Classroom Crashers
|
Post by Okazaki Tomoya on Jan 13, 2012 3:03:45 GMT -6
The concern in her voice threw him off, and he struggled to maintain his composure as concern soon turned to panic. What was he supposed to say? Sunohara was the only person he knew who regularly skipped class, and even he had the awareness to comprehend what he was doing. Had she just wandered into the room and fallen asleep, completely unaware of her actions and, by extension, the consequences? Taking a moment to think on it, he could clearly see the image in his head - but that did little to help belay her concerns.
Even while struggling to formulate a response, the growing cloud of unrest refused to allow him any peace of mind. She would find out eventually. Even if she were to neglect making the connection on her own, the rumors would eventually reach her ears. How would she react? Would she avoid him? Attempt to change him? Or, perhaps worst of all, would she simply choose to ignore his presence? It didn't seem likely, but it wouldn't be the first time he had witnessed a sudden, and unexpected, change in a person he thought he understood.
The sharp ring of wood hitting wood brought him back to reality as an over eager voice commanded him to become a ninja. Of all things. A ninja. The moment the word "Ninja" had entered his mind an idea had sprung into his mind. His devious mind went to work and in a matter of seconds he had devised a plan to achieve all of his goals in one fell swoop. With a short nod he diverted his attention to the empty desk nearest him
"We split up, you take the left - I'll take the right. Our destination is the cafeteria. Remember, you must not be caught or noticed. If an adult attempts to apprehend you you will have no choice but to flee or eliminate them. You won't be safe until you hit the cafeteria, and even then you must be careful not to arouse suspicion."
As he spoke he used the desk as an imaginary map and his forefinger as a tool to map out a route through the school's layout. Before she had time to respond or react he looked up with fierce, but excited, eyes and exclaimed:
"You have your mission - now go!" [/blockquote]
|
|
|
Post by Yasuda Erina on Jan 26, 2012 4:59:41 GMT -6
The words came in a sudden wave, and impulse took hold of her before common sense could interfere. Having received her assignment, her eyes lit up with fierce resolve, and she gave a firm nod before darting out the door, back to the wall. Her head snapped back and forth, checking for potential threats as she made her way down the hallway of destiny. Soon, sustenance would be within reach.
But one’s destiny was never so easily attained.
Erina froze, plastered to the wall, as the scuffle of footsteps became apparent from just around the corner. Eyes wide and heart pounding, she began to retreat, shuffling back to the classroom as quickly yet quietly as she could, but the sound continued to draw near. What was she supposed to do if she ran into a teacher?!
If an adult attempts to apprehend you, you will have no choice but to flee or eliminate them.
Eliminate? Wait, did that mean kill? She’d get in trouble for sure! Wouldn’t that ruin the point of all this sneaking business? What was Okazaki thinking?
“We can’t just eliminate people, Okazaki-sempaaaaiiii~!” she squeaked, before quickly clapping her hands over her mouth.
It was too late. Their cover was blown.
|
|
|
Post by Okazaki Tomoya on Jan 26, 2012 17:09:11 GMT -6
He thought he could hear the desperate cry of a creature in need - a cry of a younger student calling out for her sempai...how sad, he could only wonder if her, most likely embarrassed, sempai had answered her call. In the meantime, he had slipped out the door soon after she had dashed out herself, casually walking in the opposite direction and descending down the stairs. The silence which pervaded the halls around him could only mean one thing - class was in progress. It didn't take long for him to reach the empty lunchroom, but as soon as he did he felt a sense of unease at the lack of her presence. Not only had she taken off before him, but had done so at a much faster pace - there was no way he could have missed her. He pondered the possibilities. Had she been distracted? Unlikely, he had, perhaps unintentionally, instilled a blind determination that had no time for meaningless distractions. Had she chickened out? Or perhaps she wa-
The thought came to him in a chilling rush as he remembered how, only moments ago, an unknown female voice shouted a plea for the world to hear. She wouldn't. She would. He backtracked through the halls, working his way back up to the empty classroom through the route she should have taken. She wouldn't have shouted out for nothing...which likely meant she had been caught. He probably shouldn't have used the word "executed", but he didn't expect her to actually take that part seriously.... His pace quickened as he took the stairs two at a time - why was he panicking? Why did he care?
