I usually liked parties. Well, I enjoyed the festivals in the village. I didn't have to wear heavy robes and fancy hairdos. I could enjoy the lively chatter of dragons having fun. However, this was not the kind of party I wanted to be at.
And it was because of him.
A devil had taken away my sister and was making her giggle and smile like crazy. They were dancing near the edge of the open pavilion where the celebration was being hosted. The middle was reserved for adults dancing, so they stuck to the edge near some tables. I was seated at one of these tables, grumbling into a glass of juice. It wasn't fair. This wasn't fun. Why was that kid stealing my sister? Why was she so into it? Ugh.
"Someone's not having fun," a teasing voice whispered by my side.
Akira sat down in a chair beside me, reaching out to steal my cup. Hissing, I moved the cup away from their grasp. "Said who?" I asked, looking away.
"No one, but it's pretty obvious. You're sulking as if you got punished. Did you?"
"No," I huffed. "Yuki is ignoring me."
Akira chuckled. " I doubt that. She seems to be having fun with Mizuki's brother. Why don't you join them?"
I rolled my eyes. Yeah, totally. Let me join them so I can strangle that kid. I didn't even know why I was so upset. Maybe my mood was just too soured. It didn't really make sense to me, but Akira seemed to understand because they leaned in to hug me. They sighed, squeezing my shoulders lightly. "I see what the problem is. You're jealous."
"Yes!"
"Of Yuki."
What. I shrugged his arm off my shoulders to glare at him. "No," I hissed. "I'm jealous of that little devil. He's stealing Yuki's attention."
My brother raised an eyebrow at me. "Right. He's stealing Yuki's attention. Well, maybe joining them will help you feel less left out. Sulking here won't do anything, Rin."
Ugh. Why did they have to be right? "But, he's so...nice," I protested.
"I didn't know being nice was suddenly a bad thing," my brother laughed.
Okay, so they didn't get it. What, I don't know. But whatever it is Akira didn't get, it made them dumb. I looked over at where Yuki was with that kid, and they were still laughing and dancing. The charming bug even had an arm around my sister's waist! Even from here, I could see the blush on Yuki's face. My brows furrowed. Maybe I should go over there to keep Yuki away from that dragon.
"I'm going over there," I announced.
"Good luck, Bug," Akira said, watching me stand up and head over to the two giggling kids.
Haru was the first one to notice me. He smiled when I got closer, untangling himself from Yuki to wave at me. "Hi, Rin!"
Yuki turned to look at me with a similar grin. "Rin! Haru is soooo good at dancing. You should join us," she offered, reaching out to grab my hands in hers.
My sister pulled me into their little group, causing me to stumble a bit over my feet. She was so strong when she wanted to be. Haru smiled at me and my stomach fluttered. Why'd he have to be so...so...?
"You look really nice, Rin. I love your hair," he spoke up.
"Right?" Yuki jumped in, "Rin's hair is so smooth and silky. I wish my hair was as nice as theirs."
"Your hair is nice, too, Yuki," Haru replied.
Ugh. Yuki giggled as she let go of my hands to do a little twirl, her robes flaring out around her like an ocean of fabric. She always looked so beautiful in formal attire. Like an attendant of Ryūjin himself. Magnificent as she was, her large heart made her even more beautiful. That loving soul reached out no matter what. It annoyed me sometimes, like right now.
Yuki looked like she was having fun, but I wasn't. Haru laughed along and clapped to the beat of the music playing from the musician's platform. Looking between them, I felt a bit uncomfortable. Usually, I'd be twirling around with Yuki or dancing by myself, but now I didn't feel like dancing. That was until Haru turned to me when Yuki wandered off a little bit.
"Would you um," he began, looking away bashfully. His cheeks reddened as he fiddled with his fingers. "Would you dance with me, Rin?"
I blinked at him. Me? He wanted to dance with me? Why? Yuki was dancing already, so he could join her just fine. When he looked back at me to await an answer, I felt my insides flutter again. Oh, Ryūjin above, why am I feeling like this? Before I could even understand what was going on with my body, my head nodded and Haru smiled widely. He offered his hand out and I stared at it silently. Why me? Didn't he like Yuki? For some reason, I felt...happy. Was I glad he asked me to dance? Why??? He was just a charming devil.
