Below The Surface (A Shugo Chara Fanfic)

Chapter 11

"Come on Kairi! I want to get to the Gardens!" I rush. I watch impatiently as he packs his things away.
"Okay, okay. You're in a rush, aren't you Mariana-chan?" he asks with a smile. He picks up his bag and I grab his hand, rushing out of the classroom. I hear him chuckle and let go in the corridor. We walk at a slightly rushed pace. I would love to run out, but I know what can happen from running, and with this many people around? Not gonna happen.
"Who do you think it is?" I ask quietly. I wasn't really asking a certain person, so Tia shrugs her shoulders and Musashi starts to think.
"I would guess either a staff member, a transfer, or a past Guardian," he answers. I look at him curiously. A staff member?
"Why would they be a staff member?" I ask.
"The Guardians are still a student council, and some staff know of Guardian charas. Amakawa-Sensai is the founder of the guardians, and Nikaidou once had a Guardian Chara," he informs me. I gasp in surprise.
"R-really? They know and can see them?" I ask incredulously. Kairi nods in answer and I watch the ground in thought. Soon we're outside and I get both excited and impatient. Mixed together, I feel a burst of energy course through me. I turn to Kairi with a smile.
"Kairi, lets race to the Gardens!" I say in excitement. He seems caught off guard and gets a little flustered. He thinks for a moment before smiling and pushing his glasses up his nose.
"If you insist," he says almost smugly. My smile gets bigger and I turn to the Gardens, knowing I have the advantage.
"Ready? onyourmarks,getset,go!" I call out in a rush. I start to run and he registers what just happened before running after me. I laugh and look ahead of me. The path seems almost golden with the yellow and orange leaves resting on top. Tired from their fall, they wait for the wind to take them to their new homes. A breeze picks up and carries a few leaves off, my hair flowing in the direction the wind takes it.
My thoughts are disrupted as Kairi comes up beside me. He has a playful and slightly smug look on his face. He looks at me from the corner of his eye and his smile only gets more smug. He increases his speed just that tiny bit and pulls ahead. Musashi and Tia follow behind at first, but Tia swims up beside me, her tail working furiously, and smiles at me determinedly.
I give her a lopsided grin and nod my head. I hear the pop and glimpse the bracelet on my wrist. With determination, I push myself to match Kairi. He seems slightly surprised, but the part of me who can speak her mind and be bold is in control. I smirk at Kairi and see the Gardens. With one last push, I pull ahead and burst through the doors. I slow to a stop and breathe heavily as Kairi comes in after me.
"Good. Job. Mariana. Chan," he congratulates breathlessly. I smile victoriously and stand up straight, trying to calm the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Kairi is slightly bent over, a hand on his knee as he catches his breathe.
"Thanks. You did. Really good. As well," I reply in between breathes. Amu walks up to us in confusion.
"You're not late! What happened to you two?" she asks in bewilderment. I let out a breathy laugh and smile happily.
"Me and Kairi. Decided to," I start breathlessly.
"Have. A race," Kairi finishes. Amu looks at us in surprise. I'm pretty sure the least expected thing is for me and the 'chairman' to have a race. Yaya comes up, obviously hearing everything. My breathing is almost normal again.
"The chairman and Lady had a race!? Whowonwhowonwhowon?!" she yells in excitement. I cross my arms and smile in victory.
"Ask Kairi," I tell her teasingly. Kairi stands up straight and Yaya looks at him in silent question.
"Mariana-chan won by a matter of seconds," he informs Yaya with a smile. Yaya smiles widely and cheers for me. I laugh and hear the pop. I still laugh but turn to Tia in thanks. With that we all walk up to the table. Tadase is standing there with two others. A girl and a boy. The boy has long purple tinted blue hair that comes reaches near his legs. His almost golden eyes are filled with kindness. He's around the same height as Tadase. He's not super lean, but he's still skinny.
He's wearing a white dress shirt, black pants, a black blazer with white trim, black dress shoes, and a dark green plaid tie. He has his blazer done up and little golden buttons seem to decorate the side of it.
The girl has a similar outfit. She has the white dress shirt, a black blazer with the buttons and done up. She has a black skirt with deep purple plaid hem on it. Her tie is the same deep purple and she has black tights on. Her shoes are black flats with a strap across the top. Her sky blue hair is up in a ponytail with a purple bow, it reaches around the middle of her back. She smiles nicely with her purple eyes. Tia swims over and onto my shoulder and they both gasp in surprise.
"Oh wow, they're both really pretty," breathes out the girl. The boy just nods in response. Realizing they're talking about me, I blush and cower in on myself. I look at the ground and shuffle my feet. They both look at me in surprise and Tia gives me a reassuring look.
"Mariana-chan isn't very comfortable with unnecessary attention," explains Kairi. The girl makes a silent 'oh' and I look at Amu. Amu is smiling widely, but I notice Rima seems to be staying close to her. A slightly protective look shows in her eyes. Rima being protective? That's something I didn't expect.
"This is our new Guardian. Condor Mariana, our Lady-in-waiting," introduces Tadase. I give a shy smile and look up a little before slowly looking away.
"Mariana-san, this is Fujisaki Nagihiko, former Jacks chair," he starts. The boy smiles nicely at me.
"Ohio, Condor-san," he greets.
"H-hi, and it's Mariana, p-please," I ask quietly. He smiles and nods in agreement. I smile in thanks.
"Now I believe you need to introduce your friend," says Tadase. Nagehiko nods and turns to the girl who's smiling brightly.
"Everyone, this is Tsubasa Mahiko," introduces Nagihiko. She waves to everyone.
"Nice to meet all of you, I've heard a lot about..." she trails off and looks at me. I shrug. "most of you."
It goes a little silent but I decide not to let it get awkward.
"So, if you were a Guardian," I look at Nagihiko, "and you can see Tia," I turn to Mahiko. "Doesn't that mean you at least have eggs?" I ask curiously. Mahiko's eyes widen in memory and she smiles. Nagihiko goes first.
"This is Rhythm," he introduces. A chara with long hair floats out from behind him. He has on a white toque. His light blue long sleeved shirt matches his runners and he has a dark blue vest on. He's wearing casual jeans and has headphones around his neck.
"Yo!" he calls out in greeting. He kind of slouches and has his hands in his pockets. Tia swims forward off my shoulder and waves.
"And this is Temari," I watch in surprise as a very fragile looking female chara floats out from behind Nagihiko. She has a very traditional and beautiful looking kimono on. It's light pink and fades to a darker pink at the bottom with purplish pink flowers patterned on it every so often.
It reaches around her ankles, and even with her hands in front of her face, so do the sleeves. Her slightly plum colored hair matches the sash around her stomach. It's up in a ponytail, decorated with what looks like light pink cherry blossoms. She lowers her hands slightly and opens her eyes. Her eyes are the same plum color as her hair. She is utterly beautiful and moves with grace.
"Konichiwa," she greets in a soft voice. I stare at her with mixed emotions. Wonder, confusion, and awe being the main three.
"H-how? why? For a guy?" I whisper in confusion. Nagihiko laughs lightly and I realize I said it out loud.
"I-I mean, there's n-nothing wrong with that, I-I just don't understand," I rush. A blush burns my cheeks as I look down in embarrassment. Why me? He chuckles and Mahiko giggles.
"I asked the same question when I first met her," assures Mahiko. I look up at her and she smiles brightly at me. I tentatively smile back.
"For a long time of my life, I pretended to be a girl. I did it so I could perfect my dancing," he starts and I blink in surprise. "It is my dream, so that's when I got Temari. I was originally Queens chair in the Guardians," he explains a little awkwardly. I gape in surprise.
"B-but... how did you-" he gives me a lopsided smile and reaches to gather all his hair. He looks to Mahiko in silent question and she smirks in amusement when handing over a hair tie. In one fluid motion, he puts his hair up like Mahiko's. He clears his throat and smiles nicely at me.
"Ohio, I'm Fujisaki Nadeshiko," he greets in a feminine voice. Mahiko starts to laugh and Nagihiko, or Nadeshiko, or whoever sweat drops as he takes down his hair. I look for another moment and laugh to myself, trying to stay calm. After a minute or two, I calm down and nod my head to continue. He smiles.
"I went to a competition and was questioned of my ways. I started to doubt myself and Temari went back to her egg," he smiles sadly. "I wanted to be a boy, not pretend to be a girl any longer. Shortly after, Rhythms egg appeared. He hatched while after an X Chara and we performed Chara Nari to become Beat Jumper."
I don't really respond much. At this point I'm not surprised he can perform a transformation. I clasp my hands in front of me and wait patiently.
"When we finally faced off against Easter for the last time, I gained hope again and Temari hatched. We transformed and became Yamato Maihime. From that point on, they've both been with me," he finishes. A smile creeps it's way onto my face at his story.
"I'm glad things worked out well," I say quietly. We all turn to Mahiko and she smiles happily.
"My story isn't as interesting as Nagi-kuns, but this is my Guardian Chara Sora," she introduces. A female chara floats out from behind Mahiko. She has very light purple hair that reaches near the middle of her back, but it's in a special ponytail where it looks tied in a knot. Two strands of hair frame her kind face.
She has on a rich purple colored dress. The right side is longer than the left. The left stops partway down the leg, and the right near her ankle. She has a dark purple belt around her stomach that has a white flower. Her long sleeve white cardigan stops at her ribs. White knee high boots cover her feet.
Little bottles of something shimmering is attached to her belt and she holds a white staff with a purple sphere at the top. Lastly, a little type of crown rest on her head. It wraps around her head and a little gem rest on the center of it on her forehead. She smiles and the kindness reaches her sky blue eyes.
"Wow," breathes out Yaya. Wow is right, she looks impressive.
"What exactly is your dream Tsubasa-senpai?" asks Amu. Mahiko smiles and turns to her.
"I want to help people achieve their dreams," she responds. She puts it so simply, but it's a very rare wish or dream. Tia comes over and sits on my shoulder, I can see Nagihiko looking at her with curiosity. I suddenly remember my manners and smile shyly.
"Nagihiko, Mahiko, this is my Guardian Chara, Tia," I introduce. Tia flicks her tail out of habit and smiles warmly at the visitors.
"It is a pleasure to meet you," she greets in her melodic voice. Sora floats over and observes Tia. She smiles and puts a hand out, which Tia takes.
"I am Sora, it's wonderful to meet you," she says in a very kind and caring voice. I smile and look at the others. Yaya is looking at our visitors in deep thought. I can almost see the gears turning. Finally she figures something out. I watch a sly smile spread on her face.
"Nagi-senpai, you and Mahiko-chan seem awfully close," she points out mischievously. I mentally groan at Yaya, but when I look, I do notice it. They stand very close together and haven't left each others side since we got here. Nagehiko isn't flustered at all. He smiles at Mahiko and she grins, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.
"Actually Yaya-san, your suspicions are right," he responds. I see some of the others blink in surprise. I don't. Yaya doesn't either, but she does smile triumphantly and cross her arms in victory. Mahiko smiles happily and and looks at Nagihiko with an admiring gaze. Sora sighs in content at the two. I watch quietly and try not to draw attention to myself. Amu is first to break the silence.
"Congratulations Nagi-kun, Mahiko-chan!" she calls out. Tadase smiles and nods his agreement. Rima smiles and seems to relax a little, but doesn't move from Amu's side. Kairi moves up beside me and crosses his arms. He smiles formally at the two and they return it. I look at Sora's staff and notice the stone on the end switching between blue, purple, and gold. I stare in surprise. Tia looks at me in confusion before trying to figure out what I'm looking at.
"Um, Sora? You're really pretty, and everything, and so are you Mahiko, but, why is the stone on your staff, changing colors?" I ask quietly. I can feel myself blush as everyone looks at me. Then they look at her staff. Each of them realizes in turn that the stone is changing color. Sora smiles at me nicely.
"My staff serves as an output for my spells and such for making people's dreams more of a reality. I am a Mage after all," she answers. I look at her in surprise and so do a few others. Even Kairi has a moment of surprise. I mutter something between the lines of 'wow' and 'amazing'. Tia is first to talk.
"That is something special. I can tell that we will all be great friends," she says in her soft, melodic voice. Nagihiko nods in agreement and Tadase smiles in approval. Mahiko looks like she's about to say something, but gets interrupted by a yell. Everyone stiffens and we all rush outside. I see Mahiko with a crown and a staff almost exactly like Sora's as we all run. We make it to the running track and football field to find a girl in a cheerleader outfit standing there with a very sad expression. Above her head is an X egg.
"Sakura-san!" Yells Amu. Remembering last time, I don't stop running like Mahiko and a few others. I rush out as fast as I can and grab the girls arm. The egg cracks slightly and I pull her to the side of the field.
"Well done Mari-chan!" Yells Yaya. I set the girl down on the grass gently.
"My heart. UNLOCK!" yells Amu. I can see the flash out of the corner of my eye. When it's gone she calls out again.
"Chara Nari, Amulet Clover!" she yells. I look at her and she has on a dark green dress. It slightly puffs at the skirt and closes up again around the knees. It reminds me of a tomato before it's ripe. The shoulders are also puffed. She has a cream white apron on overtop. It's very frilly at the bottom where it rests on top of the skirt. The middle around her stomach is where a sash ties, a bow on each side. The apron has frills that rest on the puffy sleeves.
Hanging from the collar is the Humpty Lock. It's tinted green. Her hair is in two pigtails and a maids headband rests on top, clovers on each side. She has cream elbow length gloves and knee length socks. Her shoes are green flats. This must be Su's transformation. The others transform as well.
"Chara Nari, Dear Baby!" yells Yaya. She's wearing a pink onesie. It looks like she's wearing a large diaper because of the way the bottom is puffed. The shoulders are puffed as well. She has on a white bib with a rubber duck on it and her hat is pink with frills and floppy bunny ears. She has tights on and pink flats.
"Chara Nari, Clown Drop," says Rima. She has a large red bow in her hair. Her dress widens at the bottom around her thighs and has the odd layered pattern. It's purple, then magenta on too, then a white frilly thing is around her neck. She has on white tights and slightly curly shoes. In her hands are bowling pins.
"Chara Nari, Beat Jumper!" calls Nagihiko. He looks just like Rythm. Blue shirt, dark blue vest, white toque, headphones around his neck. The difference is his white fingerless gloves, his dark blue shorts, the knee pads, knee high socks and white and blue sneakers.
"Chara Nari, Platinum Royale!" cries Tadase. He's in his ruffle covered cream outfit.
"Chara Nari, Samurai Soul!" Yells Kairi. He has his green outfit, Katanas, and white veil. Tia swims up with a determined look and I nod.
"My heart. UNLOCK!" I yell. The light emanates from me and I embrace the rushing energy. It fades and so does the light.
"Chara Nari, Ocean Melody!" we yell. Mahiko looks at all of us in amazement and I realize. She can't transform. The X chara hatches and laughs menacingly. It has dark pompoms in it's hands and the everlasting smile. A chill runs down my spine. Mahiko turns to it sadly.
"I can sense it's dream. She wanted to make the cheerleading squad so she can bring joy to others," she informs us. The X chara gets mad and scowls at her. It pulls it's arms back and I hold my harp out to the side. I loosen my grip on it.
"Sea Whip!" I cry. I feel the object shift and tighten my grip. The X chara shoots little missiles and I snap my whip, hitting them mid-air. The X chara turns to me and launches more missiles, but they're moving too fast.
"Mariana-san!" cries Mahiko. I brace for impact and see some of the Guardians trying to reach me. A beam of violet color shoots forward and a giant butterfly opens it's wings. The missiles hit it and it fades away shortly after. I look over in surprise. Mahiko's staff is pointed towards me and Nagihiko smiles at her.
"Good aim Mahiko-chan," he congratulates. She nods and they start towards me. The X chara looks furious. Kairi is first to my side and he nods to me. Without hesitation, I pull my arm back and snap the whip. It wraps around the X chara as it struggles.
