Crescent Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Life Best Kept Secret ❯ Fainting is not just a spell ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Note to Disclaimers: I do not own Crescent Moon so don’t sue me. This is standard by now, I hope. If you try to sue me…then, well…that’s pretty stupid as I have nothing to give anyone. NO SUEING…PWEASE?!
A/N: This fic will remain A/U and the ratings are definitely for a mature audience. There is cussing, violence and nudity to come as well as more adult themes that may offend certain people—so I advise not to read it if you are not up for it. If there are any limes/lemons, they will be posted on Also, I don’t know if I mentioned the ages of the characters, but they are as follows: Mahiru, Mitsuru, Keiko are 20. Akira is 19. Nozomu is 22 and Misoka is 24. And yes, it’s ok and legal—at least in my story—for Mahiru to work at the place she’s working (a place that serves drinks…cough). Mahiru, Keiko and Mitsuru are in their sophomore year of college, Akira is a freshman and Nozomu and Misoka already graduated. Well, that’s all. Thank you and please do enjoy.
Word Coding:
‘Thoughts’ and some flashback type thingies, or possible emphasis on a word or words
“Speaking”
Everything else
A Life best kept Secret (Chapter 4)

Barely anything that had happened that day registered in Mahiru Shiraishi’s mind as she stood next to her last shelving cart; her mind felt hazy as she put all her weight against it. Her arms felt tired and sore from reaching up to place CDs in the taller shelves, her legs aching too from the strenuous amount of work she’d done. She could hear Keiko and Akira talking in the front as they ushered customers out of the store as it was closing in ten minutes. It was still enough time to shelve her small cart; enough time for her to doze off from lack of sleep, too. She’d now been working at the record store for a little over half the 2nd semester, school was in full session and she’d been working at least three times a week at her new job, mainly nights—she had the feeling she’d be working more, and soon at that. Her eyelids were feeling particularly heavy as she began to push the cart out the door, stopping momentarily to make sure she was going in the right direction. When she’d reached the proper section she immediately began placing the CDs in their correct racks, her fingers numb as she finished the first shelf. Her eyes wandered across the store to where Misoka and her brother were conversing. Nozomu had been coming around a lot since her father had left and since Oboro had suddenly disappeared for a trip out of town. She figured her brother was the one leading things with Misoka, as they both were older and seemed more experienced in this particular trade of work. As for her, she was content to keep to herself during work and ignore most of the things that occurred outside of the inventory room.

Most of those specific things had to do with Keiko, Akira, and the customers. But the one person she dreaded seeing but enjoyed working with was the one person who was always there whether she liked it or not—it all depended on the day. She sighed as she completed her last task of the day, eager to get to the back to clock in her timecard. Her mind was a blur, she had a test the next day and her eyelids were feeling even heavier than usual. She’d barely made it to the back when her eyelids drooped, which sent her cart ramming into the employee door. Coincidentally, Mitsuru was exiting the door at that moment as she slammed into it, knocking him backwards and waking her up. She fell back at the impact as Mitsuru came storming through the door, his eyes blazing like fire as he looked around for the culprit. Mahiru barely had time to gain her composure as her gaze lifted, her eyes meeting Mitsuru’s angry ones.
She gasped, stuttering as she tried to give a decent apology, her hands shaking as she tried to hold herself up. Reaching for the cart, which had somehow managed to drift back towards them, Mahiru tried to regain her balance enough to stand. She had managed to lift the top half of her body when suddenly the cart was sent flying yards away by a violent kick. The cart slammed into the nearest shelf, cracking upon impact as CDs crashed to the ground, cases splintering loudly. Customer fled, screaming as the tower supporting the CDs fell to the ground, cracking; glass sprayed everywhere. In their effort to escape they trampled Akira and Keiko who were holding various vinyls in their arms as well as their cash drawers. Money went flying around them but the customers showed no interest as they fled the sight. They were terrified; Mitsuru didn’t appear to care as he continued on his mini-rampage. Mahiru shuddered as she fell back again, avoiding the glare that her co-worker sent her way. She cowered as Mitsuru reached down, his hand encircling her arm and he yanked her upwards in a rough manner.

“Watch where you’re going, you idiot!” Mitsuru was scowling as he looked at her. “You’ve been even worse than usual, knocking things over and running into things! What’s the matter with you? Dumb girl, are you getting enough sleep?”

Mahiru’s eyes burned with unshed tears as she recoiled in slight fear. She wasn’t sure if this was all happening or if she was suffering from sleep deprivation; either way, Mahiru suddenly felt like invisible walls were closing in on her as she pushed away from Mitsuru, her hands shielding her face. He was scaring her. “It’s nothing…I…please, just get away from me!”

At her pleading, frightened tone, Mitsuru’s eyes widened, his shining chocolate orbs losing their fiery glaze as he let go of her arm. Mahiru stumbled back, her balance wobbly as she backed up against a nearby shelf. He took a step forward, half curious as to why she’d acted in such a way, half in apology. He felt as though something was not right, and despite how much he disliked her, he ventured forward a little more to help her. As he stuck his hand out someone shot past him at an alarming speed, reaching Mahiru before he could. Mitsuru glared as he saw her slump against her brother’s chest. Nozomu cradled his little sister to him as she clung to his shirt with her small hands. He’d suspected for a while that there had been something going on with her, though he wasn’t sure just what it was. However, with all the commotion that had just occurred, his suspicions were confirmed. Bidding a quick farewell to the infuriated youth, to the bouncy young boy and Mahiru’s friends, he swept her up in his arms and made for his car. On the way out, Misoka eyed the young woman with a curious but knowing nature that Nozomu had become accustomed to. Nodding to him one last time, Nozomu disappeared through the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mahiru rolled over in her bed, arms blocking the intrusive rays of sunlight that entered her window through the opened blinds. There was a dull ache in her temples, a throbbing which she didn’t quite remember having prior to sleeping. Her eyes were bleary as she turned to her left, her eyes adjusting to the brightness about the room. Immediately she saw the figure of her brother to her left, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed at her. Feeling her face flush from embarrassment, Mahiru looked the other way, her eyes meeting Keiko’s worried gaze. Sitting up as slowly and carefully as she possibly could, the young blonde haired girl found herself grasping her head in slight pain. She blinked. “Nozomu, Keiko…what happened?”
Keiko grabbed her hand, soothing it between her own. “Mahiru, you fainted! Is something the matter?”

Mahiru shook her head. “Um…not really…I guess I’ve been overdoing it a little…”

“You’ve been lying to us, haven’t you Mahiru?” His voice was just above a whisper. “You’ve been working two jobs, haven’t you? Father would be very upset.”

She shook her head slowly. “No, I’ve just been very busy at school brother. There is no need to worry too much. I just have to take better care of myself this time around. I’m not working two jobs—I have no need to.”

He threw her a skeptical look before nodding his head slowly in agreement. “Well, could you tone it down a bit? You gave everyone quite a scare today.”

“We were all so worried…even Mitsuru,” Keiko said with a small smile.

“She rolled her eyes. “I’ll bet…worried I’d come back to work.”

Nozomu gave her a small, reassuring smile. However, his suspicions did not fade as he exited through her bedroom door, allowing the two young women to speak amongst themselves. Nothing ever went away that easily, at least not without Nozomu investigating first. Outside, he spotted Misoka, Akira and Mitsuru lounging about the living room; uncertainty laced the air, thick like a blanket. Misoka had followed shortly after Mahiru was taken home, per Nozomu’s unspoken request. Naturally, Akira had inquired about coming and the store was, therefore, closed early. Most customers saw the incident and understood right away, much to their relief. As for Mitsuru, he was pretty much dragged on the trip, kicking in screaming as much as possible without actually doing so. Misoka’s eyes were questioning Nozomu curiously as Akira bounced on the balls of his feet in anxiety. Mitsuru, however, was off to the side, rolling his eyes every other minute or so while his arms remained across his chest. When Nozomu stepped outside only Misoka and Akira had even glanced in his direction to acknowledge him—Mitsuru simply blinked. Leaning against the nearest wall, Nozomu let out s steady breath as he signaled for them to listen to him.

“She’s all right. She’s just been working a little too hard at school and not taking care of herself properly. It all adds up to a perfectly logical explanation, I’d say. No need to worry.” He still seemed anxious about something though.

As soon as he’d finished, Akira pounced him. “Can we go see her again?”

“She’s resting now, I think. Keiko should be out in a few minutes.” Nozomu replied.

Misoka gently touched the hyperactive youth’s shoulder. “It is best if we let her rest.” As Akira nodded, Misoka’s gaze flew back to Mitsuru who was slowly walking out of the living room, his gait stiff. When he’d almost reached the door, Misoka could’ve sworn he saw a small smile on the young man’s lips; he never could resist teasing his co-worker. “Mitsuru, don’t you want to stay here and have dinner once Mahiru awakens? I’m sure it would cheer her up if everyone was here, don’t you agree?”

If looks could kill, then Misoka would be straight dead from Mitsuru’s glare. The aqua haired youth stiffened visibly as he turned away from the sly fox like man, wanting anything but to be in Mahiru’s house. He could feel Akira’s expectant look on his back as well as Nozomu’s suspicion one; Misoka’s smirk made him want to scream. However, the momentary silence that reigned in the living room was short lived when they all head the bedroom door to Mahiru’s room slowly click closed, signaling Keiko’s departure and Mahiru’s resuming off sleep. When Keiko entered the living room she simply shook her head at the display of tension, rolling her eyes as she made her way to the kitchen. As she was halfway through the door, she turned around, her face appearing slightly amused. Misoka nodded, Akira winked and bounded after her while Nozomu kept staring at Mitsuru’s back, his eyes narrowed. Seconds later the tension was gone as Misoka exited and Nozomu went to the bathroom, leaving Mitsuru to himself in the abandoned living area. He allowed his shoulders to sag a little as he slumped against the doorframe, his eyelids feeling heavy as he relaxed for a minute. And it truly was a minute before he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. He whipped around only to come face to face with Keiko, her eyes narrowed like Nozomu’s and her fists clenched. He blinked again.

“What?”

“Don’t you want to go visit Mahiru? She isn’t asleep just yet. You’re the only one who hasn’t seen her yet, Suou,” Keiko asked.

Mitsuru waved her away. “Why would I want to see that stupid girl anyway? She’s so klutzy…she probably shouldn’t come back to work anyway. I don’t really care.” As he turned to walk away he felt a surprisingly strong grip on his arm. His eyes widened when he saw Keiko giving him the ultimate death glare, her eyes fiery and lips scowling. “Let go of me or—”

“No, you listen to me Mitsuru Suou!” She whispered furiously as she practically began dragging him with her, not caring whether he was about to kill her or not for violating his private space. “You will go see Mahiru! You like her, so don’t deny it! And if you do this one thing, then Akira and I will not spill your secret to her!”

Mitsuru jerked away, angry. “I do not like her! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard! She’s the most annoying person I’ve ever met! You can’t boss me around.”

If it was possible for her to get any scarier, then Mitsuru was lucky he wasn’t the victim that day. Instead, she sighed heavily as she slowly opened the door. She looked at him expectantly, and he would’ve continued to refuse had Nozomu, Akira and Misoka not come to ask what the commotion was about. Misoka stared at him knowingly while Akira latched onto Keiko’s arm. Feeling as though he had no choice, Mitsuru proceeded through Mahiru’s bedroom door, though not without some dread running through him accompanied by nervous tingles in his spine. As the door closed, he cursed at Keiko’s obvious smirk of triumph and Misoka’s sly grin. And contrary to Keiko’s provided answer, Mahiru was in fact fast asleep in her bed, covers stopping halfway up her midsection, which was somewhat bare as her pajama had ridden up. Mitsuru blushed brightly as he approached her bed, feeling like a pervert for seeing such a sight even if they were in college and there wasn’t much shown. He took another hesitant step towards her bed and almost had a heart attack when the plush carpet gave a loud groan that sounded like old wood being stepped on. ‘Is there wood under this?’ His thought was short lived when he heard a ruffling of covers as Mahiru rolled over, her arm flying over her forehead and covers falling completely off the bed, leaving her form exposed to his wandering eyes.

Instantly, his eyes flew to where her legs lay nude save for her small pair of pajama shorts. His face reddened ten-fold as she sighed and rolled over again until she was facing him, her eyes still closed and breathing even. He let out a shaky breath as he kneeled next to her bed, his mind in a whirlwind as he brought a hand to sit upon her sheets. He suddenly felt as though he was in a fairy tale, getting to watch a famous princess sleeping while everyone else was not allowed to witness her peaceful beauty. ‘Peaceful beauty? What the fuck?’ Shaking his head, he tried to rid himself of the thoughts that didn’t quite fit in his head and made him want to do highly inappropriate things with his co-worker. ‘But I don’t like her, not at all!’ He repeated over and over again in his head, trying to convince himself that he was not the least bit attracted to the blonde before him. His eyebrows were knitted together in deep thought as he stayed in place, his thought wandering until he was pulled back to reality by Mahiru’s sleepy gaze and fingers on his hand. He almost gasped at her look but found his breath would not come, nor would words or reactions as she began speaking.
“Mitsuru…are you all right?” Her voice held sleepiness as she slowly lifted herself on one elbow, her hair mussed and eyes still half-closed. When he did not answer, Mahiru leaned forward a little. “Mitsuru…are you…in there? Mitsuru?”

Magically, he snapped back into reality as her hand came to his face. “What?” He replied softly, so softly that she had to lean in more to hear him. His eyes widened when he realized she was mere inches from his face; so close he could feel her warm breath on his skin. Normal, cool, distant Mitsuru was gone the moment he felt this; his eyes slid closed as he relished in the feeling of having her so close. “What?” He breathed out again, his voice trembling.

Mahiru’s eyes widened in surprise as he opened his chocolate colored spheres to stare into her curious eyes. She didn’t understand how or why it happened, but the next thing she knew, their lips were slowly moving forward to meet. Whether he’d initiated it or not, she didn’t care as she leaned forward a little more, feeling Mitsuru’s hand come up to cup her face as her hand slid through his soft aqua colored locks. Their lips has almost touched lips when the moment was interrupted, however, by a loud knock resounding from outside. Snapping apart so fast, Mitsuru barely had time to straighten himself out when Akira burst into the room, Keiko in tow. Mahiru had rolled over immediately, feigning sleep although her cheeks were tinted an amazing shade of red. For his part, Mitsuru managed to appear nonchalant as he stood before them, arms crossed and lips in a large frown. Keiko glanced from Mahiru’s supposedly sleeping form to the irritated young man’s stance, her eyes darting back in forth with apparent suspicion. Nevertheless, she had no time to ask questions as Mitsuru huffed obnoxiously before disappearing through the doorway. Mahiru didn’t move as she heard Keiko whisper something inaudible to Akira before the pair, too, disappeared through the entrance. Once everyone had gone and the footsteps receded down the hall, Mahiru brought a finger to her lips, running it idly across the surface. She could still feel Mitsuru’s, the tingle from his lips on her own, sending a pleasant thrill through her senses as she closed her eyes.

‘What just…happened?’ Her mind was going a million miles a second as she tried to recall what had just occurred minutes ago, prior to the commotion. ‘Was he actually…going to kiss me?’ Her thoughts did not stop there as she sat up in bed, brow knitted in obvious confusion and curiosity. Something about the situation seemed strange, especially the fact that he had even bothered to come visit her—he must have been forced, she surmised. She could not, for reasons unknown, believe that he had come to visit her willingly—he hated her, she knew. She was wringing her hands when she heard voices whispering outside her door, probably in the hallway right next to it or a little ways down from her room. Tip-toeing as quietly as possible, she made her way to the door, pressing her ear against it to listen. She could clearly hear the voices of Nozomu and Misoka conversing with Keiko and Akira; they were discussing future business trips. She scowled; Nozomu was hardly ever home anymore. She practically molded herself to the door, eager to hear more about what was going to happen to her and her job, or jobs, rather. Not that anyone else knew. She listened.

“Misoka and I have been requested to attend a conference in three days time, and with what just happened…” Nozomu’s words trailed off as Misoka stepped in.

“We will be attending the conference as it is mandatory that we do so, and quite crucial for the business. Oboro knows this but will not return for another two or three weeks. In the meantime, I trust you and Keiko will take care of things with Mitsuru, and keep and eye out, right?” Misoka stared at him through his shaded glasses.

Akira nodded enthusiastically. “What about—”

“Misoka, I don’t know if this is such a good idea. Mahiru just fainted and I’m worried that she’s lying to me. I don’t think I can go on this next business trip,” Nozomu said with worry.

Keiko shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll take care of everything. We all know that your dad’s company is crucial to the record store flourishing, so we’ll keep an eye on Mahiru. Nothing like this will happen again. If I find anything out, I’ll let you know. We’re all just as worried about her as you are.”

Nozomu glanced around, silently wondering what Misoka would say. His thought was answered when Misoka readjusted his glasses frame, his lips in a thin smirk. “I’m sure Ms. Shiraishi will be just fine, Nozomu. I trust Ms Himura and Akira will take good care of her in our absence.” He looked towards the door, suddenly, and on the other side, Mahiru froze at the eerie feeling crawling up her spine. “And if she happens to try anything suspicious, I believe we shall know. Otherwise, I’d have to say, she’s putting extra effort into hiding whatever secret it is we think she is keeping, am I correct?”

Akira and Keiko nodded in agreement while Nozomu threw Misoka a sly look, his eyes shining. If there was one thing Nozomu appreciated about Misoka’s cool nature, it was that he always knew what was really going on and kept a level head in serious situations—for the most part. Shaking his head, the blonde haired young man nodded in approval as he ushered his two younger co-workers out of the room, mentioning something about Mahiru being hungry when she would awaken. As soon as they had gone, Nozomu feel against the wall, a tired sigh escaping his mouth as he looked up at the flat, smooth ceiling above. Misoka snickered knowingly as he, too, leaned against the wall beside his distraught friend. The silence was comfortable enough while the two long time friends continued to stare at the white, hospital like surface above their heads; Nozomu chuckled. He turned to his shorter friend, his eyes dancing with wonder as he continued to chuckle. Misoka glanced at him, his eyebrows raised in amusement as the blonde choked himself from laughter.

“Nozomu, is something funny?”

He shook his head. “No, but I know you’re hiding something from me. You know what’s really going on, don’t you? You always do.”

“It is nothing serious,” Misoka answered. “Your sister is working herself too hard, just as she said.”

Shaking his head, the so-called bloodsucker made his way towards the kitchen. “Come on, I think we should eat something now.” At Misoka’s nod they proceeded to the small kitchen where Akira’s famous cooking drifted to their noses.

From inside her room, Mahiru gulped at the conversation that had just taken place, her mind no longer jumbled but filled with anxiety. ‘Oh no…they’re suspicious…’ As she fell back against her bed frame she became determined to keep it more of a secret than ever. ‘If Misoka doesn’t say anything…well, they’re going to be gone…Keiko and Akira had no idea before…I’ll be fine! But I have to work harder at this.’ Wringing her hands, Mahiru let out a deep sigh as she moved to her dresser to put on her pajama pants and a less revealing shirt. Slipping her slippers onto her feet, Mahiru braced herself as she padded down the length of the carpeted hallway where she could hear everyone talking about how wonderful the food smelled. She had to agree as soon as the aroma hit her nose. As soon as she stepped into the kitchen she felt dizzy and fell towards the nearest chair. She smiled up at Akira, who had caught her with careful ease as he placed her in the chair. When she had settled in and it appeared as though she was functioning fine, Akira whined about serving their plates and fussing over Mahiru’s condition like a mother. Keiko laughed at this, her eyes going slightly dreamy as she watched him with sudden interest. Mahiru noticed this and did her best not to chuckle or bit her lip in concern as Hokuto popped into her mind. Remembering her first night working at the bar had been embarrassing; she blushed for no apparent reason.

