𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚎 • 𝚜𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝚞𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚑𝚊 𝚡 𝙾𝙲

45 - Demon Child

March, 1993 - Japan

Haruka spent her Saturday waiting for a call. Whether it was from Sakura or Ino, she really didn't care. In fact, she didn't care who was on the other end at all as long as they told her Sakura wasn't upset with her. Haruka remained holed up in her bedroom, reading magazines and listening to her entire collection of music.

She waited for the heavenly sound of the phone ringing, but by two in the afternoon, no one had called. Antsy, upset, and most of all frustrated to no end, Haruka decided that she couldn't stand waiting around for a call that would never come anymore. With a huff of irritation, she slammed her front door behind her as she set off into Konoha.

Why couldn't Sakura understand that Haruka never wanted anything to do with Sasuke romantically? Why couldn't she see that Haruka only ever thought of her friends? As she skated through the streets of her neighborhood, she let out a long breath of exhaustion.

Haruka's destination was Akia's school. She was to pick her up after guitar practice and watch over her until her mother could pick her up for dinner. When Haruka arrived on the school grounds, she found the main door to the auditorium already propped open.

Inside, Akia was easy to spot. She sat on the edge of the auditorium stage, lightly strumming her electric guitar. There were other students around as well, but they were focused on other instruments. Way behind Akia, a boy pounded away on a drum set. Next to him, his friend plucked at the strings of an untuned bass.

Slowly and silently, Haruka snaked her way up through the rows of auditorium seats. She knew Akia would stop playing and pack up the moment she spotted Haruka, so stealth was her only option. Crouching low a couple of rows behind Akia, Haruka did her best to tune into the sound of the guitar among the many other instruments playing in the theater.

Akia was attempting to play "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters. Haruka's eyebrows raised when she recognized the chords to the classic tune. It wasn't perfect yet, but it really wasn't half bad. After only a few months of practice, Akia was already playing at an intermediate level. Still hidden within the room's seats, Haruka grinned to herself. The notes still came slowly, but they sounded great.

Eventually Haruka was ready to reveal her position in hiding, but suddenly Akia seemed to have nailed the opening riffs to the song. She played them perfectly, with expert precision and speed. When she was finished, she grinned to herself and muttered, "Cool."

"Dude, nice!" Haruka popped up high above the rest of the chairs. Gleefully, she hopped out into the aisle and strolled up to a horrified Akia. She repeated happily, "You sound so good!"

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Akia looked like a petrified mouse, clutching her guitar in fear. "You show up late to pick me up and then you spy on me?"

"I wanted to see what you've got," Haruka shrugged. She pulled out Akia's skates from her bag, holding them up and asking, "Shall we?"

"We're just going back to your house, right?" asked Akia, hopping off the stage and zipping up her guitar in its case. When she set it down with all of the other instruments, she continued, "I don't see why we need to skate."

"We're not going right home," Haruka said, waiting for Akia to tie up the laces on her skates. "I want you to help me paint the mural for a little."

"Oh, I see," Akia rose to her feet and they set off together. "You got me doing your dirty work?"

"Exactly."

When they arrived at the mural, Akia was very hesitant to set the brush to the wall. She spent more than fifteen minutes blending colors together to find the perfect shade of violet, then another fifteen minutes surveying the wall for the perfect place to paint. It was almost entirely covered with art already, and Akia had no clue where to begin.