"There are four basic operations utilized in algebra. These are addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. There are multiple symbols for these, and as you would imagine, their operations are basic." Hatsuharu explained as he held my mathbook open for me to see.
"Do you follow me?"
"Y-yeah... I think so. Substraction... Multipication, and division." I said to myself to remember. I feel like an idiot... It seemed that I didn't know a thing about math or algebra, so Hatsuharu decided to explain the basics of it first.
"Addition, also known as summing, is when two numbers are added together. For example... 2 2= 4. It's as simple as that." He raised his right hand, showing off his four fingers in the progress.
"Substraction, also known as the difference, is when one number is subtractedfrom another. Example... 4- 2= 2." He raised two fingers in the air, making me sigh. "Mutiplication, also known as the product, is when two numbers are multiplied together."
"O-okay."
I nodded my head, showing him that I was still following. "Also, when dealing with variables there is no need to have any symbol between them. In the formula, 6x xy 2y = 0, can be written as 6*x x*y 2*y = 0. When there is a variable involved and it is butted up against another variable or a number the multiplication is implied."
I lost it... There was no way that I could keep up with him! My eyes were wirling about as I placed my hands on my head. "You gotta be kidding me. Can't you just go easy on me?" I pleaded him. "But this is as easy as it gets. You can't even handle the basics..."
I crashed down on the floor, forgetting all about it. He already started from scratch! "Should I begin with the definition of base?" "No thanks..." I cried a waterfall right then and there. I felt a hard cover being placed on my head softly.
"Huh? God?"
"It's not God. Look up." Hatsuharu chuckled. I held onto the thin book that Hatsuharu placed on my head. "What's this?" I opened it and looked through the sheets of paper, only to see several formulas and several gibberish. It was filled with numbers, several circles and triangles...
"It's my notebook. I figured you could use it. It's better if you read it through on your own time." Hatsuharu explained. I stared at him, feeling the need to hug him. "Can I hug you?" I opened my arms in reply. He seemed to tense up at my question. "No..."
"Fine. I'll just rub your notebook against my cheek." I replied with a laugh to follow. He relaxed again as he smiled softly. A knock on the door could be heard. I looked up to see my Mom with that goofy smile on her face. "Dinner time Haruhi." She said to me.
I nodded in reply and cleaned up the sheets of paper, placing it on my desk along with my mathbook and Hatsuharu's notebook. "Okay!" I got up and ran up to her, only to stare back at Hatsuharu. "Oh right... What about..."
"He'll come along of course! He's probably starving to death by now." She commented. "I'm not that hungr-" "Boys his age are always hungry. He's still a teenager. Of course he's hungry!" Mom blabbed about, not even listening to Hatsuharu. I rolled my eyes at her, telling Hatsuharu not to pay her any attention.
------
I was busy, setting up the table, along with Hatsuharu's help. After seeing Hatsuharu struggling with the plates, I gave him a helping hand. "Here... This plate is for the main dish, so it goes under the slightly smaller plate, which is used for the dessert." I explained. "Oh..." He faced me with that blank expression.
"Is it because your part French?" I just sweatdropped at his answer. "N-not really..." Just when we were done, the door creacked open, followed by loud footsteps. A few barks were heard, making me stare in the hallway. "P-papa!" I yelled out in cheer joy, jumping in his embrace.
Hatsuharu's POV:
A man walked in the living room. He had short black hair and dark brown eyes that seemed to light up at the sight of seeing Haru-tan before him."P-papa!" Haru-tan yelled out as she ran up to the man. He opened his arms and allowed for her to jump in his embrace.
"Haruhi, must you be so rough on me? I just got back from work. Give me a break, will you." He replied playfully as he messed up Haru-tan's hair. "You keep giving me breaks by not seeing me for two days, so this is how it goes. Serves you right." She commented with a smile, still not letting go of him. A Dalmatian made it's way over to Haru-tan, greeting her in the progress.
"I guess that's her old man. Figures...They look alike." I spoke up softly, not wanting to interrupt their little quarrel. But still... I can't help but to envy the man. He can put his arms around her without the fear of ever having to transform in any animal.
I wonder... How would she react if she ever found out about the curse?What would she think of me? Sure, she said that she liked the Ox the best. But that doesn't mean anything. Seeing a human being transform into an Ox... It's traumatizing. It'll scare her away for sure.
"Hatsuharu? Is there something wrong? I didn't mean to ignore you like that." Haru-tan interrupted my thoughts from growing even darker. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it." I replied in a mere whisper. She seemed to be left in a daze, but she shrugged it off anyway and turned to her Dad.
"Oh yeah! Dad, this is Sohma Hatsuharu. He's a classmate of mine and offered to help me with my studies for the next big test." She explained. Her Dad hung his coat away and loosened his tie a little.