"Now Amu!" I yell. She steps up and a whisk with a green bow on it is in her hands.
"Remake, Honey!" She yells. Golden honey surrounds her and the X chara as I pull my whip back. The honey washes over the X chara and it yells. The honey disappears and a cute little blonde chara with a ponytail, a blue and white cheerleading outfit, and matching pompoms takes it's place. A blue bow is in her hair. She giggles and thanks us before going back in her egg. I smile and watch as the egg returns to the girl.
"Even if you're turned down the first time, you shouldn't worry and lose hope of your dream," I say quietly. We all transform back with a flash. The girls eyes flutter and she looks around at us. She smiles, determination glowing in her eyes.
"Ohio! I would love to chat, but unless you need me, I would like to go practice for tryouts," she says nicely. Tadase steps forward and smiles formally.
"No it's fine, you may go practice for your tryouts," his voice holds more power in it and a small crown sits on his head. He must have character changed with Kiseki. The girl blushes a little and nods before walking off.
"It looks like a lot of the girls are infatuated with the prince," says Mahiko in slight amusement. Everyone but me, Mahiko, Sora, and Tia have worried faces. Tadase turns to Mahiko with a very displeased expression.
"I shall be nothing less than King!" he exclaims before laughing maniacally. Amu and Nagihiko have exasperated looks on their faces, which makes Mahiko giggle in humor. Kairi has a relieved look on his face and lets out a breathe he must have been holding.
"Jack! Fetch my drink!" orders Tadase. Kairi slightly slumps and sighs before composing himself. He gives a small bow.
"Hai, King," he responds formally. He turns with a slightly embarrassed look and walks off to the school. I stare after him in surprise and curiosity. What just happened?
"Nagi-kun, care to explain what just happened?" asks Amu. She has her arms crossed and turns to Nagihiko. Tadase turns his attention to Nagihiko.
"Ah, my former Jack. Come fan me. The King must not be too warm during world domination," he states simply. Nagihiko scratches behind his head, slightly embarrassed and exasperated.
"Hai King," he mutters before bowing. He walks over and picks up a fallen branch, fanning Tadase. Mahiko is in full laughter and I turn to her questioningly. She calms down a little.
"It's actually the Jacks 'secret' job to tend to the Kings needs when he's," she gestures to Tadase, who's laughing maniacally again, "like this." We all look towards Tadase and Nagihiko. Kairi comes back, a drink in hand and approaches Tadase. Nagihiko looks to him and they share a look of understanding before Kairi sighs and bends down on one knee.
"Your drink, your Highness," he states. Lifting the cup and bowing his head, Tadase smiles proudly. He takes the cup and drinks from it.
"Well done Jack. Former Jack! Faster!" he orders. Nagihiko nods his head and slightly speeds up his fanning.
"Hai King," he complies. Amu, Yaya, Ran, Mikki, su, and Rima are trying to hold back their laughter. Mahiko laughs again and KusuKusu snickers. I look at the scene before me and burst into laughter. This in turn sets off everyone else. Somewhere in the middle of our laughter, Tadase looks around in slight confusion, having just noticed us. His eyes widen in realization as he looks at Nagihiko and Kairi. A blush forms on his cheeks and he motions to Nagihiko frantically to stop.
"Y-You can stop now! No need to worry about me!" he says frantically. Kairi and Nagihiko sigh in relief and stand up. We haven't stopped laughing and Amu and Yaya are holding their stomaches. The boys all look at us and get embarrassed looks on their faces. Mahiko, still laughing, walks up to Nagihiko. She calms down slightly before taking his hand and leaning on his shoulder slightly.
"Don't worry boys, I explained about the Jack chairs 'secret' job," she assures them. They all let out a breathe of relief. Amu walks up to Tadase and Kairi walks over to stand in front of me. He looks at me disapprovingly and I try to calm myself.
"Really Mariana-chan, its not that funny," he mutters. Tia sits on my shoulder before speaking.
"hai... King," she chuckles and I bite my lip, trying not to laugh. When I remember Kairi on one knee, I can't hold it. I burst into laughter and Tia follows. Amu and Tadase walk over with a still laughing Yaya.
