Fan Fiction ❯ Even the Darkest Corners Hold Light ❯ Shadows Sink In ( Chapter 5 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Yumi entered the classroom, officially announcing her removal from her old life, and her beginning of a new one.

Kumi-chan waved from the back of the room, and Yoshikuni-sensei nodded, telling Yumi she could sit next to Kumiko. Yumi thanked her, and walked over to Kumi-chan.

"When'd you meet Ibuki-kun?" Kumiko wanted to know as soon as Yumi sat down.

"Hm? Oh, I just ran into him on my way up, and he heard me mumbling about how I was in homeroom with you...So he showed me up here," Yumi answered. "Do you think I could sit with you at lunch?" Kumiko smiled.

"Of course! I'd love to have you sit with me." She pulled Yumi's schedule close to her, reading it over. "I can't believe it!"

"What?" Yumi inquired.

"You have EVERY class with me, except for last hour!"

"REALLY?! Er...What do I have last hour?"

"Band, and I have spanish. The stairs to the band room are only down the hallway from the Spanish room!"

"Wow! I can't believe my luck!" Yumi said, as a bell rung, signalling the end of class.

"Well, c'mon. We should hurry up and get to class!" Yumi smiled, and followed her new friend.

---

"Hey, guys!" Kumiko cheered, plopping down across the table from Ibuki. Yumi sat down next to her.

"Er...Hullo," Yumi said. "Urm...I'm Miura Yumi."

"Yup, yup! Yumi-chan's in all my classes except for Spanish!" Kumiko said cheerfully.

"What class do you have if you don't have Spanish, then?" A girl who looked A LOT alike Kumiko asked.

"Er...Band, I think," Yumi answered.

"Really? Cool! I'm the head percussionist in band...I'm Endoh Asuka, by the way."

"Er...Nice to meet you..Asuka-chan," Yumi said, a bit awkwardly. "So, er...You like dragons?" Yumi asked, pointing to Asuka's binder, notebook, and t-shirt. Asuka laughed.

"LIKE dragons? No, no...I LOVE dragons!" Asuka answered. "By the way, if you can guess my favorite color before they call for snack bar, I'll buy you something!" Yumi was taken aback, and looked towards Kumiko.

"She ALWAYS does this...Don't worry. She'll probably get you something anyways," Kumiko whispered. Yumi nodded.

"Oh, you don't know everyone else, yet, do you?" Kumiko realized, smiling. Yumi shook her head.

"Well, this is Saruwatari Itoe," Kumiko said, pointing to a tall blonde with glasses and blue braces, "And Yamashita Asuka," Kumiko pointed at an even taller blonde, with shorter hair, glasses, and purple braces. Kuroda Ayumi was a girl about Yumi's height who had shoulder-length brown hair and purple bangs, and wore a Teagan and Sara t-shirt and lots of necklaces. Ishimaru Saiyuri was a girl with wild, blonde curly hair pulled back into a scrunchie, a soccer t-shirt on, and bad acne, but seemed really nice. Nakamura Chiaki was a short sixth grader wearing a Kyou hat(from fruits basket) and furuba t-shirt with short, brown hair, freckles, and glasses.

"What kind of dye do you use?" Ayumi asked, fingering Yumi's Royal Blue hair.

"Er...Manic Panic," Yumi answered.

"Really? You're one of the lucky ones," Ayumi said. "It doesn't work with my hair...I use Special Effectz," she added to Yumi's confused look.

"So...Now you know everyone!" Kumiko said. Yumi smiled.

"Yeah..I guess I do, don't I?" Yumi answered. She was beginning to enjoy her new life.

---

The rest of the month proceeded with ease for Yumi. She hung out lots with Kumiko, Itoe, Asuka, Ayumi, Saiyuri, and Chiaki, and occaisionaly even with Ibuki, whom she taken a strange liking to.

At the end of the month, Miharu told Yumi that she and Kazuma would be out until very late that Friday, and was there anyone she could stay with?

"I'll get on it, mum," Yumi said, and immiediatly went up to her room, and called Kumiko, asking if she could crash over there for the night.

"Well, actually, my church is having a Lock-In on Friday..." Kumiko told Yumi.

"Oh..."

"But you wanna come to that, instead?" Kumiko asked. "I was just about to call you to invite you, and Itoe, Asuka, Ayumi, Saiyuri, Chiaki, and even Ibuki are all coming!" Yumi nearly collapsed with joy, for reasons unknown.

"Ok! Let me ask my mom, and I'll tell you tomorrow, m'kay?"

"Oh-kay kay!" Kumiko replied.

"Ok! Bye, Kumi-chan!"

"See you, Yumi-chan!" Yumi heard a click, and she hung up herself.

"Wow...A lock-in, eh? With everyone there...." Yumi began to plan what she should bring, and drifted off to sleep...

---

Finally, Friday rolled around, and Yumi was picked up from school by Kumiko's mother. She picked up both her daughter, and all of her daughter's guests, as her mother had a mini-van, since both Kumiko and her little brother were in soccer.

"Thanks for inviting me, Kumi-chan," Yumi said as she sat down in the way back, setting her things on her floor.

"No problem, Yumi-chan!" Kumiko said, smiling. "We'll have fun!"

And so they did, when Kumiko's mother pulled up to the church.

"Have fun, everyone!" she said. "I'll be back at noon tomorrow."

"Bye!" Everyone called, and ran into the church, for a night of excitement.

---

The room was pitch dark, and everyone was asleep. The faint blue light of a television set gleamed under the door, where a few other people were still playing video games.

Yumi rolled over in her sleeping bag to face Kumiko.

"Kumi-chan?" Kumiko yawned.

"Yeah, Yumi-chan?"

"..Where's Ibuki?" Kumiko sat up.

"He's not in his sleeping bag?"

"Er...No."

"Did you check the other room?"

"Yes..."

"Was he in there?"

"No..."

"Hm...I dunno. I don't really care."

"Ok..."

"...You wanna go look for him?"

"Well..Yeah. Kind of."

"He's probably up on the second floor. He's never in the service room..."

"Ok." Yumi slid out of her sleeping bag, as Kumiko settled back into her's. "I'll be back soon." And she left to go find Ibuki.

[-End Chapter Five-]