However, her attention was brought back by the delicious smell of her edibles, which Mahiru could not resist. In that moment she realized how hungry she’d been and practically inhaled her food. Everyone at the table eyed her in a funny manner as she wolfed down her food as if it would disappear. Whether she decided that she was going to stop eating so ravenously was something she left up to her body, not her subconscious mind. She’d been feeling starved for a very long time. After gulping down the remaining food on her plate, Mahiru sighed in contentment and slid back in her chair, comfortable. From his corner of the table Mitsuru let out an amused snort as he took his utensils and slowly chewed his own food, his mind replaying Mahiru’s show of hunger in his head. Akira just stared at her with his mouth open, not believing what he’d just seen while Keiko looked bored all of a sudden. Nozomu gave her a wary look and Misoka simply kept eating, his chopsticks fluid and precise as he picked up small pieces of curry chicken. Silence ensued for mere moments until Mahiru let out a very loud burp followed by a quick “excuse me” to the rest of the table as her cheeks flushed scarlet.

Keiko laughed as she patted her friend’s back. “Wow Mahiru, I had no idea how hungry you were.”

Mahiru giggled in a carefree manner. “I’m sorry, that was rude. But yeah, I haven’t had food this good since my dad left.”

Nozomu scowled. “My cooking is not that bad Mahiru.”

“You hardly ever cook, brother,” she mused nonchalantly as she scraped her plate of curry sauce. At this statement, Misoka raised a brow while Akira and Keiko laughed wildly. Mitsuru scowled as Mahiru hugged her brother, a smile on her delicate face. “I know Nozomu, I know. You try. I thank you for taking such good care of me in father’s absence.” She glanced at her watch as she attempted to stifle another yawn, her fatigue suddenly overcoming her once again. “I’m sorry. I’m very tired again. Would you mind if I slept some more, brother? I want to go back to work as soon as possible.”

He frowned as she did not wait for an answer, instead heading to her room while assuming he’d said yes. In all actuality he couldn’t rightly say no; she was twenty years old, after all. Shaking his head, he waited until her door clicked shut before turning back to her friends. “Keep a close eye on her, please. I don’t want this incident repeated.”

“Don’t worry about it Nozomu, it’ll be fine,” Keiko reassured as she pushed past Akira to continue talking to him about it in a separate room.

Once they had disappeared, Akira starting clearing dishes into the sink, slowly. Mitsuru seemed bored by this, his head hanging on the back of his chair, hair falling in his eyes. Misoka shifted his own eyes to the youth who was amazingly calm and quiet at the precise moment of chaos; something was not right. They could hear Keiko and Nozomu talking but what they talked about was unknown to all ears but their own. Akira shook his head solemnly as he vanished into the kitchen, dishes in his arms. Mitsuru sighed heavily as he came to, his eyes traveling to the window in evident annoyance as he began to stand up. He had made it halfway to the living room door, his gait tense, when he heard his name called. He cringed at the voice, his irritation coming back ten-fold as he turned to see Misoka standing in the doorway, smirking. Growling like never before, Mitsuru tried to appear nonchalant—he failed, as usual. “What is it?”

“Where are you going? It isn’t time to leave yet.”

“And who said I need to wait for you? The store still has to be fixed up before anyone can start working again. There are CDs all over the floor, one of the carts is broken and the cashier area is in shambles from—”

Misoka shot him a rather irritated glare, though the effect was lost because of his glasses—nevertheless, Mitsuru could feel the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. “If I recall, Mitsuru, you are the one that caused such chaos. Do not try to make it seem as though the blame belongs on someone else.” His smirked grew wider. “I agree that the place needs fixing, and you’re right. Who better to fix it than the one who caused such a mess?”

Mitsuru felt like his blood was boiling as he gripped the doorknob tighter than possible. With a defiant huff he slammed the door, not caring what broke, who heard the slam or what the consequences were for his rebellious actions. Inside, watching him intently and sadly as he stalked away from the house, Mahiru let out a small squeak when the door had slammed. Upon seeing the angered youth walking away from the house, she sunk deeper onto her window sill. As much as she disliked working with Mitsuru, she knew she would be lying if she denied any harbored feelings for her co-worker. When it happened, she still didn’t know. Of course she knew she’d been attracted to him from the moment he’d came into her line of view, from the moment she’d run into him at the record store—but when did she actually start to like him? ‘Well…we have been working together for some time now…’ Yet this reason seemed insufficient in her own rational mind because the hardly ever talked. ‘Maybe I’m infatuated with him because I don’t know him…’ She knew she wanted to get to know Mitsuru; he was so mysterious and it did not seem like he had any friends. There had to be a reason, at least in her mind there had to be one. Sighing for the second time in a minute, Mahiru found herself watching his fading figure until it became a dot in the horizon. ‘I’ll get to know more about you Mitsuru Suou…I swear it,’ she vowed as she crawled back into her bed. ‘And I’m starting with school tomorrow.’

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning found the tired blonde laying still in her bed, eyes half closed as she searched the room for her annoying alarm clock, which was ringing loudly. ‘Nozomu must not be here if he hasn’t come in to shut it off,’ she thought as she found it sitting underneath her lamp desk. With nimble fingers she reached out and shut the switch off, her eyes blinking wearily as she rubbed the sleep from them. However, her yawn, which was barely coming out, was short lived when she realized what time it was. ‘OH NO! It CAN’T be 8:00 already! I’m SO late!’ Rushing in a manner she didn’t think possible, Mahiru threw on the nearest and cleanest pair of clothes she could find, grabbed her backpack and rushed downstairs. She barely glanced at the keys sitting on the bar as she dashed out of the house, figuring taking the car was not worth the traffic. As she waited by the bus stop, she pondered whether it was a good idea to take it or try walking. ‘Well, walking WOULD take longer,’ she realized. Therefore, when the bus pulled up next to her on the barren sidewalk, she hopped in. Without thinking more of it, Mahiru seated herself next to the window. She was surprised to see only a trickle of people. Of course, most students didn’t take the bus to school; their parents gave them rides.

But Mahiru’s dad hadn’t ever been around enough so it was buses, friends, or Nozomu who took her to school. As she stared out the window she contemplated what she would do to get Mitsuru to talk to her, to open up. For a split second her mind drew a blank, her thought process stunted as she gripped her bag absently. Suddenly her sweater felt to think, her hair too stringy, her body too adolescent. ‘Am I...feeling insecure?’ She blushed as she looked down at her skirt, which stopped mid thigh–it looked so short all of a sudden. Her shirt seemed tighter and even her lip gloss was bright, though the color was pale pink. She’d entered the realm of self-consciousness; she felt embarrassed. ‘Does Mitsuru...ever look at me in any other way other than disgust?’ Shaking the thoughts from her head, Mahiru thanked the bus driver as she departed the vehicle, pulling her sweater tighter about her, involuntarily. The school entrance doors loomed over her, tall and ominous–but the grounds were empty, for the most part. Puzzled, she dialed Keiko’s number and waited patiently as it rang.

“Hello?”

“Keiko, where are you? Am I really late?”

“What are you talking about? It’s 7:30 AM, Mahiru. I’m barely leaving my house,” Keiko answered, disgruntled.

“WHAT?” Mahiru almost dropped her phone from sheer surprise. She’d been so involved in getting to school that she hadn’t really looked at the clock. Her watch read 7:31 AM. She gasped. “Hello? Keiko, how far away are you?”

“Two minutes,” she replied in a mumble.

“I’ll see you here then,” Mahiru chirped as she hung up, trying to feel relief, not betrayal. ‘I bet Nozomu changed my clock on purpose...evil brother!’ Brushing it off as carefree as possible Mahiru made her way through the gates to sit down on the nearest bench. She had work later that night, but she knew she’d have to call Lucy to let her know she wasn’t going to be able to make it. ‘And I have to reset my clock,’ she thought, absently. Mere seconds later she sighed in relief as Keiko’s limousine came to a smooth, rolling stop before the college grounds. Most people were probably still in class anyway. Once Keiko had stepped out and closed the door, they both watched as the sleek, black automobile drove away. Mahiru was all smiles until Keiko turned around; she appeared troubled, upset and angry. Her entire aura had taken on a dark feel and Mahiru shivered; an angry Keiko Himura was indeed something to fear. However, she took her chances, slim as they were. “Keiko, is everything all right?”

The green haired girl snorted. “Fine, fine. Another rough morning is all,” she replied. “How are you Mahiru? Up early, aren’t you?”

At this Mahiru’s look darkened. “Nozomu reset my clock!”

Keiko giggled. “I thought you’d be relieved. Aren’t you doing horribly in Mr. Shiatsaz class anyway? Oh, how’s tutoring?”

“Ugh...don’t remind me,” Mahiru whined. “Tutoring is long and b-ooo-o-ring! I’d rather sleep or eat...or something else...”

Both girls burst into peels of laughter as students began filing out of the buildings. Keiko grinned. “Come on, class is going to start in ten minutes and you know how fast Ms. Clarise’s class fills up. I want a good seat today.” As they ascended the stairs to the third floor, Keiko tapped her chin, thoughtfully. “Oh, did you see Mitsuru today?”

