Part 1 A twelve year old Hatsumi stared out the open window of her room. There was a soft breeze that caused the curtains to billow in and out gently but the teenager paid that very little attention. Her thoughts were on Hazuki, the mysterious woman who would simply appear out of the blue to visit and then disappear just as suddenly. The older woman had never spoken more than just a few words to blonde girl but Hatsumi could always feel the intensity behind the seemingly cold blue eyes that bore into her own when Hazuki said anything to her. Hatsumi shivered in remembrance of several such occasions. Azuma Hazuki was a puzzle to her. Shimura had told her they story of how Hazuki had found her, adopted her and then placed her in the kind older woman's care but somehow she knew there was something not quite right about all of it. Why would Hazuki do such a thing? Something like taking in a child but not try and raise or even seem to care about her? More important than that, why was it that while she loved Shimura who had looked after her all this time did she feel so much stronger a feeling towards a woman she hardly knew beyond the fact that she paid for her upbringing? Hatsumi furrowed her brow in thought, something that made her high forehead even more prominent than usual. The serious air of melancholy around her dark-haired benefactor never changed, she was always sad. For as long as she could remember Hazuki had been like that. Actually for as long as she remembered, Hazuki had always been the same... She had noticed it as she was growing up how with each birthday, she grew taller and her body changed but for Hazuki, that had stopped. It wasn't a case of her being an adult and not growing. It was that she never aged at all. The real surprise though, was that it didn't really even surprise her. Something in her had accepted this as how things were supposed to be. Footsteps coming from below disturbed her from her reverie and looking down through the window, she was startled to see the very subject of her thoughts making her way up to the front of the house. Hatsumi quickly scrambled from the window seat and straightened herself up before practically hurtling down the stairs so that she could be the one to reach the door before Shimura. She knew that if she didn't then Hazuki would most likely not even greet her before holing herself up in the study with her caretaker. She didn't even wait for the knock on the door before she flung it open and came face to face with a rather surprised Hazuki who had her hand raised with the intention of knocking. "Hatsumi... you are quick." The young blonde nodded and smiled brightly up at the taller woman. "I saw you coming from the window. I think Aunt 'Mura has just stepped out for a moment, she should be back soon." She stepped aside so that Hazuki could enter the house and pulled out a new pair of house slippers from the shoe cabinet for their guest. Her heart was thumping against her chest like crazy and Hatsumi had to take in a quick breath to calm herself down again. "Why don't we go into the living room to wait? I-I'll bring in some tea." At Hazuki's curt nod, she hurriedly scurried ahead to the living room. Making sure the tall woman was seated and fairly comfortable, Hatsumi went into the kitchen to make the tea. The sound of the kettle being filled, cabinets being opened and the tinkling of teacups were soon heard coming from the kitchen as the young girl bustled about preparing the tea. As Hazuki sat there waiting she couldn't help but think how Hatsumi was growing up. To Hazuki it sometimes seemed that time passed all too quickly and yet there were times that it seemed to flow excruciatingly slowly. The twelve year-old was getting closer and closer to how she remembered Hatsumi before. The then older girl had never been very tall and this Hatsumi was just lacking in those final couple of inches before catching up with her former self. The child Hatsumi was, Hazuki realized, was growing into a woman. xx "Yaa... She's done it again!" A peeved Ririsu whined loudly to the musty book filled stacks of the great library. Indeed, apart from an overweight yellow canary with a Kansai accent, she was the only living being in the library. "Ooh, that Eve has done it this time! She promised that she wouldn't leave me behind alone again! Idiot big forehead endowed girl!" Ririsu knew exactly which series of book contained worlds to check first for her wayward little sister. "No, no, no... Oh, Hazuki in a swimsuit... oops, I guess I shouldn't be getting sidetracked... although I still think she'd look better in a two-piece..." Ririsu continued to search through the series until she came across one that she thought could be it. "Hmph when I get my hands on you then you're toast, you brat! Ken-chan! I'm leaving things here up to you, okay? Don't mess up!" "Ririsu, wait! You ca—" Before the chubby bird could finish protesting, Ririsu was gone in a burst of sparkles. "Dammit." I was unable to find that beta but I thought I would just post what I had so far until I got the inspiration to write more or something to prod me enough work. I will be re-watching Yamibou when I have the time and hopefully that will get me writing again.
Back to Growing Pains Index - Back to Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction