Match
Hariel yawned sleepily, still not fully awake. She dressed in black shorts with a blue t-shirt, drawn to the sky colour. Absently she made sure that she had everything she needed. Karupin brushed past her legs, and she bent down to pat her brother’s familiar.
Unlocking the front door, she stared at the pink-orange sky. It was a beautiful sight, clouds fluffy and pure white, slowly being tinted pink with the light of the rising sun.
Closing the door behind her, she set off.
Long hair free and flying behind her like a streaming banner twisting through the air, she ran. The cool air was a balm to her quickly heating skin. Her muscles burned as she nearly flew down the road. She pushed herself, reaching the river a little bit earlier than she usually did.
She gulped in air, hands on her knees as she bent over to catch her breath. She greedily guzzled from the water bottle. Seeing Kaidoh running towards her, she waved in welcome. He nodded solemnly. “Good morning, Kaidoh-san." She murmured softly. “Echizen-san." She hummed. “You can call me Hariel, if you like."
She was uncertain if he wanted to, but she felt like it was only right. They’d been running together every morning for over a month now. By unspoken agreement whoever reached the river first would wait for the other every morning.
They didn’t talk much, but the company was never the less appreciated. She found him to be a quiet but kind person.
He nodded in agreement. “Fsshhhhh, Kaoru is fine." He grumbled, turning away as his cheeks pinked every so faintly.
“Kaoru-kun then." “Fshhhh, Hariel-chan..."
In agreement, they spend the rest of their morning run in companionable silence. When it became time to split ways, she waved. “See you tomorrow." She stated cheerfully. He nodded, going his own way.
“Ryoma..." She poked his cheek again, the greenette grumbled, trying to turn away from her. Hariel giggled. She poked his cheek again. “Go away Ri-chan." He muttered, trying to hide beneath the blankets.
Hariel dragged the blankets away. “No, you have school, and Momoshiro will be here in five minutes." Golden eyes finally opened. He rolled out of bed. “I’m up, I’m up. Now get out of my room, Ri, I have to change."
She hugged him, somehow she was grateful to him for still being almost exactly the same as he’d always been. Ryoma was her rock, her foundation. The boy stoically patted her messy hair, waiting patiently to be released. Burying her head in his neck, possible because he was actually taller than her, she inhaled his sun and ponta scent before she finally released him.
Ryoma, long since used to this, even if it had taken weeks before her old habits had shown up again as she adjusted to living with them, merely blinked as she walked away. As a little girl, Hariel had hugged him as often as possible. In the beginning that had made him somewhat grumpy, embarrassed to be hugged by a girl. After he had first met the Dursley’s though, he never complained again. Hariel clearly needed as much love as possible, because her relatives were a waste of space and air and disgusting lowlives to boot.
She bounded into Ryoga’s room next. “Do you have class, niisan?" Another set of golden eyes blinked at her from the darkness, pale arms reaching out and dragging her beneath the covers. The oldest Echizen sibling curled around her, bundling her into his blankets and folding her into his embrace. “Not for another hour. If you shut up now, I can drop you off at the hospital." He sighed into her hair.
Hariel blinked, then she smiled softly. “Okay, niisan." She said, cuddling closer. Ryoga grunted, satisfied, before going back to sleep. Hariel, listening to his steady heartbeat followed easily enough.
When Rinko came to remind Ryoga that he needed to pick up his new license for his motorcycle, she smiled at the sight which greeted her. “Hey, sleepyheads." She greeted softly, watching as green and gold appeared slowly.
“Ryoga, remember to pick up your new motorcycle license this afternoon." He nodded vaguely, sleepily rubbing his cheek over Hariel’s messy soft hair. “Hariel, do you have tutoring today?" She nodded. “I promised to drop her off and save her the walk if she let me sleep." Ryoga muttered, finally deigning to let his chibi-chan go. Hariel, still not fully awake, wandered out of his room in search of breakfast.
Rinko nodded. “Alright, if you hurry, I can make your two breakfast before I go to work." She said, and then left the room to follow Hariel.
Fifteen minutes later, all of them were fed and watered and going towards the driveway together. Ryoga helped Hariel climb onto his motorcycle, gave her one of the helmets and then the both of them waved as Rinko drove away.
Wrapping her arms securely around his waist, she grinned as he sped down the road. She loved speed and she felt safe with Ryoga. It was the perfect transport, and she cursed the fact that she wasn’t allowed to drive yet.
All too soon the hospital rose up before them. She sighed in disappointment as she handed him the helmet. “Thanks for bringing me here, niisan." He ruffled her hair. “No problem, chibi-chan." He frowned. “Don’t let that blue-haired brat get too close, okay?" She grinned up at him. “Seiichi-senpai is just pushing your buttons, niisan. He would never do anything to me."
Nodding grumpily he waved one last time as she turned towards the hospital. “See you at dinner, and try your best okay?" She nodded. “Good luck at university, see you later niisan."
Hariel knocked on the door, waiting for the melodic voice to allow her entrance. She frowned when she saw Yukimura, he was pale, his hands were trembling and a frown was slashed into his face.
She dropped her backpack on the floor, kicking of her shoes and left her jacket on the visitor’s chair. Then she hopped up into the bed with him, and without a word pressed a blessedly cool palm against his sweaty forehead.
Her other hand, she curled around the base of his neck. He sighed out in relief. “Hey Hariel-chan." He greeted slowly, voice cracking with pain. “Hey senpai... not a good day huh." He merely closed his eyes in defeat. “No... not, not a very good day." He uttered softly, voice a mere whisper.
“Go to sleep, Seiichi-senpai." She said kindly. He curled around her gloriously cool frame, overheated limbs snaking around her. Hariel merely started running her hand through his hair, as she fished out her phone. After the accidental morning nap with Ryoga and a full night’s sleep, she wasn’t tired.
She read up on the classic she was supposed to understand for Japanese literature, which remained her Achilles heel.
Her heart ached as she saw the frown he sported even in his sleep. This really was a bad day for him. It was rare that he was in that much pain, but every time it happened it was hard for her to see.
She ignored that though, because he needed her and pity never helped anybody. Instead she tried to make it bearable. She absently traced a few runes over his collar bones, pouring as much magic into them as possible. She didn’t know anything about healing, but her magic was instinct driven to an incredibly high degree. She trusted the warm heat of her magic and knew that if she guided it with the vague concepts of the runes that she would at least be able to help a little.
When he woke up, he was still pale and tired, but the pain seemed to have receded somewhat. “Hey." She looked up from her phone, warm green meeting dull violet. “Did you sleep well?" He nodded vaguely, trying to curl even closer around her. He was miserable, but Hariel made him feel better and safe. As if her sheer presence was enough to reassure him that he would be okay, and that in the meantime, it was okay to be like this too.
He blinked hazily as she read him his homework, trying to get his brain to work enough to answer the questions. With Hariel’s patient help, sometimes rereading the question multiple times, he eventually managed to struggle through.
Yukimura was tired, and he felt that exhaustion bone deep. He wasn’t sleepy anymore though. “Say Hariel-chan, what have you been up to lately?" He wanted a distraction and Hariel obliged, aware that he just wanted to leave this hospital for a while, if only through her stories.
“I told you about Yuuta-kun, right? I practice with him sometimes." She stated thoughtfully. He nodded, eyes already sliding shut. Hariel didn’t take offense, she knew he was still paying attention. “He invited me to have dinner at his house. I was... nervous. I’ve never really been over to a friend’s house before. I mean, I was over at Ryoma’s house a lot but I was still a tiny kid back then and we were in England. I don’t really know the rules here."
Yukimura frowned thoughtfully. He didn’t like the idea of Hariel being anxious, but assumed that everything had ended up going well because she didn’t seem upset.
“It turns out that his older brother is one of niichan’s teammates, Fuji Syusuke." Yukimura opened his eyes, her tone showing her to be somewhat flustered for some reason. Hariel dropped her head in her hands, curling up to hide her burning red face. “Seiichi-senpai, what do I do... he makes me so nervous."
Violet eyes sharpened, if that sadist did anything to make her truly uncomfortable... He might have gotten somewhat protective of the tiny girl he tutored.
“What did he do?" He asked softly. Hariel curled up against his side, still hiding her burning face. “He called me beautiful and asked if I would model for him sometime. He gave me an amazing photograph of my river... He touched my face..."
Yukimura started smiling, ah the tensai was interested in his friend. She was so unexperienced with romance that it flustered her. Cute... “How did that make you feel, Hariel-chan? Uncomfortable?"
She shook her head. “N-No... Syusuke-san was being really nice." Yukimura’s lips curled into a soft smile. “You call him by his first name? How intimate Hariel-chan..." He teased softly.
The girl squeaked, hiding her face more firmly in the curve of his neck. He gently patted her fluffy hair. “Don’t worry about it, Hariel-chan. He probably just likes being around you." He felt her frown, warm breath skating over his skin as she spoke up. “Why? He barely knows me, all he knew before I showed up yesterday was that I talked to Yuuta-kun about his anger. Maybe that helped him reconnect with Syusuke-san but I didn’t really do much. I mean, he said he saw me watching nii-chan practice but why would that mean that he likes me?"
Yukimura’s heart ached, she was fierce, but times like this the picture he was getting of her old life was very sad. “Maybe that is enough to want to get to know you. Fuji is known as a tensai, he probably picked up a lot about you as a person from observing you. If he was focussed on you that much, he must have liked what he saw."
“O-oh." She muttered softly, shyly. The idea that someone would just like her as a person was somewhat novel. Romance didn’t even occur to her though. She was dense.
“Just spend some time with him, maybe he could be your friend." Yukimura suggested slyly. He was not above meddling to make sure that Hariel had the chance to fall in love. She obviously liked his attention well enough and she deserved to be flattered and treated nicely even if it went nowhere.
“I’ll try..." She whispered shyly. He nodded pleased. Hariel brushed her fingers over the leaves of the plant she had given him as she went home. Making sure to pour magic into it. The plant smelling of witchmagic and creating a healing atmosphere.
Hariel dropped her backpack in the living room, shucked her jacket and ran back out of the door calling out to Nanjirou and Nanako, the only ones who were at home as she went. “Bye, I’ll be home with Ryoma-nii later." “Have fun, bishoujo." “See you later, Hariel-chan."
She bounded down the stairs, quickly gaining speed as she went. She thought the distance from the temple to Seigaku made for a nice chance to go all out.
She slowed down as she approached the gate, circling the school to reach the tennis courts. She sighed, trying to slow down her breathing as she watched the regulars starting to gather. Ryoma caught her eye for a second, nodding to her. She smiled, nodding back. He cared a lot, her stoic brother.
She kept vigil for a while, looking around in confusion when she didn’t spot the tensai. “Are you looking for someone, Hariel-chan?" A soft voice spoke up from beside her. The missing Fuji was standing close enough to make her almost hyper aware of him immediately, but far enough that it didn’t draw any attention.
Her magic immediately drew around him, as if drawn by his mere presence. Hot waves of her power coiling invisibly over him.
“Ah, S-Syusuke-san... " She said shyly. “Hello..." He smiled, that gentle expression he was known for. “Were you perhaps looking for me?" He asked ‘kindly’.
She flushed. “I, I was just a little bit worried, wondering why you weren’t with the other regulars." She whispered, glancing away timidly. “My, how kind of you to look out for me. It’s good to know that you would miss me if I don’t show up." He teased her gently, chuckling as he watched the soft blush flare into a bright red which nearly glowed on her pale cheeks.
He looked at her closely, her skin was rosy and small droplets of sweat clung to her. Her chest was still heaving slightly. He tried to keep his gaze from lingering. “Saa Hariel-chan, did you run all the way to Seigaku?" He asked curiously, presuming that she came from her house that would mean that she had some serious stamina. Probably better even than some of the regulars.
She nodded. “I was on the late side when I got back home from tutoring. So I ran from the temple to make it in time to watch your practice." He nodded, impressed. “When did you leave home?" She frowned, trying to remember. His eyes opened slightly, sharp blue eyes glancing at her face when she answered. “That is remarkable. You must have a lot of stamina, speed demon-chan."
She smiled softly. “I just love to run. It feels a lot like freedom to me." He nodded, wondering why she desired freedom so much... “Saa... Hariel-chan, will you play a match against me?" She startled. “Are you sure? From what I’ve seen you are much stronger than I am."
Fuji was amused, most people would jump at the chance to test themselves against him. She worried instead if that wouldn’t bore him. “I like to play tennis against people who... interest me." He stated thoughtfully. “It’s a good way to get to know people." She nodded along, because he was right. You could see people for who they were on the courts, at least if they were skilled tennis players.
“Alright, after your practice then?" She asked curiously. He nodded, tennis racket under his arms and hands shoved into his pockets, he made his way onto the court. No need to draw... attention to her. Fuji did not like to share.
Hariel walked besides Fuji, almost flinching away from the many people gazing at her. Fuji, who was observing her closely, opened his eyes to glare at the gawking people. They scattered to the four winds. He smiled gently, eyes closed again before she even turned around.
“Uhm, we can go to the court by the temple, or a street court. What do you want to do?" She asked softly. “Won’t Echizen want to use that court?" She shook her head. “Nii-chan is going out today with Momoshiro, I think. For burgers maybe?" She had vaguely caught the conversation, and Ryoma had come over to tell her that he was going out.
He had asked her along, but since Fuji had already asked for her time, she declined. Fuji, now clad in his school uniform answered slowly. “Well, if we can use the court right by your house you’ll already be home. It makes no difference for me whether I go home from your house or a street court."
She blinked. “Oh, I can show you my plants. They’ve been growing beautifully lately, the roses are vibrant." He smiled, satisfied that she had a further plan than only the match. He wanted her attention and time. Her reactions were delightfully cute. Polar opposite from the scripted responses of the many girls who asked him out, trying to be cute.
He hummed softly. “Did you draw anybody at tennis practice?" Hariel flushed bright red, she had in fact drawn him. “M-Maybe." He nearly chuckled, so she’d drawn him then. He couldn’t read her half the time and the other half of the time she was adorably obvious.
“May I see some of your drawings?" She nodded shyly, unused to the interest. Fishing out her ever-present sketchbook, she quickly selected a drawing which did not have him as the subject. Ryoma was drawn in the middle of his signature twist-serve. In bold ink strokes, the drawing in simple black in white. “It’s almost like he could just step of the page and serve..." Fuji said. Hariel flipped the page, showing a soft pencil sketch of Ryoga. “... it’s Echizen, but older."
Hariel snorted. “Ryoga-niisan is literally an older copy of Ryoma." Fuji blinked, a little bit nonplussed. “Does he play tennis as well?" She nodded always happy to talk about her new family. “Rinko-san and Nanako-san don’t, well not competitively, Rinko-san did like tennis but she’s focussed on her job right now. She’s a lawyer."
Hariel frowned, bad memories bubbling to the surface like poison. “She arranged for my adoption." Fuji nearly frowned, seeing the old hurt. “Do you like being an Echizen?" He asked softly, trying to redirect her attention. A quick side glance showed that she recognized what he did, but she gratefully replied.
“It’s amazing, they’ve all been so kind and welcoming. It’s almost like Ryoga and Ryoma have always been my siblings. I met them for the first time when I was five, and they’ve always looked after me. Nanjirou-san and Rinko-san... I almost wish I had been born from them."
She sighed, staring up at the blue sky, clouds whimsically drifting by. “My birth parents died so I could live, protecting me." He softly grabbed her hand, entwining their fingers delicately before squeezing softly. “I’m sorry for your loss."
And somehow, this time, it felt sincere. In the magical world the loss of the Potters had always been glossed over in favour of the elation of her so-called victory. In Surrey everyone had presumed them to be deadbeat drunks. This might very well be the first time she actually heard that, and it touched a soft place inside her which had been hurting ever since she realised what that green light and those terrified screams in her dreams, nightmares, memories, meant.
She smiled up at him, a watery but ultimately happy expression on her face. “Thank you." She grimaced suddenly. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what possessed me to just tell you that. I didn’t mean to bother you."
Fuji merely tightened his grip on her hand, quite unwilling to relinquish his grip on her. “I prefer this to small talk. At least when you talk to me, you are real." She frowned up at him. “Is that a problem for you? Finding genuine people?" He sighed, nodding. “Ever since it became obvious that I was... different, people have been praising me and trying to get my attention. Most of the time, they are fake in their approach. I know I have it good, but it’s a little bit as if I’m not... saa, not a person."
Hariel’s wide green eyes stared up into his cerulean blue orbs, understanding swimming in their depths. “They see the tensai, they don’t see you, Syusuke-san." She stated softly. He nodded. “Exactly."
“Because I survived a terrorist attack when my parents didn’t, I was called the Girl-Who-Lived. At my old school, everyone knew that story. I was... never just Hariel." He hummed softly in understanding, he tugged her closer, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Well, Hariel-chan... I just want to get to know you." She smiled up at him, a small hand reaching out to touch his soft hair, which had been tempting her for weeks now. “Syusuke-san... I’d like to get to know you too." She twined her fingers through the soft strands. “I already learned something: your hair is really soft."
With a smirk, Fuji raised his hand, tugging playfully on her own hair. “And you have blue hair under the sun, Hariel-chan..."
She grinned, tugging him along in her wake as she started walking again towards the temple. “We’re off to a good start then."
Hariel started of the match with a slice serve. Sharp blue eyes zeroed in on the ball and easily returned the serve.
The match was fierce from the start, both teenagers sharp and calculating tennis players. Often returning seemingly impossible balls.
The first match went to Fuji, easily, because of his Tsubame Gaeshi. Hariel watched with interest as the ball crawled along the ground. Despite playing against an ex-pro for years, she had yet to see something like that.
With her split step she was more than fast enough to reach the swallow return, sliding low over the court she used her racket to counter the extreme spin as returned the ball, proud to see it soar over the net.
Fuji, wasn’t very used to having one of his counters broken. This might well be a first, since Tezuka with his zone never allowed the counters to be used. Blue eyes locked onto her bloody knees where she kneeled on the gravel, having gone into a slide to return the seemingly impossible ball.
“You can break Tsubame Gaeshi, but I don’t want to see more blood, not on you. I won’t hit it anymore, since you can return it." She nodded thoughtfully, aware that he wasn’t going easy on her, so much as making sure she wouldn’t hurt herself to prove something she had already proven.
Fuji won, but Hariel was proud of herself, he hadn’t had an easy time of it. He was definitely one of the strongest players she had ever faced. He won 6 games to 4.
Sitting down on the temple steps, Hariel handed him a water bottle, greedily guzzling down her own water. “That was a good match, Syusuke-san. Your counters are incredible." Hariel stated quietly, happy to sit in the sun and think about tennis. He was right, tennis did help in getting to know someone. She was already feeling more comfortable around him.
“You are very fast, I had a hard time with that and you just keep going, you’ve got amazing stamina." Fuji smiled at her, not bothering to close his eyes. She didn’t seem unnerved by his too sharp gaze anyway. “It was quite amazing, the way you broke my Tsubame Gaeshi." She hummed happily. “It’s an amazing technique, I rarely encounter something that hard to break."
He watched her bloody knees, red liquid still slowly trickling down her pale strong legs. “Do you have a first aid box?” He asked serenely. Hariel blinked at him, a little confused, why would he need it? “Did you injure yourself?” She asked, concerned. Fuji... stared. “No, but you are injured, Hariel-chan.” She cocked her head to the side. “Eh, these are just scratches.”
Fuji frowned. “I’d feel better if you allowed me to take care of them.” She nodded shyly, unused to concern over such a minor, at least in her eyes, matter. She jogged to the house, and quickly returned with the first aid kit.
Fuji opened the box, kneeling in front of her as she sat on the temple steps, he dabbed some peroxide on the wounds. Hariel hissed, but otherwise didn’t react to the chemical’s sting.
Carefully he cleaned her legs of the blood with water, softly rubbing off the flaked blood. He blew gently, trying to dry the open wounds. Then he put two pristine white square band-aids over her knees. “There, all new.” He said, looking up at her awed face. Nobody ever really... cared so much.
They sat in silence for a while, it was oddly comfortable. “Do you want to see the garden?" She eventually asked, he liked plants right, so she wasn’t being a bother right? Fuji nodded. “Can I change first? Or do you want to drag me off right away?" Hariel flushed, the comment somehow suggestive. “I can wait, I want to change to." She answered. Hopping up onto her feet she held out her hand towards him, he accepted easily enough.
She left Fuji in the downstairs bathroom, as she went to her own room to change after a quick shower. Water still dripping from her hair, she tried to dry it as quickly as possible and ended up just pinning it up with two pencils.
Underwear, soft old blue t-shirt stolen from Nanjirou, in a familiar cerulean shade subconsciously chosen and short jeans were quickly put on before she bounded down the stairs again.
Just in time apparently, as Fuji opened the door downstairs, leaving the bathroom with the white button-up and the black slacks from his school uniform. Quite unlike at school, his shirt was untucked and the sleeves were rolled up to just beneath his elbows.
“Uhm, do you want to see the garden now? Or do you have to go home, I mean I’d understand and I don’t want to take up your time or..." Hariel abruptly stopped, blushing bright red as Fuji gently pressed a finger to her lips.
“Hariel-chan, I don’t want to go home." He stated candidly, aware that she needed the reassurance. He did wonder who had trained her to presume she was a burden or unwelcome. He’d like to... express his displeasure.
“Show me your flowers?" She nodded, taking his hand and tugging him towards the backdoor. “Ah, Hariel-chan, welcome home." A young woman with dark blue hair came towards them, carrying a laundry basket. “Nanako-san, this is Fuji Syusuke, Ryoma’s teammate and uhm, my friend."
Nanako smiled softly at the young girl her family had adopted. She had been here for months but this was the first time she brought someone home and even claimed him as a friend tentatively. “Syusuke-san," Nanako’s eyes widened, Hariel, despite not being raised Japanese was unfailingly polite. So this was telling.
“This is Meino Nanako, m-my cousin." She barely stuttered during her claim, but both picked up on it. “It’s good to meet a friend of Hariel-chan, if you’d like you can stay for dinner." Hariel awkwardly glanced at the boy from beneath her eyelashes. She wanted him to stay, but it was his choice.
“If it is no bother, I’d like to stay Meino-san." Nanako smiled. “Very well, I’ll see you two at dinner." She said, and went on her way.
Hariel’s grin was radiant, happy as she was that Fuji would stay. Grasping his hand without thinking about it, her magic heated up at the contact, ecstatic spirals whirling around his slender frame. She towed him to the garden, not seeing his indulgent smile as the petite girl held his hand.
“Miss Hariel, would you give me a tour through your domain?" Fuji asked in flawless, mildly accented English, offering her his arm.
Not overthinking it, she set her hand in the crook of his arm, his hand covering hers softly. “Your English is good, Syusuke." She complimented seriously. He barely had any accent. She tried not to keep watching strong pale forearms. He was distracting.
Their match had taken up quite a lot of time and the rest of the time until dinner they spend in the garden. They didn’t get very far, with both teens admiring petals and different shades of the same flowers, discussing the tending of plants, time flew by. She didn’t know anyone else, except for Seiichi-senpai, who shared her love of green growing things.
Ryoma was in the kitchen, having gotten home after his outing with Momo. He frowned curiously. “Oi, Nanako, why is there an extra plate?" He asked bluntly.
“Hariel-chan brought home a friend, your teammate actually." Nanako answered distractedly, flipping the chicken. Ryoma’s eyes widened as far as he knew Hariel only knew one regular. “Fuji-senpai is here?" She nodded. “It was quite cute, I saw him escorting Hariel through the garden from the window just now."
“Eh? Escorting?" Nanako smiled. “Yes Ryoma-san, as in arm in arm, like in those old romantic movies." Ryoma groaned. “I can’t go against Fuji-senpai, he’d make my life hell at school with his teasing. How am I going to protect Ri-chan from that smiling menace..."
Nanako hid a grin behind her hair. “I don’t think you need to rescue her, from what I’ve seen the young man is being very thoughtful and kind." Ryoma’s eyes widened, Fuji-senpai, kind and thoughtful? He knew that the senior didn’t actually try to hurt people’s feelings, but his teasing was legendary and he loved to see people struggle, the sadist.
Nanjirou and Rinko entered the kitchen together, the woman talking about her day while her husband listened. For all his jokes, the samurai was a very loving husband and father.
“...my case is going to be postponed, but I would rather..." She blinked. “Ah, hello Ryoma, Nanako." Ryoma nodded in greeting still a little bit unsure what to think about having his senpai over.
“Welcome home, obaa-san." Nanako said, still focussed on her frying pan. Nanjirou, as Ryoma had done minutes before, immediately noticed the extra plate. “Who’s the plate for?" Ryoma sighed. “Fuji-senpai. Apparently Hariel brought him home, though I don’t know why she would do that. He’ll just gather more blackmail."
“Ah, you do think highly of me, Echizen." A soft voice spoke up from the door to the backyard. Rinko smiled, seeing her stoic son stricken like this was entertaining. “You must be Ryoma’s Fuji-senpai then?" She asked kindly.
The boy nodded, eyes still curved shut and mouth pulled in his gentle smile. “I am Fuji Syusuke, ma’am. Nice to meet you." He said politely. Hariel was standing by his side, still with an arm hooked through his. His body heat was radiating against her side and was extremely soothing. Her magic, like it always seemed to in his presence was almost singing and whirling around him.
He ended up seated beside Hariel, Ryoga bursting through the door just before the start of dinner. “Ah good, I made it." He said, tossing his helmet and his backpack into the hallway and hurriedly washing his hands before taking his seat. “Who’s he?" Just as blunt as his younger copy, he zeroed in on the boy seated beside his baby sister.
“I’m Fuji Syusuke. It’s nice to meet you, older Echizen." Hariel giggled. Rinko smiled, while Nanako hid a grin. Ryoga and Ryoma really did look a lot alike. The greenet sighed. “It’s Ryoga, gaki." “It’s Syusuke, Ryoga." “Show some respect, gaki." Fuji blinked, tilting his head to the side innocently. “I called you exactly what you said to call you."
Hariel giggled again, thoroughly entertained. Ryoma smirked, glad that Fuji seemed to find Ryoga an interesting target.
Ryoga, already exasperated turned to Hariel. “Do you just attract people like this, or do you go looking for them. They are way too much alike in all the worst ways chibi-chan." Hariel blinked up at him charmingly. “But nii-san, Seiichi-senpai and Syusuke-san are both amazing tennis players. Shouldn’t you be happy that I brought them into your life."
Ryoma’s eyes widened in horror. “You’re telling me there are more of senpai running around." Ryoga nodded, glad someone understood his horror. “Her tutor is just like that. Also an angelically smiling teasing menace."
“Saa, who is your tutor Hariel-chan?" Fuji asked casually, curious who he was being compared to and trying to ignore the tiny flare of jealousy in the pit of his stomach. He barely even knew her, he had no reason to already be possessive even if she was the most interesting girl he knew. He tried to tear his eyes away from the small water droplet sliding down her neck from her slowly drying hair.
“Uhm, his name is Yukimura Seiichi, he agreed to tutor me for a while. He is also my friend." She answered shyly, not really liking that she was the centre of attention.
“Rikkaidai’s captain?" Fuji asked, ever so slightly stunned. Hariel nodded, oblivious. “What’s so special about Rikkaidai, senpai?" Ryoma asked bluntly. “They are at a national level if not higher, Echizen." Fuji explained. “They’ve won the championship for two years in a row under his leadership."
“Ah, I knew senpai was good, but that’s amazing." Hariel grinned. Ryoga sighed. “You promise that he wasn’t doing anything strange to you right? You were suspiciously close in the park." He frowned in Hariel’s direction. “First the youngest Fuji and now the oldest and Yukimura too, can’t you just become friends with girls? It would be much better for me, I don’t want to go grey yet, chibi-chan..."
Hariel smiled at the dramatic young man as Rinko hid a smile, her boys were both very much on board with being Hariel’s overprotective older brothers. “Seiichi-senpai really just likes teasing you, niisan. He’s not flirting with me at all." Ryoga looked at her with a disbelieving gaze. “Or maybe he was, but only to tease you. Senpai is really just a very close friend." She shrugged loosely. “It’s a little strange how quickly we became close, but he just feels familiar. Like you did, Ryoma-nii, when I met you."
Ryoma’s frown cleared up, their relationship had been platonic from the very start, siblings at heart. If Yukimura was like that for Hariel he probably did not need to worry. Fuji relaxed ever so slightly, he really didn’t like the idea of Hariel being pursued by someone.
Nanjirou finally spoke up. “So you play tennis, gaki?" Fuji was entertained, it was rare that people would just think of him as a brat, they were always intimidated by his intellect or respectful. He quite liked the Echizen’s, they were a very blunt funny family. He nodded softly. “It’s a hobby." Nanjirou observed him closely. “You any good?"
“Nanjirou-san... he already had tennis practice and he played a match against me. You can’t challenge Syusuke-san today." Hariel spoke up, anticipating easily where the Samurai was going with this.
“But Hariel-chan, how am I supposed to know if he is worthy of being in your presence if I can’t test him." “Saa, I would love to have a match." Sharp blue eyes clashed with the Samurai’s hazel-brown.
Ryoga leaned over to murmur in Hariel’s ear. “Wow, chibi-chan, your boy’s got steel lining his spine." Hariel flushed bright red. “He’s not mine, niisan, and he probably just wants to test himself against the Samurai." Ryoga looked at his baby sister, amazed by her ignorance. “Chibi-chan... he wants to prove himself worthy to oyaji... for you."
“Eh?" She squeaked, turning bright red. “Hariel-chan..." Ryoga muttered exasperated. She could be shy about the strangest things.
“Alright then gaki, we’ll have a match after dinner." “Che." Ryoma said, annoyed. He hadn’t gotten the chance yet to play against Fuji-senpai.
Fuji was focussed, his racket held delicately and sharp blue caught in interest on the way the older man was using the famous Samurai zone.
Hariel watched, anxious without knowing why, she wanted Fuji to impress Nanjirou... Why was this so important to her?
Rinko smiled, watching her daughter observe the tennis match nervously. She remembered what had been written on Hariel’s precious photograph. They had found a nice frame for it, and now it hung pride of place above her bed.
‘To the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, thank you, I look forward to getting to know you. Syusuke.' Hariel had blushed an adorable shade of red at the message.
She had caught the girl smiling softly at that photograph sometimes, this boy had made an immense impression already.
She smoothed a gentle hand over Hariel’s wild hair. She had removed the pencils to chew on one of them absently, long hair tumbling down her back.
Ryoma and Ryoga were watching in interest as the tensai went all out, trying to score a point against the ex-pro. It was an amazing sight, Fuji was playing at a higher level than he had against Hariel, but she didn’t feel insulted.
The match ended with Fuji scoring only three points, but against Nanjirou, that was an amazing accomplishment. Ryoga could equal that, but Ryoma had yet to actually score against him and Hariel had never managed it either.
Hariel bounded up to the boy, he was standing with his hands on his knees, exhausted. A frustrated glimmer in his eyes. He had wanted to do better for Hariel, but at the same time he knew he had done his best. Fierce blue sharpened further, he’d just have to train harder. For possibly the first time, he wanted to become stronger, to be the best he could possibly be. Tennis had always been so easy, but a true challenge was exhilarating.
She handed him a water bottle. “That was amazing Syusuke-san. I’ve never seen anybody but Ryoga get a point of Nanjirou-san." The Samurai himself nodded reluctantly. “You are good, gaki, those counters of yours are interesting." “Thank you, Echizen-san." Fuji answered softly. “Eh, call me Nanjirou." The father sighed, irritated. “Somehow I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of you."
Fuji smiled angelically. “Thank you Nanjirou-san." Ryoma approached, shoving his cap down further. “Che, you’re good Fuji-senpai, play a match against me?" Ryoga followed his recalcitrant little brother. Stealing his cap and placing it on his own head, he ruffled Ryoma’s hair. “He’s never going to stop challenge you now, Fuji."
The tensai merely smiled softly, gaze caught on Hariel’s loose hair, shining blue and curling over her bare shoulder, where her too big t-shirt had slid down. “Saa, if Tezuka matches us up, I’ll be sure to play well against you, Echizen."
The green-haired boy grunted, annoyed. “Buchou never does." Fuji smiled at him, closed eyes and signature gentle curve. “I’m sure that if you have patience, he will eventually." He said innocently, as if he couldn’t play a match against Ryoma whenever he felt like it, with the way the brat challenged him.
“Che." Ryoma stalked off, irritated. Karupin, who had been coming towards him, meowed and instead wound around Hariel’s legs. She was almost as good as his human at patting him. She picked up the fluffy himalayan cat, craddling him gently. “Hey Karupin, you just missed Ryoma-nii." She told him gently, familiars were much smarter than regular animals.
The cat merely rubbed his head under her chin, meowing softly. Hariel glanced at Fuji, trying not to blush at the sight of his warm skin coated in sweat. “Ah, this is Karupin, Ryoma-nii's cat." She introduced calmly, glancing away from the senior to avoid the tempting sight.
“Oi, oyaji, are you slowing down in your old age, letting a brat get that many points off of you?" Ryoga smirked at Nanjirou, casually needling him. The older Echizen soon had him in a headlock as they also stalked off. “Shut up, gaki. The kid was pretty good, might give you a run for your money."
Hariel sighed as she watched them go, so rude... “Sorry about them, you’re used to Ryoma-nii, but niisan and Nanjirou-san are just as bad... brats all of them." “Saa, I don’t mind, they are funny." Fuji said, a teasing glint in his now open blue eyes. Hariel decided that she liked it better when she could see his cerulean orbs, but refused to think about why.
“Just don’t tease niichan too much, he can be annoying when he sulks." She muttered, blushing as he came closer, patting the cat softly, which Karupin allowed with dignity. He glanced at his phone regretfully. It was already late, and his mother wanted him home. “Saa, I have to go now, Hariel-chan." He set a gentle hand on the curve of her naked shoulder, which felt intimate. “Thank you for the match and the tour, and your lovely company."
Impulsively she hugged him. “Thank you for coming over." She muttered, and then she nearly turned tail to run away, incredibly embarrassed. Fuji caught her by the waist before she could run away. He hugged her closer, plastering their bodies indecently close together. Hariel felt her cheeks glow hotly with a fire-engine red blush at the feeling of his body.
He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “It was my pleasure..." His hand slid over the back of her neck winding into her hair, cradling her close with one arm around her waist. He lingered for a moment and then let her go.
He started walking away, satisfied with her cute reactions towards him and even more by her initiating physical contact.
Hariel just stared at him mutely, face still bright red. Watching him go.
Hariel flopped down onto her bed, Karupin curling up on her stomach, she stared at the photograph he had given her. She buried her face in her pillow groaning softly. A slow curl of liquid heat simmering in her belly at the memory of him so close and touching her so gently.
“What am I going to do... Karupin." The cat merely meowed, sand-papery tongue licking her cheek. Rinko knocked on the open door softly. “A letter came, we have an appointment with the magical government’s representative tomorrow."
With one sentence the curiously hot feeling was extinguished. She looked up at her adoptive mother with wide open, scared eyes. “Kaa-chan, kaa-chan I don’t want to go." She whispered, the terrified whites of her eyes showing. In her fear she had accidentally finally called her mom.
Rinko came to sit on the side of her bed. “You need magical training sweetheart." She smoothed a soothing hand over her daughter’s unruly locks. “It won’t be like Hogwarts, you are in our custody, they can’t force you to do anything."
Panic skittering up her spine she abruptly sat up, disturbing Karupin who yowled and fled the room. “I can’t. I can’t do this, kaa-chan please... don’t make me go back." Rinko gather up the girl in her lap, as if she was a tiny child still and not a teenager. “I won’t make you go back, it will only be one person who is coming over and we won’t make you do anything."
It took Hariel a while to calm down. By the time she did, she was exhausted. “So, did you have a good time today with Fuji-kun?" Rinko asked gently, curious. Hariel immediately blushed a bright red. “I... he... I don’t... I hugged him impulsively, I don’t know why, I barely know him."
Rinko picked up her sketchbook, glancing at her to make sure it was okay, when Hariel nodded with an embarrassed look on her face she leafed through it. “This doesn’t look like you barely know him, you’ve been watching him for weeks. Did he react negatively or something? You are allowed to hug friends you know. Even new friends."
“N-No, he hugged me back, even caught me when I tried to run away because I was embarrassed." Hariel muttered, staring at her own drawings, Fuji’s face looking back at her.
“Then what is the problem? You both enjoyed the contact." Hariel’s blush returned. “I... is that really okay? I mean, what if he just did it trying not to embarrass me." Rinko nearly giggled, that boy had been watching Hariel and seemed drawn to her side like a magnet.
“Sweetheart, I guarantee you, he probably wanted to hug you. He was focussed on you the entire time he was here." Shy green eyes peeked at her from behind long black hair. “Really?" Rinko nodded, tugging the blankets over her small frame. “Really."
She stood up, turning off the lights as she went. “Oh and Hariel?" “Hmm?" She hummed sleepily. “Thank you, for calling me kaa-chan." Hariel’s eyes opened again. “O-Oh, really?" Rinko nodded, a soft smile on her face. “If you want to call Nanjirou tou-chan, he’ll be over the moon." “O-Okay." “Goodnight, sweetheart." “Night, kaa-chan..."