"You're never too young for a tea party."
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Something smelled nice. Sweet, buttery, and pungent in a pleasant way. Although you enjoyed waking up to the smell, you wondered where you were to make it so adamant, there wasn't a baking club at school, and wasn't it after school hours? The scent was enchanting, and it drove you to open your eyes in wonder..
"M/n!" You heard a voice. It was familiar, but faint and echoed. The person sounded so close, yet so far. Eyes opening, your pupils dilated, adjusting to the bright lights that brought a gleaming pink and red.
"M/n!" There it was again! The voice was clearing up the more awake you became. Your eyes finally focused, and you came back to reality.
"H. .huh?" You mumbled, lifting your hanging head to see the world around you. The room was beautiful, full of colors with gold accents and picture frames of flowers and fruit. It was spacious, and looked like a party fit for one hundred aristocrats. You were seated in a pink luxurious chair, the handles looking like they were made from pure gold. In front of you was a table, three tea cups and multiple pastries were stacked high on a plate placed over the elegant white tablecloth. So, that's where the sweet aroma was coming from.
"M/n!" The loudness of her voice startled you out of admiring the scenery. You looked to the chair placed beside you. "Nene! What are you doing here? It's too late for you to be in the school," You scolded. It was way past school hours, how was she here? Nene looked at you with confusion.
"What do you mean "too late for school?" It's mid-day!" Nene exclaimed loudly, she sounded scared and panicked. You paused for a moment, thinking.
How long have I been out?
It's already the next day?
What happened to Hanako?
Where is this place?
"Where. . .where are we, exactly?" You asked, continuing in your gazing around the large room. Nene shook her head. "I don't know, I think it might be another boundary," She said, splashing the water that rose just above her ankles. Looking down, Nene was most likely correct in this area being a boundary, considering there was an inch of water covering the black and white checkered tile floor.
"How long have you been here, Nene?" You asked, bringing Nene back down to Earth. She was quick to answer. "Not long, maybe five minutes or so. I remember this boy, his name was Natsuhiko if I remember correctly. He and this other boy knocked me out and took me here without my consent!" Nene shouted, her voice gradually getting louder the more she spoke, she was clearly pissed at the situation. "And it was really scary! I didn't know what he would do, and now I'm here!" Nene finished, taking a breather and calming down.
Natsuhiko. The name didn't ring a bell.
"So, you're finally awake." A voice entered the room, and you could hear splashing footsteps slowly approaching. You and Nene quickly turned your heads towards the foreign sound.
She had green hair cut into a bob that rested just below her chin. Two thick strands of hair fell farther down her shoulders, framing her pale face. Her face was devoid of emotion, her dead emerald eyes complimented her hair. She was wearing a black dress, white and yellow stars decorating the entire surface of the seemingly soft fabric.
She was holding a silver tray that held a tea kettle. You recognized her as the girl from the library some days back, what was she doing here?
"I asked those two to treat the both of you as gently as possible. But as usual, they ignored my request." The green-ette spoke up again. You were confused at first who she was talking about. But then, you had a good idea, the Hanako look-alike who knocked you out, and the Natsuhiko guy Nene was spouting about.
She walked close to the table, placing her tray next to the carefully piled stack of treats, and placed herself in the open chair. "Sorry I'm only just introducing myself now, I should've done it a long time ago. My name's Nanamine Sakura-"
Nene slammed her hands on the table, standing up from her seat. The sudden noise made you jump a little. "You're Hanako's girlfriend!" Nene accused, eyes fixated on Sakura while pointing an alleged finger right at her. The accusation surprised both Saura and you, what was she thinking shouting things like that?
"I'm sorry, but what?" You looked back and forth between Nene and Sakura. What conversation did they have behind your back that led to this? And as much as you hated to admit it, a tinge of jealousy chewed at you. Why did you feel this way? The jealousy of Hanako potentially having someone else at his side? Someone else being the one to comfort him, someone else he liked more.
Was that person really Sakura?
Did it have to be Sakura?
. . .
