Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ The Chime Child ❯ Chapter 6

The intercom flickered, and ear splitting static came out. A chorus of groans rose from the students as they covered their ears. Finally, a voice spluttered out:

"Will all students congregate to the auditorium please! Repeat, will all Year Eleven students congregate to the auditorium please! This concerns the graffiti-ing of the West ward badminton court's wall!"

Yukika smothered a slight grin. The wall was now covered with a white cloth, but Yukika had caught a glimpse of it before they did so and though vulgar, the drawings were actually rather artistic, and the limericks almost poetic. She just wished she knew who had done it. Yuki, apparently, had some vague idea, because he was glaring slightly at a handsome, cheeky faced black haired boy, who returned the glare with twinkling indifference. As they stood up, and started to go out in neatly orderly rows, she saw the boy loop and arm round Yuki's shoulder. "Now Yu-yu-chan," he crooned, "even you can't be as paranoid as to imagine I; your friendly neighborhood trouble maker could do it alone!"

"Maybe not alone then," snorted Yuki. "Get your hand off me!"

"Wa-a-a-a-a-a-ah! Yu-yu-chan doesn't want me!" the boy pulled away and started to walk, shoulders heaving with large fake sobs. Yuki shook his head, and saw Yukika looking at him. Covering up the smile quickly, he shrugged.

"I'm sorry, he's insane," he said, almost apologetically.

"Wa-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah! Yu-yu-chan is slandering me!"

There was the sound of fist hitting flesh. "Listen, you lunatic," growled Kyou, "you're getting irritating!!"

"Or are you getting jealous?" countered the boy, grinning as he rubbed a bruised cheek.

"YOU LITTLE-!" Kyou was suddenly jerked back into line by a hand yanking on his ear.

"I'm the prefect here, and we're going to get to the auditorium in an orderly manner!" snarled Yuki.

"I don't see what you have to be jealous of, Kyou-kyou-chan, se-e-e? Yu-yu-chan can't keep his hands off you!" crooned the boy.

Tohru paled as a glint leapt into Yuki's eyes. He grabbed the boy around the neck, speaking slowly, so that sweatdrops sprung out. Kyou watched with grim satisfaction. "Another-word-out-of-you-Manabe-and-I-swear-I'll-kill-you-"

Yuki let go of the boy, and Manabe would have fallen to the floor, if Uo hadn't caught him. "Nice going," she told him.

Manabe grinned up at her. "I think so too."

***

"Minake, what are you doing here?" asked the teacher at the door, their class teacher.

"They said that Year Eleven-" started Yukika.

The teacher cut her off with a gesture. "It might not be suitable for you," she said impatiently. "I was explicitly told by your parents-"

A sullen glow came onto Yukika's face as the teacher continued: "- that you were under no circumstances to be shown things like this. They don't concern you, and are not necessary. "

The students giggled "Her parents must be loonies," muttered Uo disapprovingly, under her breath to Hana.

"It's just a few slides! I'm in the Year Eleven too!" protested Yukika heatedly.

The teacher slammed Yukika with a hard look. She tore out a piece from her notebook and scribbled something on it, handing it to Yukika. "Orders are orders, Minake. I'm sorry. Go to Class 10 Red, and tell the teacher the reason you were sent. Go on."

A few eyes watched her with sympathy as Yukika stalked off.

It isn't fair! She thought angrily. What is it with father and mother? They call Ryuu a `scarlet woman' just because she kissed her boyfriend and they caught her at it. What's the matter with them, or with us? Ryuu, Goyjun and I, what is it that makes them so jumpy?

She shook her head hard. "Do they think I'm so weak-willed as to have premarital sex just because I see some vulgar graffiti, or hear something less than G-rated?"

***

Yukika pushed open the door of the 10 Red classroom. Twenty pairs of eyes watched her entrance with interest. "Yes?" asked the teacher, half standing up. Yukika entered the room, and handed her the note. The teacher, a pretty woman with gold highlights in her hair, read it over and handed it back with a kindly smile. "Oh, I'm sorry. But those assemblies tend to drag on till after school lets out. So you can count yourself lucky. Sit next to Souma Momiji please. You can just read or do your homework."

