Shadowed Light, Darkness Bright, Part V
To go back to Part IV, click Here
Title: Shadowed Light, Darkness Bright
Category: Fan Fiction
Series: The Wallflower (or Perfect Girl Evolution)
Pairing: Kyouhei X Sunako, sort of
Chapters: 5
Status: Ongoing
Rating: 14A for future violence
Disclaimer: The entirety of the Wallflower series, and all of its characters, most definitely do not belong to me
Summary: The four guys force a wager that makes Sunako have to face the idea that she may not have the labels of “creatures of Light” and “creatures of Dark” to use as an excuse to hide any more.
“Kyohei!” Yuki shouted, charging down the stairs. Kyohei looked up from his burnt toast as the other boy bounded to the breakfast table he was sitting at.
“What?” he demanded irritably.
“You should see her!” He exulted, breathless. “Ranmaru and Takenaga did wonders with her. I think I helped, too. Takenaga told me she was going to have trouble actually seeing in the light, so I got her these contacts that don’t affect the vision, but act as tiny sunglasses, so everything won’t be as bright for her. And I got her this really cool cream that keeps your skin cool so that she won’t melt… Why are you eating charcoal?”
“It’s not charcoal,” Kyohei grumped. “It’s toast.” It was the morning that started his wager with Sunako, and he was furious. Their own household ghoul willingly agreed to at least try to be a so-called “Creature of Light,” and for the first morning since she had arrived at the house, there wasn’t even a stitch of food on the breakfast table. Sunako didn’t answer even when he pounded on her door, and none of the other boys were in their room. And so, hungry, alone, and forced to fend for himself, Kyohei made his own breakfast.
“Kyohei…” Yuki said dubiously. “You can’t make toast?”
“I wouldn’t have to worry about making my own toast if Sunako was actually up this morning to make breakfast!” Kyohei snapped.
“Why are you in such a rotten mood?” Yuki demanded. “And why are you taking this all out on Sunako?”
“Because she ran away again!” Kyohei launched his toast against the wall. It hit with a dry solid thunk and clunked onto the floor. “She ran away again. She didn’t want to face the world and all the stupid bright creatures in it that she can’t stand, so she holes up in her big black room and ignores us all!”
“Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said?” Yuki demanded. Kyohei was about to snap back, but then caught the look in Yuki’s eyes. There were minor tears forming at the corner of his eyes, in terror of Kyohei’s suddenly lost temper. But for the first time in all recorded history, Yuki looked ready to hit the other boy, and, in shock, Kyohei quieted down.
“Stop trying to beat up on Sunako for all this! The only reason she wasn’t here to make you your precious breakfast was because she came to find us as soon as she woke up so that we could fix her up a bit for today, as part of your wager. She didn’t even fight the make-up and hair styling, just to prove to you that she doesn’t back out of a deal. She hasn’t said a word all morning, but she’s not going to run off on your deal, if that’s what you’re all ticked off about!”
A tiny muscle just above Kyohei’s lip twitched. “She’s been getting ready all morning?”
Yuki softened, then beamed. “Yes. She’s upstairs right now. You’re probably the only one who can get her to say anything at all today, so at least pay her a compli - hey!”
Kyohei had suddenly sat straight up halfway through Yuki’s sentence, then shoved himself up from the table and bolted for the stairs.
“Kyohei… hey! Kyohei!” Yuki shouted, running after him. “What’s wrong?”
“She’s on autopilot,” he growled. “You said she won’t talk. She’s just become introverted within herself to force herself through this. She’ll let the light put her in a coma before she gives in, and then the landlady will really kill - ”
He stopped halfway up the stairs. At the top was Sunako, looking like a Creature of Light. She still had her dark uniform, but the toque was gone and her hair was styled, partly curled, partly pinned up. A dark silk rose was clipped up just behind her ear, feminine, but stately. Her makeup was soft, but noticeable, emphasizing her large eyes and fine cheekbones. Tiny silver chain earrings dangled from her ears, matching the thin necklace at her throat. She had dropped her slouched posture, and suddenly seemed a lot taller than Kyohei remembered.
“-us.”
Sunako took a step closer to the stairs, put a slender, un-chibi-fied hand on the banister, and looked him straight in the eye.
“Good morning, Kyohei.”
Yuki came up from behind him, and beamed at Sunako. “We figured it’d really be best to not go over the top, especially on the first day. What do you think? She looks great, doesn’t she?”
