Chapter 5: House and Home

She picked herself up and stormed off. I sprang up and took her trail. She wasn’t fast enough to walk away from me so easily much of the credit could go to the boy she was taking with her. He seemed to be helpless without her firm grip on his wrist. He even stumbled once or twice and had to be held still by Sango.

“Hey, wait up!” I called her from behind, my legs breaking into a jog. Soon I was right in front of her. No, I didn’t block her path or something. I just went ahead of her and turned back to give her a smile.

“C’mon, I said I’m sorry, didn’t I?” I put my hands into my pockets and again put up a smiling face.

She didn’t seem to like my gesture a bit. The frown on her face bore testimony to that.

“Get lost!” she growled.

I just couldn’t do as she had wished me to.

“I’m not leaving unless you accept my apology.” I gave her one of innocent smiles again.

I noticed her frown disappear for a while but it was soon back again. It was an artificial scowl that she wore. I’m positive, I mentally backed my own assumption.

“Why are you sorry?” She asked angrily, still growling like a fierce tigress.

Tigress or whatever, she was my War Goddess, only that. I smiled as a result of that thought.

“You slapped me back then so that must mean I did something to your dislike and for that I am terribly sorry, Sango.”

It felt nice while pronouncing the syllables of her name. I noticed a change in her face. For a moment it seemed as if she smiled or tried hard but failed to hide one.

“Something to my dislike?” Her eyes widened and eye brows raised and the next moment she was yelling at me. “You had your filthy hands at my bum! I. Did not. Like. That. A. Bit.”

My dear Sango, you look so cute when you are angry. The smile on my face seemed permanent at that moment. It took some pain to keep that up though. My cheeks were still burning from that painful hand contact of hers.

I was lost for a moment until her last words snapped me out of my reverie.

“I won’t tolerate the same thing next time!” She warned me but something about her warning was not quite right...it didn’t look like a warning at all. It seemed to be some sort of advice, more of a friendly one than anything else.

“So you’re sure that we’re meeting again?” I teased her, the smile and wink ever present in my face.

That caught her off guard.

“Umm, uhh, it’s nothing like that,” a tinge of pink slowly formed on her cheeks. “I’m certain we won’t be meeting again...” The words didn’t sound too direct. Not to my ears at least.

“Oh yes we will meet again, Sango.” I said, grinning. “You and I go to the same school if I’m not wrong.”

She tried to say something but seeing her fumbling for words, I took over.

“I saw you at the corridor in the 2nd floor the other day. You were staring out of the window.” I began, smiling like I did before. “What were you doing there by the way?”

She looked stunned for a while but soon regained her composure and answered my questions. “Obviously, I was having a look at the cherry blossom tree.”

“But it’s not yet time for that, Sango.”

“I know it isn’t but what’s the harm in staring when you have no better work to do?”

“No harm at all.”

“So if your investigation is over then I’d like to leave.”

“Oh sure, of course, I don’t want you two to be kept waiting when you might have nicer things to do. I’m sorry for holding you back this long.” I looked at the guy, he tried to say something but without paying any heed I turned to my subject of interest: Sango.

I jumped out of her way at the instant my eyes fell on her face. I swear it was scarier than even Ms. Brookes’. (Ms. Brookes was worse than devil himself!)

“He’s my brother, Kohaku, idiot.” She pulled his arm and dragged him all the way to the turning of the road, where she turned right and walked away, disappearing from my line of sight.

At least she doesn’t have a boy friend. I sighed in relief.

“Hey, Houshi, what happened? Why did she run off like that?” Koga inquired as he, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru came running towards me.

“Feh, he must’ve tried to rape her.” Inuyasha said with a shrug.

Their words didn’t affect me a bit. My life sucked and was boring only because I didn’t know what to do. But now I do know what I have to do. Sango, I have to make her mine.

My friends were asking too many questions and were getting annoyed when I wasn’t answering them. I was too busy figuring out what to do the next time I’d meet her...next time...school.

School! I snapped out of my sweet little dream as the sudden realization of school and in turn the exam that was due on Monday dawned upon me.

“Guys, I’m very sorry,” I bowed, lowering my head to almost my knees. “But I have to go home now.”