Momiji? Yukika looked up, and caught him grinning at her. At the back of him, sat Hatsuharu, looking dreamily out the window. Yukika slid into the seat beside Momiji, who promptly started to talk:

"Why are you here? I'm glad you're here! What do you think of the teacher? She's nice isn't she? I think she's nice! Haru and I are glad to see you! Why didn't you go with the other Year Elevens? I saw the graffiti, did you see the graffiti? Did you - ?"

"Momiji," growled Hatsuharu, poking the eager blonde boy in the back with a pencil. "I can't concentrate with you babbling up there."

Momiji made a comical face at Yukika, and whispered exaggeratedly, "Shhh! We're doing Math now! Do you like math? Are you good at it? What's your favorite subject? What do-?"

"Momiji…" warned Haru.

***

He didn't stop talking. All the way through math, science, history, and finally geography, Momiji chattered happily. Yukika found that he didn't really expect you to listen to him. He just enjoyed talking without someone telling him to shut up, which was what Haru told him to do (with great perseverance) at regular intervals.

"Momiji," said Yukika finally. "My ears are sore. Isn't your tongue sore by now?"

"Not by long shot!" he grinned, while Haru shook his head. He swung his bag around gaily, calling goodbye to his many friends. He was about the same height as Yukika, but looked even younger than her. She was growing fond of him.

Momiji looked up with his big brown eyes. "Have you finished your room, Kika?" he asked.

"'Kika'?" repeated Haru, widening his dreamy grey eyes.

"My nickname," explained Yukika. "Yeah, I've put everything in place already." Her attitude grew lighter. "It's so nice!" she gushed. "I really, really love it. I need to get a job though, and when I do, I'll use a bit to buy more things for it."

"Could we come and see it?" asked Momiji eagerly.

"I could phone Hatori, and just tell him," said Haru agreeably. He pulled a miniscule handphone out of his pocket, and before Yukika could say anything (not that she was going to say no. She adored showing off her room) had quick dialed Hatori.

"Hello? Hatori? This is Haru. Momiji and I, we're going over to Shigure's house, alright? Shigure's house. We'll be fine. Yes, Momiji is with me. Hold on." He covered the phone, and asked Momiji, "Did you promise him to help organize his files today?"

"Urm…"

"He doesn't remember," said Haru into the phone. "No. No. Yes. You should just get a secretary, Hatori. Bye." He pushed the button, and slipped the phone back into his pocket, smiling slowly. "Let's go."

***

Hatori frowned at the phone in his hand. He would tell Hatsuharu off for it later. Akito enjoyed having as many as his Jyunishii around him as possible, and it was bad enough that Yuki, Shigure and Kyou lived out of the Souma Estate. And with Tohru as well. Hatori closed his eyes. What would Akito do if he found out about that other girl?

It hurt him to undo memories. Even if they didn't concern him directly, unlike Kana's, it hurt, because he knew that he was robbing someone of love. Like Yuki's friends. Maybe one day, Ayame's Mine-chan.

Hatori bit his lip, and jumped as Kureno entered the room. The two men faced each other, and Kureno said softly, "Akito wants Momiji to play the violin for him."

"He's not here," said Hatori evenly.

"Then you'd better go tell Akito that," replied Kureno.

Hatori followed the redheaded Rooster out of the room, fists clenched as Kureno led him into the hall, which served as Akito's personal room during the daytime. His God sat on a pile of cushions at the far end, and Hatori frowned when he caught sight of the girl beside him.

All the Jyunishii hated her. Himawari Kodachi was a beautiful, scheming girl, who had recently started to cater to Akito's every whim. That he didn't seem to hurt her at all was worrying, though he certainly showed no signs of warmth to her either. She was one of the few family members who knew about the Jyunishii, and she had quarreled with most of them, including Ritsu and Rin. She had tried to win over Shigure, seeing his influence over Akito, but ended up making an enemy of him. Since then, she had been searching for ways to discredit him, and all the Jyunishii too. Her overall plan, quite an ingenious one, was to marry Akito and take over the whole Souma family. Simple.

