Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ Sefiro High ❯ Chapter 23 ( Chapter 23 )

Ferio noticed someone very familiar exit the ice cream parlor. Even with her back facing him, there was no mistake that the girl was Fuu, along with Hikaru and…two seniors? Ferio blinked and rubbed his eyes… Hikaru was holding hands with the young Sol, and Fuu-his dearest Fuu, was walking behind the couple, along with the silver-haired senior, laughing as if she enjoyed his company. Ferio frowned… 'This doesn't look really good…'

He continued following her to a café. Of course, he tried to be discreet, so he chose a spot that he can watch them, without being noticed. Ordering a piece of apple pie, and a glass of iced tea, he waited and watched carefully. 'A double-date perhaps?' he asked himself. '….Hmm, maybe…' He looked at the senior sitting beside his Fuu… silver hair and brown eyes, very handsome, rich and famous, not to mention, a senior. 'Man, now that's someone I don't think I can compete with.' He could almost hear his father say, "Where is your Vendeli pride? You are an Italian noble, the heir of one of Italy's biggest family! Your bloodline had descended from the Kings!"

He looked at Fuu and Eagle and sighed. 'Stop looking so pathetic! Don't act like a weakling!' How many times did his father tell him that? 'So the question is, would I just sit here, mope, sigh, and let my angel be taken away?'

'NO WAY!' he told himself. 'Ferio you are too slow. You should do something about it before someone does manage to take your angel away from you…Court her the way Ferio Vendeli only could! Where is your Vendeli pride? Use your Italian charm, sweep her off her feet…' He took a bite of the pie with a smile and sipped the tea he ordered. "…But for now, it wouldn't hurt to just watch a little bit…"

***

Alcyone looked at her reflection on the mirror and gave an evil smile. 'Emeraude had almost opened up to me now. She thinks I'm a friend…Someone she could trust…Yes, I can see that she trusts me so well.'

She just came home from shopping with her new 'friend'. She was tired, yet extremely happy. 'Soon Zagato Sol will be mine…' She took out a nice bead necklace that Emeraude bought for her earlier. 'See now we have the same necklace!' the poor unsuspecting girl told her with a giggle. Alcyone could have thrown it on the trashcan right then and there…'She is sooo naïve!'

Alcyone smirked as she remembered all the lies she had told Emeraude…Those deep, dark secrets that were never really hers. The sympathizing look Emeraude gave her disgusted her, made her want to hurt her even more.

Emeraude had told her about her childhood in Italy…her life as a member of an aristocratic family with her brother…told her about time that she and her mother left for Japan…'Soon she will tell me about her relationship with Zagato…And if I'm lucky enough, I might learn something very interesting…'Alcyone stayed all night thinking of what more lies to tell Emeraude, laughing an evil laugh once in a while… 'I don't care if this is what they call obsession…I want Zagato mine!'

***

Kakeru noticed his brother look at the clock every after almost 10 minutes. He watched him walk back and forth, his eyebrows strained, and with a frown on his face.

"Oi Kakeru!"

"Hai!"

"Isn't your sister supposed to be with you?"

'So that's it!'

"She'd been coming home late these past few months…Do you know why?"

"She had been busy with her club activities onii-san. Sometimes she and her friends have fun too…" Kakeru said frowning, he hated lying to Satoru. 'She must be with her boyfriend as usual.' "If you're really worried, you can call her on her cellphone…"

Satoru stopped walking and faced Kakeru. He raised his eyebrows and then asked, "Since when did she get a cellphone?"

"A-anou…" he stammered. 'Dammit!' "S-she…I mean, her friend bought her one!"

"A friend?"

"Yes, I think it's that Ryuuzaki girl…Yes…I'm not sure…but I did remember her saying it was that Ryuuzaki girl…"

"Why the hell would she give her something that expensive?"

"She's quite close with her. She's very rich and well, I've heard she is very generous when it comes to her friends…"

"Hmm…I see…Gimme the her number will you?"

Kakeru took a piece of paper, wrote Hikaru's number, and handed it to his older brother. "Here…"

"Thanks…" Satoru said as he walked out of the living room.

"Now that was close!…" Kakeru muttered.

"Oi bro!" Kakeru almost jumped out of surprise when he heard Masaru calling him. "What's the matter? You look like you have seen a ghost!"

"Don't scare me like that!"

"What did I do now?" Masaru asked looking very irritated. "Oh by the way, I've been wondering…"

"Hmm?"

"I remember you said something about seniors fancying our sister?"

Kakeru gulped. 'This is not good…'

"Tell me…who are they?"

"I dunno…"

"What do you mean, you don't know? You go to the same school with her and you don't know?"

"Like duh! Like there are lots of senior men at school! Besides, they were just secret admirers kinda…" Kakeru lied.

"I see…"

"Ne Masaru…"

"Hmm?"

"What would you do if our sister had a boyfriend?"

"You mean now?"

"Yes…"

"Easy, I'll beat him up!" Masaru answered with a wide grin. "You'd do the same will you?"

"What if later then?"

"I'd still beat him up."

"…Oi, why didn't you tell me that Hikaru is with that Sol lad?" Satoru asked while walking back in the livingroom. Kakeru almost fainted.