I hated these. But you ought to be polite and show respect to Sesshomaru. His presence demanded respect. Almost like a demon lord did!

“Houshi, it’s fine. We understand you have exams. You can go.” Sesshomaru gave a gentle pat on my shoulder.

Did the sun rise in the west, or north, or south? East was obviously the correct answer and that’s why it didn’t come to my mind then.

*****

The house – my home – was shrouded by darkness when I reached the front gate. Opening the gate, I entered the garden, no sign of life anywhere. The door leading to the inside of the building opened a while later. I opened it myself.

First thing that I did was to switch the lights on. Once that was done I headed straight for the phone to check if any messages were left or not. No one generally calls but still I checked. It was my hunch that someone would have called.

It turned out to be the truth. Someone did call and it was none other than my dear father, Mushin Houshi.

His message:

Miroku, I won’t be returning home for a few days. I’ve got plenty of office work to do. I’m sure you won’t die. I haven’t foreseen that yet. So don’t worry about it. There is money in the locker. If you need some then get them from there. There’s some beer in the fridge if you want to drink, you can. And Internet’s there for your mirth, so enjoy!

“The old geezer has nothing better to say?” I muttered under my breath and cursing I went to the bath room to have my bath.

After bathing, meditating, fantasizing and cursing, I finally sat down to study but the effect of alcohol still lingered and I dozed off. Too tired to do anything but sleep and I didn’t stop myself.

Tomorrow’s Sunday, enough to study for my exam the day after.

*****

Sango’s POV

Damn that guy! Who does he think himself to be!? Shivering with cold, I cursed and tried to keep myself warm by mentally picturing his face. Although I wanted resentful, hateful feelings to arise at his sight, somehow it didn’t. I turned the knob to stop the cold water from pelting on my bare body and stepped out of the shower. I grabbed a towel and drying my body with it I stood in front of the mirror. Then getting hold of another towel, I wrapped it around my wet hair to soak it dry.

As I brought the towel-wrapped hair on my right shoulder, my finger touched the old, dried up but not completely disappeared gash near my right shoulder. For a while my mind drifted back, breaking my own resolve, it showed me my past forcing me to see things which I didn’t need to...want to.

What I usually saw was a man in his forties, grey-black hair, tall and broad built frame, rough beard on the chin, jaw line and cheeks and blood shot eyes, holding a bottle of alcohol in one hand and a belt in the other and hurling constant abuses.

Then I’d see myself, in my knees, pleading, crying, trembling, and begging in front of him. I could also see my brother Kohaku, lying almost unconscious beside me, half-naked. His back turned upwards, showing red patches all over. I would soon suffer the same fate, only respite that I had was not to get my upper body bared. My father had only that much decency.

“Are you done yet, big sister?”

I was brought back to reality at the call of my little brother.

“Yes Kohaku.” I replied and wrapped the towel around my body and then opened the bath room door.

Kohaku was to have his bath. I quickly realized that he couldn’t do so on his own.

“Go on,” I said. “I’ll help you.”

I wrapped my towel tighter than it was previously and reached for Kohaku’s shirt.

“Big sister...”

I knew what that meant. The little boy was too shy to open his clothes in front of his sister. Even though it was she who had taken care of him since the day he was born.

“I’m your sister, Kohaku. You don’t have to be so shy in front of me.” I unbuttoned his shirt and let it slide along his slim hands and fall on the wet bath room floor.

He did protest but I turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to his timid protests.

After that there wasn’t much of a fuss. I gently rinsed his back with water and soap and had his hair shampooed. After everything was done, I dried him and got him dressed.

“Off you go, little one. It’s late, you must sleep now.” I ran my fingers along his hair.

“Big sister,” He began. “Although I can’t see anything, I know...I know that you don’t sleep in the bed. You sleep on the couch” He blankly stared at his feet. “So I was thinking if I slept in that couch tonight and you on the bed...”

“That’s ridiculous, Kohaku.” I dismissed the idea. “You have to meet Souta tomorrow you know. So you better sleep well tonight and Souta says Shippo will also be there with him. So kido better get sleeping.”

“But...”

“No Kohaku.”

