| {Kyouko's P.O.V.} |
"Well isn't this uniform just the cutest little thing," I mused as I held the large, royal-blue jacket up to my body, capturing the attention of everyone in the club room.
We had just gotten out of class, so everybody was still trying to shift out of their disinterested, brain-dead student mode. I had no trouble in accomplishing that because I was extremely excited for our first Stride match that would be taking place the upcoming day.
"That's obviously way too big on you," Hozumi pointed out as he gestured to my small body, not catching my sarcasm.
Instead of resting somewhere around my hips, the hem of the jacket reached more towards the tops of my knees. I knew it was too big, I was just trying to make a joke to liven up the mood a little.
"No shit, Sherlock," I answered in English, confusing everyone with the exception of Takeru who was trying to stack protein powder cans into a pyramid on top of the coffee table.
He really likes that protein drink...
"Watch your language, Kyouko," Takeru warned me half-heartedly as he tried to properly balance the cans on top of one another, fully focused on the task.
"I'd rather watch TV," I answered, not taking his words seriously. He sighed and continued to rearrange his cans, ignoring my silly comment.
After the wedding photo shoot with the surprise addition of Takeru, things had been a little different between us.
Takeru would actually go out his way to ask me questions about myself, and instead of giving me one worded answers whenever I asked him a question, he'd sometimes add on little stories of his own that would strike up fresh conversation.
Also, sometimes in class I'd catch him staring at me, and we'd make awkward eye contact for an uncomfortable fifteen seconds before I would finally decide to look away, too embarrassed to continue.
It was weird, but I thought it was kind of cute of him.
I was finally starting to get to know him a little better, and I was more than happy about it.
As I unknowingly began to stare at Takeru's growing protein can castle, I was pulled from my trance by the sound of Riku's soothing voice.
"I always forget that Kyouko is from America because she speaks Japanese so fluently," Riku sighed as he stared at the colorful carp streamers hanging from the ceiling. He was laying on the ground, and his boredom was very evident on his face.
"Me too. It makes me want to try harder in my English class so I can actually understand what she's saying half of the time," Heath agreed as he began to remove more uniforms from the old box he had pulled out of a nearby locker, searching for our proper jersey sizes.
"I'm jealous of Fujiwara who can understand English so well, it's just not fair," Nana pouted as she rested her head on the windowsill, looking out onto the school grounds with sleepy eyes. It was very warm that day, so we had opened the windows to let some fresh air in.
She looks tired.
I knew she had been working very hard with her timings as our relationer. Ever since we had turned in our official entry for our match against Saikei Academy, she had been doing lots of work with Dan-sensei after practice to pinpoint our average and max speeds.
She had a bad habit of over exerting herself whenever something really important was coming up, and I was fully aware of this problem.
I waltzed over to Nana and snaked my arms around her shoulders from behind, trapping her in my embrace. I always had the tendency to hug people whenever they looked tired or upset, so hugs were considered a very casual and comforting thing in my book.
"It's okay Nana, it's not like I say anything important whenever I speak in English. I just like insulting people without them knowing," I informed her with an innocent look as I played with the ends of her ponytail, speaking truthfully.
"You're so funny, Kyouko," Nana laughed as she turned around to properly return my hug, me fully accepting it.
"I'm not funny. I'm just mean and people think I'm joking most of the time," I told her as I pulled away from our hug, poking her nose affectionately shortly afterwards.
"I think Kyouko has a dark side that most people don't know about," Ayumu observed, receiving nods of agreement from nearly everyone in the room. I shot him a playful glare and shifted my gaze over to the windowsill, suddenly deciding that I wanted to rest my arms on it.
A dark side, huh...
"Well, you guys know about that side of me, and that's all that matters," I smiled as I stared out the window alongside Nana, the soft breeze from outside wrapping me in it's warm, kind embrace.
I can't remember the last time I've felt this relaxed.
"I wouldn't care if Kyouko had a hundred different sides to her, I'd still want to run by her side," Hozumi declared sweetly, my cheeks turning a soft shade of pink in response.
Hozumi's randomly bold words always had such a weird affect on me, and most of the time, I had absolutely no idea how to react to them. I burrowed my face in the crevice of my elbow in a pathetic attempt to hide my burning cheeks, not really in the mood for teasing. Nana saw this and she giggled at my dilemma, an all-knowing look painted on her features as she peered down at me.
Nana was fully aware of my recent boy troubles, and she thought it was funny to see me get all embarrassed over such things.
"I agree with you, Hozumi. It's hard to keep up with her, but it's always worth the chase once you finish. Then you get to see that big cheesy grin of hers," Heath teased as he horribly imitated my smile, resulting in a room full of laughter.
