The next day was a stressful one. After I took the big math test that I feared so much, I felt like I didn't do my best. I felt like I was going to fail. Even though both Momiji and Hatsuharu helped me out, I had a feeling that I had to retake the test. And that feeling may be true...
"There sure are a lot of people here."
Hatsuharu broke my train of thoughts, making me look up at him in confusion. I looked around to see that he was right. The hallway was filled with several students. It looked like our class wasn't the only one with a big test.
"Wow! Everyone is acting like something big is going on! I'm not worried. I'm sure I passed the test. It was a breeze!" Momiji piped up loudly. I just broke under the pressure as a dark cloud surrounded my entire being, as if confirming my depression. "Momiji..." Hatsuharu mumbled out as he saw my nervous form.
"Oops... I'm sorry Haruhi. I'm sure you passed too!" Momiji apologised. "Y-yeah! I w-won't lose! I'm full of c-confi-dence..." I stuttered out with my fist pumped in the air. I could barely stand on my feet, seeing that my knees couldn't stop shaking violently from the pressure.
"You sure don't sound like it." Hatsuharu retorted softly. "Have a little faith. Believe in yourself." He finished off. I closed my eyes briefly and took a deep breath, only to freak out even more. "I can't do it! I won't watch!" I complained as I placed my hands on my eyes, even though they were already sealed shut.
"The test results are in! Feel free to see if you passed! If not, you will have to retake the test this following Friday!" The teacher yelled out as the students stormed in his direction."You guys can go without me... I'm too scared to check my results." I mumbled out.
The sound of footsteps fading in the distance made me feel somewhat sad. But at least they respected my decision. Just then, I felt a warm hand taking a hold of my wrist. Hatsuharu dragged me along for the ride. I still refused to open my eyes. Hatsuharu stopped abruptly and faced the board, as did Momiji.
"I passed! I’m the third best in class!" Momiji yelled out in cheer joy.
"Passed…" Was all that Hatsuharu could say at the moment.
Although I’m happy that they passed, it also seemed to sadden me. What if I didn’t pass? I can’t even find the courage to look up my own name on the board.
"Looks like you passed with flying colors." I heard Hatsuharu whisper in my ear. My heart was pounding like crazy. Maybe it’s not all that bad to check my results. I removed my hands from my eyes as my curiosity reached its peak.
"Where are my results?" I asked them. Momiji said nothing as Hatsuharu pointed to the right spot on the board. "Tanaka Haruhi…" He retorted with a soft tone in his voice. I got all excited and moved around in a nervous state.
"You failed."
At that instant, I felt all of my energy slip away as my eyes widened dramatically. My face turned pale upon hearing those two words. "I… Failed?" I stuttered out in reply. "Looks like it." Momiji confirmed it. "B-but I thought you said I passed with flying colors!" I pointed my index-finger at Hatsuharu, blaming him for everything. He just shrugged briefly.
"I didn’t think you would actually believe me. You’re so naïve." Was his answer. "At least I got you to open your eyes." He finished off with a soft smile. I just sighed deeply and placed my hands on top of my head. "Urgh! So I failed miserably?!" I panicked loudly.
"Nope… You're missing two points. So it’s not a major failure." Momiji tried to cheer me up. But that only caused for me to pull on my ponytails in frustration. A waterfall of tears made their way down my cheeks by now.
"It’s okay Haruhi. You can retake the test next Friday." Momiji rubbed my back softly. I just kept on crying like a toddler who just lost her Mother. "I can’t believe this… I practiced so hard. And yet, I failed." I mumbled out.
"Ah! Here you are Tanaka-san!" Four female classmates ran up to the three of us in a hurry. "How did it go? Did you pass?" One of them asked me. "We passed!" The other retorted loudly with a big smile on her face. I just sat in the corner in a fetal position, rocking back and forth.
"Ano… Did something happen?" They asked in a daze. "You didn’t pass?" At once, I bursted out in tears again. "How sad… And we were rooting for you too. Looks like it didn’t work out." The third girl replied with a pout. "Oh well. Lets tell the others we passed!" The girls agreed and ran off into the hallway.
I wiped away the tears with my sleeves, just sitting there in the corner next to a random locker. Momiji seemed to be missing. But that was the least of my worries. Hatsuharu just stood there. Not really knowing what else to do at a time like this. I began to sob softly.