"I see. Well... Any friend of yours is a friend of mi-" His sentence was cut short as he faced me properly. "Dad? What's wrong?" Haru-tan asked him. "W-well..." Haru-tan crossed her arms over her chest, waiting patiently for his answer.
"Depuis quand vous vous faites participer d'un membre d'une troupe de Yakuza?"(Since when do you involve yourself with a member of a Yakuza gang?) He whispered out to her. I sighed deeply. Seems like the brother gets his attitude from him.
"Papa! Hes rien n'aime cela ! Vous ne devriez pas le juger juste par ses regards ! Il est un gars agréable." (Dad! He's nothing like that! You shouldn't judge him just by his looks! He's a nice guy.) I did my best to follow their conversation, but I couldn't keep up with them at all.
"Apologise to Hatsuharu." She exclaimed with a straight face. "Alright... I'm sorry." He apologised while looking me straight in the eye. "It's okay. I hardy understood a word he said." I said in his defense. "He called you a member of a Yakuza gang." She explained, making me smile a little. "Why are you smiling?! He just insulted you!"
"It doesn't matter." I retorted. "If I were you, I'd smack him a good one on the head!" She argued back. "That would only prove him right about me being a member of a Yakuza gang." I replied as Haru-tan still didn't give up. "Urgh.."
"It's okay Haruhi. I understand. I was wrong. You proved your point." Her Dad piped in as he placed his hands on her shoulders. She merely looked up with a frown on her face. "I'm getting the others..." She mumbled softly as she walked up the stairs. The Dalmatian seemed to follow her closely.
"Ah... What a temper she has. It's best for us to agree with whatever she has to say. She won't stop unless you do so." He faced me with a sigh. I just nodded softly at his reply. "Sohma Hatsuharu, right? I'm Tanaka Keisuke." He held out his hand for me to hold, in which I did so. "Nice to meet you Tanaka-san." I replied briefly with a slight bow.
"Well, well... You really seem like a nice guy, as Haruhi put it." Tanaka-san sat down on a chair, gesturing for me to sit across from him. I sat down, being careful not to break anything on the way. "So..." He began to say with a smile. I just grew confused. "How old are you?"
"I'm fifteen. Why do you ask?" I retorted blankly. "Ah... Fifteen years old, huh? The same age as Haruhi." He replied softly. "Are you interested in her?" I was about to fall off my chair, but managed to keep my cool.
"We're just friends."
"That can change as time flies by." Was his answer. "Yeah... Well, that may be true. But I don't plan on starting a relationship any time soon." I answered truthfully. The clock on the wall was ticking softly. "Besides... All I care about is just being by her side. Our friendship doesn't need to descend to that level." I mumbled about while staring at the empty plate before me.
"Your right... Time does fly by. But if I see her smiling face before me... It's as if time itself doesn't have an impact on me." At this, Tanaka-san grew confused. "How so?"
"Simple... I forget about the past. I stop thinking about the future. All that matters is the present time. In other words... The times that I spend with her are very dear to me."
"I see... I think I understand. So you make her feel special?" He interrupted me. I shook my head at his reply. "I don't make her feel special... I just remind her of the fact that she is special." Tanaka-san stared me down, his lips curling into an amused smile.
"You say wise things for someone your age. Are you sure you weren't lying about your age?" Seems like I made a good impression on him. Just then, the sound of footsteps could be heard. Haru-tan, her Mother, brother and Hitomi walked down the stairs.
"Dinner time!!" Haru-tan and her brother both yelled out at the same time before they stormed down the stairs. "Those two..." Hitomi shook her head. The Mother surprised me with her outburst.
"I'm first!! I'm always first!!"
I chuckled a little as the three of them were racing for the finish line. The Dalmatian managed to slip through an opening and arrived first with a loud bark. "And to think that it was quiet just a second ago." Tanaka-san muttered out with a content smile on his lips.
"Yeah..."
You're POV:
"Aahh! I'm so full..." Hideki sighed deeply in content as he patted his tummy in the progress. "I get to cut the cake!" He cheered like the idiot he is. Hitomi, Mom and Dad just laughed at his enthousiasme. "Unbelievable... Your still a little kid, Onii-chan." I retorted with a smirk to follow.
"If I'm still a kid... Then your a baby. Trop petit pour avoir raison, vous le bébé." (Too little to be right, you baby.) He mocked me by patting me on the head. I just grumbled it out, not liking the way he adressed me. "Aren't they cute." Mom squeeled proudly, making Dad sweatdrop at her comment.
