Chihiro Hanagaki

Chapter 6

Chihiro woke up the next day, cuddling with her brother in his room. It had been so long since the two ever slept together. The last time she did sleep with Takemichi was when she was seven. She had a nightmare and didn't want to sleep alone. Despite his lack of fighting prowess, Takemichi made her feel safe. Chihiro didn't remember most of the night prior after hugging her brother. She detangled herself from her brother and got out of bed.

'I guess I should get ready for school.' she thought. It's been a long time since she had to get up early to go to school. Chihiro never had trouble waking up in the morning. She couldn't shake how strange it felt to go to school instead of work. Her uniform from middle school was hanging on a hook on her wall. She quickly changed into her uniform, discarding her other clothes into her hamper. Chihiro then returned to Takemichi's room to wake him up. "Take, it's time to get up," she called, shaking his shoulder.

Takemichi rolled over, grumbling, "Five more minutes." Chihiro's cheeks puffed up, 'Some things never change.' She shook him again, "Wake up!" Takemichi sat up this time, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "I get it, I'm up," he muttered. Chihiro waited for him to get out of bed before going to the bathroom to finish getting ready. Her braids were loose from sleep and some strands were sticking out. She redid her Dutch braids and brushed her teeth just as Takemichi entered the bathroom.

"Do we have to go to school?" he whined. Chihiro spits into the sink, "Yes, Take. We can't just skip. It might mess with our future." When Takemichi finished getting ready, the two left for school. Hibiki was waiting at the school gate for Chihiro. She pounced on Chihiro with a big hug, "Mornin' Chi!" Chihiro returned the hug with a laugh, "You're way too hyper this early in the morning." Takemichi continued past the girls, "I'll see you later."

Chihiro called back, "Alright!" Once Takemichi was out of earshot, Hibiki pulled away, "So, how did it go?" Chihiro smiled, "Good. At least that's what I think." Hibiki nodded, "Good." The two headed inside, but she couldn't focus on school. She knew that the fight club was happening again today. The only problem was she didn't know when. "Hey, Hibiki, do you know when the next fight club is?" she asked. Hibiki had always been in the know about things like this.

She remembered Hibiki trying to tell her about the fight club since her brother was involved. She didn't want to hear it because she knew what would happen. She would go down there and get involved, which would end up in a fight with her brother. Hibiki looked around to ensure no one was close by before she whispered, "I heard the fight club is gonna be held today after school. Takuya Yamamoto and some kid from another middle school are fighting." Everyone in the Mizo Middle Five were sorry fighters. Takuya, however, had a weaker constitution than the others. If he did fight he'd probably end up in the hospital.

Takemichi would end up in a fight with Kiyomasa for their freedom. "Takuya! He shouldn't be fighting." Chihiro shouted/whispered. Hibiki nodded, "Things might not end well for him if he fights." She already knew that she needed to be there. There was only one issue with this. Chihiro would have to skip practice for a second time. Sensei Iori would already be gunning for them for skipping practice yesterday.

As if reading her mind, Hibiki excitedly grinned, "Are we skipping again?" Chihiro could already tell what was going through her best friend's mind. She loved nothing more than to piss off Sensei Iori. Hibiki was notorious for skipping practice just to experience Sensei Iori's wrath. All the other students thought that Hibiki was insane. Chihiro knew that Hibiki loved the challenge that came with Sensei Iori's punishments. "Both of us don't need to skip." Chihiro clarified.

Hibiki deflated slightly, "Why not? You might need my help." Chihiro didn't anticipate having to fight anyone at the fight club. She didn't have a plan of any sort. The only thing she had been sure about this whole time was aiding Takemichi. Maybe she could join Toman with Takemichi. Or she'd just offer him support. Chihiro didn't see a reason for Hibiki to follow her this time. "I'm just going to observe." she insisted.