—Spring is in the Air (and Darkness is on the Horizon)—
—Skylar—
"The first years are so cute!" Tohru says happily, a wide smile on her face as she chats with Hana and Uo. "It would've been nice to see Kyo and Uo at orientation, though."
"Too much effort," they say at the same time.
"And, even if it wasn't, there's too much pollen outside," Uo complains.
I chuckle, shaking my head.
It's Spring, which means a new year is starting. It's been a week or so since we've been in classes, so everyone's struggling to get into the groove of things. For now, since the bell hasn't rang, the five of us are hanging out around Kyo and Uo's assigned seats. Both of them are lucky enough to be sitting next to the window this semester, so, with the windows open, it's the best place in the classroom. At the moment, Kyo has a comic in his hand, though, barely paying attention to us. I'm sitting on the window ledge next to him, basking in the breeze, with my legs crossed on his desktop, leaving just enough room for Kyo to prop his legs up. Tohru's sitting in front of me, talking animatedly with Hana next to her, but Uo's sitting in front of Kyo, a doctor's mask covering her face thanks to her allergies.
"Where's Prince Charming anyway?" Uo wonders.
"Oh, he and Aly are busy with the orientation committee," Tohru answers brightly.
"Prince Charming might just make class president this year, huh?"
"Bet Yuki would just love that," I mutter.
"Who gives a damn?" Kyo grumbles, stretching his legs on the desk a bit, making sure not to knock my legs off in the process. "Let that stupid rat do what he wants."
"That's not very nice, Kyo-Kyo~" I say.
"Don't call me that, dammit!" he hisses.
I snicker.
"Wait a second!" Uo interrupts our banter, pulling down the mask so we can understand her better. "There are more Sohmas here? What are they like? Boy or girl?"
"They're both boys," Tohru chirps. "One of them was at the cultural festival."
"Go bring them here, Kyo-Kyo," Uo demands, looking at Kyo.
"Yes, fetch," Hana adds.
I laugh as Kyo drops his feet, glaring at them. "Why me!? Why don't you make her do it!?" he growls, throwing an agitated hand my way as I laugh harder. "She probably wants to see them anyway!"
Hana leans in menacingly. "Why would we send Sky to do such a difficult task? We both know her health is terrible."
"But it's okay to make me do it!?"
"Of course," Uo says easily.
I hop off the desk, chuckling a little more just to get it out of my system. "Don't worry, guys; I got it~ I was planning on hunting Aly down in a few minutes anyway~"
"Now look at what you've done." Hana looks at Kyo with a blank face, which is somehow scarier. "You've made her feel bad for you."
"Yeah, Carrot-Top. At least go with her to make sure she's alright," Uo says.
I wave them off. "I'm not totally fragile, you know." I look at Kyo. "But since you seem to be itching to stretch your legs — and we haven't hung out a lot lately — why don't you come with me?"
"You two haven't hung out lately?" Uo wonders as Kyo's face heats up. "Don't you live together?"
"Well, yeah, but Aly and I were working in the mornings since it was break, and Kyo trains in the evening, so~" I shrug.
"Aww. Were you ignoring your girlfriend, Kyo-Kyo?" Uo demands. "That's no way to keep her interested."
"She's not my girlfriend, dammit! And you!" He points at me. "Don't give them the wrong idea!"
I tilt my head. "What wrong idea?"
He opens his mouth to answer then closes it with a click, face turning a deeper shade of red even as he's glaring at me.
"Anyway, do you wanna come?" I ask innocently, changing the subject.
His brows are drawn in anger, but something in him switches off, and his muscles relax as he ruffles his hair instead. "Hell with it," he grumbles, standing up.
I grin, heading towards the door. Somewhere behind me, I hear a vague "they're the only ones who can't see it, huh?" but I ignore it and walk out the door and down the hall with Kyo, searching the classrooms we pass for any signs of them.
"So, what class are Momiji and Haru in?" Kyo asks, gaze lazily sweeping his surroundings.
I look up. "Um..."
His look is incredulous. "You mean you don't know?"
"Well, you know, I didn't really think it'd be important..."
"What!? How would it not be important?" he demands.
I shrug. "I figured we could just find them."
"Dammit, Skylar!" he growls. "Were you planning on searching the whole school?"
"Uh, maybe?"
"You're such an idiot!"
I laugh uneasily, rubbing my head.
Grumbling, he heads towards a group of freshman girls. "Hey, have you seen a couple of guys — last name Sohma? One's blond; the other has black and white hair."
