Hi Hi~ everyone! Wow, it has been quite a while since I posted anything. I apologize, but with the last few weeks of classes and exams and what have you, I have to put writing on the back burner for a bit. But I am back with the latest chapter of Starting from scratch, I hope you guys enjoy!
Ch 3. When a Hero Needs SavingYossi clutched her midsection, gasping for breath, lying in the shadow of the looming Ishikawa. A sharp, continuous pain pierced her chest, as each shallow breath barely filled her lungs. She pulled one of her hands away from her midsection and pressed on the ground, shakily hoisting herself into a sitting position. Yossi glanced at the surrounding crowd, noticing that no one would make eye contact with her. A hand reached down, cupping Yossi's cheek, turning it upwards. Rika looked down and smiled.
“You look like you have something to say,” Rika whispered playfully.
Yossi answered Rika with nothing more than a chuckle.
“What's so funny?” Rika questioned.
A small smirk appeared on Yossi's lips,” I just find it funny how someone so beautiful can be such a (
What am I saying?) bit...”
Her statement was cut short by a ferocious right cross. The devilish smile that Rika wore was nowhere to be seen, instead, gritted teeth and a look of absolute indignation. (
What is wrong with me? It is not like me to be so worked up), Rika thought to herself. Ayumi quickly ran to Rika's side while fishing through her pockets for a handkerchief. The loyal servant took the handkerchief and ran it across Rika's knuckles, wiping away the traces of blood that managed to splatter against her fist. Rika looked over at Yossi, expecting to see her face down in the dirt, but that was not the case. Yossi was sitting up holding her jaw, still wearing that disobedient smirk as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. With a quick turn, Rika faced her back to Yossi and rested one of her hands on Ayumi's shoulder.
“You can take care of the rest, but try not to mess up her face to much. The last thing I need is a new lapdog with an ugly face,” Rika ordered.
Rika lifted her hand from Ayumi's shoulder, signaling for her to carry out her orders. The overjoyed Ayumi wasted no time charging towards the vulnerable Yossi. She held her arm outwards, clenching her fist as her muscles tensed. Since she could not hurt Yossi's face, Ayumi decided the throat was the next best option.
Knowing what Ayumi was planning, Yossi closed her eyes and braced herself for the imminent “beheading.” In her state of “self-defense,” Yossi grew more and more anxious. The anxiety that had bore down on Yossi disappeared as she heard the familiar scream of her sempai. Her eyes opened just in time to see Mari as she whizzed by. Mari led with her legs, catching Ayumi's arm with her feet. Mari stretched back and grabbed Yossi's shoulder, using her as an anchor. She pushed off Yossi and managed to deflect her attack, resulting in Yossi falling back into the dirt. Unable to fight Mari's monstrous strength, and her own momentum, Ayumi's arm flew back sending her into a precarious twirl. She was unable to regain her balance, and tripped, tumbling towards the ground, face first. Mari and Ayumi hit the ground simultaneously, but unlike Ayumi, Mari quickly kipped to her feet. She turned and faced, the mildly stunned Rika.
With a sudden burst of speed, Mari rocketed towards Rika, leaving behind a cloud of dust. The distance that was between the two girls quickly collapsed. Mari leapt over the floored Ayumi, and reached out, grabbing Rika by the collar as she landed.
“Now listen here Ishikawa. A lot of people may be afraid of you, but I...AM...NOT...ONE...OF...THEM,” Mari announced as she pulled Rika down to meet her gaze.
“People like you make me sick,” Mari added.
During her verbal assault, Mari failed to notice the recovered Ayumi, silently creeping towards her.
Drip. Mari's ears twitched at the feint sound of dripping blood. She quickly turned her head, but it was too late, Ayumi managed to get the drop on her. Drops of blood fell from her nose while her fist trembled, craving the sweet sensation of revenge. The way Mari saw it, she had to make a decision, and fast. She could try to defend herself from Ayumi, but risk an attack from both Rika and Ayumi, or keep a firm grip on Rika and endure Ayumi's barrage. Mari attention turned back to Rika, she tightened her fist and widened her stance, and she had chosen to endure. A thunderous crash echoed as fist met flesh. Yossi had lunged forward pushing her fist in to Ayumi's cheek with the full force of her body. Ayumi was thrown back by the vehement punch, hitting the ground with a hard
thump, with Yossi falling on top of her shortly after. Once again, Ayumi lay on the ground, but this time, an exhausted Yossi lay over her, panting heavily, unable to move her body.