Why. .
Why couldn't it be you?
No more questions could be asked, for it was interrupted by two boys running right to Sakura, immediately clinging to her and questioning her. One looked devastated, it was a boy with a cat-like smile, and the one you recognized as the Hanako-look-a-like clinged onto Sakura like a koala. "Wait! You're dating Amane and you didn't tell me!?" He shouted, shaking Sakura violently.
"I won't believe it! Tell me it's not true!!" The boy with the cat smile shouted desperately, crocodile tears threatening to fall from his chocolate brown eyes.
"How dare you not tell me!" The Hanako look-alike scolded, shaking poor Sakura even more. You and Nene watched in silence as the scene unfolded.
Sakura sighed, and raised both her arms, bringing her hand down on the back of the boys' heads, cutting them short of their wailing. "I am not dating him. Do you understand me?" She asked menacingly, looking coldly down at the two boys.
A weird wave of thankfulness washed over you. She wasn't dating Hanako.
"Yes Ma'am, sorry." Both boys responded simultaneously, bowing their heads in respect. How powerful was she to get even the sadistic kid to respect her?
"Let's start this over. I'm pleased to meet you, Nene Yashiro and M/n L/n. My name is Sakura Nanamine, and I'm currently a third year student. Apologies for the late introductions." She said kindly, reaching forward and picking up the silver tea kettle, pouring herself a cup of hot tea.
She was the complete opposite from just a few moments before.
"Tea?" She offered. Both you and Nene accepted the kind gesture.
The Hanako look-alike placed himself next to Sakura, and started stuffing his face with the pastries. Sakura paid no mind to him.
"Well. . .what about Natsuhiko?" Nene asked, gesturing to the boy standing off to the side. So your suspicions were correct, the boy with the cat-like grin was, in fact, Natsuhiko. By the call of his name, he looked over to Nene, smirking at her. He sent her a wink, Nene furrowed her brows and looked away from him.
"I just pretend he's not here." Sakura said nonchalantly.
". . Alrighty then. ." You commented, taking a sip of the tea in front of you. You weren't really a tea person, but this one was really good.
"I've been meaning to speak with you for a while now. Since you and I are both in this exceedingly rare position of working alongside an apparition. Surely, the two of us can be friends, right?" Sakura said once finished pouring your cup. She moved to Nene, pouring the hot liquid in the small porcelain cup. Nene nodded, "I. .I guess so. ." She responded meekly.
"Why am I here then, when Nene is the one you were looking for in the beginning?" You questioned, watching as the ripples in your teacup slowly subdued. Sakura seemed to only find an interest in Nene.
"Because, you have ties to both Nene, and Hanako, also a rare position to be in," Sakura flawlessly answered, as if she was expecting you to say something along the lines of your question.
Her words were full of hospitality, she had everything set up in a glorious room. Sweet-tasting tea, and sugary pastries.
This wasn't making sense. If all she wanted to do was talk to both you and Nene, why do the two of you need to be knocked out, kidnapped, and hauled into an unknown boundary? And, the apparition Sakura seemed to be bound to was the Hanako look-alike, which most definitely had a history with Hanako.
And Natsuhiko. . .you didn't really know what to say about him. He was just some pretty boy in it for the ride, and Sakura, it seems.
You wanted to do something, you wanted to say something. But if you did, who knows what would happen. Until the situation is safe enough, and you had more answers, you would keep your mouth shut.
* * *
When you meant to wait until the situation got better, you didn't mean sit there for over a half hour and listen to Nene and Sakura complain to each other about the apparitions they're tied to. Not once did you put in commentary of your own, and you wouldn't be surprised if they forgot about your presence all together. You had no choice but to listen, often taking a sip of the sweet tea, munching on some of the pastries.
"You wanna know what's the absolute worst about Hanako? His mood constantly changes! It's random and I can never predict what his true intentions are! It drives me insane!" Nene complained, tears pricking her eyes as she whined.
