The bell rung loudly, alerting all of my fellow classmates for lunch. Momiji and Hatsuharu still didn’t show up, which made me worry. I walked into the hallway, already on my way to the cafeteria. Once there, I met up with Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, Hanajima and Arisa.
"Ohaiyo! How is everyone doing!" I greeted them with a smile. "Oh, ohaiyo Haru-chan!" Tohru greeted me back. Yuki, Arisa and Hanajima just smiled at me. Kyo looked away, not really in the mood to greet me I guess.
I sat down across from the orange-haired teenager and unwrapped my obento with delight. "Sugoi Haru-chan. Your obento looks delicious!" Tohru piped up. I nodded in agreement while I took a hold of my chopsticks. "My Mom might get on my nerves sometimes, and she can be a bit weird, but her cooking makes up for it." I grinned widely as I took a bite from the obento.
"Did you find your way back safely yesterday?" Yuki asked me. I swallowed softly before answering. "Stop worrying. I’m not hurt or anything." I piped up with yet another grin. "Oh yeah. How’s Kisa doing?" I asked them. "Well… She’s in school right now. But she’s doing well, so I’ve heard." Yuki piped up.
"Yes! She even started to talk more now." Tohru interrupted. I sighed in relief. "That’s good to hear." "Who is this Kisa your talking about?" Arisa retorted with a frown. "I helped out a little girl yesterday. She was lost and couldn’t find her way back home. It seemed that she was related to Yuki and Kyo." I answered.
"I see… Another Sohma. How intriguing." Hanajima said in that soft voice of hers. I sweat-dropped, not really understanding her at all. I shrugged it off and stared at my obento. "Tanaka-san? Is something the matter?" I looked up at Yuki who seemed to have a worried expression on his face. He really should stop worrying.
"Eh? N-no.. Nothing’s wrong. I’m just wondering why Momiji and Hatsuharu didn’t show up today. That’s all." I replied with my hands in the air. "Now that you mention it. It is pretty quiet around here." Were Kyo’s first words of the day. "I’m sure they’re fine. Haru tends to skip class often. And Momiji probably caught a cold. Something like that." Yuki reassured me.
"I guess you’re right. But I can’t help but worry. I really looked forward to seeing them today."
"Are you kidding me?! If they’re not around, it’s better for me! They always manage to get me into trouble." Kyo retorted with a huff to follow. "Are you sure you’re not worried yourself, Kyo?" I asked him. "Like hell I am! Mind your own business half-breed!" He spat out at me as little pieces of rice flew out of his mouth.
"Oi…"
Everyone looked up at Arisa who stared down at Kyo with a dark atmosphere surrounding her. "H-hai?" Kyo whispered out. "No’ one calls Haruhi a half-breed. Got it, carrot top?" "Mind your own business! This is between me and the half-breed!" Kyo got up from his seat and faced Arisa. The two of them were giving each other death glares which only seemed to intensify with each passing second.
"A-arisa... It’s fine, really. I can take care of myself." I whispered out, although I was glad she stood up for me, I really don’t want Kyo and her to fight just for the heck of it. The two of them sat back down with a few mumbles and grumbles. I got back to eating my lunch and leaned back on my chair.
"Well.. I’m not going to get all depressed just because two of my classmates didn’t show up. I’m going to have some fun!" I said while I stretched out my arms in joy. Just then, I felt something hard being slammed on my head. "Mon dieu!" I looked up in a daze, only to see Hatsuharu’s smiling expression upside down.
"E-eh! H-hatsuharu! You made it!" I smiled goofily as I faced him properly. "Hey… Did you hit me on the head? It really hurts." I rubbed the top of my head to relief the pain. "But I’m glad you’re here!" My eyes sparkled brightly as I clasped my hands together, staring him down with a loving gaze in my eyes. Hatsuharu backed away from me, in which I snapped out of it.
"S-sorry…" I mumbled out shyly, feeling embarrassed at the moment. "Here... It’s for you." Hatsuharu replied blankly as he gave me a box wrapped in paper. It even had a cute ribbon around the square object. "Eh? What’s this for?" I stared at it in confusion. "Is it Valentine’s day already?" I heard Kyo groan from under the table. It seems that he was hiding for something… Or someone.
Tohru just smiled at Kyo’s behavior. "It’s a gift from Kisa’s parents!!" Momiji jumped up happily with his hands waving in the air. I jumped up as well in shock, holding onto my throbbing heart. "M-momiji… I didn’t see you there." I muttered out with a sweat-drop forming on my head. I focused my attention back to the present.
"From Kisa’s parents, huh?" I mumbled out, opening the package. "What is it?" Tohru asked in a daze. "W-well… It’s a book." I spoke up as I wiped away the dust of the cover. No wonder my head hurts. This book is quite heavy. "It’s a book about Dalmatians." I opened the book on a random page, seeing all kind of articles and info about Dalmatians. I can really use this.
"Looks like Kisa was the one who picked this out for me. Her parents must of paid for it." I smiled softly. This is really thoughtful of them. "Eh?! Haruhi. You have a dog?" Momiji questioned me. "I sure do. Kisa met her yesterday, as did Yuki, Kyo and Tohru." "That is so unfair. I want to see the dog too." Momiji muttered out.
"Don’t worry Momiji. You’ll see her soon enough." I encouraged him. "It sounds like you had quite the adventure yesterday." Arisa piped up. I just nodded in reply. Just then, the bell rang. We all said our goodbyes and headed back to class.
Hatsuharu’s POV:
"Listen up everyone! I hope you haven’t forgotten about the big test I’ll be giving this Friday." The entire class groaned loudly. "No complaints or excuses this time. I’m going through with it, no matter how much you beg." "Oh yeah. I almost forgot about it." I muttered out, already losing interest quickly.
I glanced over at Haru-tan. She placed her hands on her head as she lowered herself in her chair. "J'ai oublié tous à son sujet." She muttered out. I took out a French/Japanese dictionary and looked up the sentence she just said. As I found the meaning of her words, I couldn't help but to chuckle softly. "You forgot all about it too, huh?"
You're POV:
Class was out, but I still felt depressed. How could I forget the big test on Friday! "Condamnez-le tout..." (Damn it all.) I said to myself in irritation. I opened my shoe locker and took out my outdoor shoes. "You shouldn't swear that much, you know." I heard a voice speak up to me. I looked up to see Hatsuharu, holding a book in front of his face.
"H-hatsuharu?" I tied my shoes up with a sigh. "I don't know what your talking about. I don't swear." I lied. I removed the book from his face, letting me see his stunning grey eyes. "Condamnez-le tout... That's what you said earlier, right?"
My eyes opened up in surprise upon hearing that French sentence. And he said it so perfectly. No errors at all! "Ummm... Since when do you speak French?" He responded by smacking his little book on my head. "Itai..." I muttered out while taking a quick peek at the book.
"E-eh! A dictionary? You were reading a dictionary? French to Japanese..." He nodded with that same blank expression. "Hatsuharu... You can't be serious." I sighed deeply. "Stop swearing. I understand your language... a little."
I grinned at Hatsuharu's determination. It's really hard to learn French. Especially when your not interested in the language. "Alright. I'll try to stop swearing." I smiled at him. "That's good to hear. Besides, I've heard that you haven't studied for the big test this Friday."
"You were listening in on me. That's mean." I puffed out my cheeks. "You were the one that complained." He blaimed me. "I can't help it if I forgot about it. I really hate math. I don't understand those stupid formulas." I muttered under my breath. After I took out the stuff that I needed from out of my locker, Hatsuharu and I were walking down the hallway, heading straight for the exit.
"Is it that hard for you to learn?" Hatsuharu asked softly. "Urgh. Don't start. Ever since I was a kid, I had trouble with math. I just can't get it in my head." I rubbed my temples to relieve the stress. Hatsuharu stopped walking and glanced over at me. "What?" I asked him. "It's nothing. I was just wondering."