Kyohei was completely silent, watching Sunako. She looked like a completely different person. Something… something about her gave Kyohei an odd feeling, making him feel like his stomach was being squeezed. With a flicker of anger, he shoved the odd feeling away, determined to not let anything hamper his eating habits. Instead, he just stared at her harder. She was still looking directly at him, without any indication she was going to faint; but when he looked closer, he finally caught the constant tremble of her hand on the banister, and the tightly clenched jaw behind her expressionless face. Once he did catch it, he stifled an exasperated sigh.
Why the hell are you fighting so hard to do this if you hate it this much, Sunako? It was obvious she hated every moment of it, but equally obvious that she wouldn’t admit defeat to him even if he gave her a chance. Not that he was planning to. The more willing she was to go through with this wager, the closer to the landlady’s good graces the boys would get, and as a result, the further he would get away from rent inflation. If Sunako wanted to shoot herself in the foot because he goaded her to the point where she would stubbornly inflict her own self-torture to prove a point, he wouldn’t fight it.
His eyes gave her a quick once-over as he thought, and Sunako, catching it, let her blank face slip enough to glare at him. He had to admit, he never thought she would actually follow through with it. Though Takenaga did say that it wasn’t actually him who cajoled Sunako into it while Kyohei was off wandering the cellars, but that she came to the decision to face it on her own. With a jolt, Kyohei suddenly realized what gave him the odd feeling. Sunako wasn’t standing in front of him as someone trying to be a creature of light, but as someone not running away. She didn’t want to do this, and she hated herself for being in this position, but she was not running away, and facing it on her own terms.
For the tiniest second, a small corner of his lips curved upward.
“Er… Kyohei?” Yuki asked.
“Fine,” Kyohei grunted, snapping out of his thoughts. “She looks … fine.”
“Oh, come on, Kyohei, she looks more than fine, she’s a work of art!”
Sunako could feel Ranmaru and Takenaga coming up behind her to the stairs, but she refused to look, and forced herself to keep staring at the worst Creature of Light to ever have disrupted her life.
You are the one who talked me into this insanity, she thought at the silently staring Creature. My punishment is to burn your cursed shining face into my brain as a warning to stop myself from being this susceptible to the light ever again.
She did add a mental thank-you to Yuki at the end, though. Without his light-shading contacts, she would have been a dead and melted puddle at the bottom of the stairs by now, with an unhealthy amount of blood pouring out of her nose. Even with them, staring at this one Creature of Light for so long left her with a slight ringing at the back of her head.
“Still not saying anything, Kyohei?” Ranmaru asked. “Craftsmanship of this caliber shouldn’t go unacknowledged, even by you.”
Kyohei was silent for a moment, then said, “You didn’t make breakfast.”
As one, the other three guys slapped their hands to their foreheads.
Ungrateful. Even though she felt the flash of annoyance, a tiny part of Sunako was relieved. This morning had been nothing but a bright, burning, shining hell, and she hadn’t even gotten to the school yet. Her nerves were frayed beyond words, and more than anything right now she wanted to run to her dark room of salvation, hold Hiroshi-kun as close as she could, and stab some very sharp nails into some very lifelike voodoo dolls. The fact that she was trapped in this light and Kyohei was still treating her the same way he treated her on any other day was almost… comforting.
“Honestly, Kyohei, could you be any more of an idiot?” Takenaga demanded. “You probably slept in this morning while she was getting ready, and now you’re asking her -”
“There’s some wrapped up in the top cupboard.” Sunako said. “Don’t touch my toaster again.”
In the shocked silence of the other three boys, Kyohei gave a sharp nod. “Good.”
“Sunako-chan,” Takenaga said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to think that we’re going to make you slave away for us on top of forcing you into the light.”
Sunako started at the touch, her frayed nerves causing her to spin around and stare at this other Creature of Light. For the entire morning, she had been trying to desensitize herself to the light, numbing herself from its effects as much as possible so that she’d be able to stare at that one Creature that started this whole mess and not admit defeat to him. It worked for a bit, but ended up in something similar to over-exposure, so that with Takenaga suddenly inches from her and the sudden spin after the last few hours of light-headedness, Sunako was completely overwhelmed. She felt herself wobble and pitch down the stairs.
If I hit the bottom and hit my head, then I can go back to the dark forever, and not even have to -
A strong arm caught her around the waist, stopping her fall, and dragging her back to an upright position on the stairs.
“Nice try,” Kyohei said, now inches away from her. “But you’re not getting out of it that easily.” He stuck his tongue out at her, and Sunako’s knees wobbled.