I stopped the discussion and pulled him by his arm to his bed and helped him get up. The poor boy looked very much down and depressed and showed signs of protests through soft mutters but all ceased and he drifted off to a deep, peaceful slumber when I began caressing his forehead with my palm.

Seeing him soundly asleep, I traced back to the door and softly muttered good night and then gently closed the door as I left the room.

It was about time I got dressed in proper clothes and not just a towel. I went towards the dresser and began fumbling for my shorts and a tank top when I found them I quickly undressed and slid into them.

The dresser was giving up and it won’t be long before the entire thing broke down.

This wretched place is no good for us. I thought and then suddenly something from within me shot back. Was your previous place better than this?

I shuddered at the thought of yells, alcohol influenced rambles, beatings, abuses – all that were associated with my previous house – not home.

All I wanted was a family but God wasn’t that grateful to grant me one.

Random thoughts fleeted in and out of my mind. Not once did Miroku’s name come to my mind. Did I want it to? If so, then why?

But I didn’t want to think about it much. Didn’t have the energy to, so I decided it would be best for me to sleep.

Decision made and finalized and I slumped into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 4: The First Touch

It was her. I gazed at her for minutes which I didn’t count. But counting would have distracted me from something so admirable such as her. She was inside a building, no wind blowing, no fanning of hair and no loose strands to tuck over the ear. Yet the view was one of the most fascinating, if not THE most fascinating view I could ever manage to get.

Am a pervert after all, and being one, my eyes just won’t stop at the places they’re supposed to. An extra inch more visibility over her knees, below her beige skirt was one of the things which I wanted. But it wasn’t to be so. Neither was a peek into the V of her pink top was possible. Or it could’ve been but wasn’t so. My dear friends were obliging enough to snap me out of an exciting moment, which I might have thought to be exciting. Wasn’t it actually?

Damn the pervert in me! I cursed myself. Want her to be your girlfriend and yet, undress her in public, gross. I mentally reprimanded myself.

My friends at least helped me out of it. I hoped they’d get me out of my guilty feeling as well.

“What’re ye sweating out for?” Koga shrewdly asked.

“Nothing, nothing at all,” I gave him the false grin, wiping off the brine beads formed on my forehead. Dare I tell it to them, my days are bad already, don’t want them to be worse. “Why do you ask?” I structured the easiest question in my mind and placed it to him.

“Houshi, tell us one thing,” Sesshomaru placed his cola glass on the table rather roughly. “What were you gawking at?”

“Me and gawking?” I’d best not tell him anything about that. “I never gawked at any girl, not at the moment at least.”

“Did we even mention girl?” Inuyasha shot at me.

“No, you didn’t,” I replied. “But you often do. So, I canceled out the proposition beforehand.”

“That wasn’t an answer, but it doesn’t matter. We brought you here for the sole purpose of gawking,” He sipped from the glass again. “You can carry on.”

I’d better.

I resumed my work. This time more conscious over the other’s glancing at me. I knew Sesshomaru was having something at the back of his mind. But didn’t know what exactly he was planning.

I trained my eyes on the entire space in front of me wanting, craving, and dying for the sight of a figure draped in pink and beige.

To my ill luck, I didn’t find that figure.

I resumed eating, completed as the others did and then left the place along with the others.

“Where to go now?” Koga asked.

“Home,” I replied.

Man, I need to study, so please let me leave.

But it wasn’t to be so. It was hard to expect sympathy from Sesshomaru.

“We’re heading for a movie now. Then the arcade. Then home at night.” He glanced at me. “10 pm.”

I could only smile.

I'm a jerk! The thing called soul or whatever pinched me from inside.

*****

Entire day wasted. The most needed Saturday gone never to return again, for good.

For bad rather. My head was reeling from the alcohol which by Sesshomaru’s grace I had to drink. Worse, I was rambling like some drunken man. It wasn’t that they weren’t doing the same but I wasn’t used to alcohol as they were, and that made me feel a little out of place. They weren’t ranting words like, grope, and other unmentionables like I was. They were laughing at me, making me the butt of all jokes.

“Did ye all get me drunk just coz I didn’t tell ye about that chick I ogled at?” I blurted out.