"I can see this from Yaya-chan, but I thought you could do better Mari-chan," scolds Amu.
"I-I can't, h-help it!" I say through my laughter. "The chairman. Fetching drinks!" I exclaim. I clutch my stomach at the discomfort from my laughter. This sends Yaya into a small fit of laughter and I can tell Amu's trying not to laugh. Mahiko and Nagihiko walk over, hand in hand. I calm down and mentally awe.
"I hate to break the news, but if we want to get back to our school on time, we need to go now," Nagihiko informs us. Yaya whines.
"Mahiko-chan! Nagi-kun! Why can't you stay longer?" she complains. Mahiko smiles apologetically.
"Sorry Yaya-san, but we need to get back for our classes. We will visit again though," she states nicely. We all smile and nod in agreement. With that they start to walk away and we wave goodbye. I turn to Kairi and the charas all gather near Musashi and Tia to chat amongst themselves. I smile.
"Kairi, we don't have much paper work, right?" I ask hopefully. He thinks to himself before adjusting his glasses.
"It isn't much, but it would be better to finish now than later. I do believe you won't have to do much actually, as it is more along the lines of planning events and such," he informs me. I smile and Yaya complains. Amu's face falls at the news.
"I suppose we might as well finish it then," announces Tadase. He leads the way back to the gardens, chatting idly with Rima and Amu. Yaya walks with slumped shoulders, grumbling her displeasure. Me and Kairi discuss the latest movie and the upcoming comedy. We decide that we should watch it at some point, but we'll wait until we can ask the others if they want to come.
We decide on two different days in case someone can't make it that day. I barely even notice as we walk into the garden. While everyone else sits down, me and Kairi kind of stop and chat idly for a while. Tadase clears his throat and I look over, realizing what's going on. I blush and look down at the ground in embarrassment. He smiles and puts down the small pile of papers. There isn't more than twenty papers, so I can imagine they'll finish them soon.
"Are you sure you don't want me to help? It's really no problem," I say while sitting down. Tadase smiles nicely.
"It's alright Mariana-san. Like Kairi-kun said, it's more event planning if anything," he assures me and I look at the table, feeling slightly useless.
"Alright," I sigh. Amu looks at me in thought. I see something flash in her eyes before she smiles at me. She turns to Tadase and whispers something to him. He smiles and nods to her before looking back to me.
"Mariana-san, we have no need for these papers. Would you mind taking them to Amakawa-sensai's office?" he asks. I smile, realizing what they've done. I nod and he hands me a different, larger stack of papers. I almost need two hands to hold the six or seven inch tall pile. I stand up and smile to everyone.
"I'll be right back then," I state. I walk away, Tia swimming beside me at face level. Once we're outside she smiles warmly.
"That was sweet of them to do," she says. I nod, trying not to drop the papers. The walk isn't too long, but once I'm in the school, I realize I don't know where his office is. I mentally groan after searching for a few minutes.
"Lost again Mariana?" asks a familiar voice. I turn around and see Nikaidou-sensai smiling nicely at me. Tia sits on my shoulder, like usual, and a wondrous look passes his face. That's right, he can see chara's. Tia smiles and flicks out her turquoise tail.
"Good afternoon," she greets in her melodic voice. He smiles nicely, hands in his jacket pockets.
"As to you," he responds.
"Nikaidou-sensai, this is my Guardian chara, Tia. Tia, this is Nikaidou-sensai," I introduce. He nods to Tia and she smiles in response. "um, do you think you can show me where Amakawa-sensai's office is?" I ask quietly. He nods before turning down the hall on my left. I follow behind cautiously, trying not to drop any papers. He leads me to a double doored room and knocks.
"It's open," calls a muffled voice. Nikaidou-Sensai opens the door and walks in, I follow behind.
"Yuu-kun, Mariana-san, Tia-san, what brings you to my office?" he asks pleasantly. He's very kind and you can see the genuine happiness in his eyes.
"I believe more paperwork, eh?" Nikaidou asks me jokingly. I give a shy smile and nod timidly. Amakawa chuckles and turns to me.