Immediately the other three guys were around her, trying to help her up, asking if she was all right. Once her minor resistance to the light was gone, the brightness flooded all of Sunako’s senses, and she could still feel the world start to pitch around her.
Kyohei clapped his hands over her eyes. “Too much light?” he asked into her ear. Overwhelmed, all Sunako could do was nod.
Kyohei straightened and started pushing the other three boys to an arm’s length away. “It’s getting late. You guys need to leave for class. Now.”
Yuki blinked. “But… Sunako-chan…”
“I’ll take her myself.”
Takenaga began to shake his head. “Kyohei, do you really think-”
“Actually, Oda, let’s leave them be.” Ranmaru interjected. “This matter is just between them, we’re just here to help if they need it. Besides, there needs to be time for the you know what to develop.”
“The you know what?” Kyohei demanded irritably.
There were spots dancing in front of Sunako’s eyes. They were painfully bright spots that, annoyingly enough, strongly resembled the brilliant faces of the Creatures of Light. I can’t do it, she thought. The wager is done, he wins. I’ll still have another Creature of Light trying to drag me into their world, but at least I can stay in my dark sanctuary forever while they try. By now she had completely tuned out the conversation being held around her and began mumbling.
“Hey… what’s Sunako-chan saying?” Yuki asked, interrupting Kyohei’s and Takenaga’s argument.
All four boys paused and tried to make out Sunako’s half-delirious mumble.
“…light…much…no more light… Too much light…”
As they watched her, all four exchanged sheepish looks and decided to give her some space. Kyohei propped her up on the banister, and the four boys all moved to the bottom of the stairs.
“All right, Kyohei, you win.” Takenaga sighed. “Having all four of us constantly around her all day today will only make things worse for her. She’s going to be your responsibility. But don’t even think of trying to do something stupid and over the top to make her accept the light.”
Kyohei humphed. “I wouldn’t do anything stupid.”
“Yes you would,” Yuki and Ranmaru chorused.
Kyohei finally got the other three to leave, and turning to Sunako, saw that she had carefully sat herself down on the stairs with her head in her hands to block out the light. She didn’t answer to anything Kyohei said, and finally he gave up and walked to the kitchen, leaving her in peace.
This is going to be a long day.
Part VI to be posted once it is written...
Title: Shadowed Light, Darkness Bright
Category: Fan Fiction
Series: The Wallflower (or Perfect Girl Evolution)
Pairing: Kyouhei X Sunako, sort of
Chapters: 5
Status: Ongoing
Rating: 14A for future violence
Disclaimer: The entirety of the Wallflower series, and all of its characters, most definitely do not belong to me
Summary: The four guys force a wager that makes Sunako have to face the idea that she may not have the labels of “creatures of Light” and “creatures of Dark” to use as an excuse to hide any more.
“Kyohei!” Yuki shouted, charging down the stairs. Kyohei looked up from his burnt toast as the other boy bounded to the breakfast table he was sitting at.
“What?” he demanded irritably.
“You should see her!” He exulted, breathless. “Ranmaru and Takenaga did wonders with her. I think I helped, too. Takenaga told me she was going to have trouble actually seeing in the light, so I got her these contacts that don’t affect the vision, but act as tiny sunglasses, so everything won’t be as bright for her. And I got her this really cool cream that keeps your skin cool so that she won’t melt… Why are you eating charcoal?”
“It’s not charcoal,” Kyohei grumped. “It’s toast.” It was the morning that started his wager with Sunako, and he was furious. Their own household ghoul willingly agreed to at least try to be a so-called “Creature of Light,” and for the first morning since she had arrived at the house, there wasn’t even a stitch of food on the breakfast table. Sunako didn’t answer even when he pounded on her door, and none of the other boys were in their room. And so, hungry, alone, and forced to fend for himself, Kyohei made his own breakfast.
“Kyohei…” Yuki said dubiously. “You can’t make toast?”
“I wouldn’t have to worry about making my own toast if Sunako was actually up this morning to make breakfast!” Kyohei snapped.
“Why are you in such a rotten mood?” Yuki demanded. “And why are you taking this all out on Sunako?”
“Because she ran away again!” Kyohei launched his toast against the wall. It hit with a dry solid thunk and clunked onto the floor. “She ran away again. She didn’t want to face the world and all the stupid bright creatures in it that she can’t stand, so she holes up in her big black room and ignores us all!”
“Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said?” Yuki demanded. Kyohei was about to snap back, but then caught the look in Yuki’s eyes. There were minor tears forming at the corner of his eyes, in terror of Kyohei’s suddenly lost temper. But for the first time in all recorded history, Yuki looked ready to hit the other boy, and, in shock, Kyohei quieted down.
“Stop trying to beat up on Sunako for all this! The only reason she wasn’t here to make you your precious breakfast was because she came to find us as soon as she woke up so that we could fix her up a bit for today, as part of your wager. She didn’t even fight the make-up and hair styling, just to prove to you that she doesn’t back out of a deal. She hasn’t said a word all morning, but she’s not going to run off on your deal, if that’s what you’re all ticked off about!”
A tiny muscle just above Kyohei’s lip twitched. “She’s been getting ready all morning?”
Yuki softened, then beamed. “Yes. She’s upstairs right now. You’re probably the only one who can get her to say anything at all today, so at least pay her a compli - hey!”
Kyohei had suddenly sat straight up halfway through Yuki’s sentence, then shoved himself up from the table and bolted for the stairs.
“Kyohei… hey! Kyohei!” Yuki shouted, running after him. “What’s wrong?”
“She’s on autopilot,” he growled. “You said she won’t talk. She’s just become introverted within herself to force herself through this. She’ll let the light put her in a coma before she gives in, and then the landlady will really kill - ”
He stopped halfway up the stairs. At the top was Sunako, looking like a Creature of Light. She still had her dark uniform, but the toque was gone and her hair was styled, partly curled, partly pinned up. A dark silk rose was clipped up just behind her ear, feminine, but stately. Her makeup was soft, but noticeable, emphasizing her large eyes and fine cheekbones. Tiny silver chain earrings dangled from her ears, matching the thin necklace at her throat. She had dropped her slouched posture, and suddenly seemed a lot taller than Kyohei remembered.
“-us.”
Sunako took a step closer to the stairs, put a slender, un-chibi-fied hand on the banister, and looked him straight in the eye.
“Good morning, Kyohei.”
Yuki came up from behind him, and beamed at Sunako. “We figured it’d really be best to not go over the top, especially on the first day. What do you think? She looks great, doesn’t she?”
Kyohei was completely silent, watching Sunako. She looked like a completely different person. Something… something about her gave Kyohei an odd feeling, making him feel like his stomach was being squeezed. With a flicker of anger, he shoved the odd feeling away, determined to not let anything hamper his eating habits. Instead, he just stared at her harder. She was still looking directly at him, without any indication she was going to faint; but when he looked closer, he finally caught the constant tremble of her hand on the banister, and the tightly clenched jaw behind her expressionless face. Once he did catch it, he stifled an exasperated sigh.
Why the hell are you fighting so hard to do this if you hate it this much, Sunako? It was obvious she hated every moment of it, but equally obvious that she wouldn’t admit defeat to him even if he gave her a chance. Not that he was planning to. The more willing she was to go through with this wager, the closer to the landlady’s good graces the boys would get, and as a result, the further he would get away from rent inflation. If Sunako wanted to shoot herself in the foot because he goaded her to the point where she would stubbornly inflict her own self-torture to prove a point, he wouldn’t fight it.
His eyes gave her a quick once-over as he thought, and Sunako, catching it, let her blank face slip enough to glare at him. He had to admit, he never thought she would actually follow through with it. Though Takenaga did say that it wasn’t actually him who cajoled Sunako into it while Kyohei was off wandering the cellars, but that she came to the decision to face it on her own. With a jolt, Kyohei suddenly realized what gave him the odd feeling. Sunako wasn’t standing in front of him as someone trying to be a creature of light, but as someone not running away. She didn’t want to do this, and she hated herself for being in this position, but she was not running away, and facing it on her own terms.
For the tiniest second, a small corner of his lips curved upward.
“Er… Kyohei?” Yuki asked.
“Fine,” Kyohei grunted, snapping out of his thoughts. “She looks … fine.”
“Oh, come on, Kyohei, she looks more than fine, she’s a work of art!”
Sunako could feel Ranmaru and Takenaga coming up behind her to the stairs, but she refused to look, and forced herself to keep staring at the worst Creature of Light to ever have disrupted her life.
You are the one who talked me into this insanity, she thought at the silently staring Creature. My punishment is to burn your cursed shining face into my brain as a warning to stop myself from being this susceptible to the light ever again.