It was alcohol which was speaking now. I wasn’t talking. No, not even for once.

“Oh, so it was ogling, not gawking?” Inuyasha grinned. I could see Sesshomaru and Koga chuckling.

“Yeah so what?”

“As long as she’s in your bed, it won’t matter. But please, Houshi, not at a public place.” The three broke into fits of laughter.

Will they never stop this? I’m sick of all these.

I turned away from them in disgust. Turned away for the better I should add. Coz SHE was there. I could see her angelic features again.

“So that’s your woman?” Inuyasha wore a smirk on his face. The others wickedly grinned.

“You can say that, though I don’t know her name yet. I will no doubt. Very soon.”

I didn’t know that harmless piece of overconfidence would give Sesshomaru some bait.

“Why don’t you claim her now?” Sesshomaru asked. I could see him hiding the wicked grin.

“Not now. I’ll later,” I replied. “When I’m in the mood to.” I added.

“But it seems she’s already occupied with another boy.” Inuyasha flung the piece of info at me.

I immediately turned towards her and saw a boy holding her hand.

What the fuck!? I shrugged off the influence of alcohol in me. I’m gonna sever the head of the bastard whoever he was.

She was on the other side of the road, waiting for the signal to change, I on the opposite side; I didn’t wait for her to cross over. I walked straight into the road. A few cars whizzed past me. No big deal. I told myself.

Upon reaching the other side I saw the girl getting surrounded by some goons.

Yeah they’ll at least teach that god-forsaken idiot with her some lesson. I thought and eagerly hoped for the boy to get beaten up.

The thugs surrounded her, mouthing all sorts of words that are characteristic to them. I thought of getting rid of them once they got rid of my SUPPOSED rival.

I waited for something to happen, my friends cheering me from the other side, waving their hands at me but nothing as such happened to my delight at least, except that one of the thugs, supposedly the head, got kicked at the chin, by the girl of all people.

I was left dumbfounded. My jaws dropped to my knees in surprise...no awe would be the better word.

The next thing I saw was the other goons tending to their boss and the girl I am interested in, walking away from the scene, towards me. I was so awestruck by the entire scene that I forgot to move away.

She was grumbling alright. And in doing so she didn’t notice me and bumped right into me, throwing me down on the ground, and falling on top of me.

Man, did I love it! That was the first touch I received from a girl.

The boy whoever he was seemed like a blind man to me for he didn’t say a thing seeing her lying on top of me. Not that I would’ve liked it if he had, it was odd nevertheless. He didn’t even look at both of us.

“Umm, excuse me...could you please--”

I couldn’t finish as suddenly a hard (I must mention, iron like) palm struck me on the cheek. My pale skin gave a scarlet glow at that place. Her beautiful hand which I wanted to hold so dearly, gave its imprint on my cheek.

The pain was for real but the experience surreal.

“The name’s Miroku.” I said.

Not the best of times to introduce.

“I’m sorry...” I later added

“Sango Taijiya.” She pulled herself up from me and walked off without any further word.

-------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: I wanted this to be better but it didn’t turn out to be so. :(

Anyway, if you’re reading this, please give comments. I’m no established writer. So not perfect. Not now anyway. So any help in editing or whatever will always be welcome. By the way, I forgot to mention that this will be a fanfic having character POVs. Am mentioning it now so don't complain in the future!

A/N2: Do not take me to be a pervert! The character is like that. Not the author.

Chapter 3: That Girl Again

“Yeah sure. But only after I’m done with you.” he winked.

Just fuck off will ya? I so wanted to yell at him.

“What do you want with me?” I asked instead.

“Nothing much. It’s just that...umm...let’s go out and have fun! Inu and Koga will also come along.” He smirked.

Pre-planned way of torturing a friend. I sighed.

“Where to go?” I asked listlessly.

“Let’s go to KFC. I heard some hot chicks are gonna be there. So you be rest assured that you’ll be occupied.” He grinned.

A good suggestion for a perv like me? Hell no! I have fallen for such tricks before. There are no women in places Sesshy takes me. He never takes me to places where he promises. Wherever he takes today, be it good or bad, one thing’s for certain that my entire day will get ruined. There’s no way in hell that I can go today.