"Y-yes. They're in our class," a girl with short, brown hair stammers.
"Go get them for me, will ya?"
"Yessir!" they say at the same time, rushing off to the room.
Just as I'm about to go to him — to tease him about those girls, who obviously had hearts in their eyes when they were talking to him — my foot catches a crack in the tile at a weird angle, causing me to fumble before I finally crash land on my butt.
"Ouch," I mumble, rubbing my back.
"Why didn't she even ask what class they were in?" Kyo wonders, sighing. "And now she's fallen again."
I'm going to say something smart in retort, but I get distracted by another voice.
"See that girl over there?" a boy says. "She's cute, huh?"
"Yeah, she's cute, but did you see that wipe out? She's a total klutz," another one, standing next to him, agrees.
Well, excuse me~
I stand up, brushing dirt off of the back of my skirt, scowling at the floor.
"You idiot! Don't you see the blonde hair? She's foreign!"
"Come to think of it, I did hear about two American transfers that were going here..."
"Exactly! And don't you know that blondes have more fun or whatever? They're totally down for anything!"
My grip on my skirt tightens, but I make myself relax, dusting myself off absently, trying to make it seem like I'm not even paying attention.
Try it, buddy. I dare you.
"Maybe I'll go talk to her and—"
As I prepare myself for them to come over, something hits the wall above my head, creating a loud bang. I look up to see Kyo towering over me, fist planted firmly in the wall, face the picture of protection. His eyes flicker to the two guys, narrowing, daring them.
They quickly get the picture, scared in their tracks, and turn around, making a quick get away.
When they're gone, Kyo turns to me. "At least act like you have the grace of a normal human when you're by yourself. Keep tripping over everything, and you'll get kidnapped."
I blink, not processing what he's saying.
I'll get kidnapped? By who?
He hits the back of my head, causing me to fall forward, nearly on the floor again, but he grabs my arm just in time, steadying me. "Stop tripping over nothing like an idiot, idiot."
"It's not like I do it on purpose~" I argue, pouting.
"Well, when you're by yourself, you'll end up getting attacked by people like those dumbasses! Do you want that!?"
"Fine~" I grumble, letting my hands fall to my side. "Then I'll stand perfectly still without moving."
He sighs. "I said when you're by yourself. You can be as clumsy as you want when I'm around."
I stop, tension releasing all at once when I look at Kyo. "Thanks." I smile.
"I—I didn't mean anything weird by that either!" he says quickly. "It's not like I want you to be a klutz or something."
I blink. "Why would you want me to be a klutz?"
He frantically stutters, avoiding my eyes as his face heats up again. "Well — I mean — those guys mentioned it, but I—"
"I know," I assure him.
He fizzles out then, deflating, and I chuckle.
"Hallo!" someone shouts from down the hall.
We look over and see Momiji running towards us, waving, with Haru behind him. He's wearing a girl's uniform — skirt and everything — instead of the black blazer and matching pants Kyo and Haru are wearing, and I notice the socks he has on have little yellow rabbits on them. He even has his name scrolled on the velcro straps of his shoes.
Kyo doesn't take too well to the attire and nails Momiji with his impressive left hook. "Are you stupid!?"
"'Sup?" Haru joins.
"Well, at least you're not wearing a girl's uniform too," Kyo says.
"It's fine, isn't it?" Haru comments, shrugging. "It looks good on him."
"What difference does that make!?"
"No, Haru makes a good point," I agree. "I didn't even think twice about it — that's how good it looks on him."
"Thank you, Skylar~" Momiji sings, grinning brightly.
"What the — Momiji, what in the world are you wearing?" Yuki asks, sighing a little as he also joins our group.
"There you are!" Aly peeps in from beside him. "Uo and Hana said you and Kyo left to get Haru and Momiji forever ago!"
"It wasn't forever ago," I say, crossing my arms. "Only, like, ten minutes. Tops."
Haru ignores everything else and flits to Yuki's side, grabbing onto the tail of his uniform blazer.
"Yes, hello to you too, Haru," Yuki deadpans.
"So, are you two done now or what?" I ask.
Aly shakes her head. "Not yet. We actually just stopped to see everyone before we have to collect the class rosters."
"Boo~ Must be hard~" Momiji chirps.
"If you think so, why not stop making our lives more difficult?" Yuki asks pointedly.