"That sounds tough," Sakura resonated, looking at Nene with sympathy. Nene sniffled. "This tea's delicious." She complimented. She wasn't wrong, you didn't know what was in the tea, but it was certainly delicious.
"It's green tea infused with white peach. Here, have some more." Sakura offered, handing the tea kettle to Nene, who was quick to pour herself another cup. "Thank you!" She said, grateful.
"Anyways, he also always says weird, misleading stuff and it gets on my nerves, he harasses me, makes me and M/n clean toilets for hours and never considers my feelings!" Nene whined, pausing to take a sip of tea. Nene wasn't wrong in her claims, sometimes, Hanako would get on your nerves as well.
"He also calls me a daikon which I'm NOT!" Nene cried, slamming her hands on the table in frustration. The sudden ferocity from her surprised you, she really didn't like Hanako's daikon jokes. . .
"A daikon?" Sakura asked. Nene nodded her head in defeat, saddened.
"I can definitely sympathize with most of that. My master's awful too. He's irrational, impossible to control, and has no sense of personal space." Sakura explained her troubles, looking down into her almost-empty tea cup.
Apparently, she didn't care that the apparition she was tied to was right next to her. He looked flabbergasted by her claims, and he grabbed her by the shoulders. "Are you talking about me?" He asked with wide eyes and agape mouth.
"Yes, please let go of me." Sakura said coldly. Unlike last time, he didn't listen, and instead, started clinging onto her like before, aggravating her.
"I can't make him behave, no matter how hard I try. So I've decided to see him more as a cat than a person." Sakura explained blankly.
You couldn't stand it anymore. You didn't want to be quiet. You wanted to know who the Hanako look-alike was.
"Who is he anyways?" You spoke up before anyone else, looking expectantly at Sakura. The tension in the room rose, and it was silent for a little while.
That was until the boy clinging to Sakura stood proudly in front of you. "Are you talking about me?" He asked, pointing his thumb into his chest. "My name's Tsukasa!" He finally introduced himself.
"I'm Amane's younger twin brother!" Tsukasa said, giggling and smiling like a little kid.
"You're his twin?" Nene said, confused out of her mind. You weren't surprised at Tsukasa's claims, he looked just like Hanako.
"Well, yeah! Didn't Amane tell you?" Tsukasa asked, his attention shifting to Nene. He was then in front of Nene, leaning over her. She quickly moved away.
"Hey! Quick question!" He asked, continuing his pursuit closer to Nene. That put you on edge, you didn't trust this kid, and he was getting extremely close to Nene.
"Is Amane good at smoochin' or no?" Tsukasa asked, puckering his lips for emphasization. The question was incredibly random and surprised both you and Nene. Nene erupted in an embarrassed blush and shook her head aggressively. "What?!" She exclaimed. Tsukasa moved closer, "You guys have smooched, right?" He pestered, leaning closer.
"NO! Of course we haven't! Why!?" She shouted again, louder this time around. Her face was a certified tomato. You were just about ready to get out of your seat and deal with this out-of-control-kid.
"Besides, he isn't even my type. Like, AT ALL!" Nene said aggressively, glaring holes into Tsukasa.
"Then have you? I know you two have always been close. ." And now, Tsukasa was right in front of you, questioning you. You jumped at how quickly he can show up in front of you, but quickly recovered. "No. I haven't kissed him. Why do you want to know anyways?" You said defensively, crossing your arms over your chest. You ignored the small blush that formed across your face at the thought of the question.
Kiss Hanako?
Never!
"I just want to know what's going on with Amane. After all, it's been so long since I've seen him~!" Tsukasa responded happily. Nene let her head fall onto the table in despair, drowning in her racing thoughts.
"Sakura." Tsukasa was now right in front of the green-ette, looking up at her with his signature sadistic smile. His voice was different from just before, he was more sinister. You didn't think he could get even more vicious, but you stand corrected.
Sakura's demeanor also changed. She seemed more fearful, reluctant about something. She slowly stood from her seat.
"This isn't easy on either of us. As long as we're bound to our masters, we can't defy their orders." She said, looking over at Nene.
