Photographs
The next morning she jogged to the bridge. “Good morning.” She said quietly, once she had spotted Kaidoh already working on his exercises. A tall Seigaku student was accompanying him. “Hariel-chan... this is Inui-senpai.” The new brunet spoke up. “Good morning. I’m Inui Sadaharu. Kaidoh said that you usually practice with him and that you are joining Seigaku soon?”
She nodded, a little overwhelmed. “Ii data.” The glasses he had on glinted eerily as he scribbled in his notebook.
“Uhm, I’m Echizen Hariel. It’s nice to meet you Inui-san.” She stated shyly. Meeting new people wasn’t her forte.
“Are you related to Echizen Ryoma?” He asked, pen poised to write down her answer. Hariel could feel her eyebrows rising higher in disbelief. “My adopted older brother.” She stated.
Kaidoh sighed. Inui was weirding her out. “Senpai.” He spoke up curtly. “Don’t alarm Hariel-chan.”
The data tennis player sighed, putting away the notebook. “Well, why did you want us to meet?” Exactly like Kaidoh, his social skills were not... really great.
The second year regular glanced away shyly. “I wanted to make sure that she knows a few people, so that it wouldn’t be as hard to come to school.” He said gruffly.
Hariel bounded up to him, spontaneously hugging the grumpy boy. “Thank you.” She said brightly. “Ah. You are worried that she will not fit in?” Inui asked stoically. Kaidoh shook his head. “No, with Echizen and now you and me, she will have people to talk to already. I just wanted to make her transition from home schooling easier.”
“I can provide data on the school.” Inui stated. Coming from him it was a kind offer. Hariel, seeming to recognize this, shyly nodded in thanks. “Will you be joining any clubs?” The tall third-year asked. “Tennis.” Hariel mumbled.
Inui nodded, that made sense. “I do not know much about the girl’s tennis club. The club has eight regulars as well. The club is not performing at a very high level. It hasn’t reached more than the regionals in a long time.”
Hariel listened with interest as Inui told her about the school, the teachers and possible first year classes.
The three teenagers jogged back towards the temple slowly, more interested in conversation then in running today.
Hariel bowed and thanked Inui for his explanation and then waved at Kaidoh.
The raven-haired girl was pacing in front of Yukimura’s hospital room in agitation. She had to tell him. Her magic was likely affecting him if they really had been bonded by magic. He had the right to know. She was just... terrified.
Taking a deep breath, nails cutting into her palm she finally asked for permission to enter. With dread and a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach she opened the door.
“Hariel-chan...” The bedbound boy said calmly. Unable to handle the stress, she dropped her bag and crawled onto the bed.
Yukimura frowned as she wrapped herself around him like a particularly cuddly octopus. Un-braiding her hair gently, dragging his fingers through the long strands soothingly he waited.
Hariel wasn’t a dramatic person by nature, but she was reticent. It was always better to let her gather herself, trying to force her into talking just made her clam up.
“I... need to tell you something.” She eventually mumbled into his stomach. Fear skittering up her spine, she sat up straight, creating some distance between them. The violet-eyed boy looked on in worry.
“I... I’m a witch.” She finally spat out. She was terrified and couldn’t hold his gaze. She couldn’t bare it if she saw him look at her with hate.
Yukimura gently lifted her chin with two fingers. “Hariel-chan... I suspected as much.” Her eyes widened in horror. Was he a wizard? Had this all been a setup?
He frowned. “I don’t know what you are thinking, but my imouto is a muggleborn.” He shrugged. “You draw runes on my skin sometimes, and there are runes on the plant you gave me.”
He smiled at her, pressing a loving kiss to her forehead. “It doesn’t matter. Though, why did you tell me? Isn’t it forbidden to tell a non-magical about the magical world?”
She sighed out in relief. She had been terrified for a second, that he had known, that he was a wizard and using her like Ron had. It was stupid because Yukimura was nothing like him and she knew that but fear was rarely rational.
She sagged back against him in sheer relief. Yukimura smiled, curling around her trembling frame. “Shh, Hariel-chan. It’s okay.”
“I told you because...” This was awkward. “We might have a bond, in fact, we probably are magically bonded.” The navy-haired boy was speechless for a moment. “But we’re not in love.” He blurted out.
Now it was Hariel who was smiling. “It’s not a romantic soulmate bond Seiichi-senpai.” She giggled. Then she turned bright red. “Though, uhm, I might have one of those too.” He smiled like a shark. “Oh, are things going well with Fuji then?”
“S-Senpai.” She quickly tried to bring the topic back to them. “Our bond is either friendship or family. Magical bonds...” she sighed. “I don’t know much about them. When I told my godfather that my magic liked people he had to explain to me that it was likely a bond in the first place.”