She did add a mental thank-you to Yuki at the end, though. Without his light-shading contacts, she would have been a dead and melted puddle at the bottom of the stairs by now, with an unhealthy amount of blood pouring out of her nose. Even with them, staring at this one Creature of Light for so long left her with a slight ringing at the back of her head.
“Still not saying anything, Kyohei?” Ranmaru asked. “Craftsmanship of this caliber shouldn’t go unacknowledged, even by you.”
Kyohei was silent for a moment, then said, “You didn’t make breakfast.”
As one, the other three guys slapped their hands to their foreheads.
Ungrateful. Even though she felt the flash of annoyance, a tiny part of Sunako was relieved. This morning had been nothing but a bright, burning, shining hell, and she hadn’t even gotten to the school yet. Her nerves were frayed beyond words, and more than anything right now she wanted to run to her dark room of salvation, hold Hiroshi-kun as close as she could, and stab some very sharp nails into some very lifelike voodoo dolls. The fact that she was trapped in this light and Kyohei was still treating her the same way he treated her on any other day was almost… comforting.
“Honestly, Kyohei, could you be any more of an idiot?” Takenaga demanded. “You probably slept in this morning while she was getting ready, and now you’re asking her -”
“There’s some wrapped up in the top cupboard.” Sunako said. “Don’t touch my toaster again.”
In the shocked silence of the other three boys, Kyohei gave a sharp nod. “Good.”
“Sunako-chan,” Takenaga said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to think that we’re going to make you slave away for us on top of forcing you into the light.”
Sunako started at the touch, her frayed nerves causing her to spin around and stare at this other Creature of Light. For the entire morning, she had been trying to desensitize herself to the light, numbing herself from its effects as much as possible so that she’d be able to stare at that one Creature that started this whole mess and not admit defeat to him. It worked for a bit, but ended up in something similar to over-exposure, so that with Takenaga suddenly inches from her and the sudden spin after the last few hours of light-headedness, Sunako was completely overwhelmed. She felt herself wobble and pitch down the stairs.
If I hit the bottom and hit my head, then I can go back to the dark forever, and not even have to -
A strong arm caught her around the waist, stopping her fall, and dragging her back to an upright position on the stairs.
“Nice try,” Kyohei said, now inches away from her. “But you’re not getting out of it that easily.” He stuck his tongue out at her, and Sunako’s knees wobbled.
Immediately the other three guys were around her, trying to help her up, asking if she was all right. Once her minor resistance to the light was gone, the brightness flooded all of Sunako’s senses, and she could still feel the world start to pitch around her.
Kyohei clapped his hands over her eyes. “Too much light?” he asked into her ear. Overwhelmed, all Sunako could do was nod.
Kyohei straightened and started pushing the other three boys to an arm’s length away. “It’s getting late. You guys need to leave for class. Now.”
Yuki blinked. “But… Sunako-chan…”
“I’ll take her myself.”
Takenaga began to shake his head. “Kyohei, do you really think-”
“Actually, Oda, let’s leave them be.” Ranmaru interjected. “This matter is just between them, we’re just here to help if they need it. Besides, there needs to be time for the you know what to develop.”
“The you know what?” Kyohei demanded irritably.
There were spots dancing in front of Sunako’s eyes. They were painfully bright spots that, annoyingly enough, strongly resembled the brilliant faces of the Creatures of Light. I can’t do it, she thought. The wager is done, he wins. I’ll still have another Creature of Light trying to drag me into their world, but at least I can stay in my dark sanctuary forever while they try. By now she had completely tuned out the conversation being held around her and began mumbling.
“Hey… what’s Sunako-chan saying?” Yuki asked, interrupting Kyohei’s and Takenaga’s argument.
All four boys paused and tried to make out Sunako’s half-delirious mumble.
“…light…much…no more light… Too much light…”
As they watched her, all four exchanged sheepish looks and decided to give her some space. Kyohei propped her up on the banister, and the four boys all moved to the bottom of the stairs.
“All right, Kyohei, you win.” Takenaga sighed. “Having all four of us constantly around her all day today will only make things worse for her. She’s going to be your responsibility. But don’t even think of trying to do something stupid and over the top to make her accept the light.”
Kyohei humphed. “I wouldn’t do anything stupid.”
“Yes you would,” Yuki and Ranmaru chorused.
Kyohei finally got the other three to leave, and turning to Sunako, saw that she had carefully sat herself down on the stairs with her head in her hands to block out the light. She didn’t answer to anything Kyohei said, and finally he gave up and walked to the kitchen, leaving her in peace.
This is going to be a long day.
Part VI to be posted once it is written...