is there something on my face?" I ask stupidly.

"…" Stare…

Okay… he just keeps staring at my eye—EYE PATCH! I clap my hand over my left eye. When did I lose it!? Oh, Dio… I'm sure I had it on this morning… and those guys weren't all freaked out so I had it on when we were at the aquarium… Aha! That Haru chick said eyes, as in plural! It must have fallen off then! Curse my lack of attention!

"Umm…" Should I run for it, I mean my house is right there…

"I doubt running away would solve anything." …Curses…

"…It's orange…" So he speaks at last. My left eye is a bright sunset orange that has an eerie glow to it. That seems to be what freaks people out the most. Padre once told me we had an ancestor with orange coloured eyes and it's likely I inherited it from him.

"Ah! Well… yeah…ummm…" I'm not sure how to respond to this…

"…Pretty…" He mutters. What? Pretty?

"…Don't you mean 'weird'?… Besides your eyes are much more prettier than mine." The look of pure shock on his face is something I doubt I'll ever see again.

"…"

"…"

"…"

Enter the awkward silence.

"Argh! I can't take it anymore! Lieutenant! Change the topic! Quickly!" Aye sir!

"Soooo… ummm… homework…" Smooth Cielo… real smooth…

"Hn.." He grunts composing himself and giving me the 'you saw nothing' look. To which I nod slightly at. "Tomorrow at noon… I'll be here… So make a start on your poster tonight."

"O-oh! Right!" So we're doing it together? Lucky!

With a grunt he stalks away in the direction we came. Did he just walk me all the way to my house? Wow, that was nice of him. Wait… how does he know where I live...? Non! Shake that thought away… it's Hibari, he just knows things… yeah, lets go with that…

With that thought in mind I head inside and skip happily up to my room to make a start on that poster. I hope tomorrow will be just as great as today was!