"Yeah! That's how it goes!" Nene replied happily, clueless of the situation. Sakura hummed. "So, I'm sure you see why I have to do this," She said.
The room changed, it was no longer an elegant ballroom with colors of pink and gold and red. The walls were dripping substances you couldn't name, and picture frames on the walls fell and shattered upon impact. The lights changed to a deep, sickening green, and groans echoed throughout the room.
You were pulled out of your chair by Tsukasa. "Up and at em'!" He said, and he started dragging you towards the only exit in the room. You struggled against his strong hold. "Let go of me!" You shouted.
"Nene!" You called to the frightened girl, watching as the chair she sat in turned into what you could only describe as a monster. The chair's arm rests molded into a capturing device, holding her arms down.
"M/n!" Nene called back, tears springing her eyes as she watched her only hope being dragged away. She tried to move, but it was no use, the chair had a good hold of her. You made an attempt to free yourself from Tsukasa's grasp. Despite the younger ghost being smaller than you, he didn't seem to struggle when you tried to free yourself.
"Ah, ah, ah. . That's not very nice." Tsukasa taunted, patting your shoulder, his grip tightening with every passing second. The pain in your shoulder was unbearable, you thought he would be able to shatter your bone, and you instantly stopped struggling, focusing on the pain in your shoulder. Tsukasa smiled at your obvious discomfort, giggling.
"Let me go! Please!" Nene begged, tears streaming down her face. She wiggled in the chair, but it didn't work, the restraints didn't move an inch. Sakura looked over at Nene with pity. "Please believe me when I tell you this was never what I wanted. I'd like nothing more than to release you. . .But as you know, I have no choice but to do as I've been told," Sakura explained sadly. You felt nothing but resentment towards Sakura.
Tightening his hold on you, Tsukasa spoke up. "Amane and I are complete polar opposites. I guess you could also call us rivals? Arch Nemeses, maybe? Whatever, who cares. The point is: I need you to disappear for me," He finished, and Nene squealed with fear. The room started filling up with dirty water.
"Are you trying to drown me!?!" Nene gasped, looking around the room that continued to fill up with water, drowning anything in its way.
"I'm truly sorry, but I'm glad we at least got the chance to talk. So. .goodbye." Sakura said. The three of you moved out of the room, you being reluctant.
"Buu bye!" Tsukassa waved.
"Nene!" The doors shut, and you could no longer see Nene, could not longer hear Nene.
"What the hell are you doing!? Bring her back! Right now!" You demanded, voice cracking a couple of times from your urgency. Tsukasa shook his head. "No~, too bad. .I thought she was funny to listen to. . .but now she's gone. Oh well!" He taunted, shrugging his shoulders.
Tsukasa let go of you, and you turned around, gripping his collar, glaring holes into the despicable apparition. "Don't pull that with me! Get her back, Right Now!" You shouted, shaking Tsukassa back and forth. Sakura watched your interaction with Tsukassa, fiddling with her fingers, uncomfortable with the situation at hand.
Tsukasa smiled at you. "Well. .Too late!" He said amusingly as you continued to shake him.
"Maybe you two should stop. . ." Sakura suggested softly. But you didn't listen to her. "Tell me right now that she's going to be alright!" You demanded. Sakura was silent.
"I can assure you. . .she isn't~" Tsukassa answered, giggling. Your grip on his collar tightened, "You son of a-" You were rudely cut off.
"You know. . .I don't really like you. But unlike Nene, it would be useful to keep you alive," The smaller ghost said sadly.
You felt something puncture your stomach.
You looked down to find Tsukassa's arm lodged in your abdomen, blood leaking down his arm. Your breath hitched from the sudden pain that erupted in your stomach.
Sakura's eyes widened, watching as this happened, she quickly looked away, hugging her waist in discomfort.
"So for now, M/n, goodnight!" That was the last thing you heard before black spots clouded your vision, and you collapsed, giving into the world of darkness.
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"Tea parties are supposed to be peaceful. So, why is this happening?"
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