Original Published Date: August 2016
Edited Date: February 5, 2018
September 12, 2016 - Noon
"S-Shuuten?!" Kintoki's eyes widen. He suddenly lets go of Gil's kimono and hurriedly walks up to the two.
Gil stood there, astonished as to how the little girl referred to his own father "Daddy".
...Did it mean that the two of them are half-siblings?
Hinako was surprised to know that Shuuten's dad was also Gil's dad. It meant that they are siblings but only from another mother. At first, it made Hinako a little happy since she helped Gil's little sister find her way but at the same time, it saddens her. Gil's father has a child from the other woman. She's worried about her senior's emotional well-being.
"Shuu-Shuu, where's mommy?" Kintoki asks as he takes his child from Hinako's back. He looks at his daughter with a smile and asks, "Why are you not with her?"
"Mommy got lost, daddy. I was looking for her," Shuuten said in an adorable tone, hugging her dad by the neck. "Hina-nee helped me look for mommy!"
"'Hina-nee'?" He, then, looks at the brown-headed girl in front of him. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry if my daughter inconvenienced you. You're from Homurahara, right?"
"Ah, y-yes!" Hinako stands up straight, nervous as Gil's father talked to her. "My name is Suzuhana Hinako."
"Well, Suzuhana-san, thank you for looking after little Shuu-Shuu here," Kintoki happily said, looking at his daughter and placing his lips over her cheek. "You're a life-saver."
"It was nothing!" She waves her hands. "I had to help her."
"Thank you, really," Then his attention was diverted back to his daughter. "Let's go find mommy, okay?"
"Okay, daddy!" Shuuten brightly said.
Kintoki looks back at Gil with a frown. "I'll talk to you again when I have the chance."
Gil just remains silent, still looking at the purple-headed little kid his father was carrying.
"Say your good-bye to Hina-nee," Kintoki said.
Shuuten starts to wave her hand and smiles at the brown-headed big sister. "Bye bye, Hina-nee!"
Hinako's face softens and waves her hand lightly. "Bye bye, Shuuten-chan."
Then, the father and daughter starts to walk away in search of Yoriko, the mother of Shuuten and the wife of Kintoki. When they were no longer in sight, the tense atmosphere loosens up and calms Hinako's nerves. She, then, turns around to look at Gil, worried.
"Senpai?"
"What did you see?" He immediately asks as his gaze intensifies at his underclassman.
Hinako took a step back in fear. She can see it in his eyes, the anger and all of the painful emotions that's been welling up inside the golden-headed man. She hasn't felt this intense and suffocating aura around her upperclassman before. Does he really have an uncontrollable anger towards his father?
"T-The only thing I saw was Sakata-san holding your kimono tightly," Hinako replies, her voice getting quieter with each word due to fear. "Nothing else. Also, S-Shuuten-chan didn't see any of it.""
"Our conversation?"
She just shook her head, left to right. Hinako was really scared of Gil right now. He might not be able to focus properly on the tournament due to his anger. His pride, his ego - it's all coming back. It's been a while since she last experienced this personality of his.
"Senpai, please calm down," Hinako said in a soothing manner. She slowly made her way to Gil and stood in front of him with worried eyes. "Please, do not think about your father for the meantime. We came here to do something else and that's the kendo competition."
"I don't care about the competition!" He vents out a little of his anger but he hasn't exploded...yet. "What I need is a damn explanation! And that kid...! S-She's my...my...!?"
Hinako was seriously worried. So many thoughts raced inside the golden-headed upperclassman's mind. His father, that little girl, his father's reason - everything was mixing into an indistinguishable mush.
"Senpai, please," Hinako places a hand over Gil's hand that was over his forehead. "let's sit down and talk about this. You look like you needed someone to talk to."
"I don't need to talk to you. I need to talk to my father!" He slaps Hinako's hand away.
She felt rejected and it pains her heart. But, for the person she loves, Hinako tries again to let herself into Gil's life.
"I want to help you, Douji-senpai. I can't stand to see you like this."
Gil snaps at Hinako's constant pestering. It felt as if a dormant volcano just suddenly exploded without warning.
"How can you possibly help me, Suzuhana?!" Gil shouts, glaring at his underclassman. "How can you possibly know what I'm feeling, what I'm thinking, when you even don't have parents yourself?!"
Her eyes widen in shock and her heart skips a lot of beats. Tears immediately well up inside Hinako's eyes and uncontrollably, they fell down to her cheeks. It feels like a million and one arrows have pierced her chest and bled in sadness.
Gil, then, suddenly realizes his actions and the words he has let go. A raging surge of guilt courses through his whole body as he saw Hinako cry in front of him. She didn't make any sniffing sounds, she just cried. She just let the tears fall down from her eyes and drop to the grassy ground.
"S-Suzuhana, I..." He looks away, unable to handle the guilt as he looks at his underclassman more.
