Aki Kitsune (13/?), original fiction
Title: Aki Kitsune (Autumn Fox)
Setting: Present Japan
Type: Multi-chapter
Words: ~2200
Beta: Phoenix
Summary: Of an anti-social girl, with secrets half of which she has not yet uncovered, and a boy who wants to learn everything about her. What is behind the thick cold walls that she has built around herself?
Chapter Thirteen
Used To Be's
Nakamine Erika
"All right people! It's only a practice match, the results don't matter! Go back and have a rest. Training resumes after this weekend!" Our coach shouted over the noise. "And I don't want anyone skipping it!"
Casting one last look at the slowly emptying spectator seats, I said a mental "Oh, well" to myself before picking up my towel and empty bottle from the participants' benches. It was not the first time I played a match for an audience of strangers anyway.
A sudden coldness biting into my left cheek jerked me from my reverie with an undignified yelp and I turned to face the source of the barking laughter.
"Gave you a shock, didn't I?" Running a hand through his tousled brown locks to keep his fringe from falling into his eyes, Torikawa-sempai held out his "weapon" with his other hand. "Peace offering! Since I couldn't make it to your game because of my detention."
I took the bottle of icy cold sports drink and smiled up at him. "You know you didn't have to get me anything. I already said it's okay that you couldn't make it."
"Oh, Erika!" He threw an arm around my shoulder and began to drawl in a dramatic voice. "I tried to get the teacher to change my detention slot but you know those government employees. Stubborn, they are!"
Torikawa-sempai steered me in the direction of the school cafeteria while I let loose a chuckle, no longer concerned with not having anyone I knew watching my game.
"Hey!" The heavy sound of running stopped beside me as Aki-sempai slowed down her pace on my right. "It's over already? That's just peachy. Sorry I couldn't make it. Our art teacher dragged out the meeting and she refused to unlock the door after I told her that I will walk out of the room, meeting or no meeting."
"Nah, it's okay. You couldn't help it anyway," I shook my head with a slight grin on my face.
"What's this?" Torikawa-sempai exclaimed suddenly. "Kuromura apologising? How come you've never did that for me?"
Aki-sempai clicked her tongue irritably. "There was never a need to apologise for anything I said or did since you probably deserved all of them."
"What?"
"Besides," she continued as if Torikawa-sempai had not said anything. "I've already promised to come. And I should be able to, if not for the meeting. Unlike someone, who just could not resist getting a detention."
It was amazing how Aki-sempai had seemingly ran all the way from the classroom block and yet left no evidence of that, save for the few minute beads of sweat dotted across her forehead. And she did not even pant while talking. She was just so cool!
"Was your family here? I heard that the team players were allowed to invite them over for the match," Torikawa-sempai asked.
I gave a shrug, bumping his arm that still lay around my shoulders. "They've never come for any of my volleyball matches ever since I started playing years ago."
"Never?" Torikawa-sempai's eyes widened in disbelief while Aki-sempai quirked an eyebrow at me.
"Both my parents work. I'm the only child so there are no siblings to come watch me play either," I explained, with another shrug. It was not a big deal. I was used to that, always the only student who did not even have a single family member who was free enough to at least turn up for teacher-parent conferences.
Torikawa-sempai's other arm came up at that moment and enveloped me in a tight sideways hug. I blinked in surprise at the sudden gesture, and Aki-sempai tsk-ed in disapproval at his obvious display of affection.
"That must have been so lonely! Don't worry, you have us this time!"
"Us?" The red-haired sempai questioned warily.
"Yes, us," the words blew warmly past my ear and over my shoulder towards Aki-sempai. "We could be like your second family!"
Aki-sempai threw her hands up with a frustrated "Gah!", as if she had already expected what Torikawa-sempai would say and that he had just proven her right.
"Aw... Aki-chan, you wouldn't deny this young lady something as simple as family relations, would you?" He gave her a knowing look that I could not understand but apparently she could, because she frowned at him before caving in with a rushed sigh.
"Ah, whatever."
"Really?" I jumped out of Torikawa-sempai's embrace and flung my arms around the other senior. "That sounds so cool!"
Torikawa-sempai burst out in laughter, "Kuromura! If only you could see your own face! You look so constipated!"
Aki-sempai snorted at him. "If it weren't for the fact that both my arms are being restricted by your dear Erika, you would have already been dead four seconds ago."
"Right. But the fact is- I'm not!" After which, Aki-sempai slowly pried my arms from around her and calmly stalked towards the still laughing brunet.
I stifled a giggle as Torikawa-sempai ran off ahead of me, with Aki-sempai following, mumbling "Murder..." to herself. Holding my hands behind me, I walked after them with a slight bounce to my steps. It was reassuring to know that whatever my parents could not give, there were friends to depend on.
For the two months that I had come to know those two seniors, I still could not make out a single definition of their relationship. My mind began to turn thoughtful as I mused about the pair, currently having their usual banter those few paces in front of me.
I had first thought that they were somehow together-together, what with the way Torikawa-sempai seemed to be wherever Aki-sempai was, while she was uncaring towards him only to- I had guessed- cover up whatever it was between them. It was only when Torikawa-sempai had gotten so shocked that anyone would even think of them being together that the notion was scrapped off my mind.
Plus Aki-sempai would randomly listing off strange and nonsensical reasons or things she would rather do than to be stuck with him romantically.
Then again, when I tried to see things from a different angle, those two just never seemed to behave like normal friends.
Looking ahead at them still having a go at each other in that weird way of their's with Torikawa-sempai dodging Aki-sempai, yet taunting more reaction from her while she either fought back with a knock to his head or just outright ignored his existence, it only made me more confused as to where their connection with each other stood.