Mahiru shook her head, annoyed. “No, but he has class with us so he must be coming...unless he wants a low mark! Ms. Clarise doesn’t ever go easy on anyone. We might even have a pop quiz.”

Once again, Keiko laughed. “Are you still upset?”

Mahiru blushed. “Oh...no, it’s not that...it’s nothing.”

“I disagree but I know better than to push you, Shiraishi,” Keiko answered as she took a seat in the middle. Mahiru followed suit but paused near the back. “Mahiru, are you sitting by me?”

“No,” Mahiru said, her eyes focused elsewhere. “I’m...going to sit back there.”

“Where?” Keiko followed her gaze to the back until it landed on a head of aquamarine colored hair. Mitsuru was pressed against his desk, eyes glued to the window while his arms lay across his chest, looking stiff. Keiko watched as Mahiru made her way towards him, seemingly in a daze. She wanted to laugh at Mahiru’s focus but was interrupted when Akira bounced over to her in an excited rush. All thoughts of Mahiru were forgotten.

“Can I sit here?”

Mitsuru looked up from his brooding, his glare fixed upon Mahiru’s uneasy face. “Why? Isn’t it enough that you annoy me at work? Now school?”

She rolled her eyes as she fell into the seat next to him. “Gee Mitsuru, thanks.”

He huffed. “I didn’t agree–”

“Shove it,” she snapped as she opened her literature book, ignoring his furious stare. “Did you do your homework? Ms. Clarise is going to give us a pop quiz, I bet.”

He opened his mouth to retort when Ms. Clarise slapped her hand against her desk, eyes alight. “Pop quiz, class! Hurry, hurry! A pen and paper on your desks would be wonderful before I start it!”

“Told you,” Mahiru replied.

“I didn’t study,” he whispered, his stunned look fading to anger misdirected towards her.
“Well,” she answered. “You should have.” Her remorse and sympathy had vanished.

He stared at her in complete awe, which evolved into pure despair when Ms. Clarise plopped a thin sheet of paper on his desk. The sheet was littered with only three questions, most which were about their reading from last night. At first panic laced through Mitsuru’s being at the thought of failing—he couldn’t afford to at any cost; but when he remembered who the author was he smiled. ‘At least I’m familiar with Hawthorne.’ He’d read enough Nathaniel Hawthorne to save his life; he wasn’t sure if he could say the same for Mahiru as she struggled to answer the questions. He was done in five minutes. Though he couldn’t say she was an excellent student, he had known Mahiru to study and read her homework, and the fact that she was having trouble was curious. Angling himself towards the window, Mitsuru watched her from the corner of his eye while wondering why he quiz was taking more than 10 minutes. At least Ms. Clarise was giving them 15 minutes to actually complete it.

Mahiru appeared as though she was having a hard time focusing on what to write, whether from boredom, not studying or not sleeping, Mitsuru couldn’t say. He decided with boredom as she was consistently bored in classes throughout their Tuesday/Thursday schedule. Taking all one’s classes in two days every week was rather tiring, and she didn’t appear to be used to it just yet. In fact, Mitsuru knew she wasn’t because he had been doing it for four years and the effects still had yet to lessen their hold on him. Nevertheless, he disagreed with his thoughts the minute they tried to settle merely for the fact that he realized Literature was Mahiru’s favorite subject in school. In chemistry and History it was easy for her to doze off—it was flat out boring for him even. And in Calculus he could see why anyone would become stupefied and disinterested—math just did that to you, unless you were TRYING to become a mathematician. That left her with Literature. He found Chemistry more interesting, personally, though Literature had its comforting ways with him.

Sighing loudly, he shifted to face her when he found her hand swiping his quiz off his desk as she sauntered up to the teacher’s table. He watched, with a vague interest, as Ms. Clarise stopped Mahiru with a dazzling smile, asking how she was feeling. Mahiru began chatting in a hushed voice as people started finishing up their quizzes. Mitsuru fell back into boredom, Mahiru forgotten. As for her, she gave Ms. Clarise a small smile as the woman talked to her about possible internships and learning experiences for the summer—it was only four months away and finals were coming up. She remembered when she had time to do extra things; she’d received her job at the club about a week after finals ended. Therefore it hadn’t interfered with her school schedule or her work schedule. But now anything sounding like more work made her nervous. Waving her hand in thanks Mahiru all but accepted the job, nodding every now and then at her teacher’s eagerness. As she turned to walk back to her seat, she heard Ms. Clarise whisper her name one more time. “Yes, Ms. Clarise?”

“Mahiru, dear, please come here once again. I need to ask you one more thing,” she replied in a soft whisper.

