Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ Sefiro High ❯ Sefiro High - Chapter 26 ( Chapter 26 )
Lantis met her a few blocks away her house as usual. He took her bag from her hand as if it was the most natural thing to do. He then asked her how her weekend had been.
"It was really okay," she replied.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing much, I didn't go out or anything, except when I went jogging yesterday morning..." she said avoiding his gaze. Why did it seem as if she wouldn't want to tell him when she went jogging with Eagle?
"I see…You left home earlier today than the usual…"
"I just had to get away from my brothers this morning…They seem to be very hyper today and I fear that they'll pinch my cheeks too much again," she answered with a giggle. "I didn't know you wait for me so early, Lantis-kun…"
"I wouldn't want to miss you just in case you feel like going to school early."
"You really don't have to do this everyday…"She suddenly stopped when she caught him staring at her. She tried not to, but she ended staring back at him. 'Oh no! It's this feeling again…' Her heart started beating fast all of a sudden. She found herself lost in pool of his purple eyes. How many times had this happened to her? She saw him smile at her…That smile that can easily make her heart flutter.
"You're so beautiful, Hikaru-chan…" Lantis murmured. He brushed away some hairstrands away from her face.
His touch gave a certain warm sensation inside her. 'He called me beautiful.' Happiness added to the certain feeling she was having at that moment. 'He really did think I'm beautiful!' She felt like heart is going to burst with happiness.
"We're getting near the school now…" he told her. After that, he took her hand. "People might think we had a lover's quarrel or something…" he explained.
Hikaru bowed down her head so he would not see her frown. 'Quit daydreaming Hikaru…' a voice inside her mind said. 'Maybe he didn't mean what he said…about me being beautiful…Maybe it's just for the show…'. The happiness she felt a while ago was replaced by insecurity…
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing! Hehehehe!!!"
"You seem to be thinking a lot these days…"
"I-it's nothing…"
"Are you sure?"
"Y-yes I'm sure."
Lantis saw someone biking carelessly towards Hikaru, and with great speed at that. He pulled the unaware girl towards him and into his arms. "Stupid bastard…didn't he know he's gonna hit someone?" He smiled when he realized that he was actually embracing Hikaru though. He decided not to let go for her maybe for a while and cherish the moment.
'I could hear his heart beating…' Hikaru thought. 'It feels so nice…' With her heartbeat racing, her stomach fluttering, and her knees getting weak, she was starting to think that she might faint on him. She felt something more than that…she wanted to stay like this with him forever. She looked up to his face, and found him looking back at her. He smiled. She blushed.
He touched her cheek. "Are you alright?" She nodded, tongue-tied and lost in his eyes. "Are you sure?" She nodded again.
Suddenly aware where she was, she pulled against him hurriedly. She felt as if she had to struggle just to be able to speak. "I'm okay now really. Thanks."
He didn't want to let go of her, but he knew he had to. He took her hand again instead and held it tight. After a few more minutes, they arrived at the school. He walked with her to her classroom and saw the assigned group for that day getting the room ready for the class ahead. "You'd better stay here until they've finished."
"Yes, I know. You go ahead now, I'll be okay."
"I was actually thinking of keeping you company…until Primera comes," Lantis said, grinning. The two suddenly noticed that her classmates had been passing by them too frequently. They laughed. "Your classmates are really curious lots aren't they?" he whispered to her ear. "I bet someone is even eavesdropping near the door…"
Hikaru nodded and giggled. "Let's give them a show," Hikaru whispered back, blushing when she realized what she said.
"Yes, we shouldn't disappoint them…" Lantis' eyes glittered with mischief. "…Besides, my love, you know how much I want to spend time with you. Don't you want to be with me?" he spoke loud enough so that others can hear.
"Well of course I do love. What kind of question is that?"
"You're really beautiful, my love…"
"You told me that already…"
"Well then I'll tell you again… You're very beautiful… I've always thought you were."
"Really?"
"Of course! The first time I saw you I knew you're the one for me…"
"But I was clumsy…"
"You were cute…you still are by the way…"
"Uhm…anou…excuse me," they heard a voice behind them say. "A-anou, Hikaru-chan, you can go inside now, we're finished. Sorry if I bothered you, Sol-sempai."
"Oh well, I guess I'll just see you at lunch?" Hikaru told him.
"Yes love…" Hikaru felt Lantis' lips touch her forehead. The movement was so swift that she didn't have time to react. "Ja ne!" he said, as he walked away, waving his hand.
'He kissed me…'
She must have stood there frozen in her place for a while, that her classmate was actually waving her hand in front of Hikaru's face. "You're acting as if he never kissed you before Hikaru-chan…" she heard her classmate say.
"Uh…Who?"
"Your boyfriend…"
"Uh…heheheeh…Don't be so ridiculous…Can I go inside now? Hehehehe…" Shaking all over, her whole body in a deep shade of red, and her knees wobbling, she managed to run inside her classroom.
* * *
"Masaka!!!! You mean, you and Ferio are…" Umi gasped.
"Please Umi-san, not too loud!" Fuu said.
"Congratulations, Fuu-chan," Hikaru told her.
"You don't look as cheerful as you usually are…" Fuu pressed her palm on Hikaru's forehead. "Mild fever?"
"I'm not sick, Fuu-chan…"
"Had an argument with Lantis-sempai?"
"No…actually he's awfully sweet to me today…"
"Had a fight with your brothers?"
"No…" She let out a loud sigh. "I just feel weird…"
"I think you should go to the clinic Hikaru-chan…"
"But I told you I am not sick…"
"Ne, Fuu-chan…"
"What is it Umi-san?"
"I think she's…" Umi whispered the rest of her sentence to Fuu. Fuu widened her eyes as a reaction.
"Probably…Hmm, Hikaru-san…"
"Eh?"
"Do you feel weak?" Hikaru nodded. "You feel warm all over?"
"Kind of…"
"Light-headed?"
"Yeah…"
"Your attention span seemed to have shorten and you'd rather look out of the window and think of something else?"
"Yes…"
"…Specially a dark-haired senior…" Umi interrupted.
"Umi-san!" Fuu scolded her.
"Or a silver-haired young man…"
"Umi-san…"
"Okay, okay…You haven't been doodling hearts in the back of your notebook haven't you?"
Hikaru blushed and answered, "Well…actually…"
"Aha!"
"Does your heart seem to get hyper-active too often these past few days?"
"Uh-huh…"
"Well then it's obvious then…"
"What?"
"You have love-fever," Umi informed her friend.
"WHAT!?"
"What you need is tender loving care from your special someone and you'll be alright…A nice kiss would be very helpful…"
"It's the kiss that made it worse in the first place…" Hikaru mumbled.
"Nani??? Sol-sempai kissed you?"
"Uh…Hehehehe…Well…Just a tiny peck on my forehead…Oh geez…" Hikaru suddenly didn't feel good again.
* * *
"Umi-chan!" Clef called out to her. She was with her friends as usual. The three girls then turned around to see who was calling Umi. He ran towards them and then said, "Umi-chan, can I talk to you…alone?"
"Well I…"
"Anou, I have to go and meet Ferio-san…" Fuu said.
"I need to go also, Lantis-kun and Eagle-sempai are waiting for me…"
"It's ok guys…You go ahead," Umi told her friends. 'Please don't make me break down…' Fuu and Hikaru said goodbye and then left. "What is it Clef?"
"I just wanna say that..."
"Well…"
"I just want to say that what you heard…I mean, what you heard me tell Ascot…"
"Yes?"
"…I didn't mean it really…it's just…"
"Oh that…don't worry it's nothing…"
"NO! No…I'm really sorry, I really didn't mean all those things…I wish we can get back to what we had before that day…"
"We didn't have anything…"
"Umi-chan…that friendship was special…"
"You must have misunderstood Clef. I had confided in you because you were there…It could have been anybody…But really, thanks for the help Clef…"
"Umi-chan…"
"Do not worry if you had hurt my feelings Clef. You didn't. Actually you made me see how other people do look at me. I whine about many things, and I had been spoiled. All you said was true…"
"I told you I didn't mean it! That wasn't the way I look at you."
"Whatever…If you feel that guilty, then I forgive you…There, feel better now?"
"Umi-chan…"
"I really have to go now…" She turned around. She knew that if she stayed longer with him, the walls she had built around her heart would crumble. She had vowed to get over him and that is what she'll do. But when she felt him take her hand, pull her towards him and touch his lips on hers, she knew, she had lost the fight. The kiss was warm, and she felt herself slowly falling…
"I love you Umi-chan…Please don't go…" he murmured to her ears. He held her close to him, frightened to let go. "Ascot loved you too see, and I didn't want him to get hurt…I tried to deny what I feel for you…but I can't…that's why…I told him those things…I didn't know you were there…"
"Clef…-kun…"
"Please believe me Umi…I have never felt this way before…"
"I…"
"If I did hurt you before, then get angry…shout at me, hit me if you want, call me a grumpy old man, I don't care…Just don't be cold to me Umi…I can take everything, everything except apathy…" he begged.
When she looked at him, she saw his face was filled with tears. 'He's crying…because of me? Does that mean he really loves me…?' "Clef…You baka…"
"I'm really sorry Umi-chan…"
"Baka! Baka!" she said, hitting his chest… crying. "You're a grumpy, insensitive old man! You didn't know how much it hurts…You didn't know how long I've waited…"
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry I made you cry…I don't want you to cry…I promise you Umi-chan, I won't do it again…Do you believe me?"
"I believe you…I love you Clef."
Finally he let her go. He held out his hand to her, as she did before. "Let's go Umi-chan." And she took his hand, just as before.