I tilted my head slightly with a frown and gave a small pout as those thoughts ran over the overworked part of my brain that had been set aside to handle the issue.
Deciding that enlightenment was not going to befall me anytime soon, I let the not-yet-finalised concept slither out and half-jogged to catch up with the two seniors.
"You know," I started as my hands draped over either sides of their shoulders and turned to face Torikawa-sempai, "since we're like honorary family, can I call you 'Onii-san'? I've always wondered how it'd be like to have an elder brother."
"Why not? I'd get a cute sister as a bonus anyways," he grinned widely at me.
I beamed back and before I could face Aki-sempai, she responded with a "Don't you dare start calling me 'Onee-san'. 'Aki-sempai' is saccharinely fine as it is."
"Cool!" I linked my arm around hers in reply.
"Onee-san!"
Aki-sempai cringed violently at the shout, because; one, she knew that I was not the one who did it as I had the brains to not call her what she had blatantly pointed not wanting to be called; and two, she reacted as if she obviously knew that the voice was directed at her even though no names were mentioned.
Torikawa nii-san and I turned to face the person in question, our linked arms pulling Aki-sempai around unwilling and she scowled upwards at the sky. Or at everyone, for that matter.
"Onee-san?" The visibly younger and shorter boy took a few steps closer and peered up the scant difference in height at the redhead who was still ignoring him.
"Kuromura, is this the brother that you've mentioned last winter?" Torikawa nii-san asked in a tone much softer than he would normally use, as if afraid that Aki-sempai might have some explosive answer.
"Well, I don't know. You see, there is this horde of boys trailing after me who address me as their sister," Aki-sempai snapped.
The raven-haired boy stepped up to Aki-sempai with his arms folded in front of his chest before Torikawa nii-san could make a retort.
"Onee-san, I've heard from Mother about the winter vacation fiasco. What were you thinking? And you rejected every one of my calls all these months! Have you already added your only brother to the list of family members that you are not acknowledging?"
"That is hardly of your concern," Aki-sempai stared down at him with narrowed eyes. The lean muscles of her arm tensed against my skin, the only evidence that she was not feeling as cool and controlled as her appearance was letting on.
"It is of course of my concern!" The younger boy seemed to grow larger while anger and frustration almost visibly flared over his obsidian eyes. "This concerns the Kuromura family! You should know that, onee-san; you're the elder of the main Kuromura line! And I won't even begin on the kind of people you're associating with!"
He continued to fume, giving a quick once-over at Torikawa nii-san. Aki-sempai, clearly having missed it, looked at her brother with confusion before turning down to my arm that was still hooked with hers.
"I am not a lesbian, if that is what you were trying to imply."
I bulged my eyes at dear Aki-sempai while her brother gaped incredulously. Torikawa nii-san cocked an eyebrow at me, as if saying "Kuromura would rather think that he's talking about her non-existent curved preference than to consider that he was suggesting about my influence on her?"
The youth clutched at his short-cropped hair in exasperation with a growl. "That was not what I meant!"
Aki-sempai tilted her head as she watched his reaction.
"You do remember Okasan's constant reminder about conduct, which you have to uphold, regardless of your cur-" he was stopped midway by his elder sister's cold glare, but continued after a swallowed breath, "regardless of your condition."
"Cut the crap. I'm sure the old woman didn't send you here to lecture me about conduct."
"I... This isn't the place to speak of it. Come," the boy hastily took Aki-sempai's arm from mine and began leading her away but turned back after a few steps to face us suddenly. "I know I haven't introduced myself properly and I apologise for that. I'll make up for it next time!"
"What the-" Aki-sempai had not managed to say more before she was dragged away forcefully.
"That was interesting," I said, amused at the assertiveness of the younger Kuromura.
Torikawa nii-san huffed, "Strange that you should say that, especially when we couldn't get half a word in edgewise."
Kuromura Aki
"Spill. Now. Before I lose my patience."
"I wouldn't have needed to rush here to explain the situation if you had just answered my calls." Pout.
"Brother dear, I don't even need a wild guess to know that this has something to do with that hag back in Kyoto. So unless you speak up, I will personally call her up to give her a piece of my mind even though I so do not wish to have a conversation with her at all."
"Onee-san." Another pout. "You remember the kendo perfectionist for a cousin that we have?"
"How could I forget; he comes back every year to get creamed by either of us."
"There's some internal struggle between our family and his side of the Kuromura line..."
"As if it wasn't obvious before I was even born."
"They're getting more persistent about it, ever since he insisted that he saw something that he was not supposed to see."
"Hah. Blame me, why don't you? I'm sure it's as easy to act on controlling it as it is to speak of keeping it down. If there's nothing more, I am heading back and you'd better get yourself back to Kyoto to report everything to that woman like the obedient son that you are."
"No, wait!" Sharp pull. He stopped me from leaving. "It's worse this time! There will be people around, from our side as well as theirs! Okasan is having spies to make sure that those from the other side will find no incriminating proof of your..."
Hesitation. He bit on his lower lip.
"Of my what? Cursed existence? Or tainting the Kuromura blood? And don't start with that puppy eyes, it doesn't work on me anymore."
Sulk. "I just want you to be careful, to make sure you stay safe; like how you used to protect me."
"The operative phrase being, 'used to'. I know how to take care of myself."
"Onee-san..."
"You stay away from this." I walked off with a harsh finality to my words, turning away before I could catch the wounded look that would surely be on his face.
The same look that had already haunted me for many years.
... To be continued
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