Little Tiger

Don't take someone's things

The next morning I awoke to the harsh morning light, shining through the window. It was normal to me at first until I remembered, my bedroom faced west, not east. I had not woken up to a sunrise in years. I picked my head up and realized that I was, in fact, not in my own room. To my surprise, I was still sitting at Akari's kitchen table. My homework was laid out in front of me, only half-finished. I sat up quickly and fumbled for my pencil, my sleepiness disappearing like I had just been splashed with cold water. Thankfully, I had two hours until school started. 

Akari came down shortly after I had (finally) finished my math homework. He padded into the kitchen and noticed me. His eyes were glossy with sleep and they almost twinkled in the sunlight when he popped them wide open at me. 

"You're still here?" He bent over with his hand over his heart. "Damn it, Koharu, I would have given you your old room back if I knew you were going to spend the night." 

"I didn't mean to spend the night. I just fell asleep here," I assured him, packing my homework away. 

"You fell asleep at the table?" He raised his voice in concern. 

I nodded. "Yeah. I guess I was just really tired," I replied and pulled out the last bit of my homework from my bag. 

Akari was still quite disturbed by this event. "Are you feeling alright?" He leaned against the table, regarding me incredulously. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," I told him, wishing he would stop talking to me so I could focus on my English homework. 

He pressed his hand against my forehead with so much urgency that I almost fell out of my chair. 

"I'm fine," I persisted, grabbing onto the table to ensure I wouldn't fall. 

Akari ignored me and studied my face soberly, deep in thought. "You don't feel warm," he said, removing his hand. "But you look awfully pale." 

"Well, it's not like it's warm enough outside for me to get a tan," I argued. I shoved my homework back into my bag. "I'm going to the main estate so I can shower before school." 

Akari grunted but said nothing. I walked out of his house and meandered towards the main estate. I wasn't exactly tired anymore but I felt groggy; like I had just been hit over the head with a weight. I was still thinking about the same things from last night, Shigure being at the very top of the list. 

Kureno was standing outside of the main estate, looking distressed. 

"What's wrong?" I asked him. He hated answering questions like this, and I knew that, but it didn't stop me from asking. 

He looked down at me, his expression softening slightly. "Nothing, as always," he answered, putting his hands on his hips and staring at something in the courtyard. 

"It doesn't seem like nothing," I replied scornfully. 

"Are you just getting home or something?" He spun around to catch me before I went inside. 

"I slept at Akari's house." I figured I would save the part where I fell asleep at the kitchen table. He didn't need to know every detail. 

"Why are you still in your uniform? You look like a mess." 

I clicked my tongue amiably. "Thank you, Kureno. Always a pleasure." 

Kureno pretended not to hear this and looked into the courtyard again. I went inside. 

The drive to school was deathly quiet. Kureno was in a foul mood, Ritsu was no longer anxiously mumbling to himself---which, I thought, meant his first day of high school didn't go as poorly as he was expecting---and I was still scrambling to finish my English homework.