"Would you mind bringing them over here please?" asks Amakawa. I nod and walk over to his desk, placing the papers in the box he pointed to. He nods a thank you and I walk back to the door.
"Is that all?" he questions nicely. I nod and he smiles a warm, friendly smile.
"Remember that you can come talk to me about anything. I'm happy to listen," he informs me. I nod hesitantly and turn to leave. Nikaidou waves a goodbye and follows after me. He holds the door to close it, but trips.
He lets out a small surprised sound as he falls and hits my shoulder. At the force of the hit, I stumble and start to fall as well. I put my hands out to try and ease the landing. Big mistake.
As I prepare for the landing, I turn ever so slightly. My left hand is brought to my chest, but my right doesn't fare so well. The first thing I felt was my skin touching the cold, polished floor. As the rest of my weight comes down, a sharp, searing pain goes through my right wrist. I cry out in pain as the burn of it fills my wrist.
"Mariana!" cries Tia. Nikaidou lands in his back with a thud. I don't even try to respond. I land on top of my already excruciating wrist. I give another cry, tears streaming down my face endlessly. Closing my eyes I hear footsteps and shuffling. I flip onto my side and curl up, clutching my arm with my good hand.
"Hurry! We need to get her to the nurse!" orders Amakawa-sensai. I don't hear any response but sob uncontrollably in pain. Footsteps sound down the hall. Someone puts a hand on my shoulder, but I pay no mind to it. I hear different voices, panic and concern pouring from each word. By this time I attempt to move my hand only to cry out again.
The hand is removed from my shoulder, only to be replaced by arms. One is under my legs, and the other under my shoulders. It registers that I'm being picked up bridal style in the back of my mind. My right arm is placed between me and a body. They stand up, me in their arms, and I grip tightly onto their clothes with my good hand.
Whoever's holding me starts to move. The jostling makes me cry out again and they tighten their grip on me. As they run, footsteps follow behind. I recognize the bell that signals class and a panicked sound. Voices fill the halls, but only one is discernible.
"Clear the way! Medical emergency!" calls out a familiar voice. They turn sharply and I cry out, only proving their point. I can taste the salty tears on my lips as they drip down my chin. With effort, I open an eye. I see blue plaid and look up. Kairi is carrying me bridal style, his focus ahead. People pass by in a blur as he runs, determination set like stone on his face. Concern shines brightly through his deep blue eyes.
I can see Yaya and Rima running behind, and realize that Amu an Tadase are leading the way. They all have the same determined expression. As Kairi turns another corner, fire laces through my hand and up my arm, my wrist being the source. I cry out again and close my eyes in pain. Tears stream down faster and I tighten my grip on Kairi's shirt. I bury my head into his chest as the flames lick at my already searing skin, burning away the bone and marrow.
"Mariana-chan...I will keep you from harm,"Kairi whispers under his breath. I look up at him, only one eye open. He doesn't notice but soon slows to a walk. He doesn't even look tired.
"Amu-san. The door," orders Tadase. She mutters a response and I hear the click of a door. Kairi carefully carries me through said door. He accidentally stumbles against a table and I let out a small cry from the throb of the impact.
"Oh dear! Put her right here," says a sweet voice. I close my eyes tightly to try and ignore the pain. it doesn't work very well. I feel myself being put down on a cushioned surface carefully. When Kairi lets go and starts to move back, I hold tightly onto the bottom of his shirt. My head is tilted down, making my hair fall around my face. Tears still stream down my cheeks, but slightly less frantic. Kairi just stands there, most likely not sure what to do.
"Don't go," I whisper hoarsely. I don't want him to leave me alone, I want somebody here to help me. I need him here. He hesitates, but comes back to my side. I don't let go until he puts a hand on my back. Adjusting my hold from the hem to his sleeve. I pull him closer and he sits down beside me. I lean into him, resting my head on the crook his neck and my hand by his collar bone. He puts his arms around me in a comforting embrace, careful not to hurt me. I let out a small whimper anyways and he loosens his hold on me. I only grip his shirt as reassurance.
"Kairi..."
~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=

Word count: 5, 771 words