Hinako remains silent and just cries. Her hands clench in anger, opening and closing. She doesn't know how to react. She doesn't even know what to say. Yes, she doesn't have parents. She lost her mother and father four years ago. She held up all the pain and suffering by herself. She has no relatives that she can rely on, even if her grandparents are supporting her from afar. She only has herself.
Hinako thought before that she will always be alone, that she will walk a path of sadness in life. However, it changed when she met Marie and Fūrin. It all changed when she enrolled in Homurahara Gakuen. And, she developed these feelings for Gil. But now, her heart wavers and starts to cry in sadness.
Without a second thought, Hinako turns around and starts to walk away. But, she stops when someone grabs her hand from behind.
"Suzuhana, wait," Gil said, pleading.
She bit her lower lip. "Please, senpai... I'd like to be alone for a while," her tears just keep on falling.
"I didn't mean what I said. I was just..." He grits his teeth, irritated at himself for being such a douche and letting his mouth run just like that.
"Please, senpai. I don't...want to talk," Hinako tries to pull her hand away from Gil's grip but she wasn't able to. "I need some time alone...to calm myself down. Being here will not help me."
"Suzauhana-"
"Senpai!" She turns around, anger in her eyes. "I don't want to talk to you, all right?! Leave me alone! I... I..." Hinako clenches her fists.
She got a chance to run away and Gil didn't chase after her. He was guilty for what he said towards her. He didn't mean to say it. It's just that his anger for his father got the best of him and he vented out his long-kept feelings at Hinako. Gil was insensitive. He just let his mouth run. He didn't think about what the other person would feel.
"Damn it all to hell!!!" He punches the tree behind him in frustration.
A few feet away from where Gil was stands Asuto and Koujiro. They hid behind a decorative wall, worry in their faces. They didn't like about the things they have seen and it bothered them so much.
September 12, 2016 - Late Afternoon
The kendo competition ended with Hinako receiving a bronze medal in the rookie female category and Gil, as usual, receiving the gold medal for the masters category. Although, looking back in the competition, Hinako's actions were sloppy and she didn't give her full effort in defeating the enemy. She got defeated two times but still, she received a medal for it.
"Suzuhana-chan! Congratulations!" Asuto said in happiness, running towards his underclassman. She avoids him, though, and was rolling on the ground. "Why'd you avoid me?!"
Hinako's eye twitch. "You were going to jump on me, senpai."
"But I just wanted to give you a congratulatory hug," Asuto has a chibi tear hanging on the corner of his right eye while he fidgets his fingers.
Hinako calms down and releases a long sigh. "I lost," a small smile on her lips.
"Hey, winning isn't everything! At least you got a medal for your first time. You were great!" Asuto grins.
"Asuto-senpai is right."
Hinako looks to her right and saw her purple-headed upperclassman walking towards her. "Koujiro-senpai."
"Congratulations on getting your first-ever medal, Suzuhana-san," he smiles.
She bows her head at him. "Thank you, senpai."
"Although, you look troubled. Is there something wrong, Suzuhana-san?"
Hinako remains silent as she lifts up her head. She has a sad expression on her face. She doesn't want to get Koujiro nor Asuto involved with her fight with Gil. She doesn't want to express her feelings right now. However, little did she know that the two seniors know of what transpired between her and their captain. Koujiro just wants to make sure that his underclassman is all right after everything that had happened.
"I'm all right," even though it wasn't obvious. "I just feel a little down."
"Why?"
She fakes a smile. "Can't say."
Koujiro looks at Asuto with a worrying glare. All Asuto did was shake his head from left to right, indirectly telling the vice captain to not press any more questions and just let Hinako be for a while. Even if they do want to talk to her about it, they just can't.
"Suzuhana," he pats his underclassman's head. "please. If you need to talk to someone, you can talk to me."
"Y-Yes," she hid her blush of frustration, still feeling sad and angry for what happened today.
"And also me!" Asuto points at himself.
"Yes... Thank you, Sasaki-senpai and Juniyushi-senpai," and finally, Hinako manages to pull up a honest smile. "Thank you."
"S-Shuuten, where are you going?" A female voice sounds, worry in her tone.
'Huh? Shuuten-chan?' Hinako was surprised to hear that name.
"Hina-nee!" A purple-headed kid ran up to Hinako and tugs her hand. "Hina-nee!"
Hinako looks down and was surprised. It was, indeed, Shuuten, Kintoki's child. Hinako bends her knees to meet the little girl's level. "Hello, Shuuten-chan. Are you going home now?"
"Yes!" She nods in happiness with a cute pink blush. "I wanna thank you again, Hina-nee! Me and daddy found mommy!"
"That's great, Shuuten-chan," Hinako pats the cute kid's head. "I'm happy for you."
"Are you Suzuhana Hinako-san?" A woman with purple hair, the same as Shuuten, with a big bosom, approaches Hinako.
"Uh, yes," she stands up. "You must be Shuuten-chan's mother."
"Yes, I am. My name is Sakata Yoriko," she extends a hand for Hinako to shake.