Glancing around, Mahiru realized no one was even paying attention to them. Gulping, she returned to the desk where Ms. Clarise’s hazel eyes shone with worry. “Please…tell your father not to worry about anything. I am taking care of it. You’ll do that, won’t you, Mahiru?”
Puzzled, she nodded. ‘Did I…have an unknown parent conference? Oh…YEAH! I was totally failing chemistry…and Ms. Clarise is my student advisor…how embarrassing!’ She gave her another nervous smile as she made her way back towards her seat by Mitsuru, who was looking even more bored than before. When she finally sat down Mitsuru gave her an obnoxious glare, which she ignored as she opened up her textbook, leafing through the pages until she landed on their reading assignment for the night. ‘Hm…Dickinson…I don’t know if I like all her stuff.’ This year, she had decided to take a mixture of courses, as cultural as she could get. She was taking English Literature, Japanese Language to improve her literary skills, Calculus, African History and General Chemistry with Botany. Overall, the relevance of her schedule was minute—she was taking general education for the most part. But she found it strange that the only class she did not have Mitsuru in was her African History class. ‘But that’s because he’s taking Psychology.’ She was sure the rest of her class was going to drag on in boredom when she read the first line of Emily’s first poem. ‘No, I most definitely do not like Dickinson.’ Mind made up, Mahiru closed her book and stared out the window as Ms. Clarise began her lecture, droning on in her ear. Mitsuru was content to listen as much as he could. Neither of them really cared, and the clock continued its slow ticking the rest of the morning.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~

The air was permeated only by the annoying sound of cars passing them by as Mahiru and Mitsuru made their way to work that afternoon. It was a relief from the boring day of classes they’d had and all three of them were eager to get away from the college campus. Mahiru stretched as she walked a little faster to keep up with Keiko while Mitsuru dragged behind them, hands in his pockets and face glancing at the passing cars. It was unusually busy for a Tuesday afternoon, and none of them remembered it being National Carpool day, which was the one day no one seemed to carpool at all. Digging her own hands into her jean pockets Mahiru made of small show of looking around for something, earning Keiko’s attention . “What is it, Mahiru?”

“Um…aren’t we forgetting someone?”

“Hey, you guys were supposed to wait for me after class!” A voice shouted from behind them.

Keiko turned red while Mitsuru paused and Mahiru laughed. “AKIRA!” Mahiru jerked around and ran to him, briefly looking at Mitsuru as she passed him. “I knew we were missing someone.”

“How could you forget?” He queried, his face pink from running but his voice full of laughter and energy as always.

“We’re not used to waiting for you. It was a mistake I apologize for,” Mahiru replied with a small smile, dragging him to where Keiko was waiting, speechless. “Hey, why don’t you two go ahead? I have something to ask Mitsuru.” Not waiting for an answer, the young blonde went straight to where the irritated youth was standing, looking rather intimidating. “Mitsuru, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“What about?” He sounded indifferent.
“Um…” she searched her mind for the right way to bring up the incident but was left groping for proper words. “About the…thing…that happened in my room?”

“Whatever,” he spat out, his cheeks slightly pink. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about dumb girl.”

Ignoring his patronizing tone she pressed on. “I know you do, liar. Stop acting like nothing happened.”

“Nothing did happen you idiot,” he answered, more annoyed than before. “Don’t ruin my day.”

“I couldn’t possibly ruin your day, you big meanie…you’ll ruin it yourself!” Her reply was sharp as she stuck her nose up at him and marched off to where Keiko and Akira were talking wildly. ‘The nerve of him acting like he didn’t try to kiss me!’ Immediately her fingers flew to her lips and she turned around for the briefest of moments. She gasped when she saw him looking right at her and her fingers, which still lingered on her lips. His deep, dark chocolate colored eyes were intense as he continued walking at an even pace, eyes never leaving her own. He wasn’t going to look away, she realized. Blushing madly, she was the first to turn away, eyes cast to the ground in an attempt to ignore the piercing stare she’d received only moments ago. Her heart was hammering in her chest, confusion bubbling beneath the surface of her veins like fire, itching to take over her whole body. Shivering as a cool breeze washed over the four of them, she could only grip her sweater tighter as the store came into view. Her fingers felt warm despite the cool air that rushed out at them when Keiko opened the door. Cursing her obnoxious hormones and heart, Mahiru rationalized enough to the point where she felt slightly comfortable again. Inhaling a deep breath, she made her way to the back storage area with the awareness that Mitsuru was not following her. Once inside she fell flat upon the latest shipment of CDs as the goosebumps on her skin receded. She wasn’t sure what had just happened but it felt awful and wonderful at the same time. Hugging herself in slight fear, Mahiru fell to her knees. ‘What’s happening to me?’

To Be Continued...

(Chapter 4 is completed. Yes .I hope you al enjoyed it because you know, I really had fun with this one! This is one my more serious fics, despite the Mitsuru torture in it, and the themes are mature and the ratings are higher and the language is mature—it’s a mature fanfic. So, I hope everyone is not disappointed that I’m making it so. Since the setting is in college it goes along the lines of college life and believe me, the lives they are living are modeled after people I personally have known or know. I hope I don’t offend anybody with the upcoming chapters. Well, that’s all for now. Chao. Hope you enjoyed the fic and please R&R, if you’d like. Thanks.)
Darkkairi1