"That's true, Kyouko's smile really is fantastic," Riku added as he lifted himself into a sitting position, half of his body still strewn across the floor.
"I don't smile like that!" I lightly snapped, Heath rolling his eyes at me in return.
"Yes you do, and it's a beautiful sight," he smiled as a strong breeze made it's way though the window, triggering my senses.
It smelt like Spring, and I suddenly felt the urge to be outside, following the wind.
I feel like running.
It was the day before a race, so we were going to go for an easy jog once we got our whole uniform situation figured out. Heath was too busy chatting the day away with Riku and Hozumi about my stupid smile, and I was beginning to grow impatient.
I have an idea.
"Heath, can you pass out the god damn uniforms so we can actually start practice?" I asked him sassily as I glanced out the window, trying to determine the distance from the ground to the second floor.
It's not all that long of a drop...
He gave me incredulous look before placing a hand over his chest, feigning a look of false hurt.
"You're so harsh Kyouko. I'm over here trying my best as team captain while you're over there patronizing me-" I didn't hear the rest of his statement, because I was too busy jumping out the window.
"K-Kyouko! What are you doing?" Nana shouted worriedly as I flew past her head, using the windowsill as a kickstand to push myself further away from the building as I began my fall.
"I'm just going for a little run!" I shouted into the wind as my body was wrapped in nothing but air, a sudden rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins.
Everything felt as if it were in slow-motion, and I forgot that I was falling for a moment.
As I descended towards the ground, I looked around the school grounds, noticing the little things.
The field of lushes green grass next to the track that no one seemed to care about, the vibrant blue sky that looked down on us everyday as we walked from class to class, the cracked pathways that led us throughout the campus, silently guiding us to our desired destinations without wanting a single thing in return; it all just sort of sparkled as I fell.
Everything looks so beautiful when you're falling.
A strong gust of wind pulled me back to reality, and I realized that I was approaching the ground rather quickly.
I readied myself for a proper barrel roll into a nearby patch of grass and positioned my heels so they would take most of the blow, not wanting to hurt my knees like I had in the past.
I perfectly executed the landing and rolled my way into a steady jog, ignoring the furious Heath who had his head stuck out the club room window, yelling at me.
"God damn it, Kyouko! That was dangerous!" Heath scolded me as I ran off, smiling like an idiot.
There had been a few students walking nearby, and they were frozen with shock, not believing what they had just witnessed.
I guess people around here just aren't used to seeing girls fall from the sky.
"Make sure to find me a jersey that fits, Heath!" I waved without looking back, picking up my pace.
"I'll give you the largest jersey I can find!" He shouted, slamming the window shut before I could retaliate.
He better not.
I continued my run, taking a more scenic route to soothe my senses. As I ran, I thought more about the race that would be taking place the next day.
It wasn't a match where our positioning as a team would be affected, but I was still sort of nervous about it. I had never ran in a Stride match against another school, so it would be a total first for me.
What if I screw it up?
Before my mind could be consumed by negative thoughts, I remembered all the effort we had been putting into our training as a team for the past couple of weeks, and I suddenly felt better.
It's not a very serious match, but I don't care.
We'll win.
~ ~ ~ The next day...
"Did anyone make sure that the windows were locked? We don't want a repeat of what happened yesterday," Heath stated bitterly, shooting me a sharp glare as he readjusted his hairband.
I put my hands up in defense, not ready for a fight.
"Sorry, I should've warned you guys about my terrible habit of jumping out windows," I whistled, taking a sip from my protein drink. Takeru had offered me some of his protein powder that morning, and it really wasn't all that bad.
It tasted like chocolate milk.
"Kyouko jumping out the window was a very eye-opening experience," Ayumu sighed as he pulled on his jacket, getting ready for the race just like the rest of us.
He wasn't going to be racing, but he was our back up runner. If one of us were suddenly unable to race, he was our go-to guy.
"True that. I thought my heart stopped when I saw her fly off like that," Riku laughed, pulling his hair back into it's little poof with a black hair tie.
We were all sitting in the room Saisei had provided for us, waiting for our cue from Dan-sensei to start warming up. Heath had properly distributed us our uniforms the previous day, and I was wearing a jersey that fit somewhat better than the last one.
It's still too big, but that's whatever.
"Is everybody properly hydrated? It's rather hot today," Hozumi asked as he messed with the fringe of his light-yellow scarf.
"If it's so hot, then why are you wearing a scarf?" I asked bravely, finally deciding to question him about his strange running attire.