My body moved amidst my inner turmoil and I placed my hand in Haru's. I could feel how warm he was. His palm was slightly sweaty, but soft and gentle—a sign that he never worked a day in his life like me. The soft skin of a noble dragon. I liked it. I hated to admit it to myself, but I felt that flutter in my stomach again when he wrapped his hand around mine and pulled me along.
As Haru tried to get us into a rhythm, I stumbled a bit. Dancing was something I was fascinated by, sure, but for some reason, I suddenly had two left feet. The little devil smiled and his other arm snaked itself around my waist, pulling me a bit closer. "Do you dance a lot?" He asked teasingly, mockingly.
My cheeks reddened and a huff escaped me. "Yes," I answered curtly, refusing to look at him and his stupid face.
"Relax. I won't hurt you. I just wanted to dance with you," he said, twirling us slowly.
I could hear the musicians slowing into some sappy song as the adults stopped clapping along to the lively music. To avoid looking at Haru, I looked around the pavilion and saw that a circle had been cleared out for Akira to dance with their new partner. They looked cute. Akira didn't look as sad as they did at the ceremony. By some chance, they caught my eye and smiled secretly. I could tell by the smile on my brother's face that they were probably going to gloat about how they were right, like always. Stupid future-seeing brother.
"Hey, Rin," Haru's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "I noticed you don't seem to like me very much. I'm sorry if I did anything to make you upset."
My head snapped up to look at him as I blinked slowly. He knew? Ugh, was I that obvious? Yet again, my cheeks heated up. They may as well be permanently red at this point. "I didn't know you knew," I mumbled, looking away again.
Haru laughed, twirling us again. "I noticed. I'm glad you're talking to me, though. I really want to be friends with you and Yuki. You're really cool."
"Cool?" I echoed curiously.
"Mhm," he hummed, smiling again. "I've seen you around at other events and stuff. You two always looked like you were having so much fun. When Mizuki got chosen for Akira, I was happy that I could see you more."
Oh.
We lapsed into silence after that. What else could I say? All evening, I'd been nothing but rude and closed off. Jealous. I felt like an idiot. Haru wasn't mean or rude or anything I thought. He seemed nice. I wanted to be his friend. Maybe I'd been jealous because Yuki was able to realize that sooner than me. Somehow, deep down, that answer still didn't make sense, but I pushed the thought away before I could dwell on it more. I just wanted to dance with my new friend.
When the dance ended, Haru let go of my waist and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Rin. You're a really good dancer," he complimented.
I ignored the compliment for a moment so I could ask him what I wanted to before I wussed out. "Do you-" I blurted, causing him to look at me curiously.
Clearing my throat, I looked away again. "Do you still want to be my friend?"
I didn't have a lot of those. I had Yuki, Akira, and my parents if I was loser enough to consider them as friends. Haru offering his friendship reminded me of how badly I wanted to leave our estate and see the world. Maybe befriending this charming little devil would be my first step to freedom.
Haru grinned and lunged at me. Before I realized what was happening, he was hugging me like his life depended on it. "Yes! I'll be your friend," he squealed.
When he let go, he smiled once more before running off to presumably find Yuki. I was left alone now, with just my thoughts. My face felt hot and my hand was still tingly from where Haru had held it. A friend. That thought made me feel lighter, giddy almost. As much as I hated to admit it, Akira was right. I just needed to go over and talk to Haru. I'm glad I did. I got a new friend out of it.
"When will you learn that I'm always right, lil' sibling," Akira's voice teased from behind me.
I turned around to glare at them. I'd step on their foot if I could, but I'm sure Noni would have my head for that. Onaeni too if he ever found out. With a huff, I answered my gloating brother, "You're so smug. Why should I even listen to you?"
Akira laughed and reached out to ruffle my hair, but I dodged their attack which made them laugh harder. Once they sobered up, they smiled gently. "I'm glad you have a new friend. It'll be good for you. I know it."
I see it was the unspoken part of that. I could tell. That made me happy. Haru would be a good friend to me. To think, I'd almost ruined it with my previous behavior.
As much as I hated to admit it, I should've listened to my brother more. Of course, being able to see the future would make Akira a reliable source of advice. They knew just what to say. They always knew more than they let on.
Maybe too much.
~~~
So I sat on this chapter for a bit because I was trying to get chapters 5 and 6 done. So, here you go! Chapter 5 will hopefully be out soon XD I had a sudden burst of new ideas recently that I'm really excited for!
Stay tuned for more insanity and thank you so much for reading!
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