Miki turned to the girl that Yossi had rescued earlier, “That's pretty hot,” she whispered.
“I don't think this is an appropriate time for that kind of comment,” the girl announced.
Miki shrugged, “Come on now Ai-chan, you gotta admit that four beautiful girls duking it out is pretty hot.”
Takahashi ignored Miki's reasoning and brought her attention back onto Mari and Rika.
“Looks like my girl beat your girl hands down,” Mari declared victoriously.
Rika chuckled,” YOUR girl? I clearly remember claiming that little cross-dresser as my new lapdog.”
“Lets see how high and mighty you are when I bruise up that pretty little face of yours,” Mari rebutted.
“I don't think you will be doing anything to me,” Rika said sternly.
Mari scoffed,” Tch, and who is going to stop me?”
Rika leaned in. “Abe Natsumi,” she whispered.
Mari's eyes widened at the mention of that name. Buried emotions and blocked memories came rushing back into Mari's mind as the name Abe Natsumi rung in her ear.
Rika could feel the grip on her collar loosen, as a trail of tears streak down Mari's cheek. She savored every bitter tear that fell from the tiny girl's eyes. Now that the grip on her collar was significantly looser than before, she easily swatted away Mari's hands. Her hands fell, her arms dangle lifelessly at her side, as she stood still, paralyzed by her own memories and emotions. Rika stepped behind Mari and pulled her into an embrace, tightly pressing her body against Mari's backside. She brushes aside and tucks the loose hairs behind Mari's ears just before pressing her lips softly against the back of her ear.
“If you even think about raising a hand against me, let’s just say...it would be a shame if Yossi has to suffer the same way Abe-san did. Now wouldn't it?”
Rika took a deep breath, “Now this is how it is going to work from now on Marippe.”
Mari's body trembled as the sound of that nickname beat against her eardrum. Just as Rika was about to finish outlining her plan, a girl rounded the corner of the school shouting at the top of her lungs.
“NAKAZAWA-SENSEI IS ON HER WAY HERE!”
The crowd the filled the schoolyard, broke in to a frenzied scramble. Everyone knew that there was no wrath unlike that of Nakazawa-sensei's. Deciding it was too much of a hassle to deal with Nakazawa, Rika let go of Mari, cutting her play session short for today.
“We'll finish this another time Marippe.”
Rika turned away from Mari and slowly walked towards Ayumi and Yossi. She knelt down besides the two girls and carefully rolled Yossi off Ayumi. Rika touched the tip of her index finger against her lips and then pressed them against Yossi's.
“No one will stop me from taking what I want.”
Rika turned her attention from Yossi to Ayumi, taking her servant's face in her hand.
“Rika-sama?” Ayumi asked weakly.
Rika rummaged through Ayumi's pockets, pulled out the handkerchief from earlier, and slipped it into Ayumi's hand.
“You've embarrassed me enough. Clean yourself up and let’s go,” Rika replied coldly.
The girl quickly rose to her feet and wiped the blood from her face.
“I'll get you for this. Just wait until you see what I have in store for you Yoshizawa, you and that midget,” Ayumi threatened, looking down at Yossi.
By this time, Rika had already walked into the school. Ayumi quickly followed, but not before delivering a final satisfying kick to Yossi's stomach.
In the midst of the sudden confusion, Miki decided it was best to leave the scene, but was stopped by Takahashi.
“Shouldn't we be going now?” Miki asked
An impish grin appeared on Ai's face, “No need.”
Miki soon realized that the girl who had insighted the sudden chaos was casually jogging over.
“Thanks Ayaya, I owe you big time,” Ai said graciously.
“Don't mention it Ai-chan,” Aya responded.
Takahashi turned and faced Miki, “There is no need to run because Nakazawa-sensei is not here. It was all a li...”
Miki pushed Takahashi aside before she could finish her explanation.
“Mmm...morning Ayaya. It is always nice seeing you, “ Miki purred, giving Aya a quick look over.
“Ugh, Ai-chan, why are you hanging around Fujimoto?” Aya inquired.
Takahashi shrugged, “She was just kind of here.”
Miki paid no attention to the conversation, she was to busy concentrating on Ayaya, more specifically her backside. Unable to fight her urges, Miki's mischievous hands gave Aya's butt a nice firm squeeze. Aya jumped forward and turned, smacking Miki's hands.
“Miki! Must you insist on groping me so early in the morning?”
“You never told me to stop,” Miki replied.
“Whatever,” Aya scoffed, “Anyways, what is going on Ai-chan? All I know is that I was walking to school and then I suddenly get a text from you, saying to initiate the NSL tactic.”
“NSL tactic?” Miki repeated curiously.
“Nakazawa-Sensei Lie tactic. N.S.L,” Takahashi explained.
Miki raised a brow, “Wow, that's pretty lame.”
Aya and Ai looked at each other and sighed, “That is why we changed the name to NSL,” Aya replied.
“That's beside the point,” Takahashi interrupted,” we should go check on those two.”
“Which two?”
“I'll fill you in later,” Takahashi said quickly, pulling Aya along as she ran over to Yossi.
A smile appeared on Miki's face while watching the two girls run over to Yossi. Miki on the other hand, walked towards Mari, allowing the girls to get to know each other a little better. Takahashi knelt beside Yossi and carefully sat her up, with Aya's help of course.
“Who is this?” Aya asked.
“An idiot,” Takahashi deadpanned, “An idiot who stepped in to protect a complete stranger from Ishikawa-san.”
“This guy protected you from Rika? First off, why were you messing around with Rika, and secondly, why is there a guy at our school getting into fights with girls?”
“Who are you calling a guy?”
Aya and Takahashi jumped hearing Yossi's weak voice. Ai giggled and held out her hand,
“Ayaya, this is the new transfer student, Hito...”
“Hitomi Yoshizawa, nice to meet ya,” Yossi cut in.
“Hitomi...” Aya repeated under her breath, “Hitomi...isn't that a girl's name?”
“Correct,” Yossi answered.
“And you're the new transfer student...so that means you're a, “ Aya paused mid-sentence and carefully examined Yossi.
“A girl. You would be correct in that assumption.”
Aya's jaw dropped while her face burned bright red, with embarrassment.
“I am so sorry Yoshizawa-san. I hope you can forgive my rudeness,” Aya shouted as she bowed her head.
A hand gently patted the top of Aya's head. The hand traced down the side of her face and cupped her chin, tilting her head up. An unfamiliar heat kissed Aya's cheeks as she looked up at Yossi.
“Don't worry about it. I get mistaken for a boy all the time,” Yossi jested.
Doki Doki. Aya felt her heartbeat quickened. (
Now that we are face to face, I can see why I mistook her for a boy. Such a handsome face accented by the uniform that strangely suits her well. What am I thinking? She is a girl. God, why are these feelings surfacing again?)
“Even before the boys uniform, when I got my hair cut short,” Yossi added.
“You used to have longer hair?” Ai interjected.
Yossi nodded, “I used to have hair down to the middle of my back up until a few weeks ago.”
Aya tilted her head, “Why did you decide to cut it?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Hey Mai, you should take a look at this,” a girl cried out.
Mai peered up from her magazine, and smiled at the sight of Yoshizawa being held down by her minions. She tossed aside the magazine and leaned down, closely examining Yossi. She reached down and ran her fingers through Yossi's hair, gingerly rilling the soft strands between her fingertips.
“You know Yoshizawa...I never noticed how long your hair was, seeing as how your always wearing it in a bun,” Mai explained.
She took the handful of hair and lifted it to her nose, taking in its sweet scent, “Since you decided to wear your hair down today, I can see its beauty. It's so clean, so soft...” Mai suddenly yanked on the hand full of hair “and so very strong!”
Yossi let out a yelp. Her vision became blurry by the tears that began to well in her eyes.
“I don't like long hair on you Yoshizawa. Let me help you find a hairstyle a little more suitable,” Mai commented.
While Mai contemplated what she was going to do, Yossi took this opportunity to escape. She managed to fight free from the other girl's grips and ran as quick as she could, but it was not quick enough. One of Mai's thugs managed to catch up and threw her arms around the escapee, quickly throwing Yossi to the ground.
No matter how hard she struggled, she was pinned. Yossi looked up and saw Mai slowly approaching. The wicked girl slowly approached her, reaching into her mouth. She pulled out the piece of gum she had been chewing earlier and smiled as she rolled it between her fingers. Mai grabbed another handful of hair and pulled Yossi's head back. She took the wad of gum and mashed it into Yossi's hair, scrunching as much hair into the gum as possible. A diabolical laugh erupted from Mai. She raised her hand, signaling for her thugs to give Yossi a final kick to the abdomen. Yossi curled into a ball clutching her stomach, watching as Mai and her gang walked away. She uncurled and lay on her back looking up at the darkening sky. A weary hand ran through her hair, snagging on the nest of gum and hair that Mai created. Tears were shed as she feverishly tried to push through the gum, but it was futile.
No matter what Yossi did or how she acted, it would always turn out the same, Yossi alone with tears in her eyes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Sometimes you have to shake things up a bit,” Yossi answered.
Takahashi and Aya nodded in unison, “We understand.”
“So you know about me, but I don't even know your names yet,” Yossi added.
“Oh, I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Takahashi Ai, class 1-B, and this is Aya Matsuura from the same class,” Takahashi explained as the two girls bowed.
From a distance, Miki watched as the three girls talked. Miki leaned back against the armrest formerly known as Mari. No matter what she tried, Mari would not respond. Yelling, pushing...groping, nothing worked.
Miki let out a sigh, “Might as well go over and see how Hitomi is doing.”
The vacant expression that Mari wore disappeared at the mere mention of Yossi's name. The tiny girl stumbled forward, catching herself on Miki's arm before falling to the ground.
“Welcome back,” Miki said sarcastically.
“What happened?”
“Well, you were about to rearrange Rika's face, but then she said something and you went blank. She said some things about some stuff, and the Yoshizawa...” Miki recounted
“Yossi!?! What happened to Yossi?” Mari interrupted.
Before Miki could answer, Mari saw Yossi sitting on the ground and ran over to her.
“Are you okay Yocchan?”
Yossi lazily waved her hand, “I’m fine.”
She lowered her arm, wincing as a sharp pain surged through her body.
“I think we should bring her to the nurse’s office,” Takahashi suggested.
Aya nodded in agreement and helped Yossi to her feet.
“Let me take her,” Mari proposed.
“Are you sure?” Aya queried.
” Please...” Mari sniffed back a tear,” I couldn't protect her...please let me take her.”
Takahashi and Aya acknowledged Mari's request, carefully handing Yossi over to Mari. The tiny girl pressed one hand against Yossi's stomach and assisted helped her as they headed towards the school.
“What a way to start your day of school. Am I right Ai-chan?” Aya stated, watching Yossi and Mari enter the school.
“Yeah, and it's only going to get worse,” Miki answered.
Doki. Doki.“Fujimoto? Where did Ai-chan go?”
Miki shrugged and wrapped an arm around Aya, “So what are you up to now?”
“Avoiding you as much as possible,” Aya answered.
“You know you love it.”
Aya shook her head and headed into the school, it was about time for class to start.
It took nearly twenty minutes for Mari and Yossi to reach the nurses office. By the time they arrived at the office, Yossi was a sleep, clearly exaughsted from the morning's events.
“Hello,” Mari yelled into the office, “Sensei, are you here?”
No answer. Mari dragged Yossi into the office and headed towards the back where the beds were. She pushed up and managed to toss Yossi onto one of the beds. She let out a sight and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Mari rolled her shoulder, trying to work out the knots. (
Wow, she is much heavier than she looks), she thought to herself as she looked upon the sleeping Yossi. Lost in her own thoughts, Mari did not notice the woman slowing creeping up on her.
“What are you doing here?” The woman asked.
Now, everyone knew that Mari was jumpy, and that the worst thing you could do was sneak up on her. Without hesitation, Mari turned and blindly swung her fist. The woman quickly stepped back, managing to barley evade Mari's dynamite right hook.
“Hey! It's me Yaguchi-san, calm down.”
Mari pulled back her fist, “I'm sorry Kaorin-sensei.”
Kaorin waved her hand,” Do not worry about it, and how many times do I have to tell you, call me Iida. Anyways, why are you here, and why do you look like hell?”
“There was a fight,” Mari answered.
“Are you okay?”
Mari nodded, “But Yossi...”
Kaorin raised a brow,”Who?”
The tiny girl stepped to the side and pointed at the girl sprawled out on the bed.
“What happened? Why is this boy so badly beaten up?”
Mari offered no answer.
“If you want me to treat him properly, you better tell me what happened,” Iida demanded.
Mari pulled up a chair beside the bed and took a deep breath, before recounting the events of this morning's scuffle. Iida listened carefully to the story, while wiping the dried blood and dirt from Yossi's face. When she finished, the nurse leaned back and fell into her chair.
“So let me get this straight, she has a boy’s uniform because you messed up her order form, she got into a fight with Rika, and she knocked out Ayumi Shibata of the Mks?”
“Yeah,” Mari answered weakly.
Iida shook her head, “Tsk Tsk Tsk, poor girl. She has such bad luck.”
Mari could not shake the feeling, that this was her fault. A single tear rolled down her cheek. (
You were supposed to protect her. This is your fault, Mari thought to herself. Just like Nacci...)
“Besides a few scratches and a couple of bruises, she is going to be fine,” Iida reported.
“If you want, I'll allow you to stay here until she wakes up.”
“Thank you,” Mari responded.
Iida stood up, “Now if you will excuse me, I will go inform your teachers.”
Mari bowed her head graciously as Iida left the office. A few minutes after Iida left the room; Mari reached down and slipped her hand into Yossi's. She lifted her hand and pressed her lips against Yossi's knuckles. The kiss broke, and Mari collapsed on top of Yossi, sobbing as she held her hand tightly.
“I am so sorry Yocchan.”
“I couldn't protect you...please forgive me.”
// A few hours later //
Yossi's eyes slowly opened, wincing a bit as the bright light flooded her vision.
“Are you awake Yoshizawa-san?”
Yossi quickly sat up hearing the unfamiliar voice, “Who are you?”
“Iida Kaorin, the school nurse. Nice to meet you. I would not move too much. You have had a rough morning and you should take it easy. You don't want Yaguchi-san worrying over you all the time.”
“Mari? Is she okay? Where is she?” Yossi questioned.
Yossi threw her hand up but stopped, noticing someone's hand in her own. She looked down at the owner of the hand and let out a sigh of relief. A feint smile appeared on her face while she watched Mari soundly sleeping.
“She been like that for a while,” Iida explained.
“Really?”
“Yup, and she hasn't let go of your hand since I got back, which was about three hours ago. Anyways, you might as well let her sleep here for a bit, her body is exhausted,” Iida looked down at her wristwatch, “It is almost lunch time, why not grab a bite? Do not worry, I will tell her where you went if she wakes up. ”
Yossi hesitantly agreed. She pushed the covers off and slid out of bed, delicately pulling her hand from Mari's. After a momentary stretch, Yossi walked around the bed and stood behind Mari. She snaked her arms underneath the tiny girl and hoisted her into the bed, disturbing the slumbering mentor as little as possible. She turned and quietly walked out of the office, exchanging a simple wave with Iida as she exited.
It was noon and in the confusion, Yossi had forgotten to eat breakfast. She held her stomach in an attempt to muffle the hollow growls, but it was no use, she was hungry and she did not know where the lunchroom was.
Ring~Yossi paused, (
must be the lunch bell), she thought to herself. All of a sudden, the doors that lined the hallways flew open and a sea of hungry girls flooded the hallways. Yossi struggled to wade through the wave of girls, her body aching with every bump and push. As more and more girls pushed into the hall, it became increasingly difficult for Yossi to weave through the crowd. Yossi crashed into one of the girls and fell back a few steps.
“Ow! Watch where you are going. Do you know, “Ayumi looked up “who I am?”
The chattering hallway fell silent. The school had been buzzing about the fight and everyone had been talking. The girl's anxiously waited as Ayumi and Yossi squared off.
Ayumi stepped past Yossi, ramming into her shoulder,” You are lucky Rika-sama told me to leave you unharmed.”
Yossi turned and watched as the crowd of girls parted, allowing Ayumi to walk through.
“But, she never said anything about Yaguchi,” Ayumi cooed.
“Don't you dare lay a hand on her,” Yossi screamed.
Ayumi grinned, “Try and stop me.”
With that, Ayumi broke into a sprint, pushing aside any girls that stood in her way. Yossi immediately chased after Ayumi, her body moving on its own, ignoring the pain that rushed through her legs. (
I won't let them hurt you Mari), Yossi repeated to herself. Down hallways, up stairs, Yossi followed as best she could but could only barley keep up. Yossi wiped the sweat from her face as she ran up the stairs following Ayumi through a door that led outside. Yossi stood still and observed her surroundings.
“Is this the roof?” She asked herself.
“Oh shi...”
Slam. Click. Yossi ran to the closed door and pulled on the handle, unable to pull it open.
From behind her, Yossi could hear laughter. She turned and saw Rika, leaning against the fence. Rika pushed off the fence and walked towards Yossi.
“Welcome Hitomi...shall we play a little game?” Rika asked joyously.