"Oh, that's right!" he starts, hopping up and down like the bunny he is. "I'm really not supposed to goof around too much when I'm here, 'cuz, if I do, it'll be too easy for me to crash into girls, so I'm gonna try to play it cool in school!"
"How the hell can you call wearing a skirt cool!?" Kyo demands.
"A valid point, Kyo Sohma, class 2-D, and while I have a problem with your and your girlfriend's hair, I'm going to ignore it for a moment." Takei, the current student council president, appears out of nowhere, pointing at Momiji. "What I cannot ignore is why a boy is wearing a girl's uniform. It's outrageous! And while your teachers may allow it, I will not. For I am the captain of the school's defense force!"
"What a complete idiot," Yuki, Kyo, and Haru all mutter in unison, even as the two girls that were with Takei clap their hands.
"I can already see that you're going to be a problem student," he continues, unphased by the lackluster response. "Same to you, Hatsuharu Sohma. I will not tolerate that white hair or those gaudy necklaces."
"President Takei, that's his natural hair color," Yuki intervenes.
"Oh, Yuki, so good to see you!" I think he even blushes a bit. "But natural color!? How is that possible when I can clearly see his roots are black!?"
"Yes. That's also natural."
"I don't believe it! It defies all logic!" The president turns to Momiji, pointing again. I notice Haru's brow twitch as Takei continues, "And what about your uniform? Are you telling that it's natural, too, Momiji Sohma!? Don't you have any manly pride!? Right now, you're traveling full-speed down the road to failure!"
Haru's eyes narrow, his face contorting, and Aly and I share a look.
"Calm down, president," Aly interjects as we both stand in front of Momiji. "You're being too harsh."
"Yeah. Looks have nothing to do with whether he passes or fails, prez," I say.
"If I am being too harsh, Alayna Hall, it is only because he needs to learn quickly," he clips before directing his finger at me. "And if looks have nothing to do with success, how come you have various dates on the roof, Skylar Hayes? It appears that the old saying about blondes is correct, doesn't it?"
My eyes widen at the same time there's an audible growl.
"Shut the hell up," Haru says, voice dark. "Quit acting like your king of the friggin' mountain, you arrogant son of a bitch."
Everyone freezes, especially the president.
He gets closer to the president, practically shoving Aly and I out of the way. "Let me ask you somethin', king: if I wear a tie, will it change who I am? If I have no piercings, will it mean I'm nice? Most importantly: if my hair was black, do you think it'd stop me from kicking your ass?" He snatches Takei by the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer. "Who do you think you are, anyway? Do you think you're God? Huh? Is that it?"
Black Haru.
"THAT'S INCREDIBLE!" he shouts, shaking Takei. "WHY DON'T YOU SAY SOMETHING THEN, GOD? MAKE A SOUND!"
"Enough! Cut it out," Kyo intercepts. "You can't fight an amateur!"
"Stay out of this, stupid cat!"
"Don't call me stupid, ya damn punk!"
"You're the one who ran away from our last fight with your tail between your legs!" Haru shouts.
"You decided it was over!"
"I was trying to help your girlfriend!" he shot back.
"She's not my girlfriend, dammit!"
"Why you — are you on his side? Are you saying he's right!?"
"No! I'm saying you're both crazy as hell!"
"Fuck that!" he grouses out, turning on one of the girls with Takei. Without hesitating, he puts a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, sweetheart, tell me something, okay? You think Momiji's outfit's okay, don't you? In time, after he gets a little taller, he'll be able to start wearing men's clothing, if you think he looks good in that skirt, just imagine what he'll look like as an adult."
They pause. "Oh my~"
"Don't be brainwashed!" Takei keeps at it. "What's with you!? This is nonsense!"
"Oh, really?" Haru raises an eyebrow. "What if Yuki wore a girl's uniform?"
It's Takei's turn to pause, glasses flashing.
"Haru, cut it out or I will cut you off," Yuki threatens.
"Aw, don't be mad," Haru soothes, placing a finger to Yuki's lips. "I was just trying to make a point."
"It's beautiful..." Takei whispers eventually.
"Stop imagining me!" Yuki snaps.
Takei clears his throat, having the decency to look at least a little embarrassed as he fixes his ties. "Yes, well, you are a worthy opponent, Hatsuharu Sohma, BUT YOU'RE HAIR IS UNACCEPTABLE, AND YOU'LL NEVER CONVINCE ME IT'S YOUR NATURAL COLOR!"
Haru's eyes sharpen at the challenge, and he easily grabs Takei by his ties, dragging him into the bathroom without another word.