Any thoughts he had had after that moment melted away as he saw the girl, with her bowed head and distant eyes, silently listening to, what was likely a lecture on skipping class, from a teacher he didn't know. His feet moved on it's own, moving towards the pair without hesitation. The closer he approached, the clearer the instructors voice was, until, eventually, he could easily understand the speech in its entirety, hearing the words "disappointment", "failure", and "shame" among all else, each, no doubt, hammering there weight into her as she wordlessly accepted them without complaint or argument. He tightly clenched his right hand into a fist, letting his rage pass over him, before relaxing and stating out-loud, almost nonchalantly
"It wasn't her fault. It was mine." [/blockquote]
|
|
|
Post by Yasuda Erina on Jan 31, 2012 16:52:03 GMT -6
Erina remained quiet, wringing her hands and staring at her shoes as words of disapproval pierced through her like arrows. She’d been scolded before, certainly, but never like this. Napping in class had gotten her brief reprimands and rude awakenings, but her teachers would smile at her again by the end of the day. Timidly, she dared a quick, upward glance at the stern face above her. There was no kindness in her teacher’s eyes now. Did they always look at “bad kids” like that? Why would anyone misbehave if that were the case?
Perhaps all bad kids were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? Yes, that made sense. The delinquents of the world were not bad, simply unlucky! Ah, but that wouldn’t explain mean behavior… She’d need to work on this theory.
“It wasn’t her fault. It was mine.”
The sudden interruption made the freshman start, and she raised her bowed head to turn toward the speaker. Okazaki… had come back for her? The teacher seemed slightly taken aback by the arrival of a second misbehaving student, but shifted his critical gaze onto the young man as Erina watched cautiously, eyes darting between Okazaki and the authority figure beside her.
What was he trying to do? Take the blame? The realization made the girl’s eyes widen, and she shook her head violently, pigtails swinging back and forth. Okazaki had never owed her anything. He had been kind to her. A bit hard to understand sometimes, but kind nonetheless.
“I-I fell asleep!” she squeaked suddenly, turning back to the teacher with a desperate look on her face. “Okazaki-sempai doesn’t have sleep magic! I fell asleep on my own!” The teacher looked at her skeptically before gazing back at the boy, eyes narrowed. “I’ve heard of you, Okazaki,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Yasuda’s no delinquent, so I thought it was strange. Don’t go dragging down my students with you!”
Sensei had heard of Okazaki? Why would he drag her down? Erina looked at her upperclassman, mildly puzzled, but said nothing. [/size]
|
|
|
Post by Okazaki Tomoya on Feb 1, 2012 1:58:57 GMT -6
It became all too clear how grossly he had underestimated her ability to attain clairvoyance in a time of an actual crisis, and as pleasurable as it was to hear her come to his aid (a pleasure he very rarely experienced), it dismayed him all the same, as the pleasure would be short lived at best, as her ignorance would soon evaporate, filled only with the cold hard truth: He was a delinquent.
It was what he had been banking on from the start, for the teachers eyes glazed over with doubt as he shifted his stance from the defenseless freshmen beside him, to the frivolous senior across from him. It was the only logical response. Who in there right mind would act any different? Yasuda was too childish, too naive,and too innocent. She had the ability to melt a person's barriers within the first few moments of contact. Yet, perhaps uncharacteristically, the ease with which he had disillusioned the teacher disturbed him. Wasn't this what he had expected? Wasn't this what he had wanted? He had never much cared for the infamous title of 'delinquent' before(a title society had deemed sufficient for him), nor the consequences that followed in its stead...yet why did he feel so badly now? The answer was staring him in the face. Literally. Her puzzled eyes seemed to pierce his conscious as they searched for an answer. He had none.
With a shrug and a sigh he smiled ruefully, playing off the matter as a funny joke. Just another one of his pranks.
"What can I say? She caught me napping in a classroom and I convinced her it was nap time for the whole school. I know she's a freshmen, but is it really my fault she fell for such an obvious lie?"
By the time he reached the end of his contrived story his words had a bitter undertone to them, stemming, in equal parts, from his emotions and stream of thought. If she had already learned the truth about him he had no reason to hold back anymore - cutting off ties now was the quickest and easiest solution for all parties involved. The teacher, perhaps unable to refute his explanation, immediately prove he had indeed been skipping class, or simply intimidated by his change in tone, left him with a stern warning about corrupting "the future generation", informed the two of them to get to class immediately, and stalked off, clearly unsatisfied with how the situation had resolved itself.
Tomoya turned around without looking at her, walking off in the opposite direction as casually as he had walked away from the room just moments before. They hadn't been that close, not really...yet...why did he feel so conflicted? Maybe it was because her innocence, joy, and (likely most importantly) blind acceptance were so...refreshing. He could never admit to himself how alive he felt when he was in her presence, but at the very least he could recognize that it felt good to experience her love of life as wholly as she did. An experience he could only remember from memories long forgotten.
And yet...it was over. How could it not be? Her reaction to the possibility of being a "bad kid" was branded into his memory. How could he forget? More importantly, how could she? How could she ignore what was commonly accepted by the entire school? He only hoped his blatant disrespect for an authority figure had cleared any doubts in her mind, and that he wouldn't have to explain, in excruciating detail, the implications of the exchange that had occurred between them...he didn't want to be forced to watch the change in her face as the truth dawned on her...his imagination was potent enough.
|
|
|
Post by Yasuda Erina on Feb 5, 2012 4:00:13 GMT -6
Okazaki wasn’t making sense again. She continued to watch him, brow knit together in confusion as he told his strange story. That wasn’t what had happened at all. Why was he lying? Was he still trying to take the blame? Her eyes tried to meet his, searching for an answer somewhere in his half-hearted smile, but there was none to be found.
And why did he sound so… unhappy?
Erina’s gaze remained fixed on her upperclassman as the teacher left, still unsure what to make of the events that had transpired. Her teacher seemed to be under the impression Okazaki was no good, but that couldn’t be right. Okazaki wasn’t a bad kid. She was certain of it.
Well… Maybe he was a little bit mean. He hadn’t seemed to care about her hunger the last time they had met, and he said a lot of confusing things. Still, he had bought her lunch in the end (For reasons she still didn’t quite understand), and now he had taken a fall for her. She had tried to defend him, but he had immediately undone her effort. Bad people didn’t do things like that, did they? Though perhaps she hadn’t met enough of them (Or any for that matter) to really know.
She opened her mouth to question him, but he turned away, leaving her behind without a second glance as he began to make his way down the hall. How could he just leave? “W-wait!” she squeaked, hurrying after him. Ah, but teacher was expecting her in class. She glanced back down the hallway toward her homeroom, her anxiety building as her mind played a cruel game of tug-of-war, flitting back and forth between speaking to Okazaki and returning to her desk to avoid further trouble.
“Okazaki-sempai!” She fell into step behind him, still desperately searching for words. There was no time. It had to be quick. What could she possibly say? “Um, um… Thank you, Okazaki-sempai! You’re really, really nice!” She turned to look back at her classroom once again, growing nervous as it became smaller with each step she took. Quickly, quickly! What else?
“I’m going to repay you for sure!” she added hastily. Yes, that was it. That was what she had wanted to say. Her upperclassman had taken care of her. She wanted to show her appreciation, in some way or another. But what should she… The flyer caught the girl’s eye as they walked past it, and her mind latched onto the idea immediately. “Let’s go to the Founder’s Festival! I’ll buy you food and everything!”
Grabbing the boy’s arm to stop him, she gave him a serious look. “You have to go, okay? Or I’ll be really, really sad!” Her face scrunched itself into a pout, as if to emphasize this. [/size]
|
|
|
Post by Okazaki Tomoya on Feb 6, 2012 4:47:19 GMT -6
It was strange. It was all too strange. He had met the girl on only one other occasion before...yet...here he was, walking away from her as if he were simply a poorly designed character on a day time drama after having received seemingly terrible news from whatever contrived plot he seemed to be a part of. As apathy begin to dull his emotions, his reasoning followed suit. He didn't know anymore...he didn't care anymore. He had simply gotten carried away is all...but before he could shift his thoughts to more meaningless prospects, such as where he should wander off to for a quiet nap, or if Sunohara had bothered to show up to school yet, her voice interrupted his thoughts.
He froze, contemplating if it was worth the effort. She, by some cosmic stretch of the imagination, still couldn't grasp the fact that he was "bad kid". He was the definition of what she didn't want to become. So much for 'underestimating her ability to attain clairvoyance'. Society commanded him to stay, but when had he ever paid attention to the rules of etiquette and manners? He was a delinquent after all. He continued walking, still maintaining his casual pace in the slim hope it would discourage her from following.
Fate seemed to be conspiring against him as she fell into step behind him, calling for him once again, this time by name. The question was inevitable, and he had no choice but to confront her directly. He opened his mouth to expl-wait. Did she just thank him? He was at a loss for words as she complimented him and then promised to pay him back....wait...what? All of a sudden the roles were reversed, and he was lost in thought as he struggled to reassess his position.
It wasn't that she had forgiven him...instead she was simply unaware of what had just happened...and apparently didn't care to know. As he listened to her words with a placid face, his raised eyebrow was the only indication that he was listening to her words with any interest. He was still focused on the fact that she still didn't care to know what had just occurred to secure her freedom.
It wasn't until she grasped his arm with a delicate, but firm, grip that he was forced to halt his pace. Her words suddenly gained a new clarity that had evaded him before, and he was forced to contemplate the full implications of her invitation. His mind beseeched him to leave, but wouldn't let go until she had an answer...
Unfortunately for him, her expression could not be denied. With a heavy sigh his pent up emotions left him all at once, leaving nothing but quiet resignation behind.
"When and where?"
|
|
|
Post by Yasuda Erina on Feb 8, 2012 5:39:05 GMT -6
When and where? She hadn’t thought of that… But that meant he was going to go, right?
Erina’s face lit up, and she released the boy’s arm to clap her hands together excitedly. Of course he would go. It was a festival, after all. He probably would have gone anyway. Now he could have fun there with a new friend and get some free food! Why had she ever doubted his answer?
“Let’s meet by the gate then!” she chirped, momentarily forgetting her anxiety to get to class. “Ten o’ clock! If you forget, you won’t get your food, and that would be sad~” She giggled, then gave her upperclassman another bright smile before suddenly letting out a panicked squeak. “Ah, I have to go!”
Immediately, she turned and dashed back down the hallway, a flurry of wavy brown hair, but slowed down as she approached her homeroom. Looking back at Okazaki, she held up both hands and wiggled her fingers. “Ten o’ clock!” she repeated with a firm nod, then darted into the room.
It had been a hectic day. Catching her teacher’s eyes, she offered a nervous grin and shuffled to her seat. Still, excluding the terror of being stopped in the hall and all the trouble that had ensued, it had been… kind of fun. A little scary, but fun.
And Okazaki… He was a good friend, wasn’t he? Thinking back on it, she vaguely recalled the third year saying something silly about not being a good sempai the first time they had met. Perhaps he had seemed just a little mean then… But he certainly wasn’t a bad sempai! He had taken care of her twice now. Why had her teacher said such weird things?
He made it sound like Okazaki was one of those bad kids.
But bad kids were bad and Okazaki was nice. The teacher must have just been confused. Smiling to herself, Erina let the thought go, choosing instead to think about the upcoming festival and the joy it would bring. She only hoped it would be enough to express her gratitude.
~End [/size]
|
|
|
credits
Clannad is a product of Key. Dango Daikazoku holds no legal rights or claims to the images or the characters that are used on the site. No materials on this site are used for commercial purposes.
Site code provided by ProBoards and modified by Karu. Skin created by Karu. Site created by Whammy of RPG-D. Please do not copy without consent.
Site banner made by Pixiv id 13750517.
Background image by Cynnalia-stock.
Cafeteria image by Pixiv id 202175.
|
|