Aka-no-Joo

Chapter 7

"Ohayo, Hana-chan!" I call out as cheerfully as possible. Hana turns around and hugs me tight. Just by how tight she holds me, I can tell she missed me. I hated not being able to talk to her while I was going through training, I could use her happy-go-lucky spirit. It would make me feel better. After receiving my first paycheck from Scepter 4, I went out to buy Hana a present. It ended up buying her some keychains, a three-way best friend charm necklace, and a teddy bear with a birthday card. To my surprise, nii-san had written in it also. When we were younger, Hana and Mikoto were close. Not like lovers, but like siblings. He protected her from trouble just as he did me, even if he ended up complaining about it later. "Happy birthday."

"Arigatou Tsubaki-chan," She smiles back. " It means a lot to me. We have to go out for dinner after cram school."

"I'm off today, so I can spend as much time with you as I can." I nod my head, Inari had walked down the stairs and went straight to her locker. Not once looking up or speaking to us. Hana and I exchanged confused glances before Hana finally speaks up.

"Ohayo gozaimasu,Inari-chan," Hana says, but Inari ignores us. She closes her locker and walks away. Not saying a word to us, it's like we don't exist. Hana's hand was over her chest now, she looked so sad and hurt. I noticed her eyes glistening and her hand was digging into the ends of her skirt.

"Hana..."I wanted to calm her down. To tell her that Inari is just going through a phase and that we should give her some space. But nothing was coming out, I couldn't lie for Inari, because I don't know this person anymore. " come on, class is starting soon."

We managed to catch up on a lot of things, Hana was seeing someone from a gang. He was very shy around her at first, but as things progressed, he was actually nice. She wanted me to meet him soon, but she was scared to let him go any farther than just talking. "I think it's sweet that you have someone who makes you smile," I say. "He better treat you right, or else..."

Hana was giggling. "I'm sure if he meets you or Mikoto-san, he will work hard to make sure he doesn't screw up."

I smiled in return. I noticed her hand gripping her notebook really tight and her smile vanished. I hate seeing her like this, she doesn't deserve to be hurt by Inari's cruelty. I know that's what she's thinking about, and honestly, I can't stop thinking about it either. "So ," I blurted while trying to change the subject. " What's this mystery man's name?"

"Yata." Hana says, her smile returning the moment we went back to talking about her secret man. I was grinning while when she showed me her pictures of her siblings, how big everyone was getting now. She told me about her hobbies and her stories. I wanted to protect Hana with all that I have and never watch her smile go away. I needed her to be safe from those guys that hurt Toutska-san, so I hope this Yata person is willing to work with me on keeping her that way.

Hana's face grew warm as she looked passed me through the window. Her eyes widen but she tried her best to remain focused as I told her about Fushimi. I nagged alot. Telling her about our bickering and arguing, and how everyone thinks that I like him. Hana was laughing now.

"What?" I ask, my cheeks flushed. Hana shakes her head laughing.

"Your cheeks grow red when you talk about this Fushimi guy." She pointed out, I quickly cover my face from her.

"Really?" I ask. She nods while showing me her compact mirror. My cheeks were buring red. I looked like I was running an entire marathon. My amber eyes looked so much bigger and brighter than normal. My hair was pinstripe straight and my shirt and bow was intact. But the simple fact that Fushimi has made me feel this way wasn't right. "Shit..!"

Hana laughs. "I'm happy that you've found someone who makes you feel this way."

"It's just that I'm not even sure if I like him like that," I explain, hugging my bag near me. "We argue a lot, we don't get along at all. He's smart, yes...but He doesn't show any interest in anything. He's depressed and also pessimistic. But I still feel the need to be near him, "