Touching Bond | Hanako-Kun

3

As Emiko felt her body fall into a deep sleep, someone came creeping up on her. She couldn't hear but was stuck in her own thoughts with her eyes shut.

'This is my home.'

Her body tensed just a bit at the thought of her old home.

Someone dropped their knees beside her, seeing her body slowly loosen. Her balance against the wall was unstable. Emiko began to fall sideways, landing into this person's lap.

"Glad I'm here to catch you." Hanako grinned, touching her turquoise hair, the softness making his eyes widen. "It's so soft." Her hands flinched as her breathing was calm and peaceful. "Goodnight, Emi."

Hanako lifted her head, spreading his legs out as he leaned against the wall. He slowly lowered Emiko into his lap, feeling her warmth as something he hasn't felt in years.

He didn't need sleep, so he gazed at the night sky with his hand resting on Emiko's shoulder. A grin plastered itself on his face, noticing the bright stars and the crescent moon.

"Look at it, Emiko. It's beautiful." Hanako looked down at her resting face, shutting his eyes with her face being the last thing he saw for the night.

***

Emiko opened her eyes, hearing small breaths and air being pushed against her neck. She also noticed the black pants in front of her.

'Am I sleeping on someone?'

She turned her head, feeling the coldness of the person's body. Hanako was looking up at the sky as the sunrise approached. It was just barely pink and light, the darkness of the pitch-black sky trailing right above his head.

"Hanako." Emiko turned the rest of her body to get more comfortable.

"You're awake," he whispered, dropping his eyes to her. "How was your sleep?"

"It was good. We're you with me the entire time?" Emiko asked, lifting her body, rubbing her eyes from the blurry vision.

"Yup!" Hanako chirped, watching her sleepy self lean her back against the wall. "Why are you so tired? You need to clean the bathroom soon." Hanako gave a puzzled look.

"I just feel fatigued. I'm sorry." Emiko let her head fall onto Hanako's shoulder, presenting a tiresome face.

'I want to sleep again. I just want to rest.'

"Why do you feel fatigued?" Hanako questioned, not moving an inch.

"Every once in a while I get-" she sighed, "like this." The spring heat started to show itself this morning, making her warm. Emiko scooted close to Hanako to cool off. "Thanks, Hanako."

"For what?" he asked, placing his hands in his lap, giving a small chuckle as Emiko started her famous habit; getting close.

"For being my ice pack. It's warm out here."

"Are you ok? Sick maybe?" Emiko shook her head.

"No, but I must be getting back." She stood leisurely, sighing as the sun peered through the horizon. "After all-" her emerald eyes looked into Hanako's amber ones, "I need to clean the bathroom."

Emiko began to walk forward, entering the building as Hanako followed in silence. Hanako lifted his legs, floating a few inches above the ground as they traveled down the stairs.

Once she arrived in the bathroom, she bundled her hair together to put it in a ponytail. A few pieces of turquoise strands framed her face. She grabbed the mop, beginning to run it across the floor.

Hanako floated by the windowsill, sitting in a relaxing manner as his eyes watched his assistant.

"Hmm, you are tired, huh?" he asked as she continued to mope around with droopy eyes, somehow cleaning the bathroom perfectly.

"I'm still doing it." she rasped, scrubbing pieces of the tile to make it all shiny. "I'm almost done anyway."

A sudden burst through the bathroom door shocked both of them. Emiko looked in that direction, noticing her best friend panting with a hand on the wall.

"I forgot you were cleaning the bathroom," Nene spoke, waltzing up to her friend with a wide smile. "How is it?" Emiko made sure Nene could look into her tiresome eyes.

"It's going well." Emiko's tone was low and hoarse.

"What's wrong? Did he do something?" Nene asked, scrunching her eyebrows in worry as her hands clasped together in front of her chest.

"He didn't do anything. It's just that phase." Emiko sighed, placing the mop into the liquid, and continued to scrub the floors.

'I hate having these tired phases every once in a while.'

"Ohh, ok." Nene began to walk towards Hanako when she slipped on the wet floors, falling forward.

"Nene?" Emiko spun around to find that Hanako had caught Nene. Emiko shrugged off the event and scrubbed the last tile.

"Thanks, Hanako," Nene spoke, standing back up with a sigh. "I forgot the floors are wet." She chuckled lightly, making Emiko grin.

'Her chuckle is nice. It suits her.'

"I just wanted to check on you, Emiko." Nene shoved her face in front of Emiko's vision. "Seems like you're doing good?"

"Mhm," Emiko replied, placing the mop back into the bucket of liquid. "Just finished, Hanako."

"Ok, thanks!" He replied in his normal cheerful tone. Emiko, with almost closed eyes, placed the bucket in the corner of the bathroom. "You should head off to class," Hanako suggested, staying on the windowsill.

"Ok." Emiko and Nene replied in unison. Both girls followed each other side by side down the hall towards their classroom.

"Nene!" a girl with bluish-purple hair blurted, waving our direction as they entered the room. "Check out the plants!" Nene rushed over to see the sights of the flowers blooming as well as anything else planted in the dirt.

Emiko made her way to her desk, plopping into the seat as her head fell onto her arms.

"I never thought you were actually capable of doing it, dear Emiko." The woman's grin was sinister and gave chills down Emiko's spine.

"Why does she need to pop in my head," Emiko mumbled to herself, lifting her head as the teacher walked in.

"Alright, let's open our textbooks to page one-hundred-seventy-nine." Emiko and the others did so.

'I want to sleep.'

Emiko felt her head constantly wanting to drop as her vision continued to sway from black to the view of her textbook. Emiko balanced her textbook upwards as her head crashed on the table somewhat quietly.

'Dammit, sleeping in class again. This damn phase, I wish it was over.'

Emiko felt as if she drifted from reality into a state of sleep, like a dream.

"Do it or else Yano gets it!" The woman's shouts and screams hurt little Emiko's heart.

"Stop! I'll do it!" Emiko blurted, seeing her younger brother tear up from the moment, him gripping tightly on his stuffed bear. "I'll be back." Emiko grinned as her body began to walk towards the kitchen from Yano's bedroom.

"Good girl." The woman praised as Emiko cautiously grabbed the wallet off the table, seeing her father cooking food while listening to his favourite song.