Chapter 3

Meet Hihara Kazuki

Being so caught up in the songs, she didn’t notice her surroundings until the bus came to a stop and Len stood up. They got their bags and clambered off. She felt as though she had just teleported. She was at the edge of a looming mountain. Forest was everywhere. When she stepped out, she felt the air was much cooler and saw afternoon sunlight peeping though some cracks. There were distant trills of a small bird. A large house was not far ahead of them. He handed her the bag and walked towards it.

There was someone already there. It was tall man leaning against the door frame. He was lean with light forest-green hair. He wore dark brown pants over his slender legs. A red-orange collared shirt was half-buttoned to reveal a strong collarbone. A dark red undershirt peek out. Muscles rippled under his slightly darker skin. His eyes were closed. Tapping his foot, he seemed to be thinking of a song. As they stepped onto the porch, his eyes opened. They were a beautiful shade of yellow like molten gold that glowed through the forest. He smiled. From his apparent comfortableness that shone through the smile, he seemed to be a happy person. When he stepped towards them, he moved with more grace than she thought.

            Len nodded at him. It wasn’t until she saw him relax did she realize how much he was composing himself. Stepping forward, he was only a few inches shorter. The forest-haired one gripped his friend’s hand in a greeting.

            “Hey, Len,” he smiled. His voice was clear and bright. “Long time no see.”

            “Yeah,” Len agreed, tawny eyes betraying his otherwise calm self-control. “Too long.”

            The tall man’s liquid gold eyes wandered towards her. They scanned her from head to toe. Usually, she would’ve felt self-conscious, but something about this man made her feel at peace. He smiled at her.

            “Hey there,” he said, giving a small wave.

            “Hello,” she replied, “My name is Hino Kahoko.”

            “Nice name,” he said, nodding approvingly. “Can I call you Kaho-chan?”

            “I don’t see why not,” she replied, trying to hide a smile, “and you’re Hihara Kazuki-san, right?”

            He nodded. “Call me anything you want.”

            “Of course, Hihara-sempai,” she said, reaching out a hand.

            Smiling, he said in his cheerful voice, “The pleasure is mine, Kaho-chan.” His laugh was contagious. She couldn’t help but smile along with him. “Come,” he said, beckoning to them. “I’ll show you to your rooms.”

            Kazuki chatted animatedly to Len, who listened attentively and nodded, about what he had missed. Left out, Kahoko surveyed her surroundings. The house was well-furnished with wooden walls and floors. Windows were on every wall and sunlight streamed in, reflecting off the smooth floor. Simple chairs and a table were on the left of the door in front of a fireplace. The living room, she thought. On the back wall, in the right corner, was a long table with more wooden chairs. The dining room. In front of her was a flight of stairs. Len and Kazuki were already upstairs.

            Downstairs, there was only one large room. Upstairs there were four bed rooms. On the left of the stairs were two. Across from the stairs was a little bench under a large window that looked into the back yard. Glancing out, she gasped. Behind there was a large pond with many exotic plants and trees. She kneeled on the bench to get a closer look. The water rippled and the sunlight danced on the surface. Something moved in the corner of her eye. She blinked. It happened again. Her eyes widened in wonder when she saw what it was. They were golden fish jumping out of the water. They leapt, flipped a little, and then fell back in without the slightest ripple.

            “Wow,” she sighed.

            “Yeah, I know,” she turned and saw Kazuki grinning at her.

            “This place is so…” She fought for a good word.

            “Beautiful?” he offered.

            “No,” she said, shaking her head, sending waves through her dark crimson hair, “it’s not quite right. Different? Exotic? Wonderful? Breathtaking?”

He laughed again. His liquid gold eyes turned to the window, mists of memory clouding it. “This was my summer home. I came every summer with Len when we were children. We used to have so much fun together. Then when my grandparents died, I didn’t come much after that. Len and I entered the same school, but since I am a year older, we got separated. We still talk, of course, but it’s just…not the same.”

She nodded knowingly. “I know.”

He smiled gratefully at her. “Here, I’ll take you to your room.”

She nodded and tore her eyes from the pond. She made a mental note to visit it later. Taking his offered hand, Kazuki led her down a hallway. Opening a door, he indicated to go in. The room was large, carpeted and with large windows that let light stream in. A desk stood on the left side. The bed looked ever so tempting with a dark green blanket.

“This is the closet where you can hang your clothes,” Kazuki said, indicating the dark door. His golden eyes glanced down at her. Being this close for the first time, she noticed how tall he was. He was a whole head and a half taller. Len was only five inches taller than her. Even Ryotaro, another classmate of hers and the tallest in their class, wasn’t nearly as tall as this man.

Kazuki tilted his head in confusion at her. “Kaho-chan?”

She blushed. She knew she had been staring. “S-sorry. Was thinking about something.”

He flashed her a wide grin and waved her apology away. “It’s ok.”

Surprised for a moment, she smiled as well. That broad smile really suits him, she thought to herself.

There was a light knock on the door. The pair turned to see another man there. He was tall, good-looking, with green-tinted black hair. His eyes were a light brown, twinkling merrily. He strolled over and draped a tanned arm over Kazuki’s shoulder.

“Hey, Aniki,” Kazuki greeted.

The dark-haired one nodded. Then he smiled a little in Kahoko’s way to acknowledge she was present. “Am I interrupting something?”

The two blushed a little. “No,” Kazuki recovered faster. He paused then said, “Oh right. Kaho-chan, this is my brother, Haruki. Aniki, this is Hino Kahoko-san.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said politely, bowing his head.

“The pleasure is mine,” she said hastily.

He smiled. It wasn’t the same large grin as Kazuki’s, but there was a subtle similarity. “It’s almost time for dinner, Kazuki,” he said, facing him. “It’s your turn remember?”

“Oh yeah,” he said, his smile faltering a little. He glanced at her so briefly that she would’ve missed it if she wasn’t watching for the reason for his slight unhappiness.

            “I’ll help,” she volunteered, hoping to cheer him up.

            It worked. “Really?” the wide and infectious grin was back. “That’s great! Thanks, Kaho-chan.” She noticed Haruki give Kazuki a funny look before following him out. Kahoko closed the door behind her.

 

Author's Note

Any suggestions? Aniki means "older brother" and is very informal