“Opposing Sesshy?” I thought to myself.

Not too bright an idea, especially when dad’s around.

“You think a lot man! C’mon it’s just a day dammit!”

“Yeah Yeah whatever. Let’s go already.” I said.

Damn, I don’t want to! But if I refuse he’s gonna tell the whole darn thing about the previous test to dad. I’m in a fix!

“Get your dress on at least. Are you gonna go like this in front of girls? Man, you’re such an embarrassment!”

My house, my dress, my body, what the fuck is with him? What’s his damn problem even if I go nude? Those words are too manly for me at the moment.

“I’ll get changed in a moment. Wait up.” I had to settle for less manly words.

*****

“What’s up Inu? All ready? Yeah...we’ll be there in a few minutes...see ya.” I heard Sesshy speak over his phone.

In a few minutes? Jesus, there’s no KFC branch in two kilometers from our house! What does he mean by few minutes?!

“Bye bro!” he removed the cell from his ears and kept it back in his chest pocket.

“Where exactly are we going?” I asked him boldly, not fearing any consequences.

“To hell!” he laughed.

“What the-”

Fuck? Yeah, I was going to say that but couldn’t. My dear dad showed up in time and cut me off.

“Mir, I’m not gonna return home today. You can lock the door from inside when you return.”

“Okay.” I said.

Fuck you old geezer! I cursed in my mind.

He couldn’t read my mind so I needn’t have any fear. He left the house and after a while the growl of engine could be heard outside. And after a few moments everything became quiet.

“Hey Mir, how about Inu, Koga and me come over at your place tonight? Your dad won’t be here. So we can stay with you for the night.”

“No Sessh, I’ve got an exam on Monday. I gotta study. I’m going with you in the morning so I have to make up for it at night.”

I refused Sesshy! Oh god! What’s gonna happen to me?!

“It’s fine bro. I understand.”

“Am I dreaming or something?” I pinched my arm. It hurt me. “It’s for real!” My jaws dropped.

“What’s with that stupid expression man? Let’s go. We’re getting late.” He ordered.

Always the boss!

*****

It was KFC after all. It was my knowledge of current affairs that was at fault. Am always living in my fantasies!

“Have to start living in the real world from now on.” I thought to myself.

“Look, Houshi’s dreaming again.” Inuyasha pointed towards me.

“Feh! That boy is always like this.” Koga shrugged.

“Hey Mir, look at those chicks over there. They might boost your hormones a bit. You look very much in need of them.” Sesshomaru sipped from his glass of cola.

As usual. Nothing new in these. Sesshy, Inu and Koga are always like this. I think they’ve been like this since the beginning of time.

“You said some time thingy?” Sesshomaru enquired.

What!? Was I thinking out loud!?

“Muh. Why would I say that?” I concentrated on my own glass of cola.

“Must’ve been something else then.” Sesshomaru looked away from me.

Phew! What a relief!

We finished our colas. We got some fried chicken ordered. In some moments the food arrived and we began to eat.

The guys chatted with each other all the while. I on the other hand, gazed at my food and some women who happened to pass by having some skimpy clothes on.

Wow! A girl gang! I shoved down the food using the extra power that looking at those girls generated within me.

“Hey, Inu, isn’t that Kikyo?” I heard Koga saying that to Inuyasha.

I looked at them and then looked at the direction Koga pointed at.

She is Kikyo! What?! Who’s that other guy?

“Kikyo’s two timing Inuyasha?!” I was shocked.

After all that lovey-dovey thingy in school I get to see this! Man, where’s the world come to?

“That guy is Naraku, isn’t he?” Sesshomaru sarcastically asked Inuyasha.

We don’t need your sarcasm now! I wanted to say that but before I could open my filled up mouth, Inuyasha opened his.

“I’ll kill that bastard!” Inuyasha growled.

“Calm down bro. Let’s see first what relationship those two have. It might not be what you think, you know.” Sesshomaru calmed down his brother for the moment.

Kikyo and Naraku escaped my view and I turned away from their direction to my food. But immediately like a reflex action I turned back.

It’s that girl! I’m dead certain it’s her!