Kodachi straightened, dressed in an elaborate kimono. Her long silky black hair was shot with purple highlights, and her slender, willowy frame swayed like a tree in the breeze. She started to move away, and Akito did not stop her. "Where is Momiji?" he asked, leaning back against his pillows.

Hatori knelt before him. "He is not home yet. He went to Shigure's house."

Akito scowled, and Kodachi paused in the doorway, hopeful. "Call him back," ordered Akito imperiously.

Hatori nodded coldly, and stood up. "Yes, Akito."

Kodachi left the room as well. Momiji and Hatsuharu did not go to Shigure's house just to admire the lovely architecture.

***

The house was empty when the three of them got back. Yukika pushed open the doors, and shucked the shoes off. "Do you guys want water, or anything?" she asked, pausing in the kitchen doorway.

"No. I want to see your room!" cheered Momiji.

Yukika led them up the spiral staircase. "You've done a lot!" exclaimed Momiji in admiration. Haru's eyebrows rose as he took in the irregular form of room decoration. The walls were pasted over with posters, pictures, and wrapping paper.

"Why gift wrap?" he asked, pausing before a blue, flecked white one.

"As long as it looks nice," retorted Yukika. Haru returned to examining the room.

"You mean as long as it looks weird," he muttered.

Her bookshelves looked like they had been taken out of a beehive. A lamp was affixed just beside them, and a fluffy looking mattress, with a faded duvet and two huge heavy pillows lay under it. This was explained on closer examination, since the books were all on the last two shelves.

There was a low table, normally used for tea drinking in the middle of the room, and a fat, round radio near it. A tall pile of CDs (mostly pirated) stood beside it. The table was covered with paper, containers with pens and pencils and a few brown books.

The most `normal' looking piece of furniture was the heavy wardrobe, next to it was a black dressing table, with a bare mirror propped against the wall, a hooks, meant to hold bath towels or robes, were hung with necklaces and bracelets.

A few pots of flower arrangements were placed around the room, plastic branches with silky cherry blossoms. As Hatsuharu fingered it, his phone rang. Momiji ran round the room in barely concealed delight, while Yukika followed him with barely concealed worry as he jumped on her mattress, flipped through her books, and touched her posters. Haru held the phone to his ear, and wasn't very surprised to hear Hatori's voice.

"Akito wants Momiji here now. He'll probably punish the boy when he gets home as well."

"It's quite simple," said Haru, sounding calmer than he actually was. "Then Momiji's not coming home."

"Then he will get punished even more, and so will you," said Hatori.

Haru frowned. For all his bravado, he wasn't stupid, and Hatori sensed a pause in one of the most placid, but stubborn members of the Jyunishii. "That Kodachi girl will use this to her advantage," he added. "If Akito finds out about that Minake-san."

"How will she find out?" asked Haru, alarmed now. Hatori's cool stating of the facts made it more shocking.

"She has her ways. It was through her that Akito found out about Tohru after all."

"Haru! Look at this!" cried Momiji in delight, holding up a little cat with a waving paw.

***

Kodachi eavesdropped shamelessly on Hatori and Haru's conversation. Hatori should have known better really, then to leave Akito's presence in full sight of her, and head to his office telephone. Hatori didn't realize that until he had extracted a promise from Haru to bring Momiji back now and to make sure the garrulous innocent didn't say anything that he shouldn't. Hatori sighed.

And then frowned as he walked out, and caught the inimitable scent of cherry blossoms, sweet and virginal.

Damn it. Kodachi.

***

Yukika was gratified by Momiji's enthusiasm over her collection of oddities, and he made a face as Haru dragged him away from the loft. "Bye!" called Yukika, unlike Tohru, not bothering to come and see them out. For which Haru was glad, because he thundered down the stairs and across the road, Momiji in tow.

"She didn't see us off like Tohru-kun does," said Momiji, breathless at being dragged so.