"I’m such a failure." I snorted out. "Hey… At least you tried. You’ll do better next time." Were his encouraging words. "Come on. Let’s get you something to eat. My treat." Hatsuharu held out his hand for me to hold. I stared at him for a while before I took his hand.
"Because it’s your treat. I can’t decline, can I?" I replied while dusting off my skirt. "That’s not it. I just know how to please you, is all." Hatsuharu pointed out with a grin. My cheeks were starting to burn up at his comment. I turned my back on Hatsuharu, not wanting for him to see my face in this state.
"Whatever you say…" I whispered out, acting as if it didn’t bother me at all. Hatsuharu noticed this. He walked up to me, attempting to catch a glimpse of my reddened cheeks. I turned around again, feeling my cheeks burning up even more. "What’s the matter? Did I upset you?" He asked me with a hint of enthusiasm in his voice. "It’s nothing…" I muttered out with my hands placed on my burning cheeks.
Hatsuharu laughed softly at my answer. He held onto my wrist for the second time that day and dragged me along with him. I felt even more embarrassed when I realized that practically everyone in the hallway were staring at us. Hatsuharu didn’t seem to notice, so I just kept quiet. After a while of walking, the two of us reached one of the many vending machines.
"What do you want?" Hatsuharu asked me casually. "It’s okay. Y-you don’t have to get me something. I’m not hungry." At that moment, my stomach started to growl in protest. Hatsuharu stared me down with his grey eyes. I really felt like crawling under a rock.
"Ah! Well… It’s just a joke! I’m hungry!" I retorted with my hands raised. "Then… What’s the problem? If it’s about the cash, it’s okay. I managed to borrow some from Kyo." He spoke up with a blank expression.
"Y-you even went so far as to borrow money from someone?" I asked him in shock. "It’s okay… I took it when he wasn’t looking." Hatsuharu mentioned.
"Hatsuharu! That’s called stealing!" I pointed at him with my index-finger. I calmed down with a deep sigh. This is just like him. "At any rate. You don’t have to buy me anything. I’m… Allergic to sweets." I lied to him. I felt bad about it, but he doesn’t have to waste his money on someone who didn’t even pass a stupid math test. I don’t deserve it.
"Ah…" Hatsuharu piped up softly. A few seconds passed in silence when Hatsuharu spoke up again. "So… What do you want? There are chocolate bars, waffles, some skittles…" He summed them all up, leaving for me to crash down on the floor.
"I already told you! I’m allergic to all sorts of sweets!" "I’ll take the skittles." Hatsuharu ignored me completely. The many coins were inserted into the vending machine. Hatsuharu pushed some buttons, and the snack he chose made its way down. With a blank expression, he took a hold of the skittles and stared me down. He held onto my hand and dumped the candy on my open palm.
"Enjoy."
He grinned at me. I hung my head, accepting my defeat for today. "Thanks…" I mumbled out to him. He patted me on the head, still grinning like crazy. "But I still don’t deserve this. I didn’t pass the test." I pointed out. "Who cares if you failed." Hatsuharu began to say. I lifted my head to look him in the eye.
"I care. Your rewarding me for nothing." I retorted with a pout. "That’s not true. I’m rewarding you for your efforts. You worked hard." He began to say while he gazed at a near window.
"You have to work hard to obtain your goal. If you fail to succeed, it doesn’t matter. How you get there is important. You will gain experience. And with that experience, you’re bound to make it someday." He said in a mere whisper.
"H-hatsuharu…" I mumbled out. Where did all that come from? I stared at the bag of skittles in my hands and smiled faintly. "Okay… I’ll eat the skittles. You happy now?" I laughed softly. Hatsuharu smiled as well. I opened the bag of skittles and popped a few in my mouth.
"I thought you were allergic to sweets…" Hatsuharu piped up. I almost choked on the candy. "I knew you were listening!" I retorted with yet another laugh. Hatsuharu joined in with the laughter, making me smile. It's not every day that I can see or hear Hatsuharu laugh with such intensity.
"What the hell is so amusing here?" I heard a familiar voice, breaking me out of my trance. I turned around and faced the person, only to see Kyo, Yuki, Momiji and Tohru standing there. Kyo was probably the one who broke me out of my trance in the first place.
"Ah... Hi guys!" I greeted them with a slight bow. "Don't 'hi' me! Momiji!! Didn't you say she was depressed?!" Kyo retorted as he glanced over at Momiji. So that's why he left. He told the others.
"She was. But I guess Haruhi cheered up!" Momiji piped up with a wide smile. Kyo smacked him a good one upside the head, making Momiji cry. "Whaaa!! Kyo is picking on me!!" He cried his eyes out. "Shut up!! I'm tired of hearing your high-pitched voice all the time!!" Kyo snapped.
Tohru comforted Momiji while she was at it. He calmed down after that. So did Kyo. Well... I you would call 'looking the other way' calm, that is. "Ah! Ano... Haru-chan... Are you really alright? We were worried." Tohru spoke up. I stared at the four of them, only to smile widely. "Thank you for your concern. Really... It's nothing. I can retake the test this Friday. No problem." I answered happily.
"That's good to hear." Yuki spoke up with that soft tone in his voice. I nodded in agreement. "It'll be a problem when you fail the next one too." Kyo muttered out. I froze over, realizing that he's right.
"Kyo-kun... You shouldn't say that." Tohru confronted Kyo. "It's okay... Really! Besides... What matters is that I work hard to pass. I don't really care if I fail. Doing my best is good enough for me." I stared at Hatsuharu, in which he smiled softly.
"Well... I'm glad everything turned out alright, Tanaka-san." Yuki spoke up with a smile. "Are you kiddin' me?!! What kind of advice is that?!" Kyo spat out as he glared at me. He sure has a lot of rage... "Who the hell said that to you?! An idiot, no doubt!" He continued to say. I just sweat dropped at his statement.
"It doesn't matter if you fail... Of course it does!! Do yourself a favor and forget that piece of advice. Don't listen to a moron!" He snapped with his fist raised in the air. "Jeesh... You really a-"
Just as he was about to finish his sentence, Hatsuharu's fist connected with Kyo's jaw, sending him flying against the wall. "Ah!! Kyo!!" I yelled out in fear of his condition. "You just keep on yappin', little kitty..." Hatsuharu muttered out darkly.
"I guess it's a good thing that I punched you!! It's the only way for you to shut up!!" Hatsuharu laughed out, sending shivers down my spine.
My face turned pale as I kept staring him down. "Not again... That stupid cat. Hasn't he learned anything from his previous fight?" Yuki muttered out as he rubbed his temples in annoyance. Kyo got up on his feet and wiped away the dirt on his face.
"What the hell is your problem, you stupid cow!! Why did you hit me for!!" He yelled out in confusion. "Less talking, more fighting!!" Came Hatsuharu's response as he launched another punch in Kyo's direction. But he managed to block it in time. In no time, the two of them kept on exchanging blows and kicks to one another.
"Ah... That's right." I mumbled out under my breath. "What's right?" Tohru asked me. "I forgot about his explosive side." I sweatdropped dramatically. Tohru laughed softly, as did Momiji. Yuki just sighed deeply.
------
After a good while, the fight between Kyo and Hatsuharu ended. Hatsuharu turned back to his normal self, which made me sigh in relief. Hatsuharu's so dangerous and unpredictable whenever he turns Black. I still need some time to get used to his split personality...
"Well... I guess I'll be going home now." I spoke up with a smile. "Yes! We'll be seeing you whenever we see you!" Tohru smiled back at me. "Don't come back half-breed." Kyo piped up with a frown. Instead of getting angry at him like I did last time, I merely smiled with a slight wave in his direction.
"I mean it!" He yelled at me. I sighed deeply at his attitude. "You know... You’re like an oignon." I muttered out. "What the hell is a oignon?! Stop talking French jibberish!" He felt insulted. "N-no! You got it all wrong! Oignon means onion." Was my response, which only seemed to piss him off even more.
"J-just let me explain. Y-you have like... A lot of... Layers." I felt like an idiot now. Did I had to compare him with an onion? "And it's hard to peal you... I think." I whispered out shyly. "You really are an idiot!" He snapped. "I think I get it. You do have a lot of layers, baka neko." Yuki defended me.
"This doesn't concern you!!" Kyo pointed at Yuki with his index-finger.
"Onion..." Hatsuharu piped up. "Shut up!!" Kyo retorted as his face turned bright red. "I want to be an onion too!!" Momiji cheered happily. "Go ahead and dress up like one!! I don't care!!" Came Kyo's reply. Amongst all of the yelling, Yuki seemed to remember something.