"About what?" I walked up to him, being all curious about it. "Well... There is a solution to your problem." I raised an eyebrow at his statement. "Which is?" He hesitated at first. But then, Hatsuharu thought it wasn't such a big deal, so he went for it.
"I could help you study for the test. At your place, that is." I started to laugh softly while clutching my stomach. "What's so funny?" "N-nothing! It's just... Why did you hesitate just to ask me that?!" Hatsuharu's eyes softened upon seeing my laughing form. "I thought you would laugh... And I was right."
I stopped laughing and placed my hand on his shoulder. I wiped away my tears with the other. "Sorry about that. And of course you can come over. I'll need all the help I can get." I winked at him. "Come on!" I took a hold of his wrist and dragged him along with me.
------
After a tiring ride with my bike, we arrived at my place. Hatsuharu claimed that his family knew about him staying here for a while, and I believed him of course. "Tadaa! This is our lovely porte." (Door) I knocked at the wooden door as Hatsuharu kept staring at it. He took out his little dictionary. I rolled my eyes as he did so. "Forget about it! Porte means door!" I pushed him in, being careful not to trip over something.
Hatsuharu's POV:
"You can take out your shoes here. And here is a pair of Hideki's slippers. I'm sure he won't mind you using it. "Haru-tan spoke up with a smile. I took a quick look around the hallway. Afterwards, I removed my shoes and slipped on the indoor slippers. Haru-tan did the same, still with that cheerfull smile on her face.
"I'll be going on ahead. If your finished, just turn left, okay? I'll be waiting."
She dissapeared around the corner. I sighed deeply, not knowing why I offered to stay here in the first place. "I'm just digging my own grave." I muttered out as I got back up again. I turned left and entered a large room. Haru-tan skipped up to me with a grin.
"Well? What do you think?"
"It's big..." Was my answer. "Of course it's big. This is the living room, and that's the dining room. Their's no wall between them. That's why it's so big." I just nodded in reply. "You just sit on the bench and make yourself at home. I'm going to go change." She stated. Before I could say anything, she was already running up the stairs.
"I guess I should sit down." I made my way over to the bench and sat down. The clock was ticking slowly. I made myself comfortable and leaned my head back. "Ha-san is going to chew me out when he knows the truth." Just then, I heard the door opening slowly and the voices of multiple people entering the household.
"That's just what I'm saying here. You're not listening at all." I heard a deep voice say. Definitly a male. "Of course I'm listening." Another voice responded. The owner of the voice seemed to be a female. "No your not." "Would you give your poor mother a break. You've been complaining to her ever since we left the store." Another female retorted.
"Just great. My own girlfriend is taking the side of my Mother." "Well... She is my Mother in law." They all bursted out into laughter. I began to panic. What if they think I'm a burglar?
"Hey... Where are my slippers?"
That must be Haru-tan's brother. They all entered the living room, spotting me in an instant. It remained silent for a while. They wouldn't think of me as a burglar. They look smarter then that.
"A burglar!!" The blonde-haired guy yelled out while pointing at me. I guess he's not that smart... "My my. How odd." The blonde woman responded with her index-finger on her chin. "Look out Mom! He has my slippers! He can take you as hostage!" The guy took on a fighting position, making me sweat-drop. The black-haired female just stood there in a daze. I stood back up again and faced them properly.
"He's planning an attack! Look at his eyes!"
"This is all a mi-" I couldn't finish my sentence as the Mother took a hold of my chin and looked me straight in the eye. "What a handsome young man. Don't you think so, Hitomi-chan?" The guy fell down anime-style as this Hitomi girl just sweatdropped.
"I'm here!! I'm here!!" I heard Haru-tan's voice booming from above. She ran down the stairs and stopped smiling as soon as she saw the situation I got myself in. "M-mom? Hideki and... Hitomi Nee-san?" She walked up to us in a daze. "What's going on here?" "We just caught this burglar red handed!"The blonde guy retorted as he pointed straight at me.
