𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦

comfort

I feel my wrist make a small snapping noise as I close off and release the last pitch of our Sunday game. Regardless of how much that suddenly hurt, that's strike three when the opposing team can't hit it. That's our game, and probably a sprained wrist.

"Idiot!" Nanami jokingly says, bring her fist down on my head after the coach has bound it up for me. "Got too hot blooded for the last play, huh?"

I sigh. "I hope I can still write exams like this, and tutor Tohru..."

"You'll be fine. Mayu-sensei may hate you but she'll help you out."

"Write with your left hand!"

So I struggled through, barely making it in time as I tried to make my writing intelligible and in tears by the end of it all as my name even looked like it was written by a four-year-old.

All I can do at work is take till now too.

Kyo grabs me by the arm, pulling me away after school the next day. "Come on, let's walk home." We are the only ones, with Yuki doing whatever business he has at the school and Tohru off to work.

"You don't have to grip me the whole way," I snap, pulling my arm away.

"I want to throw you over the bridge for batting me into the pond the other day..."

My face drops, gripping my bag tightly and breaking out into a run. "You better not!! I'm injured, that's an unfair advantage!"

"Then hope I don't catch you!"

He catches up to me just as I thought I was about to cross the bridge, but he grabs onto me tightly.

"You stupid cat!"

"I learned a thing or two from Haru, so I may not hit girls but you're an exception from now on! You got what you deserved!"

I look into the flowing water. Not shallow enough to break my bones, but deep enough to not touch the bottom.

"Wait, wait, wait! Please don't actually! I can't swim!"

"Oh," he sighs and sets me down, pulling out his water bottle. "Well in that case." He squeezes its contents out at my face.

"What the hell?!" I shake myself of water before glaring at him with my nails curved like talons. Then I hunt him down, taking my bag back and getting my water bottle to spray him, having a water fight along the way.

When we arrive at the steps, we see another little clan member sitting, but it's not Kisa nor Momiji nor me. He's dressed in army green, like a little cadet, holding a pocketbook in his hand.

"Hiro?" I remark, recognizing him for his clear love of green. "It's been a long time, hello. What are you doing here?"

"Who are you?" he scoffs at my presence. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt here because it's been seven years, but if that's how he's going to be cheeky with his elder I don't care if it's that phase in life right now, I will punch him.

"Kuroi, remember me?" I reply.

"Oh, so someone as puny as you is all grown up now huh? You think that makes you the master of the house, does it matter why I'm here? Do you have any business with it after you ran away? I bet you're too scared to say anything now, I remember you being such a chicken so you're going to let me keep walking over you. And why are you soaking wet?"

I grab him by the collar with annoyance. "Who taught you to be so rude when someone's trying to nicely greet you?"

"I don't think this counts as nice. I'm just being honest from the outset, does it hurt your feelings too much? I don't like people who lie about what they're feeling."