"Ah... That's right. I almost forgot." He spoke up as he handed me a piece of paper. "What's this?" I accepted the paper and stared at it in confusion. "It's an invitation. Shigure organized a little get together at our place. He really wants for you to be there. We'd all like for you to be there." He explained sweetly.
"Well... Kyo probably doesn't agree, but nobody cares about him anyway." Kyo was sending death glares in Yuki's direction, accompanied with a few growls here and there. "Ah..." I sweat dropped while staring Kyo down. He doesn't really like me.
"I see... When will it take place?"
"Tomorrow. It starts at four pm." Yuki answered. "It'll be fun!! You can meet a few family members as well!!" Momiji pointed out. I smiled at his enthusiasm. "I guess I'll go then... Like Momiji said. It'll be fun." I retorted happily. "That's good to hear." Yuki finished off with a smile. I nodded in reply and ran off in the hallway.
"See you guys tomorrow!!" I yelled out with a slight wave in their direction before I disappeared around the corner.
Tohru's POV:
I waved after her, already getting excited about the little get together. "Oi..." Kyo-kun muttered out. "What is it." Sohma-kun answered as he glared at Kyo-kun. "Are you sure about this? Your asking for trouble, and you’re going to get it." Kyo-kun does have a point there. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the curse, you freaking idiot!! One wrong move, and she's hit the motherload!!" Kyo-kun yelled out , hoping that Yuki-kun would understand. "That doesn't matter. We'll all be on our guard. Nothing will happen." Came Kyo-kun's calm reply.
"I don't think you understand how serious this is! But I don't give a damn!! You’re not going to listen to me anyway!!" Kyo-kun spat out as he stormed out. His shoulder brushing harshly against Yuki-kun's shoulder. If I didn't know any better, It's as if Kyo-kun wants to help Haru-chan out. He probably doesn't want for her to find out and to get hurt. But those are just my thoughts on the situation...
"A-ano... Yuki-kun. Don't you think Kyo-kun's right? What if she finds out? I don't even want to think of the consequences." "It's quite alright, Honda-san. Besides... Haru would like for her to be there. Isn't that right, Haru?" Hatsuharu-san sighed deeply at Yuki-kun's question.
"Normally, I wouldn't disagree... But this time it's different. Haru-tan has to keep her distance for a while." Hatsuharu-san muttered out. "It's better for her not to show up at all." He finished off as he walked away with his hands in his pockets.
"What's the matter with him?" Yuki-kun spoke up in confusion. "I have no clue." I retorted while staring at Hatsuharu-san's retreating back. He’s gotten more mysterious for the past few days. I wonder...
"How far would Hatsuharu-san go..." I spoke up softly. "To protect Haru-chan from harm."
Your POV:
I closed the door behind me and slipped out of my outdoor shoes. In a hurry, I ran into the living room to see Mom, Dad and Hideki. Etoile was sleeping on the couch next to Dad. "I'm home!!" "Welcome back Haruhi. How was school? Did you do okay on your test?" Dad asked me as I rummaged through my suitcase.
"Looks like she passed. She can’t stop smiling like the idiot she is." Hideki grinned widely. I ignored him and took out my math test. I held it high into the air as I laughed dramatically. "I failed!!" Was the following response. Mom, Dad and Hideki stared me down with a sigh to follow.
"Y-you failed?" Dad muttered out. Hideki dialed a few numbers on his cell phone, making Etoile stare at him in confusion. He placed the device on his ear.
"Yeah… Is this the mental institute? Okay… I’ll hold."
Dad snatched the device away from Hideki. He just shrugged his shoulders. "What? She’s crazy." Etoile began to bark loudly as I cried a waterfall of tears. "I failed…"
Mom, Dad and Hideki just laughed, not really caring at the moment. "It’s okay Haruhi. You’ll pass next time." Dad comforted me. I stopped crying as Etoile licked my hands in an attempt to cheer me up. "Yes!! I’ll pass the next one!! For sure!!" I yelled out with determination.
Just then, Hideki got up on his feet when he connected the dots. "Wait a minute… That guy made you fail!! He was totally hitting on you, wasn’t he!!" He retorted loudly. I just sighed at his answer. Hideki ran into the hallway and pulled on his jacket.
"Where are you going?" Mom asked her only son. "I’m out to kick some gangster’s butt!!" He roared out in anger as he slammed the door behind him. "W-wait… Hideki doesn’t even know where Hatsuharu lives." I muttered out with a laugh to follow.
"And he’s not a gangster!!"