"Like I was trying to say earlier. I'm no burglar. If I was, I would be dressed entirely in black. Which I'm not." I defended myself. Haru-tan began to laugh loudly, making everyone stare at her weirdly. "Silly Hideki. That's no burglar." She began to say. "Just ignore him. Hideki always gets into ‘protection’ mode whenever he sees another male around. He’s afraid that you’ll take over. Sumthin’ like that…" Haru-tan whispered out to me. I raised an eyebrow at her statement.
"Everyone... This is Hatsuharu Sohma. He's a classmate of mine from Kaibara high." She patted me on the back. "Hatsuharu... This is my Mom." She pointed at the blonde lady in front of me, who seemed to wink at me.
"The blonde one is my older brother, Hideki." He glared at me, still not believing the fact that I wasn't a burglar.
"And the lovely lady right next to him is Hitomi Nee-san. She's been dating Onii-chan for three years now." "He doesn't need to know that Haru!" Her older brother spat out. Haru-tan smiled brightly as she poked her brother on his arm. "Anyways... He's here to help me study for a big test this Friday." She explained.
"Yeah right. I know what boys like you are after, and your not getting it from my sister!" This Hideki guy has serious trust issues. Her Mom started to cry silently, catching me off guard. She held her daughter in a bone crushing hug. "I'm so happy for you!! Ma petite abeille à miel a finalement grandi!!" (My little Honeybee has finally grown up!)
Hideki slapped himself in the face at that comment. I hardly understood what she said. "Let me take a picture of the both of you!" Before I knew it, Haru-tan's Mom held onto a photo camera and took a picture of us. "Aww... You two look so cute together! I'll place this one in the Hall Of Fame!" She ran off in a hurry, making me sweatdrop. What's the Hall Of Fame?
"Well... I guess we'll be off to study." Haru-tan took a hold of my hand and dragged me along with her. "Hey!! No messing around up there!! You hear me?!!" Hideki yelled out. "I'm keeping my eyes open!! I'm like a hawk, you know!!" Something tells me that he was talking about me.
"Would you let them be. I think it's cute that Haru has a boyfriend. This day was bound to come sooner or later." Hitomi pulled Hideki back. "Yeah well... I'd rather want for it to happen later." He grumbled. "Do you remember the time that I invited you over to study? I felt so loved. It was the best time ever."
Hitomi spaced out with a goofy smile. Hideki tensed up, remembering it like it happened yesterday. He was about to run up the stairs, but Hitomi held him back.
"That boy is up to no good!!"
You're POV:
I dragged Hatsuharu up the stairs and into the hallway, stopping in front of my room. I opened the door and walked in. He did the same. I plopped down on my bed, beconing for him to come over. "Your family seems nice." Hatsuharu spoke up softly as he took a look around.
"Your room doesn't seem half that bad either." I puffed up my cheeks, taking that as an insult. "What? Did you think my room would be messy?" "That's not what I meant. I thought your room would be... Pink." He finished off. I took a hold of my pillow while staring Hatsuharu down. "That's just because Hideki Nii-chan and Dad helped with the renovations. So technically, this is their doing." I answered.
Hatsuharu was staring at a book on my desk. "What's that?" I quickly snatched it and hid it away. "It's just my diary... I don't write in it anymore, but it still holds a lot of my secrets from when I was little." I blabbed about, a little embarrased at the moment. "I see..." Hatsuharu smiled softly, but his smile dissapeared as quickly as it came. He sat down on the carpet floor and leaned his head against the bed end.
"Haru-tan... Can I ask your opinion on something?"
"Of course you can. Ask away!" I cheered happily. Hatsuharu had this empty look in his eyes, as if he was afraid to ask. As if he was afraid of how I would react. "What do you think of the ox?" At this, I grew confused. What kind of question is that?