Sakata Yoriko... She is Kintoki's new wife, the mother of Gil's half-sister, Shuuten. It felt awkward to meet her like this, knowing that she was the person whom Kintoki loved and the reason why he left Gil and his family.
"Suzuhana Hinako," she takes the older woman's hand and shook it once.
Gil was inside the bus, sitting beside the window and looking outside, particularly at the purple-headed woman and his supposed half-sister. Slowly, Gil clenches his fist, folding his fingers, trying to contain the anger.
'So, she's the woman that bastard chose over mother,' Gil thought.
Suddenly, Yoriko lifts her head and sent a smile towards Gil's way. It wasn't a smile of evil but a smile of apology and sadness. She knows that Kintoki's first son, Gil, is in the bus and was looking at them. The golden-headed man was shocked. Slowly, Gil looks away and pulls the curtains, hiding his teary eyes and conflicted face.
"It's time we go home, Shuuten," Yoriko said, picking up her child by the waist.
"Hina-nee, let's see each other again, okay?" Shuuten requests as she places her soft hands over Hinako's shoulders. "See you, Hina-nee!"
"See you, Shuuten-chan!" She pats the child's head. "Take care on your way home, okay?"
"Un! You, too, Hina-nee!"
"Take care on your journey, young Homurahara students," Yoriko said with a smile. "We'd best be on our way."
"You, too, Sakata-san. Take care," Asuto said, bowing his head. Koujiro did the same.
Shuuten waves back at her Hina-nee as she was carried by Yoriko and went home. Hinako waves back, a small smile on her lips. It really felt good to be called 'big sister' by Shuuten but the facts still remain. She is the supposed half-sister of Gil, daughter of Yoriko Sakata, the woman whom Kintoki Sakata chose over Gil's mother.
It was already nine in the evening when the kendo team arrived back at Fuyuki city. Teacher Kyuru lets Hinako and Gil get off before the Big Bridge since they wanted to make their trip home short. With the last of their good-byes, Hinako and Gil were left alone in a semi-quiet area.
They didn't talk after that dispute in the noon nor did they talk after the competition. Hinako and Gil stayed quiet between one another.
Being alone with the golden-headed man like this was awkward for Hinako. She can still feel the pain that stabbed her heart after Gil shouted his hurtful words. It agonized her in a way that she can't easily forgive her senior for it. Even though it was out of anger, still, he should have controlled his emotions and didn't hurt her feelings like that.
"Suzuhana, I'm sorry," Gil said from behind as they walk.
"It's all right," Hinako simply replies, not wanting to look back.
"No, it's not."
"It is."
"Suzuhana, it's not," he was getting irritated, picking up the pace.
"It is!" She turns around and yells. "Stop talking, all right?! I...I'm scared already!"
Hinako was starting to cry again. It shocks Gil.
"I'm scared that you'll say mean things to me again. I don't want people to point out the obvious anymore. I'm aware! I have no parents, all right? Just as you said, how can I help you in your situation? I just care, senpai. I just...care."
Gil's heart thumps in guilt and in agony. His words traumatized his underclassman. He didn't mean to be so mean towards her but he didn't have a choice. He was unable to control the feelings he felt for his father. Still, he knew that she should have done better.
Hinako kept on crying in front of Gil. She lowers her head and let the tears fall to the ground. She's still hurt after all those years of being left behind. She envies Shuuten for having a family. She envies Gil because he still has his mother and little brother. She envies everyone who has complete families. She felt out of place.
Then, suddenly, she felt the sudden warmth of an embrace. Slowly, he wraps his arms around her and pulls her into a hug. He locks himself onto her, as if to say sorry. Indeed, he was sorry.
"I did not mean to hurt you with my words, Suzuhana," Gil said as he looks up at the night sky while settling his chin on top of the brown-headed woman's head. "I did not mean to make you cry. I simply failed to see how much you were worried about me and how you care for me."
Hinako bites her lower lip, wanting to stop herself from crying even further. Everything just feels so painful, that she cannot find the right way to express her feelings.
"I hope you forgive me, Suzuhana," Gil quietly says, closing his eyes and releasing a single tear from his left eye. "I'm sorry."
To be continued: (Autumn) Chapter 30
-
Author's Note's | August 2016
Hi, guys! HanaYume23 here!
One chapter left before I choose who gave a nice last name for Hinako-chan. ^_^
Here are the mechanics: (CLOSED)
●Hinako needs a last name and I want you, my lovely readers, to come up with a fitting last name for her.
●Hinako's name is translated to 雛子 in Japanese. It can be read as "child doll" or "young bird".
●The last name must be in Japanese since the story is set in Fuyuki City, Japan.
●Plus points to those who construct their own last names with a beautiful meaning behind it.
How to send:
●You may send it to me via Private Message
Reward:
●(Autumn) Chapter 31 to 36 will be dedicated to the winner!
Deadline:
●After publication of (Autumn) Chapter 30
Note: One (1) person has submitted an entry.
Ganbatte nee! ^_^