Haruji was uncertain whether he felt flustered due to the fact that he bumped into someone, or simply relieved that it was a man and not a woman; nevertheless, he kept his head down whilst apologising, his eyes slightly closed, his face red out of humiliation.
āNo worry about it, kid,ā
Haruji opened his eyes, recognising the voice, and saw the face of Ichirou Sohma up close to his, the Rabbit Zodiac member was given such a fright to warrant staggering back a step or two. Not that Ichirou was scary in the least, of course, no; however Haruji did not expect it to be the person he just so rudely bumped into. As Ichirou began to get to his feet, Haruji began to regain his composure, unsure what to do other than make sure he looked presentable.
āHaru!ā Ichirou began, the fall not spoiling his mood in the slightest, it seemed.
āIchirou-kun!ā Haruji sputtered, his face a mixture of happiness and surprise, however whatever he wished to say was cut off by his cousin squeezing his face, as if he was a doting grandfather greeting his grandson. Haruji didnāt complain, however; it could have been a lot worse, and it was good to see Ichirou, especially since he survived the accident with no qualms. He seemed rather fine, in fact, and as lively as ever, towering above Haruji, despite the fact that both were in their early twenties.
āWhat are you doing zoning out here! Thatās dangerous for a soft little guy like you.ā Ichirou began, after the face-pinching. However Ichirou did ask a good question; what was Haruji thinking, zoning out there? In his rush he neglected his surroundings and, thus, endangered not only himself but the Sohma name.
āSorry Ichirou-kun; I guess I was in a hurry, and kinda didnāt pay attention at all, hehā¦ā Haruji responded, giving a sheepish grin whilst flattening out his messy-hair. However it seemed like Ichirou was in a world of his own, slipping into a contemplative state that made Haruji take a step closer to his cousin, with a quizzical expression. Sometimes, of the odd occasions Haruji did actually meet up with Ichirou, he often seemed to be doing such, especially in the park; as if he was in a deep state of thinking.
āIchirou-kun?ā Haruji asked, waving a hand in front of Ichirouās face, receiving the response of āāMaybe Iām just being narrow minded,ā in return. Haruji was unsure what to think of this, so instead of words, Haruji gave Ichirou an uncertain smile; bright and big, yet slightly confused on what Ichirou had stated. Ichirou gave a gingerly smile of his own, realising that, whatever he said did not quite fit the conversation and hustled on to change the topic.
āSo are you heading to the Sohma Estate? I was hoping to get some fresh air and hang out with Yuuto, but I have a feeling something is going to happen.ā
At the mention of the Sohma Estate, Harujiās face lit up, as if he just remembered what he was rushing for in the first place, however his expression somewhat dimmed at the proposition of āsomething happeningā. Haruji was never a fan of conflict, nor was he an expert by any means; he was usually the one in the background, meekly trying to find a middle-ground, even if both oppositions denied that there was any.
āYeah, Iām heading to the estate just now! Although, last time I checked on Yuuto he was a bit, uh, busy, so he might be a bit late butā¦ but you donāt think something will happen, right?ā
Harujiās expression darkened ever so slightly once more, into a small frown, as if he never considered the dangers of wandering into the estate and the issues that could be brought up. Hiiro was pregnant, with lone motherhood a potential future. Yuuto disdained the Family Head to the point of pure hatred. Haruji was a bit oblivious and, if not a bit, ignorant to never realise the dangers of waltzing in with an innocent mindset. His small frown almost developed into a rare large one, however Ichirouās continued dialogue distracted Haruji a bit more.
āI just hope itās a blessing and not another curse.ā
The optimism in the statement, although laced with a bit of pessimism, lightened Haruji a bit more. The Family Meetings shouldnāt always be feared; sometimes it was good to meet up with everyone again. Whether Ichirou meant it like that or not, it brought a big smile to Haruji, as he seemed to perk up in less than a second. Before Haruji could interject, however, Ichirou carried on.