"Hm. Bring her up when you see her again. If there is a next time."

Hatori ushered Haru and Momiji into the Hall. Akito looked the sweaty, panting boys over, his eyes narrowed. A small smirk was on Kodachi's full lips. But to their surprise, Akito said nothing. He just motioned them out.

"That was a waste of time," whispered Momiji, as the three people walked out into the corridor, hung with lovely Japanese silk tapestries.

A moment later, they heard hurried footsteps behind them, and Kureno came over, looking troubled and uncomfortable. "She found out about the new boarder in Shigure's house," he said softly. "Hatori…"

"Yes, I was careless. She listened onto my conversation with Haru."

"She told Akito to go visit Shigure if he didn't believe her. She has such a sly, insinuating manner! Akito is coming over this evening. He told me to inform you that you will be driving him there."

Minake Yukika was turning out to be more trouble than she was worth! And he, Hatori, was the one left to pick up the pieces, the one whose blood pressure would rocket sky-high, the one whose files were still left in disarray as he tried to protect them all!

He felt a small hand slip into his. Momiji stared up at Hatori guiltily. "This is all my fault, ja?"

Hatori's face softened, and he squeezed Momiji's hand. Haru rubbed the blonde head of curls. "Of course it's not your fault."

"If anyone's, it's that troublemaking Himawari Kodachi," murmured Kureno. He bowed slightly. "Good luck, Hatori-san."

***

Yukika wandered about the empty house, and discovered a note on the table from Shigure. He would be back at four. Yukika checked the clock, and four was still an hour away. Rummaging through the fridge, Yukika stole a bag of onigiri and decided to explore the house properly.

In the end, she only examined one room, and that was Shigure's study. It was a mess. Chapters from books in the making, and books to-be-in-the-making were scattered about, covered with his scrawling. A few pictures were doodled on them. The only thing that distinguished `The Autumn Sonata' from `Wild Hoping' was the different symbols he drew on the margin.

Yukika started to gather them up curiously, and examined them. Soon she was putting the pages into order, according to story. The rough drafts were placed in an empty file she found stuffed in the dustbin. It took as long as her room did to clear up, but only because she was reading what she picked up. And half of the scribbled on pages, with nonsense notes `wild black hair, glinting eyes', `took her hand and placed it on his heart', `the cheese stands alone', Yukika threw into the garbage bag.

She also discovered an interesting variety of mold in his collection of filthy coffee cups, which she placed by the door with a shudder, and an overflowing ashtray. The floor was singed with falling cigarette butts.

Yukika cleared it all up, except the cups, because the thought of actually touching something that might move scared her.

She was just spinning around in his black leather chair (which Shigure had bought just because it spun round and round so well!) when the said writer entered his study, tripping over the cups outside.

"What the-?"

He peeped into the room. Had he taken too much sake? Shigure wondered. He couldn't even find the rooms in his house. He could have sworn that was his study-

Wait a minute.

This was his study.

Except clean!

***

"What happened to my work?" howled Shigure, hovering over Yukika. She pointed to a collection of neatly placed files.

"What happened to my drawings?" She pointed to an orderly stack on the shelf.

"What did you do to my books?"

"Categorized them alphabetically."

"What did you do with my notes?"

"You mean the nonsense rhymes? They're in there." Yukika pointed to the dustbin, and was rewarded by the sight of Shigure grabbing at it, stuffing his hand down, and yelling an obscenity when he came in contact with the wrappings of the takeaway food.

"Shigure, what on earth is going on?" asked Yuki, scowling as his head popped into the study to discover the source of the racket. His eyes widened as he took in the scene before him.

"That menace!" yowled Shigure, pointing an accusatory finger at Yukika. "That absolutely insufferable meddler! She's cleaned this place."

Yukika looked at Yuki, and blinked, managing to look very un-menacing. Yuki snorted. "She's cleared Japan of a health hazard anyway."

Shigure groaned. "'The cheese stand alone', it's stained! This note! This inspiration! It's destroyed!"