"The one who eats the most can cut the cake... I hate that stupid rule." I grumbled darkly. I'm surprised Hideki didn't turn into a fat blob by now. Hideki always managed to win. And he always ends up with the biggest slice out of us all. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but it seems that Hatsuharu-kun is the winner." Hitomi exclaimed with a chuckle.
Everyone averted their eyes onto Hatsuharu who was still eating right next to me. How much does he plan on eating anyway? And I thought he said he wasn't hungry... "H-how..." Hideki whispered under his breath.
"That settles it!" I laughed loudly as Hatsuharu looked up with that blank expression on his face. "Hatsuharu is the winner!" I raised his fist high in the air with a wide grin on my face. "What did I win?" He retorted, not having a clue of what's going on.
"Just honor this moment and cut the cake." I whispered out to him. "You know the rules Hideki. He's the winner, so he can cut the cake. Better luck next time." Mom smiled brightly at her only son. Hideki just sunk even lower on his chair. "But he's not even a part of the family..."
"Don't be a sore loser. Sohma-kun is a member of the family as of today. "Dad complained. Hitomi just laughed. "Here you go Hatsuharu-kun." Mom handed him the cutting knife, making Hideki grumble even more. Hatsuharu held onto the knife and stared at the cake for a while.
"It's okay. Go ahead." I nudged him softly. He still stood there, staring at the cake. "Here... Let me help." I placed my hand onto his and steered it towards the cake. As soon as the knife sunk into the delicious treat, me and Hatsuharu were blinded by a flashing light.
"How marvelous! It almost looks like their wedding day, don't you think so, honey?" Mom showed off the picture to Dad, in which he couldn't help but to agree. "Mom! Don't do that! It's embarrasing!" I yelled at her with my cheeks all red from the comment. "Yeah, yeah... Whatever." She waved it off. "It's going to happen sooner or later."
"No it won't!" I retorted back. "She won't get married without my aproval!" Hideki pitched in. I was about to explode. "I'm fifteen years old! I'm not getting married soon!" Just then, amidst our little quarrel, I heard the faint sound of laughter. Everyone turned around and faced Hatsuharu who seemed to place his hand on his face from the laughter.
"Hatsuharu..." I smiled faintly. I never would of imagined that he could laugh like he did just now. Finally, his laughter faded away as he noticed that he was the center of attention right now. "S-sorry... I shouldn't..."
"It's okay! Don't apologise." I piped up, trying to make him feel more comfortable. He smiled softly in my direction. Just then, someone rang the doorbell. "I'll get that." Mom replied as she made her way over to the door. After a while of hearing Mom speak to a male, or so I can tell, she walked back in the room with the person behind her.
"Hatsuharu-kun... There's someone here to see you." As I looked past Mom, I recognised the male person that walked beside her. "Y-your that doctor guy!" I yelled out while pointing straight at the person. Etoile seemed to wake up from under the table, showing her confused eyes.
"You know him?" Mom asked me in curiosity. "It seems that I stumbled upon your daughter when she needed help. She twisted her ankle back then. And would you stop pointing at me like that? It's somewhat irritating." I lowered my arm as my cheeks were turning slight red from embarrasment.
"Since when were you hurt?" Hideki retorted. I slapped myself in the face at his response. He already forgot. "Haru... I knew I'd find you here. Not only didn't you ask for my permission, you also lied to Momiji about coming here. What were you thinking?" The man spoke up. Come to think of it... Didn't he have the same last name as Hatsuharu? So he must be Hatsuharu's...
"Ah! Your Hatsuharu's Dad! I see." I grinned widely. "Not even close. He's my cousin." Hatsuharu informed me. I sweatdropped. This man is his cousin? I gotta stop assuming things beforehand.
"That's right. I'm Sohma Hatori. I thought I already introduced myself to you." I scratched the side of my head, agreeing with him. Hatsuharu walked up to him with his hands in his pockets. Hatori bowed down to my parents.
"I'm sorry for the intrusion. We will be going now. Haru... Thank them for their hospitality." Hatori retorted as he faced Hatsuharu. "B-but we were about to serve the cake! Let him stay for a little while..." My Mom insisted, but Hatori shook his head.
"He overstayed his welcome. But thank you for the offer." He declined. The two of them walked out the door. I stood in the doorway as Hatsuharu stared at me through the car window. Just as Hatori was about to get in as well, I held onto his coat tightly. He looked back at me with a confused expression.
"He's not in some kind of trouble, is he? Hatsuharu just came over to help me with my studies. It really is a bad thing that he didn't tell you, but don't blame him for it." Hatori stared me down, not really hearing my words.
"I could tell you that he's not in any kind of trouble... But then I would be lying." Was his response as he got into his car. Hatsuharu seemed to stare into space, not noticing me at all. The car sped away into the night, making me sigh in a depressed manner.
"That idiot..."