Chapter 2: Wanderer

I must’ve slept for an eternity!

Yawning, I woke up. I saw the empty, dark room. No trace of any human over here except me.

I got up from my bed, opened my shirt, trousers, got hold of a towel, opened the bed-room door, walked downstairs and entered the bathroom.

Stripping to my boxers won’t do any harm because no one except me was there in the house. Dad was in his office. He’ll be late. So I found out from the small chit struck on the bathroom door.

I turned the tap and let the warm water fill up the tub.

Damn that bitch! She’s got me burdened with that stupid exam again.

“Why am I cursing her? It’s my bad luck after all.” I sighed. “My life sucks dammit!”

Immersing my body in the warm water of the tub I let my mind wander into the worlds known only to me.

Wandering through such worlds my mind finally anchored in the world called ‘women’.

Am in the bathroom now, so no worries!

“People don’t call me perverted, I wonder why?” I asked myself for about ten times. Didn’t get any answer so dropped the issue.

I shut my eyes and sank my head within the water of the tub, made a few bubbles in the water and being bored of it I brought it out.

That brown-haired girl, who was she?

The question was probably a result of boredom. Or was it something else?

She was cute, beautiful...umm...on the fringes of sexy, she had a nice body; legs, long and slender, buttocks, not too big, well rounded and chest, curvy, woman-like...or...perfect. Yeah bodily she was perfect.

“Did I really see all these in that short time? Or am I just imagining the stuffs? Must be imagining.” I controlled my wild imaginations even when they were allowed in the bathroom.

Whatever it is I must find out who she is. Am in high-school now so I need a girlfriend!

“She fits in perfectly!” I assured myself.

*****

I think I need to study now. I walked up to my bookshelf, brought out a book having a brown cover and a brand-new feel to it. “MACBETH” written by “WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE” the cover showed.

The guy wanted to make some money probably. Did they need to make us study this? Wasn’t it just for entertainment? I’d often thought of writing a book and publishing it. Publishing a book like this will surely make me a rich man. Then there will be no school, no studies so no hassles! A happy life I’ll get to live. A free life.

“Impossible!” I scolded myself.”Whatever you want ain’t gonna happen. So, buck up and get studying! You’ve got an exam to pass.”

Definitely I need to pass. I will study. I must study. I have to study. I repeated in my mind for maybe ten times and then finally opened the ... not god-forsaken book.

First page went down in a flash, second one faster than before, third one even faster, fourth one at the speed of rocket! Man, am I studious! Ten pages down with elan. I think I’ll finish off the book today.

“Man proposes god disposes.”
Our head’s words suddenly wandered into my mind.

“Why did that thing pop up suddenly?” I thought to myself.

I wondered and wondered and wondered and the more I wondered the more my mind wandered.

I’m gonna be wasted at this rate.

*****

“Wake up, you idiot!” A distant voice it seemed at first.

A sergeant shouting to his soldier perhaps?

“Get your butt off that soft bed of yours!!” Another shout.

Soldiers get SOFT beds to sleep on?

“Your friend’s here!! Your friend, Sesshomaru is here!”

“S-S-S-S-Sesshomaru!!!” I leaped out of the bed, ran out of the room, pulling my shirt on, but as I reached downstairs I met him.

Gods, I didn’t need this now! I hardly studied yesterday. I need to today!

“Hey Mir, what’s up?”

The bastard’s smiling. He knows I have a test. He came to disturb me. Definitely!

“Damn you to hell man!” I muttered under my breath.

Chapter 1: The Brown-haired Girl

“...Lady Macbeth was the reason behind Macbeth’s downfall. Is this statement true?”

There we go again. Wasn’t it yesterday that Ms. Brookes asked the same question? Seriously, what’s gotten into her?

“Miroku Houshi, can you please give us the answer?”

Oh gosh! Not me of all people! C’mon don’t you get any other name to call? No, obviously, I didn’t say that.

“I don’t know the answer.” I flatly said, looking straight at her, no wandering eyes whatsoever.

“Then please go and grace the corridors.” She didn’t show a bit of anger like she usually does.

I nodded and walked out of the class. I could see some of my ‘class mates’ giggling and passing comments as I walked out. I didn’t bother to know what they were.