It always confused me as to how he could do all those cool tricks whilst wearing something as distracting as a scarf. Plus, it was hot outside and we would be running, so why would he wear an article of clothing that corresponds with cold weather?
"'Cause it's cute," he answered happily. I paused.
"Well that makes perfect sense," I snorted, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Don't be rude, Kyouko. If Hozumi wants to wear a scarf even though it's hot, let him do so," Takeru lectured me with unwavering eyes, almost reminding of my mother.
"I know, I was just kidding. I think Hozumi's style is cute, even when he's running," I finished as I slipped on my running flats. Hozumi shot me a curious look before smiling sneakily to himself, satisfied with my choice of words.
I looked down at my wrist-watch only to discover that we still had a retched thirty minutes until warm up time, and I groaned in frustration.
I'm bored.
There was literally nothing to do but sit around and wait, and I still didn't know who I would be racing against.
Curiosity taking over my actions, I twirled across the room to where Heath was standing to ask him about our competitors. I poked at his side.
"Heath~ Who will I be racing against this fine day?" I asked as I got onto my tippy-toes. I wanted to feel taller whilst standing next to his tall figure, even if it was only a little bit.
When he realized what I was trying to do, he released a solid laugh. Shaking his head in disapproval, he placed his large hand on top of my head and pushed me back down to my original height.
"I was about to announce that," he ruffled my hair before walking over to his bag to retrieve a piece of paper.
He looked over to the other occupants of the room once the paper was safely placed in his hands. "Everyone, gather around so I can give you your racing order."
Naturally, we all formed a small circle around Heath as he began to read off our racing order.
"Riku, you'll be starting against Asuma Mayuzumi. Riku will pass off to Hozumi, who will be racing with Bantarō Chiyomatsu, also known as the 'Trickster of Saisei'. I'll be running against Tasuku Senoo. Kyouko, you'll be running against Kaede Okumura, and Takeru will be the anchor racing with Reiji Suwa, the captain of Saisei," Heath listed off clearly for all of us to hear, letting the information sink in.
Kaede Okumura...
I had never heard the name before, but I was very anxious to meet the guy.
"So I'll be racing against another trickster, huh?" Hozumi smiled to himself, thrilled by the news.
"Asuma Mayuzumi... I wonder what kind of person he is," Riku pondered, leaning back in his chair.
"I'll try my best to lead us towards victory," Takeru stated confidently, earning a few affectionate smacks on the back from Ayumu and Riku.
"That's the spirit, Fujiwara!" Ayumu cheered, sliding an arm around his shoulders even though he was significantly shorter than him. As the boys burst into lively conversation about the race, Nana continued to stand in the center of the room, spacing out.
I hope she'll be okay, since this is her first time relationing for an official match.
"Heath, who will be relationing for Saisei?" Nana asked shakily as she stared at the wall with empty eyes. She looked nothing like her usual self.
"Umm, it says here that the relationer for Saisei is Shizuma Mayuzumi, the older brother of that Asuma guy," Heath answered, placing the information sheet on the table in front of him.
"I-I see..."
My heart clenched with concern.
"Nana, are you feeling alright?" I asked softly as I stood up from my chair and walked towards her. She looked up at me with wide eyes before shaking her head quickly, taking a defensive step away from me.
"I'm perfectly fine! You shouldn't be worrying about me, think about your race," she smiled, voice wavering.
Perfectly fine? Yeah right.
"Are you joking? You don't look fine at all, let me help you. What's on your mind?" I asked as I took her shaking hands into mine, eyes filled with friendly determination. I knew that something was bugging her, and I wasn't about to let her deal with it all by herself.
She sighed before spilling out all of her anxieties, squeezing my hands tightly as she did so.
"I'm worried about the race. What if I get my timings wrong? I know I've done the math, but still..."
I smiled sadly at her minor trepidation.
"Nana, you'll be perfectly fine. Don't think about the other school or the timing, just think about us," I told her as I placed my hands on her shoulders, staring directly into her big brown eyes.
"Think about how much fun we're having while we run, not about the times."
I could feel her body relax beneath my hands as she released a huge sigh of relief. She looked up at me with that big, cheerful smile of hers, and I instantly knew that she was feeling better.
"Okay, Kyouko. I'll try my best to connect your guys' feelings, just like we've been practicing," she smiled, jumping into my arms for a warm hug.
"Now that's what I'm talking about! Let's win this, together," I cheered as I slightly rubbed her back, happy that she wasn't stressed out like before.
"Hey guys! Ten minutes 'till warm up time, I suggest that you do your last-minute preparations now while you still can. Bathroom trips are highly recommended," Heath announced, and I was suddenly hit with the urge to pee.
Damn it.
"I think I'll make a little trip to the ladies room," I said as pulled away from Nana's embrace, walking towards the door.
Before I could reach for the door handle, my hand was suddenly grasped by someone else's, preventing me from finishing my task.
"I'll escort you there. We don't want you getting lost before the race or anything," Heath sighed as he released my hand, reaching over my shoulder to open the door for me. His body casted a large shadow over mine as he leaned forward, and I suddenly became very conscious of our drastic differences in height.
"You don't have to do that, I'll be fine," I tried to reassure him, only to receive a dubious look in response.
"Kyouko, you're literally late to everything. The last thing we need is one of our runners running late to their own race," Heath huffed as he lightly pushed me out into the hallway, forcing his assistance on me.
I sighed in defeat, not having a strong enough rebuttal for his perfectly valid reasons.
"Fine. You're not coming into the bathroom with me though," I joked as I began to walk in the direction of the restrooms, almost leaving him behind.
"Wasn't planning on it," he grunted, instantly catching up to me.
It suddenly became very quiet as we navigated our way through the seemingly endless hallways of the building.
"Why did they have to give us a room so far away from the bathrooms?" I groaned, dragging my feet as I walked in front of Heath.
I don't like walking, it's boring.
"Quit your whining, aren't you the girl who totally destroyed me in that race a couple of weeks ago?" he asked, the memory sounding sour as it left his lips. I turned around to look at him, daringly walking down the hallway backwards.
"Yes, I am. Walking and running are two completely different things, and I dislike walking for long periods of time," I told him matter-of-factly, feeling sassy.
I wasn't completely over all the lecturing he had given me after the whole 'Jumping out the club room window' incident, so I was feeling sort of bitter about him following me to the bathroom to keep an eye on me.
I'm not dumb enough to miss the race. What kind of person does he think I am?
"That doesn't make any sense. Oh, you might want to watch out for that wall-" he began to warn me, but was interrupted by my body bumping straight into his chest, sending us both toppling to the floor.
There had been a random dividing wall in the center of the hallway, and I (being my clumsy self) backed straight into it, resulting in our fall.
I braced myself for a hard landing, but it never came.
When I opened my eyes, Heath's face was right in front of mine, and I froze; not knowing what to do.
I had landed on top of his chest, and the rest of his body had perfectly cushioned my landing.
This was totally my fault.
"Oh shit, I'm sorry Heath, are you okay?" I asked worriedly as I slightly lifted myself off of him to get proper look at his face, checking for any visible injuries.
I always felt bad whenever my clumsiness resulted in the people around me getting hurt, so I pushed aside my previous frustrations about Heath's behavior and tried to focus more on his well-being.
"I'm okay with this nice position," he smirked as he glanced at the little amount of space between our bodies. My cheeks burned relentlessly at his words.
We were in a rather embarrassing position. I was just too distracted by other things to notice it right away.
Heath's back was flat against the tiled floor, and my chest was pressed up against his, giving him a full view of the nearly hidden cleavage beneath my jersey. My knee was placed snugly in between his legs, and my face had momentarily been smushed into the crook of his neck, giving me a huge whiff of his cologne.
He smelt like something sweet and spicy.
Overwhelmed by embarrassment, I struggled to find my words as I tried to lift myself off of him.
"W-what are you saying? I'm sorry for pushing you over, I'll just get off of you now-"
Before I could lift myself up however, my lower back was suddenly pressed down by an unknown source, bringing my face back into its original place by Heath's neck.
Did he just pull me back down?
"I wouldn't mind staying like this for a bit longer," he grinned, his right hand keeping a firm hold on my lower back as his left one traveled up towards my head to softly stroke my hair.
At that point, I was too overwhelmed to speak.
But I couldn't help but think the way Heath held me like that was rather comfortable. I was warm, and I felt safe.
What am I thinking? What if someone finds us like this?
"Heath, why are you doing this? Let me go before someone sees us-"
"Oh my, what's going on here?" the unfamiliar voice of a male interrupted my desperate plead, causing my body to go rigid with fear.
Shit.
"Whoops, looks like we got caught," Heath whispered huskily into my ear, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.
Ignoring Heath's unbelievably sexy whisper, I slowly looked over to the person who had stumbled upon our weird hallway moment, mentally cursing myself once I saw who it was.
Reiji Suwa.
- - -
Chapter 7!
Phew! That took a while~
Sorry for taking so long to update! I've been super busy lately, so I haven't gotten time to properly write up some more chapters :/
I'll be pushing the race into the next chapter along with a few other little things, so look forward to the proper introduction of the Saisei boys!
Thanks for reading, I appreciate all of your support so unbelievably much!
~Bell