"Umm... To be honest, I really don't know how to answer that question." I answered truthfully. "Don't tell me you don't know about the folktale of the Chinese Zodiac." He sighed deeply. I laughed sarcastically, trying to convince him that I knew about it. "If course I know! Who wouldn't these days!"
"I don't know. You, maybe?" Hatsuharu replied blankly. I stopped laughing, feeling like an idiot. "Fine. You win. I really don't know. I haven't heard about it." I scootched closer to Hatsuharu, lying on my tummy for the extra comfort.
"A long, long time ago, God decided to invite all of the animals to a banquet." Hatsuharu began. He took a hold of a few stuffed animals and gathered them on my bed. Lucky thing I had all of the forms of the Zodiac as a stuffed animal. I listened and watched intendly, wanting to know how the story goes. "He send out word for all of them to come to his house the following evening. 'And don't be late!' He said." I tried to visualise the story in my head, which worked a little.
"When the mischievous Rat heard the news, he decided to play a trick on his neighbor, the Cat." Hatsuharu looked up at me. "What did the Rat do?" I asked. "Simple... He told the Cat that the party was the day after tomorrow." "But that means..." I muttered out, already feeling sorry for the poor Cat. Hatsuharu continued with the story as he placed the stuffed cat aside from the group. The rest of the animals were lined up.
"The very next day, all of the animals lined up for the celebration. The Rat led the way, riding all the way there on the back of the Ox." He took a hold of the stuffed cow and placed the rat on it’s back, in front of the line. Hatsuharu closed his eyes. Preparing for the finishing line.
"Everyone had a wonderful time, except for the Cat, who missed the whole thing."
Hatsuharu faced me. I held onto the plush cat, letting my bangs cover up my eyes. "I thought... It would end happily."
"Really... Not everything has a happy ending to it. Or else life itself would be boring." Hatsuharu retorted. I looked up again, knowing that he was right in a way. "So? What do you think of the Ox?"
Hatsuharu's POV:
I asked her the same question again. Hoping that she would answer truthfully. Haru-tan still had a hold of the cat as her eyes held a sorrowful glow in them. "To me... The Ox represents a certain source of strength. I know they can be stubborn, but they can't help it. Ever since I was a little girl, I looked up to them like no' one else I know. And after that story, I came to realize something."
I felt a little sorry for asking her now. It really affected her. Both the question and the story. "What if I'm using the Ox for my own benefits, just like the Rat did!" I sighed upon hearing that. She shouldn't worry about something like that.
"Your not using the Ox. Get it out of your head." I laughed a little. "What I was trying to say, is that maybe... You'd think that the Ox was being stupid to carry the Rat all the way to the banquet. Only idiots do that, right?" I grinned slightly. I just wanted to hear her opinion on it. Haru-tan crossed her arms over her chest and huffed loudly.
"If you call the Ox an idiot, then I'm an idiot too! So there!"
Somehow, I felt at ease with her answer. Most people would say that the Ox is stupid. But I'm glad she's not one of them. I started to laugh softly at her facial expression. "What's so funny? I'm being serious here!" She piped up.
"What's your favorite Zodiac animal?" I asked her.
"Isn't it obvious. It's the Ox! Now that I heard the story, I admire him even more." She smiled at me. "Oh really? And why is that?" "Because he could of thrown the Rat off of his back. But instead, he chose not to. And that's very noble of him! Most people don't see that, huh?" She pointed at me.
It seems that she cheered up from the sad ending of the story. She started to laugh, as did I. As the laughter started to fade, I faced her again.
"Haru-tan... Merci pour... Partager votre avis." (Thanks for sharing your opinion.) I struggled to say the sentence that I was practicing for a while now. Haru-tan's expression softened up at my words. "Votre bienvenue..." (Your welcome.) She said as she patted me on the head. I took out my trusty dictionary and looked her words up, leaving for Haru-tan to laugh again.
"You and your little dictionary. Why do you drag that thing around?"
"I don't trust you." I piped up with a smirk. Haru-tan smacked her pillow on my head, making me grin at her. Somehow... I feel a little better about myself.