āWe should have a bonfire or something Haru! We can have everyone come! That way we can get to know each other more! What do you think?!ā
Harujiās face was similar to a childās when confronted with sweets at a candystore; the notion of a bonfire brought on the notion of barbeque, and barbeques meant cooking, which meant good food to him.
āIchirou-kun, that is the best idea ever!ā Haruji exclaimed and, in excitement, began to run down the path of Ichirou, stopping after a step or two āCome on! We have to tell the others!ā
It was difficult to negotiate with someone whose eyes seemed to sparkle right in front of you, and was also almost skipping down the road ahead of you. It was difficult not to think of Haruji as a young high-schooler interacting with his much older cousin; his own flimsy expressions and behaviour was quite childish. Despite Harujiās innocent demeanour, however, he himself quite understood his actions, almost accepting that the world seemed a bit brighter by acting bright...
Miuru, herself, felt a bit suspicious of the Family Head Aiko Sohma; from what she had heard, he was suppose to beā¦ well, not polite and welcoming into his abode, that was for sure. Keikoās behaviour was quite suspicious also, yet Miuru had yet to comment on it. For all she knew, this was the norm, and said normality was nothing that her opinion should oppose upon. Unless they started blood sacrifices in the middle of the lounge together, Miuru did not concern herself with how they held themselves; at least they let her in to begin with. After all, it was her own fatherās silliness that caused her presence, which was equally as suspicious; she wondered how longed he planned for this meeting, or if at all; maybe he was losing his mind, and she did not even know about it. Whatever the case was, Miuruās current cause was to find the notebook and survive whatever meeting was occurring; it could have been worse, honestly, to Miuru.
"Excellent. Perhaps I can serve as your guide through the house for the time being while we search for said item and discuss various topics. Naturally as it is your first time here you must be unfamiliar with the setting, no doubt a hindrance to finding this possession belonging to your father."
He did speak an awful lot, despite the fact that Miuru spoke so little. Whatever, he was going to provide her a guide, if not through someone else; she could nosey around a bit for the lost item, at leastā¦ The only bit that concerned her was the ādiscuss various topicsā sections. Miuru was not so lost in her own psyche not to establish the solid fact that she was flawed in conversation skills. However the Family Head seemed ever so eager to speak, if not even a bit, and Miuru found little ground to refuse a little chat at least.
āThank you for cooperationā¦ā Miuru noted, pushing the bridge of her spectacles up her glasses, her behaviour formal, rigid and her ordinary, in regards to Miuruās interactions. The Dog Zodiac member obientant tailed along the Family Head as he began to motion further in the foyer, Keiko still curiously in her spot, deserving another blank stare from Miuru. It did not seem she was joining them on the tour either, as Aiko requested her to āwelcome the other members insideā before turning once more into the house, permitting Miuru with words and indications that she was welcomed there in a sense. His welcoming, although warm in one aspect, seemed quite awkward, in the least, as if Aiko was rowing against the tide.
Miuru didnāt seem to care much, however, about this, and it meant little whether he was smiling or frowning, laughing or shouting at her; if he was willing to let her get inside to retrieve the item, that was enough for her. Not even Aikoās note of āgetting lostā in the house stir any remarks on Miuruās empty face, as she simply lay her eyes on the smaller cousin of hers, her face hard to read beyond āindifferentā.
āIā¦ I shall not stray.ā Miuru confirmed with a nod, following Aiko into the house, her eyes scanning the area around her āIā¦ simply wish to findā¦ notebookā¦ā
It seemed like that was the only description Miuru had for her fatherās lost item; ānotebookā. She had a feeling that she would know it once coming across it, and hoped that no one had been going through it. Miuru had yet to figure out what was concealed within this secret notebook and, although Miuru had no solid ideas, she was beginning to slowly realise what may lay within it. It was either a registry of medicines and dosages given to patients orā¦ no, he was not stupid enough to bring it outside of his house, Miuru hoped. This made her eyes seem all the more livelier in comparison to her face, searching as though there was something to be hid...