"W-who told you?"

"I called her up. I talked with that Sol too."

"Y-you did?" Kakeru stammered. 'I'm really gonna get it now!'

"BAKERO! Why didn't you tell us?!"

"I-IwasreallygonnatellyoubutIforgot. Hehehehe!!!" Kakeru laughed nervously.

"Why onii-san? What's wrong?" Masaru asked. "What didn't he tell us?"

"This twerp didn't tell us that our sister is joining the inter-high kendo competition. I talked to their captain."

Kakeru face-faulted. 'I really thought he found out about sis and Lantis-kun…'

"She'd been practicing hard these days. If this idiot over here had told me about it I wouldn't have worried too much…"

"Wow! She's gonna be the national champion again I bet!" Masaru said. "I thought our sister was dating someone and all…" A sweatdrop appeared on Kakeru's forehead. "Ne bro, Kakeru asked me this question and I think I should ask you too."

"Hmm?"

"What would you have done if sis had a boyfriend?"

"Why…beat him up of course!" Satoru said.

***

"You got me very nervous there, Lantis-kun…" Hikaru said, taking a deep breath. Her eldest brother just called and asked her where she was. When Lantis saw Hikaru getting really nervous and tongue-tied, he grabbed the phone and introduced himself…as Hikaru's captain, that is. Lantis started complimenting Hikaru's excellent kendo skills and then congratulating her brother for having a sister as good as her. He told him that Hikaru is the school's representative for the coming inter-high kendo competition. Her brother then assumed that Hikaru had been practicing hard after school.

"…That was a very smart move though," Fuu said, smiling, her eyes cradling both amusement and mischief.

"Wait until I tell you about what he did when Primera gave him a lunchbox," Eagle said, laughing.

Fuu looked at the silver-haired senior beside her. 'He does have deep feelings for Hikaru and yet… he seem to do nothing but tease her…Could it be that he had stepped down for his friend? And yet when he does joke about taking Hikaru for himself, it seems as if it is some kind of a warning to Lantis…A reminder that he is there, just waiting for his turn…if he was given an opportunity…'

"Hmph!" Lantis said.

"What did you do when Primera gave you obento?" Hikaru said, eyes narrowing.

"Well I…." Lantis said.

"He called the tour guide and told him that some love struck girl asked us to give it to him." Everybody, except Lantis, started laughing. "If only I saw Primera's face at that time…"

"Lantis-kun…that wasn't very nice…" Hikaru said, trying to show a straight face. She ended up laughing hard though, as she imagined how Primera fumed when she saw that the tour-guide was eating the food she made for Lantis.

"It didn't look that you really mean that…" Lantis said, smiling.

'There, she made him smile again!' Fuu told herself. 'Now I know what she meant when Hikaru said she feels good when he smiles at her. Lantis-sempai doesn't smile that often and yet...he smiles because of her.'

***

The next day, Fuu was surprised when she entered their classroom. On her desk was three bouquets of roses, a box of expensive chocolate, and a note that reads, To my one and only angel. Meet you after school.

Fuu looked around her and then caught Ferio's gaze. Normally, he looks away when it happens, but this time, he didn't. He just stood there, and smiled at her. She blushed. He winked. 'Could it be?' she asked herself.

***

Umi took a deep breath before entering their classroom. 'You can do this Umi-chan, just pretend that nothing happened…Pretend you didn't care…One…Two… Three… ' She then opened the door and walked in. 'Please let him not notice me…' Unfortunately, the first thing that happened was that their eyes locked. Umi almost gasped when she saw Clef's bruised face. 'No, don't frown, don't smile, just slowly look away…Remember, you don't care…There…now go to your seat and greet your friends.' "Ohayo Hikaru-chan, Fuu-chan…My, those are really nice Fuu-chan…" she said, referring to the flowers on Fuu's table.

"I know, but the thing is that, I don't know where to put all them when classes starts. There just isn't any room on my table to write on."
"Well then we'll take one bouquet for each of us to keep until after class," Hikaru said. "Right Umi?"

'He's looking at me…I can feel that he's looking at me…You don't care about him…It's better this way. At least he won't be able hurt you anymore, because you feel nothing…'

"Umi-chan!"

"Oh…ah…yes…"

"Thank you…" Fuu said.

***

Hate is not the opposite of love…it's indifference…And that is what Umi is giving him now. 'It would have been easier if she just hated me,' Clef told himself. He then remembered what Umi told him at the camp, '…there was nothing, not love, not even hate…' Now he understood what she meant.

He had tried teasing her today; she didn't react like she always did. She didn't ignore him, but just said, "Hello Clef-kun," when he greeted her and called her Miss Sassy. He then asked her why she didn't tease him back…she just answered, "I'm tired playing those childish games. Aren't you?" There was no sign of anger, or hurt in her voice…there was only this icy tone that he just couldn't take. The look she gave him was even worse; it was not only chilly, but also unattached, as if her eyes were saying, '…you are nothing to me…'

And so he stood there, for a few minutes. He watched her as she walked away with her friends. "Umi-chan…" he whispered. "Will you ever reach out for my hand again?"