What else can they be than “shameless fellow”, “Miroku’s such an idiot”, “he’s such a dumb-ass”? Well smart-asses, I, at least, don’t pretend to know the answer like some of you do. You lot end up confusing yourselves while answering! I at least don’t waste the teacher’s time displaying such stupidity.

I stood out of the room for the whole class. Heck, I’m gonna leave school now! But even thinking about that is futile. Thinking about a break from high-school is futile let alone leaving school altogether!

“Break! A high-schooler needing a break! Go sit with your books. Internet’s not gonna teach you a thing! Leave it for a few days and get studying!” father yelled at me when I’d told him about my plan for a break.

A tyrant of a father! I think I deserved a better one! Anyway, I’d go and sit with my books as often ordered by my dear father. But after exactly half an hour books would become distant things for me. My mind would wind up weird fantasies of a different world – a world with demons, priests, priestesses, soldiers, half-breeds and what not! By the way, I forgot to mention the most important of the lot. That’d be women. Man, do I love fantasizing about them! But fantasizing has its drawbacks as well. To rise or rather to arouse is not always good you see.

School life is boring! I thought so to myself while waiting for the English class to end and the next class to begin.

“Next up maths?” I asked myself but when I didn’t get the answer I sighed.

Just then a cold wind hit my face, refreshing me. I looked for the source and my eyes fell upon the window by the stair case. Someone might have left it open. I’m grateful to whoever did that.

I gazed at the window, the sky, the clouds, the birds and...and the girl!!

“What the hell!?” I almost jumped up in surprise. “What’s she doing out of the window? Or is it in the window? Damn, what am I thinking! The girl’s very much inside.”

Has she been punished as well? And right after that. She’s damn cute!

My mind sure wanders a lot!

Similar fates have brought us together and now we shall be together forever!

“It’s too early to think that.” I corrected myself. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t go over and have a chat, does it?” I let myself get taken over by the girl’s charms. “Obviously not!” I gathered up all my courage and took a few steps towards the girl.

She was wearing the same white shirt and brown skirt as other girls of our school. But her skirt looked shorter than the rest!

“Control” I hummed in my mind repeatedly.

Her dark brown hair was being fanned by the wind that hit her face. As her hair flew in the wind, my heart seemed to fly out of my ribs. I was hell bent on talking to her at that very moment. But the thought of it was making me nervous. I jumped up at the slightest of noises.

At this rate I’ll never make it to her! The exact thing happened.

I hadn’t even taken ten steps when the bell rang, declaring the conclusion of the English class. I sighed and returned to my post beside the closed door of the class. The door opened after a few minutes and a woman in her thirties came out.

“Monday we’re having a test on Macbeth. Today’s Friday, tomorrow’s Saturday and the day after is Sunday. Two days to study. At least forty five out of hundred or your father visits the head. Am I clear, Miroku Houshi?”

She sweetly delivered the death sentence to me.

“Yes Ms. Brookes.”

You bitch I’ll kill you! Cursing won’t help, so I stopped thinking after I’d thought out that much.

She left and I entered the class. But immediately I came out.

“That girl, where is she?” I thought to myself as I looked for her at the window.

I wasn’t dreaming, was I? It must be one of my fantasies again. I sighed and returned to the class. The whole day I sat down and thought about the girl. I wanted to see her again. Luckily the teachers didn’t bother me. I already had enough headaches. English test being one of them. Home-works are always there. They’re perennial in my list of head-aches.

The bell of the History class rang. It snapped me out of my fantasies and made me aware that school was over.

I went out of the building, hit the road, waited for the signal to change and crossed over as the green signal lighted up. Then walking along the footpath I reached the bus stop. After waiting for exactly five minutes bus arrived. I got up and after some moments reached my home. I opened the front door, walked along the clean cemented path through our garden and then opened the door of the house and entered.

“I’m home!” I shouted as I opened my shoes and kept them in the shoe stand.

I forgot that mom wasn’t there anymore. No one would answer my calls. I sighed and headed up stairs where my bed room was. I opened the door, banged it shut, left my bag to sag on the floor and dumped my body in the bed.