She bit her lip, curling further into his strong frame. “I was terrified that it might be meddling with free will or something. It doesn’t. The trust we just instantly had was because a magical bond allows you to just... know someone instinctively. It doesn’t actually influence you.”
Yukimura curled a supportive arm around her waist. “I never thought that you would usurp free will Hariel-chan. You never would. I trust you.” She was so incredibly, blissfully, relieved.
“So you can be magically bonded as family, friend or what, soulmate? Lover? Wife?” He asked curiously, then watched in delight as her pale cheeks turned bright red at the last few words.
“Uhm... Sirius said that he had a bond with my dad, James, which made them brothers. I know that my bond with Ryoma was always between siblings. I think Kaoru is my friend. You...” She frowned. “I don’t know. It’s definitely platonic though.” She had little to no knowledge in this subject.
“I’ll research it.” She sighed out, frustrated by her own lack of knowledge.
“What is your bond with Fuji like?” Yukimura asked ‘innocently’. Hariel blushed, hiding her face against his chest shyly. “It’s like the bond between my dad and my mom. S-So... it is most likely romantic in nature.” She eventually said shyly.
Yukimura smiled. “I’m happy that you found someone Hariel-chan.” Then he shifted onto his back, dragging her along to lie on his chest. She was so light that it wasn’t uncomfortable in the slightest. “We know the bond is platonic, that’s good enough for me. We’ll call it friendship if anyone asks.” He eventually said. Hariel hummed, satisfied.
She sighed, staring at the too familiar ceiling. “I told you that my owl, Hedwig, was murdered.” She bit her lip, hard. “She was my familiar.” She confessed, the taste of blood smeared on her lip.
“I’m sorry. I wish I could have met her.” Yukimura whispered softly. His imouto had a familiar and the bond was so strong... that kneazle was basically a part of their family.
Hariel tried to blink away the tears. “Yeah I... I think she would have liked you.” The words burned, but at the same time it was good. She never wanted to forget Hedwig.
Hariel bounced on her toes, eyes tracking Yuuta’s movements. She moved the moment she saw which way the ball was going, easily sending it soaring back over the net.
She was helping him develop a new play style, without the damaging move. She hit the ball, seeing him use his super rising again made her cock her head to the side thoughtfully. “Yuuta-kun, you must be able to predict roughly what is going to happen to use Super Rising. Have you thought about developing that further?”
When they collapsed in the grass, drinking from their water bottles, the youngest Fuji was still thoughtfully mulling over her stray comment.
“Nee-san said that you’ve been spending time with aniki.” He eventually commented. Normally he would be worried, that she might forget about him, that his aniki would overshadow him again. But she always showed up for their matches and still trained with him. He also believed that Hariel might like his aniki, but she would never worship him for his tennis, or his looks, or his brilliance.
She wasn’t shallow enough to make friends because of gain, or reputation. She’d never be anything like those fangirls who had dismissed his existence so completely.
Hariel blushed bright red. Yuuta’s eyes widened... “I, uhm... he’s been very kind. We played an interesting match.” She mumbled out. “Do you like aniki?!” He blurted out, then watched in mild fascination as her face turned fire engine red, nearly radiating heat.
“... I uhm, he’s been very nice, and he’s funny.” She mumbled out. “He just understands what I mean when I said that it felt like I wasn’t even a person at my old school.”
Yuuta’s shoulders relaxed. “So you clicked with him, in a way that most people don’t understand.” She nodded shyly. “Yuuta-kun... I won’t forget you, or replace you. Syusuke-san is Syusuke-san and Yuuta-kun is Yuuta-kun.”
He nodded, understanding what she was trying to say. “I know. I trust you.”
Hariel smiled, glad.
Hariel was watching the regular's practice. Fuji was merely keeping pace because he wanted to watch the others drink Inui’s patented juice. Hariel wondered if it was really that bad, potions could be incredibly disgusting as well but she never fainted from those.
Slowly she walked up to Sakuno, muttering a low hello. The loud girl who usually accompanied the coach’s granddaughter often kept her away, but every so often if the petite girl was alone she came over to talk to her. She did like the shy brunette, she was one of the kindest people Hariel had ever met.
“Ah, Hariel-chan, hello. Did you come to watch Ryoma-kun practice again?" She nodded vaguely, gaze caught on Sakuno’s short skirt, part of Seigaku’s uniform.
Abruptly she realised that as a girl she would be expected to wear that green frilly monstrosity as well. There was no way that she would. It would show more than she was comfortable with. She never even wore skirts before, she wasn’t ready for a mini-skirt every day.
After practice ended she said goodbye to Sakuno and then she strode up to Ryoma. “Ryoma-nii.” She stated abruptly, ignoring the few regulars still hanging around. “I can’t go to Seigaku.” His eyes widened. “What? Ri, what’s going on?” She frowned. “I don’t want to wear that girly uniform. I’d be half naked.”
Ryoma’s eyes widened as well. “Right. We’ll need to tell oyaji, and you need to ask Yukimura if he can tutor you from a distance. You can’t go to Seigaku.”
Inui, Fuji and Momo, who had been watching the odd conversation snickered. “Echizen, you can apply for the male uniform as a girl. Several shy girls have done so in the past. It was a huge debacle several years ago, it ended up in the newspapers.” Inui stated, glasses glinting. “It was deemed to be sexist to force the girls to wear short skirts, and ever since the technical rule has existed, that you are expected to wear a uniform, but not necessarily the one designed for your gender.”
“Saa, so I could come to school in the girl’s uniform for solidarity...” Fuji stated whimsically. The regulars stared at him... The chaos Fuji-girl would unleash was not something they wanted to witness. The sadist already had enough opportunities to fuck with people’s heads.
Inui nodded. “It is allowed.” Hariel sighed out in relief. “Boy’s uniform, great. I can live with that.” Ryoma nodded. “Good, problem solved.” He glanced between Hariel and the regulars. “By the way, this is my imouto. Echizen Hariel.” He stated stoically.
Momo’s eyes widened comically. “Eh, how come we never met her before. I always pick you up in the morning.” Inui merely nodded in greeting. “Echizen-chan, you will arrive in the boys uniform then? When are you starting school?” She blinked up at the tall regular. She was already adapting, getting used to his blunt manner and data gathering. “Next week, on Monday, if I pass my test.”
“Ii, data.”
“Hariel leaves home later then I do to go to tutoring. That’s why you never see her in the morning.” Ryoma stated indifferently. Momo nodded, that made sense. Still, it was weird to find out that their team’s stoic chibi had a little sister, whom he seemed to dote on even.
“She’s been watching us practice on and off since the school year started, Momo.” Fuji murmured. “Did you not see her any of those times, with Ryuzaki-chan?” “Eh?” Purple eyes blinked in shock. “You mean she’s been here all along?” Fuji cocked his head. “Saa...”
“We need to get changed, no use standing around here.” Ryoma said stoically.
Momo and Echizen walked away towards the clubhouse, bickering as they usually did. Inui followed them, glasses glinting eerily.
Fuji smiled down at Hariel. “Hariel-chan... will you model for me down by the river?” She nodded shyly. She had said that she would be his model, and she didn’t mind going to the river. It was one of her favourite places.
Fifteen minutes later, Fuji had showered and changed. He met Hariel at the gate. “I’ll need to pick up my camera. Is that okay?” She nodded. They walked in silence for a while. “Do I need to wear something else? Do I need make-up?" She asked shyly. He shook his head. “No. I think you are beautiful exactly the way you are and I want to capture that.”
She blushed shyly. Eventually she spoke up again. “Syusuke-san... does it still bother you, being famous as the tensai of Seigaku?” He sighed, eyes fully focussed on her. “Yes and no.” He said thoughtfully. “I find the idea of idolization abhorrent. It reduces people to images and ideas. Two-dimensional. I am the soft-spoken tensai. It leaves no room for a real personality.”
Hariel hummed. She had hated being the Girl-Who-Lived. “But it doesn’t matter much anymore. To the other regulars, I am Fujiko-chan, or Fuji, or even Fuji-senpai. A person... they are my friends and they matter more.”
She smiled up at the blue sky. “Yeah... friends are amazing.”
Fuji unlocked the door. “I’m home.” He called softly. He guided Hariel to the living room. Everyone blinked in shock. Ryoga and Yumiko were on the couch, cuddling.
“Saa, Ryoga-san.” Fuji smiled at him, if the serrated expression could be called that. “What are you doing here?”
“Ryoga-nii-san...” Hariel frowned. This morning, he had said that he was going to university. So either this was spontaneous or he had lied to her. She despised lies. If she was his girlfriend that was his business but it did make him a hypocrite for telling her to open up more.
The idea hurt, and she automatically allowed numbing ice to rise up and swallow her. A sincere smile, barely different from her true smile rose up, as she pushed away the pain. “Is Yumiko-san your girlfriend?” He nodded mutely, this was not how he had wanted anyone to find out. “I think you two make a lovely couple, it’s nice to see you happy together.” Hariel stated kindly, the lack of true warmth in her expression not even truly detectable.
Only Fuji, who was unknowingly linked to her magic felt anything off.
“Sorry I didn’t tell you, I just wanted to be together with her for a while before involving the whole family.” Ryoga said softly. Yumiko hummed. “Thank you Hariel-chan. What are you doing here?”
Fuji frowned, expression serious for once. “We are picking up my camera. We’ll be going now. I’m happy for you, neesan.”
Yumiko smiled at him happily. She hadn’t hidden anything from her family. She had told them about the dates she had gone on and said that any day now she was going to bring him home. She hadn’t told them his name, but that was more by accident then design.
Fuji gently guided Hariel away from the couple, his warm hand settling against the small of her back. He took her upstairs, closing the door behind them.
He pushed her towards his bed, then he kneeled in front of her, between her legs. “What’s wrong?” Sharp cerulean pinned her in place. “He said... niisan said that he was only going to university this morning. He said I need to open up more, that I should tell my family about the people I meet, about how my day went."
Fuji frowned, the oldest Echizen sibling had likely not meant to hurt his sister, but he had. For someone who was abused, trust was fragile. He was almost certain that her homelife before her adoption hadn’t been good. She showed some of the signs. Ryoga should have known better than to ever risk her trust.
He kissed her forehead gently. “He loves you, even if he handled this situation like an idiot.” He stated softly. At his kind words, the ice inside her heart cracked. Tears slowly welling up. She leaned forward, head dropping onto his shoulder. “I know...” She mumbled into his shoulder. “But he lied to me. I know he loves me, but it still hurts.”
Fuji sighed. “Saa...” There was nothing he could do. Except be there for her.
She lifted her head, her tears had slowly stopped. “I can take you home, if you want.” The tensai offered slowly. She shook her head. “No I... if you still want to, I want to go to the river with you.” He nodded. He put his camera gear into a bag, and opened the door, motioning for her to go first. Fuji followed the raven down the stairs.
She ignored the living room, and headed straight for the front door. He sighed, then sent a quick text to his sister and followed her.
Fuji got his bike from the shed and motioned for her to take a seat. Contently leaning against his strong back, Hariel basked in his heat. The landscape passed her by in a blur. When they reached the river, she hopped off and walked away from him thoughtlessly.
Hariel wandered down to the river bank, taking of her shoes and wading into the cold water. Fuji smiled, watching her smile freely, swishing her fingers through the sparkling blue river.
He raised his camera, watching her smile without reserve. Adjusting a few settings, he took a close up of her face, mostly turned away. The photograph was beautiful and mysterious. It showed only one fiery green eye, raven curls gleaming blue with a melancholic smile backed by a river.
Within only a few moments, Hariel was coming towards him again. She smiled up at him, eyes sparkling with life. “Syusuke-san, the water is cool, come sit?" She asked shyly.
He took her hand and watched her contently as she towed him down to the river bank.
They ended up sitting side by side, feet dangling in the cold water. “Sometimes I think that the river will wash away all of my pain if only I sit here long enough.” Hariel murmured thoughtfully. Fuji hummed, mostly to reassure her that he was listening.
Hariel sighed. “I know I’m being unreasonable. Ryoga-nii-san... did nothing wrong.” She frowned delicately. Fuji merely took her hand, weaving their fingers together into a strong bridge idly. “It’s not unreasonable, Hariel-chan. They are your feelings, neither good nor bad.”
She bit her lip hard enough that she tasted blood, curling into his side silently. Fuji looked down at her small frame with serious eyes, tenderly swiping his thumb over her bloody lip. Without thinking it over, he took another picture, this time of empty green and a blood red painted lip. He would need to adjust the settings and change the colours at home, but this picture would likely turn out... emotionally charged.
Setting aside his camera, he pulled her completely into his lap. Then he sank back until he was lying down, taking her with him. “Hariel-chan... you don’t need to be okay. Whatever you feel, you are allowed to feel it.” She shoved her face into the delicate curve where his neck connected to his shoulder.
Only a few tears dripped onto his skin, before she easily calmed down, pacified by the scent of rain and spice.
She breathed out slowly, not noticing his shiver at the feeling of her hot moist breath skating over his skin. He wound a strong pale hand into her thick hair, gripping tightly in response. Hariel, feeling his tight grasp, felt only grounded. Like he was preventing her from getting lost in her own sadness.
Contently she spoke up a while later, bonelessly sprawled over his body. “You always know just what to say... Thank you.” Fuji hummed, distracted by the feeling over her body sprawled all over him.
“How old are you? When is your birthday?” He asked, curiously. He felt the insatiable need to know everything about her, but he could start with more general knowledge. Hariel blinked, he hummed at the feeling of her eyelashes delicately fluttering over his throat. “I’m fourteen. My birthday is on the 31st of July. How old are you, and when is your birthday?” She returned the question, equally curious. “I’m celebrating my fourth birthday this year."
Hariel blinked in confusion, before quickly drawing the correct conclusion. “February 29th. You are turning sixteen.” She hummed into his skin. Fuji smiled, she was a sharp one.
Hariel drifted off for a while, inexplicably incredibly content with her current position. Fuji twined his slender fingers through her hair, liking the feeling of the silky strands sliding through his fingers.
“S-Sorry for falling asleep.” She whispered a while later, sitting up in the cradle of his hips, utterly unaware of the effect she was having on him. Fuji sat up, pulling slightly roughly on her hair to get her to lift her head enough that he could look her in the eye.
He smiled. “I’m glad you feel comfortable with me.” Hariel silently groaned, she didn’t know why, but his manhandling of her via the grip he took on her hair made her feel... good. She stared at his face for a while, unashamed. She could be dense at the strangest times. The witch glanced at the camera.
Impishly she took the device, looking through the lens, she intuitively adjusted a few settings. Then she pushed him, and took a picture of his sprawled-out form. He was smirking at her, clearly having consciously allowed her fun.
He looked at ease, relaxed and unguarded in a way she hadn’t really seen him yet. She’d caught glimpses when they were alone, but nothing like this...
Taking his camera from her hand and putting it to the side, he grasped her wrists. In a move which looked deceptively easy, he casually flipped them over. Pinning her to the ground with one hand, he picked up his camera with the other hand.
He carefully took a picture of her smiling face. She looked... unburdened, happy. With her hair spread out like a dark halo and glittering emerald eyes, her petite frame sprawled out on the river bank, she made for a tempting sight.
Trying not to succumb to his mounting desire, he stood up, leaning down he grasped her hips to easily lift her frame up. “I’ll show you any picture I make of you, then you can decide whether you want the only copy, or if you’ll allow me to use any in my portfolio.” He said serenely, trying to distract himself.
Hariel nodded shyly, she still thought it strange that he would even want a photograph of her, but she appreciated his serious stance in regards to her consent.
“Thank you.” She frowned. “Truly, I had a lot of people take my picture without consent, I’ve even been in newspapers before even though I never gave permission. So I... really appreciate the care you take with making sure that I’m okay with the pictures you take." She said softly, smiling up at him in a trusting and open manner.
He swallowed. “Of course, I’d hate to make you uncomfortable, and I’d never do anything without your consent.” He stated seriously, familiar with paparazzi and just how disgusting their actions could get.
She hugged him spontaneously, winding slender arms around his waist and pressing her cheek closer to his t-shirt clad chest, appreciating his body warmth. “I trust you.”
He curled his arms around her shoulders, content to enjoy the lingering embrace.
“Ne, Kawakami-san, do you know anything about magical bonds?” Hariel asked curiously during her very first lesson with the older witch. Grey eyes blinked at her, a little bit stunned. Whatever questions she might have been expecting from the petite witch who was currently her student, this wasn’t one of them.
“Magicals form bonds with marriage, or as godparents. Sometimes as siblings. A bond is usually two magicals willingly linking their cores in some way. Black-san, who is still registered as your godfather, is linked to your core. His magic still protects you.” Japan was well aware of the Black Lord’s innocence, but they couldn’t keep the English aurors from hunting him down without violating international treaties.
Hariel glanced over shyly. The Japanese witch had been very kind so far, and her lesson was going well. She might even go as far as saying that she liked the lady, but she didn’t trust her.
“I, uhm, actually meant a naturally formed bond.” The raven-haired teacher frowned. “Why do you want to know? Those are incredibly rare. You should focus on your studies first.” Her eyes softened. “You are working very hard, but you are very far behind right now.”
Hariel silently wrote down her answers, applying herself to her homework. She didn’t speak another word during the lesson, unless Kawakami directly asked her a question. She had withdrawn at the censure.
At the end of their hour-long lesson the brunette witch sighed. “Why did you want to know?” She asked. Hariel frowned, silently biting her lip. Eventually she whispered. “Sirius said that mum and dad had a natural love bond. He was dad’s brother... also a natural bond.”
Kawakami inhaled softly. No wonder the poor child was curious. None of the adults she should have been able to go to for answers were there, murdered or on the run.
“I don’t know a lot about this, these bonds are just so rare Echizen-chan. I’ll see if I can’t find a few books for you about the subject, alright?” Hariel nodded thankfully.
She waved distractedly as the older raven-haired witch left.
Hariel opened the door to Ryoga’s room. Seeing him still slumbering away, she silently tiptoed over. Quietly she burrowed under the blankets, curling around her oldest brother. She was still upset... but she didn’t want to be.
Ryoga woke up with a face full of black curls. “Chibi-Ri... wah?” He mumbled, confused. His golden eyes were peering down in confusion, at the tiny witch wrapped around him like a baby monkey.
Hariel hummed, refusing to look him in the eye. Instead she hid her face against his shoulder, pulling the blanket up over her head. Even if she desperately wanted everything to be okay between them she didn’t know how.
Ryoga sighed, pulling her along as she turned to lie on his back. Finally he broke the silence. “I’m sorry.” Hariel merely tightened her grasp, refusing to say something.
Infinitely gentle hands were carding through her hair. “I never meant to keep anything from you. I just wasn’t ready to share my... relationship with Yumiko-chan yet.”
The petite witch still didn’t say anything. She knew his reasoning, but he lied and that hurt. It tasted of betrayal, such a hated familiar bitter taste.
They spent a long time in silence, Hariel trying to come to terms with the situation. Knowing that he never meant to hurt her, but that he did. Ryoga was rubbing her back, the gesture soothing.
“It hurts.” Her hand clenched into her t-shirt, directly over her heart. “I forgive you. I shouldn’t even be making a deal out of something so small.” Fierce green eyes peeked out over the blanket.
Catching and holding his gaze for the first time since that painful moment in Fuji’s house.
“But if I ever find out you lied to me again. I won’t let it go ever again. Tell me you don’t want to talk about something, tell me you aren’t ready to share. I don’t fucking care, but never lie to me again.” She spit out, her nails biting warningly into the flesh of his upper arm.
Ryoga leaned into the pain, wrapping an arm around her trembling shoulders. “I promise.” He sighed out against her soft hair.
“Okay.” She breathed out unsteadily, trying to get rid of the tension knotted into her shoulders. “Okay.” Finally, she curled into him completely, relaxing completely into his grip.
Later, the first thing she did was text Fuji... it wasn’t to tell Ryoma that she wasn’t fighting with Ryoga anymore. It wasn’t to talk to Rinko. Or to blurt out the truth to Nanjirou.
Staring down at her cell phone, where she had received his answer she wondered at the rate she was coming to trust in the boy.
Hariel patiently waited for the mirror to stop showing her own reflection. “Hello fawn." Came the reassuring bass-voice of her godfather. She smiled at him.
“Hey Sirius."
When he seemed content to merely look at her, she spoke up again. “I told Seiichi-senpai that I’m a witch.” The brunet looked at her with badly concealed worry. “How did he take it?”
“He took it really well. His little sister is a muggleborn witch."
The older magical blinked. “I’m glad baby girl. It’s good that you are reaching out to other kids.” Grey eyes darkened for a split-second. “Being on your own is no good."
The raven-haired girl bit her lip, sick and tired of pain and hating that she couldn’t help someone who was so important to her. She had never hated so fiercely before, but Wizarding Britain was ruining Sirius’s life and she wanted to stop them so badly.
“Sirius...” He hummed in question. “I’m sorry... if it wasn’t for me Pettigrew would never have managed to escape.”
The Black Lord smiled at her, not in mischief, but sincerely, loving. “Fawn... I’m so proud of you. You have such a loving heart, and you should never apologize for it. There is nothing you need to apologize for.”
Tears spilled over and dripped down her cheeks slowly. The wizard longed to be there for her, and cursed the fact that all they had was mirror-calls.
“Come on, I’ll bring you to Yukimura.” Ryoga rumbled down at his tiniest sibling. She was obviously nervous for her entrance exam. She had been furiously studying lately, trying to make sure that she was academically ready to enter Seigaku. On top of her Magical schooling which she had very recently restarted she was spreading herself too thin.
Half unfocussed green orbs glanced up at him from beneath messy hair. She had several writing implements stuck through the bun, bundled up in one of his t-shirts and sweatpants she seemed to be... hardcore studying. “Nii-san, I need to understand this. I don’t have time to...” She swallowed, flipping through pages upon pages of formulas.
“Yeah no, you need a break. Take along your books if you have to, Yukimura will help you out, but I am taking you there now. You clearly need a break.”
He swept all of her books, notebooks and markers into her bag, and then pushed her towards the door. “Let’s go.”
Hariel followed him in a daze, too tired and too mentally exhausted to really protest. Ryoga wrangled her into wearing a helmet and then they were off.
Soothed by her big brother’s presence and the rumbling of his bike she drifted off.
When they arrived at the hospital, Ryoga smiled down at her sleeping form. He tugged the straps of her bag over his shoulders and then picked her up bridal style. She curled into him trustingly, remaining sound asleep.
Awkwardly he managed to knock on the by now familiar door. “Come on in.” A soft voice whispered hoarsely.
Nudging the door open with his foot, Ryoga frowned when he saw the boy. He looked awful, if Hariel looked tired, he looked utterly exhausted. “Yo, Yukimura. Chibi-chan is freaking out over her entrance exam, so I brought her to you.”
Hazy, kind violet eyes locked onto her sleeping form. Weakly he reached out. Ryoga plopped his precious burden into his arms, watching as she curled into him with a sigh.
“I’ll come pick her up in about three hours. The test is tomorrow, so if you could just...” He vaguely gestured with his hand. The Tennis Captain merely nodded. “I’ll make sure she knows she’s prepared.” A fine navy-haired eyebrow rose. “I don’t think she has noticed that the new books weren’t for second term, but for second years. She’s already well prepared.”
Ryoga’s golden eyes widened in unexpected mirth. “Really? You’ve been tutoring her in second year material?” Yukimura merely nodded. “I mentioned it once, but she was sleepy then, so she must have forgotten. I’ll tell her when she wakes up. She’s over-prepared really. She’ll ace her first-year placement, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she ended up a second year, she’s several months ahead of them.”
Ryoga snorted. “Okay, just, calm her down. She’s been overworking herself.” His golden eyes softened. “I think she doesn’t want to let kaa-chan and oyaji down or something equally silly. They’d never be disappointed. But well, she worries...”
Yukimura calmly curled his fingers into her hair, gently pulling out the pens and pencils she had stuck into her wild mane. “I’ll take care of her...”
Reassured, Ryoga nodded, and left.
Hariel blinked sleepily. She was sprawled over Yukimura, who was watching her with alert violet eyes. “Did you sleep well?” He asked, in his soft voice. The witch nodded, still a little out of it.
“Hariel... Ryoga-san mentioned that you were overworking yourself.” She bit her lip, he sounded disappointed. “I didn’t... I don’t want to... I just...”
Seeing his friend, arguably his best friend dissolve in stressed babbling made something inside of him ache. Softly putting a finger over her lips, he gently tugged on a soft black curl. “Hariel-chan, stop.”
She sighed, putting her head back down, and listened to his steady heartbeat for a while. “Now, what’s going on. I made sure you were ready you know. Why are you panicking?” He asked, idly nudging her legs over his so that they were more comfortably situated.
“I just don’t want to disappoint my, my parents.” She eventually admitted shyly.
Yukimura raised a mocking eyebrow. “Hariel-chan. I gave you the second-year books. Because you devoured the first-year material.” “Eh?” Nonchalantly he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. It was a warm gesture, filled with affection.
“I guess you really weren’t paying attention back then. You did seem kind of sleepy.” He mused out loud.
Hariel nuzzled her face under his jaw, enjoying the simple skin contact. “Sorry.” She muttered. Yukimura grinned down at her. “It’s alright, just try not to go overboard anymore. You’ll do fineonyourplacementtests.” Shesmiledshyly.“Allthankstoyou,Seiichi-senpai.”Affectionatelyshesqueezedhishand.
Somehow the normal boundaries just didn’t apply with them. Yukimura sighed, staring in mild longing at her unique blue hair. He would love to have her sit for a painting. Not that he got to do much painting lately.
“I miss painting.” He admitted quietly. “Why can’t you paint here?” Hariel asked slowly. He’d been here for almost half a year already. This room was basically his home. Even if he would leave soon. His surgery was in two weeks' time.
“My parents didn’t see the need to bring that much equipment to the hospital.” Yukimura was vaguely bitter about that. From a practical standpoint he understood. He just... really missed painting. It was his passion, right alongside tennis. To have one already taken from him and not even be able to cling to the other burned.
Hariel frowned, her small delicate face looking surprisingly harsh. “I can bring you supplies.” She stated confidently. He startled. “You really don’t need to go through that much trouble.” The navy-haired boy said softly.
Warm green eyes caught and held his gaze. “I want to.” She was rewarded with a radiant smile. “You... ” A loving kiss was pressed to her forehead. “Just, thank you.” She hummed happily, glad to be able to help in some small way.
Tugging her back down, to sprawl all over him again, Yukimura relaxed under her slight reassuring weight. “I asked Kawakami-san about natural bonds... I just told her my parents had one and that I was curious.” Hariel said, sometime later.
“You don’t trust her.” Violet eyes opened shortly, to glance down at her slender frame. She hummed in agreement. “She’s a witch. I know it’s hypocritical, but Magicals...” Yukimura nodded. “They hurt you, I understand.”
Hariel sighed. “Yeah... I just can’t bring myself to believe in her. The last adult I even vaguely trusted allowed hundreds of adolescent Magicals to attack me at their leisure.”
Yukimura traced the thin white spirals over her arm. Lazily lifting her hand to press soft lips to the scarred skin he murmured. “Don’t force yourself. Either she will prove herself trustworthy eventually or she won’t but I’ll always be here, like your family, so it really doesn’t matter in the slightest.”
Hariel hummed, there was nothing more to say after that, he was right.
“Love you.” She muttered sleepily, sinking into the warm comfort of his presence easily. Yukimura smiled, a radiant expression lighting up his features. A soft kiss to her temple was followed by his soft voice. “I love you too.”
Hariel smiled, and slipped into sleep. Her dreams were warm and soft.
Ryoga knocked on the hospital door, then he entered without waiting for permission. “Yo, chibi-chan, Yukimura.” He greeted them casually.
The male Echizen’s eyebrows rose. Hariel was sitting in Yukimura’s lap, her tiny frame draped over him, as close as possible without melding into one being. “Hey niisan.” She greeted him without even lifting her head, her words almost disappearing into the soft skin under her lips.
“Are you entirely sure you two aren’t dating? You look incredibly cosy over there." Lazy violet and green orbs tracked his progress into the room. “Mhm, yeah.” Hariel muttered, too relaxed to really bother with answering.
Yukimura sighed, briefly tightening his arms around her waist. “We’re sure. I just don’t feel sexually attracted to her at all.” Hariel nodded. “That. Seiichi-senpai is attractive, but I can’t feel it. He might as well be part of the furniture as far as my libido is concerned.” She said bluntly.
Yukimura grinned slyly. “I’m fairly sure that Hariel doesn’t even register anyone besides Fuji as a potential life mate. She blushes very cutely when she talks about him you know.”
Ryoga sighed, he did know, but he would have preferred not to. “You two are very strange. I’ve never seen people as close as you two are while remaining entirely platonic.”
The two teenagers glanced at him, mischief twinkling in their eyes. “We’re just very special that way.” Hariel stated. “Are you jealous of our love Ryoga-san? Don’t worry, Hariel-chan loves you very much, and I’m sure I can muster up some positive feelings for you... eventually.” Yukimura smiled at him, an angelic expression that filled him with dread.
He inched away from the entangled duo. “Oooookay. We’re going now, before you can corrupt my little sister any further.” He picked up Hariel’s bag, holding out a hand to help her up.
Hariel sighed mournfully, rubbing her face against his warm skin one last time. “I’lll see you tomorrow, Seiichi-senpai.” Allowing Ryoga to take her hand, she was easily set on her feet.
She waved at her friend as he said goodbye.
Halfway down the long, sterile hallway Hariel jumped onto his back. Ryoga stumbled in surprise but easily caught her. Hariel grinned. “I’m so tall...” She breathed out.
Ryoga smirked. “I’m glad to see you so relaxed. I suppose bringing you to Yukimura really was the best choice.” Hariel merely nodded. “Senpai is always good at helping me work through things.” She said seriously. Ryoga’s gaze turned serious for a moment. “I’m glad you found him, chibi.”
Hariel rested her chin on top of his head, taking care not to hurt him. “So am I, nii-san, so am I.”
Hariel, with pinpoint precision managed to hit the ball just out of Yuuta’s reach. She grinned fiercely and the brunet grinned back just as wild. They tended to give their all even in practice, always pushing each other to do better.
“I send a sketch of Syusuke-san to Luna-bell and Mione. My friends in England, because they were curious.” She narrowed her eyes when Yuuta’s Super Rising, faster and far more precise, soared towards her.
At the last possible second she tilted her racket and countered.
“Do you want to know what Luna said?” She asked softly, smile open and at ease in a way that was near impossible for her even weeks ago. She was completely relaxed in his company and he was glad for it. He wanted the petite girl to trust him. She was one of his closest friends after all.
For a second he wondered if he really wanted to listen to more compliments for his attractiveaniki, but then he saw her hopeful face and nodded resigned.
“Luna thinks he would make a beautiful girl.” After that they had to stop practice, because Yuuta was giggling too hard to even hold a racket. The sheer disbelief, the way the conversation took a left turn from the expected praise was just. Too funny.
“Hahahaaa, aniki might even think that it a better compliment then hot. He’s weird like that.” Yuuta eventually stated fondly. It was still hard, being around his brother. He was working on it though, slowly...
Hariel flopped onto Ryoma’s bed, splaying out like a starfish. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.” The witch said softly. Twin golden orbs turned towards her, their owner leaving his homework behind for a moment to look at her. “I guess we’ve been too busy.” The youngest regular said, frowning. Now that she mentioned it, he felt like he hadn’t spent a moment alone with her in ages.
Hariel hummed in answer. Ryoma smirked, before draping himself over her stomach heavily. “Get off nii-chan, you’re heavy.” She poked his side. Ryoma refused to move. “I am not.” He replied, not even offended but feeling the need to defend himself from her accusations never the less.
“Are you ready for your placement test?” She nodded. “Senpai says I’m well up to second year standards, so first year placement tests should be easy to ace.” She groaned. “Even Japanese literature. Which I still don’t understand at all.”
Ryoma turned over, deigning to lift himself off of her tiny frame to lie down beside her. “It’s not my best subject either.” Gently he caught her small hand, waving their fingers together. “Hariel...” She hummed. “I’m glad that you are going to school with me. That you are here.” She smiled. “Yeah... me too.”
The two youngest Echizen siblings fell asleep together. Rinko smiled, tenderly tucking them in. She closed Ryoma’s book, marking his page, turned off the lights and closed the door behind her gently.