24Like any other author, once they have thought of a new story, they go full speed ahead with it… I am one such example… I at least have my Four Guardians and A Hostage's Diary as an excuse… Thanks to:-
The banshee's tears, Hitomi Yuume Taiko and Sawai Sakuya!
Thanks to all my readers too! (Even if you didn't review because you were too lazy or didn't know what to write… happens to me, at least…) Knowing that there are people out there reading my story really helps and inspire me to write better!
Note too long; ON WITH THE STORY!
Scarred Link
You
"For this class, I need you to work in pairs." Ichiburo-sensei said. She was firm, strict, straight-to-the-point and their basic element teacher. Yuu glanced at Rei who nodded, but both flinched as they heard a cane snap the table. Ichiburo was scowling at the entire class which had just begun to move.
"And I shall decide the pairs for you."
Rei and Yuu sweat pointed her cane randomly.
"YOU!"
"Y-Yes?" Yuu stuttered suddenly, wondering why she had called her by her nickname.
"Not you Ishida-san! I meant you!"
"But I didn't say anything!" Rei protested. The class sweat dropped. Ishida wasn't a common family name here, but with three students related…
"Not you, I meant Yuriko!" Ichiburo snapped. Her wrist flicked once, and her cane went zooming towards Yuu. Instinct flared up and the cane suddenly burst into flames and landed on the floor in a pile of ashes within centimeters of reach. Yuu sighed in relief. It could have been worse… Her instincts and fire element weren't a good combination.
"KYAAA!"
Heads snapped to the far end of the classroom where Sakamoto Ayumi was screaming her head off, trying to pat out the flames on her ignited skirt.
"Uh… oops?" Yuu said meekly as Rei gave her a deadpan sarcastic expression.
"Sakamoto-san, allow me to assist you after my cousin's little… accident." Rin offered as she placed a calming hand on Ayumi's shoulder, her face an unusual smile.
"MUST YOU ASK!?"
"Very well… Although I must warn you that due to the dark element, it can sometimes get out of control."
"THEN WAIT-!"
SPLASH. VOOOSHH….
"I hope you are fine now." She said calmly as water begun to seep through the classroom and below the doors.
"FINE!? You just poured ten gallons of water on me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
"I am sorry, but your math is wrong. It was fifteen gallons." Rin corrected monotonously. She dug into her pocket and retrieved a piece of tissue.
"Here, I hope that this will help you get dry." She offered, the smile still on her lips but the dead pan expression in her eyes.
"YOU THINK THIS IS ENOUGH!?" she gawked as the tissue was placed in her hand where it had already soaked up all the water and was already in a useless, wet heap.
"The journey of a million miles starts with one step." She replied. The entire class sweat dropped. Ayumi fumed, turned on her heel and stalked towards Yuu.
"This is all YOUR fault!"
"No it isn't. Blame my instinct, blame Rin, and blame anything else and everything else unless you want to blame Ichiburo-sensei." She sneered as she pointed to the teacher's desk where the teacher sat leisurely, her hands linked behind her head and her feet on the table, watching the drama unfold before her.
"Go on." She reassured, smirking and waving a hand in reassurance. The class sweat dropped again.
"My FATHER will hear about this!" Ayumi screamed angrily, pointing a shaking finger at Yuu.
"I seriously don't care if the Gods hear about this, which is probably unavoidable… But since you insist, would you like me to dry you? Although I can guarantee that you'll be dry, I can't guarantee if you skin will retain its original color after being burnt to charcoal black." She replied. Steam flew out of Ayumi's ears.
"Don't you DARE talk about that to me!"
"Apparently, that is unavoidable since I have already said those words." She replied calmly, seating herself back into her chair and lifted her shoes slightly to stop her shoes from getting wet any further and turned around.
"Don't-you-DARE-look-away-from-ME!"
"What's to look?" Yuu replied, scowling as she faced her once more. This girl was really starting to annoy her, and annoyance, fire and darkness do NOT make a good combination. For Ayumi, at least.
"Why you-!"
"Sakamoto, right?" It was Rei. She snapped her head angrily to him, only to find herself falter.
"Uh… Yes… That's me…"
"Don't annoy my kid sister, okay? And I think it's better if you change out of those clothes – you might catch a cold." He said, giving a handsome smile.
"Who's your kid sister?" Yuu scowled as she squatted on her chair – very un-ladylike.
"Oh, shut up!" Ayumi snapped. Yuu only cocked her head to one side before giving an evident smirk, her fiery red eyes turning into a cold, bloody, crimson red.
"Watch what you say. Shall I help you to get a dry uniform?" she asked in a mocking tone. Ayumi growled, but then she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"I' sure Yuu can help you." Rei said.
"H-Hai…" Ayumi sighed. Yuu rolled her eyes.
"Ne, sensei, you don't mind, right?" she asked as she walked pass the table. Ichiburo nodded.
"And Yuriko? Since you will be helping Ayumi here and now, why don't you continue being her partner for the next three months before we exchange partners once more?" Ichiburo asked, smirking. Yuu jerked her head in a nod, but Ayumi was standing there, aghast.
"SENSEI! I… I refuse to work with such a… such a…"
"Ruffian?" Rin offered. Yuu glared at her cousin.
"YES! THANK YOU!"
"Well, Sakamoto-san, I don't think you have a choice. And I do not care if your father is from the High Council or not." Ichiburo replied in a dangerous tone. Ayumi flinched slightly. "Do I make myself clear, Sakamoto?"
"H-Hai, sensei…" the girl replied as she splashed out of the classroom, Yuu beside her, humming a tune she had never heard before.
"Do you also have extra dry socks?" Yuu asked the janitor. The janitor, Takahiro Sakura, nodded her head. She was surprisingly young – only twenty three.
"Thanks."
"But this is the only pair." Sakura said as she passed it to Yuu. Ayumi, from another corner of the room, scoffed as she slipped on a new skirt. Her first day of school had been disastrous thanks to the accursed Ishida clan.
'And like all self-centered Ishida people, she would keep the socks for herself…' she muttered in thought. 'Except… maybe except for her brother or cousin… or whatever…' she giggled slightly at the thought. He was so… handsome.
"Oi." Yuu snapped her fingers in front of Ayumi's face – waved in front of it – dance in front of her – but she remained staring at the ceiling, her eyes shining, her mind so far away only god could reach it, clutching her wet skirt, causing her dry shirt to get wet.
"Ano… Sakamoto-san?" Sakura tried, but to no avail. She sighed. Yuu scratched the back of her head and frowned softly.
"Light up." She murmured, snapping her fingers, causing a spark. In less than a second, a small flame ignited on her palm. Ayumi flinched.
"Afraid of a little fire?" she smirked. Ayumi scowled.
"Now you've got your own uniform drenched." Yuu muttered. Ayumi realized this and sighed.
"Oh dear…" Sakura murmured as she took a cloth and tried to dab it on her shirt. Ayumi blanched.
"I-I can do it by myself, thank you very much!" she snapped, and felt a moments of unease. Sakura seemed slightly hurt. Yuu's expression seemed to darken slightly, but only Sakura seemed to notice, but she didn't question anything.
"We've got to return to class now. Ja ne, Saku-chan!" Yuu said as she waved and opened the door. Sakura smiled. Ayumi walked out, not looking back or even waving.
"Ja, Ishida-san." Sakura replied. Yuu scowled.
"Just call me Yuu, or Yuriko, okay? Don't have to be so formal." She said, hands on her hips.
"But-…"
"See ya!"
SLAM.
Sakura stared, blinking at the door where Yuu had stood moments earlier.
Yuu closed the door after her and let go of her breath. She gave a short glare at Ayumi with obvious dislike.
"Here." She said and passed her the pair of dry socks. Ayumi blinked as she watched the fire elemental stalk off.
'What's up with her…? Maybe being nice is torture to the Ishida's…?' with that thought in mind, she slipped off her shoes and put on her dry socks.
"I can't stand her." Was the first thing Yuu said as she threw herself beside Rei on the bench where they had lunch. He raised an eyebrow.
"Who?"
"That stuck-up Sakamoto bitch, who else!?" she snapped angrily as she tore of the cover of her obento. He raised an eyebrow.
"I think she's kind of cute."
"You WOULD!" She muttered darkly. "I entered her mind for a second back at the locker room. It was just one second, but I'm telling you… She is one hell of a spoiled brat."
"You aren't allowed to do that, you know." Rei said as he side glanced at his cousin. She scowled.
"It… my powers flew out of the window again." She muttered, taking a huge swallow. He looked at her disapprovingly.
"She didn't feel anything?"
"It was only a second. One second of dizziness – would YOU get suspicious?"
"Since I know the side effects, yes. In her case, I guess not." He replied, taking a bite of his sandwich.
"Rei!"
Yuu raised her head to see one of her thirty classmates waving at her cousin. Shrugging, she returned to eating. Rei waved back. Coming out of nowhere, Rin appeared. The both of them were already used to it, and Yuu just shifted slightly to make more room for her other cousin.
"Rei, you want to hang out after school?" the unknown classmate asked. Rei chuckled.
"Sorry, but I got strict orders from my mother to get Yuu safe home." He replied.
"No, you need ME to get home safely and I can't wait for you and you have extra classes." Yuu replied. The first half was, of course, a lie. Not that Rei had spoken the truth anyway.
"Uh… I didn't catch your name…"
"Do I look like I throw my names freely around?" she replied back sarcastically and took a swig from her bottle before walking off with her empty obento. Amazingly, even Rin had finished her food although her box was fairly larger than Yuu's and she had come later. She inclined her head politely to him and walked off after Yuu.
"You have interesting relatives." He said as he slumped into the seat that Yuu had occupied earlier. Rei shrugged.
"You haven't seen interesting yet." He replied. "Maybe I'll go out with you and the others another day, okay Kakeru?" Kakeru grinned as he nodded his head.
"Seriously though, why do you need to head home so early?" he asked. Rei sighed.
"Dark element training. You're a dark elemental – you know how it is. And it's different for Rin and me because we both have spirits." He muttered. Kakeru cocked his head to one side.
"I have both. My grandfather just teaches me normally. Why -…?"
"Because we're Ishida." Rei cut in, sighing.
'Master…'
'What?'
'When are you going to finish your lunch?'
Rei scowled at his spirit who only looked back at him innocently. Kakeru raised a hand in greeting – those with spirits could see another's spirits as well, if the master or mistress allowed. He ruffled his hair. Funny how different a spirit can be compared to the master sometimes…
'Then again, spirits DID use to be humans…'
'Yes, master, I know.'
'I wasn't talking to you.'
'I know you weren't talking to Yuu. She isn't here.'
Ohhhhh…. How IRRITATING one nickname and spirit can be…
obento - lunch box