When the door opens again, Takei's face has a sickly blue hue to it.
"Impressive evidence. There are still many strange things in this world unknown to me," he manages to get out before turning on his heel. "You may have won today, Sohma, but you won't be so lucky next time!"
He and his helpers scurry away, leaving us all in dumbfounded silence.
"So, who were those people?" Momiji asks innocently, barely aware of the fact that he was in the middle of it.
"Beats the hell outta me," Haru says, leaning against the wall with an accomplished look on his face.
Yuki and Kyo slump over, exhausted already.
"Did he imply you're promiscuous on the roof?" Aly wonders.
I shrug. "I guess. I wasn't really listening."
"I thought you only went up there with Kyo," she continues, ignoring the way Kyo's shoulders tense.
"Yeah, but it's supposed to be a secret since we're not allowed on the roof, so I'm not sure how he knows."
"Maybe Minami?" she offers, tilting her head as she thinks about one of Yuki's crazed fans.
"Maybe, but she hates you more than me, and I don't see why she'd bother telling Takei when it has nothing to do with Yuki."
She hums as she gets lost in thought, clearly puzzled, and I take this opportunity to look at Haru. "Hey, Haru, Aly was wondering how you proved what your natural hair color is."
She looks up, eyes wide as Haru smirks and stalks over, grabbing her chin with his right hand. "Hm? You really wanna know? In that case, why don't we just cut to the chase and do it?"
"Uh, wait, I didn't—"
"Don't worry about it. We can do it without actually embra—"
He's cut off by Yuki's knuckles.
I snicker as Aly's eyes widen. "Um?" she practically squeaks.
"It's over now, Miss Hall — just ignore it," he says easily as he straightens.
"Uh, well, okay?" she says slowly, too confused to keep up, and I mentally smirk.
Nice defense, Yun Yun~
Haru opens his eyes and sits up, a bit discombobulated. "I'm kinda tired," he says, holding his head.
Kyo collapses, he and Yuki letting out sighs simultaneously. "You think you're tired," Kyo mutters.
The bell sounds, interrupting the chaos.
"There's the bell~" I sing.
"Time to collect the rosters," Aly says absently. "Hey, Yuki, do you think we could split up? You take one side of the school and I take the other?"
"That should be fine," he says slowly and reluctantly.
"I just thought we could get it done faster that way," she explains. "Plus, I wanted to walk Skylar back to class."
"Yes, that will work," he says a little more steadily this time.
"Perfect." She smiles. "Come on, Sky."
"Oh, wait!" I look at Haru and Momiji. "Would you two mind meeting Uo and Hana on the way home or something? They wanted to get to know you two."
"Skylar and Aly's friends? Of course I don't mind!" Momiji grins. "I can't wait~"
"Awesome~ Then I'll see you two after school~" I say, waving.
Kyo and Yuki take a step to follow us, but Momiji stops them, grabbing Yuki's pant leg. "Wait, you two~ Can you stay behind? I wanna talk to you."
Kyo looks like he's gonna say no, and Yuki sighs, both of them resigning themselves to whatever the rabbit has to say.
"Then I'll meet you at the student council office," Aly says at the same times I say, "Then I'll see you in class~"
"Sorry~" Momiji says, bowing.
"Don't worry," Aly reassures him, still smiling even as we walk away.
As soon as we turn the corner, though, her face falls, eyes hard.
"She's here, Sky," she says darkly.
"I know," I say with a sigh. "And we have VIP passes to meet her."
"Just don't say anything to make her hate us just yet," Aly warns. "We're a part of the family now."
"Yeah, I know," I repeat, making a face.
"You two look like you're having a serious conversation," a black voice says lowly.
Akito.
—x—
Told you the next update would be within a few days. And I never count the prefaces as updates, just little extras. At any rate, the next chapter should be up soon, since this one was a cliff hanger and I'm excited about writing it~ So, I'm gonna say either tonight or tomorrow at the latest, but we'll see. This volume is pretty intense from start to finish, so I hope you're ready, my cupcakes~(:
Update (5/18/2021): As per usual, rewrite updates are slow because I suck, and I can't help it~ Either way, I didn't change too much this chapter in this rewrite since it's a hectic chapter and a bitch to make it make sense in a word-format story. Sigh~ If only I could draw~ At any rate, I'm gonna to get the next chapter done so I can finally update instead of just these rewrite updates that I've been doing for almost two years (yeesh; I really do suck~).
Happy reading~(: