HSV : My Fiery Angel

The first time I saw him was sixteen years ago. Haru and I heard sounds coming from the dojo; loud, grunting sounds. We were curious, like any three year old child would be. Our father had left earlier in the day and Hikaru was taking a nap, so of course we thought the noise meant Hade was home.

We were right.

Hade was home. And he'd brought over a boy that I had never seen before. A boy with bright red hair that reached just below his shoulder blades. It looked weightless, as the long shiny tresses lifted and spun in the air, while the little boy gracefully moved over the newly polished wooden boards. It was like a dream. The boy's lithe body seemed to glide through the air as he advanced on Hade, who spun and posed and made funny faces at his two younger siblings. I giggled along with Haru, as Hade did his usual showboating, but my eyes never left the boy with the red hair. He was so pretty. Like a fiery haired angel, or a fairy performing an elegant dance. To this day that image of him remains vividly in my thoughts.

"Aki-nee?” a jab at my side brought me out of my childhood memories. “What's wrong?”

"Huh?” I turned to find my younger sister Ayumi looking up at me with a worried expression. Around the small round table in the quaint little pastry shop, Tento and our cousin Kiyomi had equally concerned expressions. “W-what? Why-why would you think that?” I was stumbling over my words and I wasn't quite sure why. Inhaling deeply I shook my head and calmed myself. “I'm fine. Sorry.” I smiled, hoping that would be enough to ease their minds and get us back to the conversation we'd been having before my eyes drifted and found those familiar red locks...

"You seem distracted, Aki-chan,” Kiyomi point out.

I shook my head again, trying to laugh it off. From the arched brows looking back at me I could tell they weren't buying it. Thankfully the waiter returned with our tea. “This tastes funny,” Tento cringed. She sniffed the peach-flavored tea as if that would explain why it was the flavor was off.

"It's the pink waters,” Ayumi grumbled. Kiyomi and I nodded. It was the pink waters. They were everywhere. They were infecting everything.

The pink waters had been affecting everyone in the last few weeks. Hade had received his punishment for it, or at least a scolding. Really, the Mikokage was much too easy on him sometimes.

"It's all his fault,” I sighed. Around me the other girls nodded. No one needed explaining as to who I meant. But what they didn't understand was that I wasn't just talking about the pink waters. It was the effect of the pink waters that was bothering me. Specifically, the effects I'd been feeling since first discovering the bright coloring of the rivers. I could feel it inside of me, the intoxicating warmth that dulled my senses. This immense feeling of bliss and giddiness. A fog that clouds the mind and heightens turbulent emotions.

"Kobiru-chan?” My blood instantly ran cold at hearing my name. It's not my name. Not really. It's all our names. And yet, the familiar warm friendly tone, that soft gentle way that danced through the air... I knew it was mine. Just from the tender way it was said, I knew, that name belonged only to me.

Turning to face him, I could feel my cheeks heat up. “Gosai-sempai.” My heart began to beat erratically. It wasn't the first time this happened. I didn't quite understand it then; didn't realize it was the waters, didn't know what to make of it. But soon I pieced it together. The way the whole village was acting after the pink waters came to be, it wasn't hard to figure out.

"Hello,” he smiled, greeting the others. But his eyes never left me. Hot and cold ran up and down my spine at the same time as I stared into his deep purple eyes. It was wrong. I knew it was wrong. I couldn't reconcile the feelings inside of me with what my mind was telling me. Gosai? Gosai was my brother's teammate, my brother's friend. He was a man I looked up to almost all my life. Someone I admired and respected. But that was it. He was Gosai. An old family friend.

So why did I feel this way? Why did I feel like I wanted to - “No!”

"No?” sharp purple eyes stared at me questioningly. “Well, perhaps some other time.” His shoulders slumped as he said those words. I hadn't realized he'd been talking, that he said something to me. Around the table, the other girls looked at me imploringly. Ayumi seemed less interested, but the other two looked almost as if they pitied the poor Byakko swordsman and he turned to walk away.

"Wait!” I grabbed his arm before he could leave. The heat of his skin burned against my flesh, and for a moment I forgot what I wanted to say. Why? Why did it feel like this? “umm... maybe a little later?” I offered, though not sure exactly what I was agreeing to. The girls would tell me later, I was sure of it.

He smiled in response, nodding his agreement. “I look forward to it, Kobiru-chan.”

"Me too...” I smiled back. I meant it too. Though I had no idea what I had just agreed to, I was looking forward to it. It was telling actually, feeling an excitement for something I had yet to figure out.